Page 24 of Ex in the City
I need to steer the conversation back to the task at hand. I guess, in my defence, I’ve never worked with anyone I already knew before.
‘I’m going to need you to keep the drinking to a minimum, while we show people this different side of you – and definitely nothing stronger – and, whether there are twenty-seven girls upstairs, seven, or just two…’
‘Just two?’ Dylan interjects with a playful laugh, repeating my words back to me. ‘A slow day.’
‘Dill, you know what I mean,’ I reply.
‘I do,’ he replies. ‘And okay. That sounds fair.’
‘And I was going to suggest swearing less but, now that I think about it, you already are,’ I point out. The last time I saw Dylan it was like every other word.
‘Thanks for fucking noticing,’ he jokes. ‘I do still swear, when the mood calls for it, but I’m getting ahead of the game, using them sparingly.’
I smile.
‘That’s good then,’ I tell him. ‘Good thinking. I’ll come up with a list of ideas for things you can be seen doing, in the build-up to the announcement. But, again, they make you look good because they are good – I can’t stress that enough.’
‘Got it,’ he confirms. ‘Oh, one other thing, though, I was hoping, as part of the deal, before the announcement, if you might come with me to the meetings, the recordings, the rehearsals, and so on? I’ll pay you, obviously, whatever youwant. But I really don’t want to mess this up, and if that means having you hold my hand every step of the way, then so be it.’
‘Yeah, that makes sense,’ I respond, trying to keep my excitement in check. Wow, it really does sound like old times.
‘But I guess that means stepping back into your old shoes, going back to the world you left behind,’ Dylan reminds me.
‘I’m sure I can handle it,’ I reply casually, although deep down, I’m really looking forward to it. A trip down memory lane feels like just what I need, back to my old life. I mean, come on, how many people get to time-travel like this? It’s a chance to go back to the way things used to be, but to get it right this time. I’m older, wiser and more sensible now, and Dylan seems like he’s in a much better place, and open to changing more, so it’s not going to be anything like it used to be… is it?
I can’t wait to find out.
13
As I finish my short stroll home, I can’t help but sigh with playful exhaustion.
‘Ahh, another hard day in the office,’ I joke to Dylan as he joins me on my new commute – surely a contender for the record for the world’s shortest commute ever?
He grins.
‘I love that this is your job now,’ he tells me. ‘This is basically what you did, for free, back in the day. It’s nice to see you getting compensated for it now.’
‘You say that, but really, I should be thanking you,’ I reply with a grin of my own. ‘Because if it weren’t for all the, shall we say, work experience you gave me, I probably wouldn’t be so good at it.’
Dylan walks me to my front door, and I appreciate the company – his company – even if it is only a short trip.
‘Thanks for escorting me home,’ I tell him. ‘What are you doing with yourself now?’
Dylan runs a hand through his newly short hair. Well, it’s new to me, anyway. It really suits him, but I’m still not quiteused to it. I’m not used to him being here generally, though, who am I kidding?
‘I’m not sure,’ he replies. ‘What do people do for fun around here, in Little Cutesy Cutesy Name? Aside from keeping detailed files on everyone they can see from their window. You would never get that in London.’
‘I mean, you are still technically in a borough of London,’ I remind him with a laugh.
‘Am I?’ he says in disbelief. ‘Wow, it seems so far away to me.’
‘I know it does – you rented a house,’ I remind him.
‘Okay, I stand corrected then,’ he concedes. ‘So, what do people do for fun in thisboroughof London?’
‘Fun? What’s that?’ I ask, cocking my head curiously for comedic effect.
‘Cast your mind back far enough, and you’ll remember,’ Dylan replies, trying to hit me where it’s nostalgic.
