Page 30 of Be With Us: An Urban Foursome Love Story

Mark looked over at her, disapprovingly and Emilia looked over to Cassian, a little uncomfortably.

‘No,’ said Cassian. ‘Just each other.’

There was a brief silence around the table, which Amy broke.

‘That’s so romantic.’

Emilia relaxed a little.

‘I can’t imagine that,’ she said and was about to say something else, but the waitress interrupted them to ask for their order and Amy forgot for the time being, what she was going to say. By the time they had finished their mains, there had been so many other conversations, that Emilia felt they were reasonably safe from the usual probing comments.

‘We need to have pudding,’ said Amy, a little tipsy after her third glass of wine. ‘You have to try the lemon sorbet, it’s literally the best I’ve ever had.’

‘Lemon sorbet?’ said Emilia.

‘I know, but honestly, they must have some secret ingredient here that elevates it to a different level.’

‘Okay,’ said Emilia, smiling. ‘I trust you.’

A short while later, the waitress brought over a large bowl of sorbet, topped with ice cream, coated with whipped cream, and sprinkled with chocolate and then laid out four spoons.

‘Hang on, wait,’ said Amy to Emilia, grabbing one of the spoons. ‘Try the sorbet first.’

She leaned forward and dug into the depths of the bowl and came back with a small spoon of glistening yellow ice and then brought it up to Emilia’s lips.

‘Go on, try it.’

Emilia opened her mouth and Amy slipped the spoon inside, the sorbet melting onto her tastebuds, and then she wiped the corner of Emilia’s mouth with her thumb.

Amy was right, the sorbet was amazing, but the delivery was heaven.

*

The two girls stumbled out of the restaurant, holding hands and laughing and almost falling into the street.

‘Careful love,’ said a passing man as Amy nearly knocked him over.

‘Sorry,’ she called after him as he walked on past, then she burst into laughter again. It had started to rain since finishing their meal, and the street was slick with water.

‘Oh my goodness, I have had the best night, Em. Can I call you, Em? Oh, you’re like that miserable woman in those spy films. Em. Em.’

Emilia laughed and held her friend upright, putting one arm around her waist and the other on her shoulder.

‘You are so fucking beautiful, Emily. Emilia. I could just kiss you.’

‘Go on then,’ she said, daring her.

The men came out behind them, closing the door and joining their wives in the street and they all started to walk in the direction of their cars.

‘I have had such an amazing night with you guys,’ said Amy, now walking hand in hand with Emilia again. ‘It was the most terrifying night of my life, and I’m going to have to sleep with the light on for the next six months, and burn all of my dolls, but it was amazing.’

‘You have dolls?’ said Emilia.

‘Don’t ask,’ said Amy. ‘I won’t after tonight in any case.’

Amy slipped her hand up Emilia’s arm and hooked it over her elbow.

‘We must do this again soon,’ she said. ‘Not the Doll’s House, I’m never setting foot in there again. But going out together, and not in a We must do this again soon, but not really way, but actually very soon, we should go out again together and have some more fun. Maybe bowling or wine tasting. You know, something that doesn’t involve being scarred for life.’

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