With a small laugh I said, “Damn.”
As soon as the Warriors match was over, Freya, Will, Bree, Miguel and I said goodbye to Josh and Jamie, and hot footed it back to the hotel. Just like the old days, I went to Freya’s room to get ready but none of the outfits I had seemed like the right one.
Freya came to sit beside me. “I know you don't want to talk about Radleigh, and I understand, but I really don't want him to ruin tonight.”
“He probably won't even show up so it shouldn't be a problem.”
“It doesn't matter whether he’s there or not. He's on your mind.”
“I'm trying, Freya. I'm really trying.”
“I know you are,” she said, taking my hand. “I know seeing him today can't have been easy. But we haven't seen you for two months and I want us to have fun.”
I nodded. “Me too. And we will. I'm sorry, I'll try to cheer up.”
Freya gave me a much needed hug. “You don't have to apologise. I just want us to enjoy the time we have. Besides,” she added, “I need to sample the British men. That'll be fun!”
“Yeah, wait until you see the beer swilling losers we have here!”
“British men are hot! Prince William, David Beckham, Daniel Craig. Tell me I’m wrong?”
She wasn’t fooling me for a second with her talk of finding a man. The only William she was interested in was the one who still hadn’t gotten around to making his move.
“Well actually,” I said, “you're right. At the club I'm taking you to there will be plenty of good looking men. At least, there always used to be. It can't have changed that much.”
I was right, it hadn't.
Slinky's was more like an upmarket bar than a nightclub, with a huge dance floor and a karaoke bar upstairs. They didn't play the latest club tunes, they played current chart hits plus a few choice older songs from other decades. Music created for dancing. When I lived in London I'd spent many weekends in Slinky's with my friends and we'd had some great nights there. It was perfect because unlike a nightclub, the music didn't take over the entire place. There was a quieter end of the bar for people to socialise, and a noisier end where people could go to let loose. I had every intention of doing both.
I finally settled on the perfect outfit for the evening, a black, sleeveless top, which had a zip running down the left side. Such a daring top might have been asking for trouble, but I decided to risk it anyway. Coupled with the dark blue flared jeans I’d bought that morning, and my favourite pair of strappy heels I thought I looked pretty good.
“Wow, Leah, this place is great!” Will said as we walked through the doors.
It was pretty impressive with its modern décor, complete with a highly polished wooden floor and the world's longest bar, which was already filled with people.
“What do you guys drink over here?” Will asked.
“Tea,” I answered, keeping a perfectly straight face. “All varieties. Instead of mixers and beer taps we just have a load of pretty coloured teapots lined up behind the bar.”
Freya cracked up and Will rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”
Smiling, I said, “We drink pretty much the same as you but probably in larger quantities.”
“What are you having? My treat.”
“Why thank you,” I said. “I will have a Smirnoff Ice, and as I am in my own cou
ntry and don't have to worry about pleasantries, I'll drink it out of the bottle with a straw!”
“Me too,” Freya added.
Will shook his head. “I've never seen you like this before, all British and uncouth!”
“I am not uncouth!” I insisted. “Now … let’s get ratted!”
Freya and Will exchanged a look of confusion.
“It means drunk,” I explained. “Short for ‘rat-arsed.’”