Page 33 of Mr Best Friend's Brother Grump

“Yes. A number of times. But please continue.”

“Right, thanks. The party is up on the top floor of one of those old-style buildings with the fire escape ladder on the side, like in 'West Side Story'. And it’s really cool. It’s an architect’s place and everything has been handmade. And there’s art everywhere. You know, the place is designed with a capital D. And there’s a DJ playing some funky tunes and before I know it, I’m dancing. And yes, with Rob. And we’re dancing. Phew. So much fun.”

“That’s so great! So did you… you know?”

“No! No. No no no. Not a kiss or anything. But he was the perfect gentleman, and he has my number… so… Fingers crossed.”

The ribs and rice come steaming to our table. Kendra takes another break, and we get messy in the glutenous, rich red rib sauce. Afterward, we clean our hands in the finger bowls and dry them on the serviettes.

Kendra drinks more green tea and gazes across the tiny restaurant at the other diners. Then, out of the blue, she says, “I think Nathan is seeing someone.”

“Oh yeah?” I try to sound surprised and not that interested. “How do you know? Has he mentioned any names?”

“No. Not yet. And I don’t think he brought her home last night. Not that I was looking for clues or anything. But he said something at dinner last week. We were talking about Ingrid, and he was saying how he has totally moved on. Then he said that actually there was a ‘special someone’.” She acts out the quotation for effect. “I’m curious... I wanted him to tell me who she is, but he said that I would be the first to know when he was sure.”

“Ah, mmm, good.”

“Rosa. I know you think he’s a bit, you know, stuck-up and everything, but he is a very sensitive soul. And I’ve been worried about him.” Kendra pours out more green tea and thinks for a moment. “When he broke up with Ingrid, he just threw himself into work. Like a maniac.” She fills my cup and then hers. “Even more so than when he and Ingrid were together. And I mean he worked a lot then. They both did…” Kendra sips her tea. “Anyway, so I guess I was wrong about him getting back together with her.” She laughs. “Typical Nathan. He wants to be friends, but she still thinks she’s in with a chance. Poor Ingrid. He’s had to put distance between them, so hopefully, she gets the message.”

“He didn’t give you any clues about who this special someone is?”

“No. Probably a model or maybe a journalist? He knows a lot of people. But it’s rare he allows anyone to get close. He’s quite a private person really.”

“I’m sure he’ll let you know when he’s ready.”

“Yes. I know he will.” Kendra looks wistfully out of the steamed-up restaurant window to the street where people are walking up and down. “I love my brother. And I want him to be happy… I just have the feeling that whoever he meets is going to be second best to photography. If she wants to be with Nathan, whoever she is… she’ll probably have to accept him how he is and change her life to fit, because I don’t see him ever, adapting his life for anyone.”

Are you sure about that? I mean if he’s met The One. The person who he wants to spend the rest of his life with, then surely, he’ll meet her halfway?”

“I would love to say yes, but I just don’t see it happening. He is so focused and driven. He has spent years striving to be the best, he doesn’t know any other way to be. I mean, we’re flatting together, but I swear, if we didn’t make appointments to see each other, it might be days or even weeks until we connect.”

“So, what would you say to her? This woman that Nathan is seeing, …if she was sitting in front of you right now.”

“I think I just want to warn her. I would say something like, be prepared to live in his shadow. Something like that, so she’s under no illusion about what to expect. My brother, well, he’s not normal.” She laughs.

“Like Rob?”

“Yes, well, we’ll see how that pans out… He might not even call me. I might have invented the whole thing because I want it to be real and I’ve filled in the blanks with my own imagination of how I want things to be.”

I relax back against the restaurant wall and think maybe I have filled in the blanks with Nathan. My first-kiss glow dims as Kendra’s words begin to sink in. I wanted to be with Nathan, but at what cost? I saw my future self, alone in his apartment, waiting for him to call from a far-off place; counting down the days and hours when he would return; counting the days and hours until his next job would take him away again. Is that really my future? I shake it off.

“So, I’ve been blathering on.” Kendra interrupts my thoughts. “And you haven’t told me anything about your night.”

I smile. “It was wonderful,” I say, dreamily. “The best night of my life.”

Chapter 28

Nathan

I’m so happy. I’m finding it hard not to smile, even when it’s raining. I get funny looks in the street and at the grocery store from unsmiling people. I wake up with memories of kissing Rosa in the elevator. What a wonderful way to start the day! But, also, suddenly I’m nervous because now I have something to lose. I wonder how she feels about me. And if I have been so caught up with The Kiss, I have completely misread what’s going on between us. It’s as if there’s a picture of Rosa and me, together, softly appearing like a silver tint photograph in the dark room. The outline and tonal contrasts, not yet solid, are taking shape. But at this early stage, the image is delicate and easily ruined if due care is not taken. The responsibility is mine. I don’t want to mess things up. And I don’t want to risk getting hurt. Proceed with caution, I tell myself in the bathroom mirror.

Alfie called me the day after the media awards to find out if his prediction had come true. But I’m not one to kiss and tell. I told him that, yes, we had shared a lovely evening, and left it at that. Being a true journo, he tried to get more detail by asking the same question in a variety of ways. I made some excuse and hung up. He’ll forgive me. Alfie’s a good sort.

I want to call Rosa, but I don’t want to scare her off with being too… much. I don’t want to rush things. But then… I want to surprise her after work. What if I turned up unannounced at the center? What would she say? Would she be pleased to see me? It might be awkward. I remind myself to proceed with caution. I’ll call to make sure she doesn’t have plans or anything. Or message. I’m leaving for Los Angeles in a couple of days, and I can’t leave without seeing her, even if it’s just for coffee or a casual meet-up. I start typing a message on my phone, then delete what I have written straight away because it sounds too business-like. I try again, hoping it’s the right tone. ‘Hey. Thinking about you. Are you free sometime this week?’

The reply arrives when I’m sorting out my gear for the L.A. shoot. ‘Sure. Dinner? 8?’ My heart flips a double somersault triple twist. I punch the air. Then feel self-conscious. Thankfully, I’m on my own in my bedroom and no one saw my display of sheer, unbounded joy.

As I’m sorting out my camera kit and following up on job leads, an email pops up. ‘Urgent: date change.’ It’s from the production company in Beverly Hills. Is there any chance I could come earlier? There’s a meeting with the designers, art director, and finance. I should be there. Sorry for the late request. Blah blah blah. This was typical of L.A. I should have predicted the date change. I would need to rebook my ticket and leave tonight. I check availability of flights. There’s one direct at ten. I could make that. I email Beverly Hills back to say I’m on my way. Then I message Rosa to ask if we can do dinner earlier.

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