Page 32 of Ex in the City
‘Anyway, what’s the plan now?’ he asks me. ‘What are we doing with the rest of our day?’
I smile. It’s been a long time since we were a ‘we’. I like it.
‘Well, I’ve got to get home,’ I tell him. ‘It’s Archie’s birthday today, so he’s having some friends over after school, and we’re having some parents over which is alwaysfun. So, I need to go get the house ready.’
‘I’ll help you, if you like?’ Dylan suggests.
‘Dylan King wants to help set up a kids’ party?’ I reply. ‘You do know that the jelly is just jelly, and the lighter is only for lighting the candles on the cake, right?’
Dylan smiles widely as he laughs.
‘Yes, I know all that,’ he tells me. ‘I need to go back to the house, to make a few phone calls, but that shouldn’t take more than ten minutes. I would love to help you.’
‘Okay, cool,’ I reply. ‘It’s not the first party we’ve planned together, but it might just be the most surreal.’
‘It will be fun,’ he insists. ‘Come on, let’s go – I’m excited.’
I can’t help but smile to myself. He really does seem excited.
Who is this man, and what has he done with the real Dylan King?
16
The house is alive with the sounds of laughter, music and chatter – oh, and screaming because, whether it’s for good reasons or bad ones, there is always screaming.
Balloons of every colour adorn the living room – courtesy of Dylan, who said you could never have too many balloons. He was such a huge help, assisting me in setting everything up for the party, because Rowan certainly wasn’t around to do it. I know, he’s working hard, but the fact that he’s only doing extra work to make up for scamming people makes it harder for me to be cool with picking up the slack.
Dylan left, to go back to the house and get changed, before Rowan got home, and when Rowan did arrive, he walked in, didn’t compliment me on the house, or ask how I’d managed to do it all alone, or anything like that. Ah, well.
The party is in full swing now. We laid out the kitchen island with an assortment of goodies, from sandwiches and crisps to cupcakes to party bags. Everyone just keeps passing by the table, grazing, which is the best thing about a buffet. Even the adults are enjoying it, although I did notice Rebecca look over what was on offer and pull an unimpressed face. No doubt I’ll be gettingsome sort of social penalty for putting out such a beige array of ‘British tapas’.
Archie is having a great time, though, and that is all that matters. He’s loving having his friends over, opening his presents and showing people what he’s got. Rowan is schmoozing the parents, which to be honest I would rather not do, so I’m more than happy to play the dutiful host instead.
‘Hello,’ Dylan says, snapping me from my thoughts as I top up the crisps.
‘Oh, hi,’ I reply as I turn to face him.
Oh, wow, he’s even dressed up for the party, in a pair of black jeans and a nicely fitting long-sleeved black T-shirt. I don’t know why, but it gives me a bit of a lump in my throat.
‘Dylan,’ Archie screams as he charges over to greet him.
‘Hey, dude, happy birthday,’ Dylan tells him.
‘You came to my party,’ Archie points out, his eyes wide, his jaw slightly dropped.
‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world, little man,’ Dylan replies. ‘And I brought you a birthday present. It’s in the hallway.’
‘Cool,’ Archie replies before running off in that direction.
I feel a sense of uneasiness before I clock Rowan staring at us. I feel like he’s keeping an eye on me, like I’m one of the kids.
‘Let’s go see this present,’ I suggest with a smile, although we’ve hardly made a move when I notice Rowan heading over to join us. He catches us up as we arrive in the hallway, where Archie is standing in silence, staring in wonderment at his shiny new drum kit.
‘This is mine?’ Archie blurts in disbelief.
‘I figured, you seemed to enjoy making music at school the other day,’ Dylan explains. ‘And you’ve got a good sense of rhythm, dude. I thought this might help you explore it.’
‘You bought a child a whole drum kit because he enjoyed drumming once?’ Rowan says, every word loaded.
