Page 26 of The App Trap
“Why don’t you try some of this instead?” asked Mum, offering me a glass of khaki-coloured slop.
“Absolutely not,” I replied, as she took one sip and then poured the rest down the sink.
“I think I’ll stick with the chemo. That is vile,” said Mum, gurning.
Lilla sauntered into the kitchen and Mum’s face relit with joy as she picked her up and put the moggy on her shoulder, engrossing herself in whatever late-night crap was on the telly.
“Mum?”
“Yes, Lovely.”
“Do you want me to come with you to the hospital tomorrow morning?”
“Well, Flo was gonna take me, but, yeah, if you want to. It’s boring, though. I’ve gotta sit there for hours while they put that crap through me. Mind you, a couple of the nurses there are gorgeous. Maybe you could get one of them to string you up?” she chuckled.
Lilla looked at me in a way that almost seemed like she understood that comment.
“Night, girls,” I said.
I was really worried about Mum; but even more aboutmoving out with Finn and deserting her. Luckily, Auntie Florence was only two roads away, and we wouldn’t be too far away from her. Still, I had a bad feeling that her treatment wasn’t working. Maybe it was time to stop screwing around and actually try and find someone decent before it was too late.
Just before I slumped into bed, I got a text from Ben.
‘Again, so sorry about him. He’s a bit weird about stuff sometimes. He’s actually really sorry though if that makes any difference. Lunch tomorrow, please? I’ll buy.’
I knew Ben wasn’t the soul mate I was looking for, but despite promising myself to turn over a new leaf merely seconds earlier, I replied:
‘Go on then.’
I metBen for lunch at a gastro-pub in Soho that I knew wouldn't be too busy. It had become a regular date haunt for that exact reason. I had to scope out decent first date locations that weren’t too noisy for East, West, South, North and Central London. That way, I could appease potential love interests from all over town and impress them by quickly finding a decent location nearby to meet.
Smelling as delicious as usual, Ben walked in wearing a sexy black faux-fur coat over a black vest, his expression softening with each step he took.
“If I’d have known he was going to do that, I’d have snapped your phone in half,” he said, offering his hand to shake.
“Well, that would have caused me even more inconvenience, but… I get the sentiment.”
“I’m so sorry, Danny. And I’m sorry we set you up like that. It was wrong.”
I flicked his outstretched hand away and pulled him in for a hug.
“I can’t stay angry at you.”
“Me neither,” he replied.
I pulled back and stared at him quizzically.
“Sorry, what do you mean ‘me neither’?”
“Well, you did turn down my generous offer of a fun playtime, only to try and get off with my flatmate.”
He hoisted an eyebrow. Damn it, why can’t I do that?
I sunk back into myself, because, yeah, he was kind of right.
“Touché.”
“I’m joshing with you, you sausage. Look, Itripleup with my dates sometimes. It's no big deal,” said Ben, sucking his Vodka, lime and soda through a double barrel of thin black straws.
