Page 74 of Ex in the City
I’m stunned. I used to work with Jake, when I first started out. He was the tech guy and he was so shy, and quiet, and nerdy. He didn’t care about the music industry, or celebrities, and he used to love making fun of me for how into it all I was. We were good friends, back in the day, but back then he was very much the kind of guy you would expect to work in a techy role – from the plaid shirt to the neat haircut – but not any more. Bloody hell, has everyone had a glow-up but me over the last ten years?
Jake’s look has totally evolved. His hair is dark, long on top, and blown back. He’s rocking the designer stubble, honestly, is there any man on this planet who doesn’t look ten times hotter with facial hair? He’s wearing black jeans, a T-shirt and a black leather jacket.
We never fell out or anything like that but, when I moved to London, and we no longer worked together or even lived in the same city, we just naturally drifted apart.
‘What are you doing here?’ I ask him.
‘Taz invited me,’ he replies. ‘We stayed in touch – he did the ink on my leg.’
Jake places his foot on a nearby plant pot and rolls up his trouser leg to show me his tattoos. Every inch of his leg – fromhis ankle to his knee – is covered in the most intricate design. I can’t resist dropping to my knees, to take a good look.
‘Wow,’ I say, taking it all in.
‘Erm, hi,’ Dylan says with a laugh as he joins us.
‘Oh, hello,’ I say, still on my knees. ‘You remember Jake, right?’
‘Of course,’ Dylan says as he reaches out to shake his hand. ‘All right, mate?’
I should probably get up from the floor, shouldn’t I?
I return to eye level, standing between them.
‘We were just catching up,’ I tell him. ‘It’s been a minute.’
‘Yeah, no worries, I was just coming to say we’re going to play beer pong in the bedroom, on that long desk – in case you’re looking for me,’ he explains. ‘I didn’t think you’d fancy it, seeing as though it’s beer, and technically sport…’
He laughs.
Dylan and I haven’t spent a second together at this party – in fact, this is the longest we’ve interacted since we got here. Everyone wants a piece of him. They want him to sing them a song, to talk to him, dance with him. Oh, and of course most of them are women.
‘Dylan, come on, strip beer pong,’ the blonde bellows out of the balcony doors.
I turn to look at him.
‘It’s not strip beer pong,’ he insists with a laugh. ‘But, even if it were, I’m too good at it to lose.’
‘Yeah, no worries, that’s fine,’ I say – not exactly sounding like it’s fine. ‘I was actually just going to ask Jake if he wanted to get out of here?’
The boys both look at me for a second. I turn to Jake, pretty much ignoring that Dylan is even standing there.
‘Do you want to get out of here?’ I say again. ‘We could go somewhere quieter, where we can actually hear one anotherwithout having to stand in the cold – it would be good to have a proper catch-up.’
‘Yeah, sure,’ he says. ‘I’d love to.’
‘Go enjoy your strip beer pong,’ I tell Dylan. ‘I’ll catch up with you later.’
Jake and I make a move, heading for the door, but Dylan takes my hand, holding me back for a moment.
‘Hey, you know you can trust me, right?’ he says with a smile. ‘This isn’t going to be like it used to be.’
‘Dylan,’ I hear the blonde screaming from inside.
‘Yeah, okay, sure,’ I reply. ‘I guess I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘You’re not coming back later?’ he replies.
‘Nah, I think I’ll just go to bed,’ I reply. ‘After I hang out with Jake for a bit.’
