She looked over at me, smiling. “I thought I’d come out with you tonight.”
My body seized up at her words. No, no, no, no, no. Not tonight. I narrowed my eyes in confusion. “You hate rock music.”
“But I love you, and we haven’t spent enough time together lately. So, I’ll join you.”
Oh God. My heart was like a hammer against my chest. I had to get Evie’s ticket to her, and to do that, I’d need to tell Natalie I was meeting a woman. A woman she’d told me I couldn’t talk to again. How the hell was I supposed to explain that? I wasn’t a good liar. I wasn’t a liar at all, unless you counted not telling Natalie about Evie, but it wasn’t for the usual reason a guy would lie about something like that. I wasn’t trying to cheat. I just wanted one person in my life who was separate from everything else. Someone I could easily talk to. Someone who didn’t treat me like crap. The only way for me to have that was to keep Evie a secret.
But now I’d have to lie to Evie. I was supposed to meet her at seven for a drink before the show, and I’d told Natalie I was leaving at six because the doors to the venue opened at seven.
Evie hadn’t paid for her ticket yet so, what if I told her I was ill and wasn’t going? There were no tickets left so she couldn’t just turn up and get in. I’d have to go with Natalie.
Oh!
“It’s ticket only,” I said. “I only bought a ticket for me and it’s sold out now.”
Her face fell for a second, then she said, “Okay. Well, how about I meet you after? We could go to a club later. Just don’t wear trainers.”
This was not a request and, as little as I wanted to go, I knew she’d make me regret it if I didn’t. I’d just have to figure out how to get Evie out before Natalie came to get me; something she did sometimes to make sure I wasn’t with another girl. It was pretty stupid since she’d made it clear many times that no other girl would be interested in me.
“Okay.” I tried not to sigh as I went to the wardrobe to dig out some black shoes. I’d feel and look like a prick wearing posh shoes in a place where everyone would be wearing trainers, but it’d be dark. Hopefully nobody would notice. I only hoped none of Natalie’s friends were around to see me with Evie. It would probably be too early for them, though, since the nightclubs didn’t open until much later. We’d be inside the venue before any of them went out.
I was ready way before I needed to be. The stress of lying and the panic that I might get found out had me rushing around like crazy. It wasn’t like I was even doing anything wrong, not really. I was meeting someone to see a band; something I would have done more often if I actually had friends. Natalie had scared off any female friends I had within weeks of us meeting, and my guy friends quickly got sick of me telling them I couldn’t go out with them because I was doing stuff with her.
When it was time for me to leave, I said goodbye to Natalie and she gave me her usual words. “Text me when you get there.” I nodded and left the flat.
Since I wasn’t going straight to the venue, but meeting Evie in a pub farther down the road, it was a good thing I was a bit early. I walked back to the club and took a photo of the entrance then sent a text to Natalie with it attached before going back to the pub. I was surprised to find Evie was already inside, sitting with a glass of wine and a bottle of Peroni in front of her.
She smiled as I approached, and I thought how different she looked from the first time I’d seen her. Her hair was down and swept over one shoulder in a plait like that princess from Frozen. Her make-up was subtle. She was wearing jeans, black high-heeled ankle boots and a black long-sleeved top that had those hook things to do it up, like on a corset, but they ran down the front and not the back. It suited her, and a stirring of guilt that I’d noticed made my stomach turn over.
“Hey,” she said as I sat down. “I thought I’d get the first round.”
She’d noticed what I’d been drinking in Exeter and ordered it for me. I stared at the bottle for a second in surprise at how thoughtful that was. Before I could react, she picked up her bag and handed me a twenty-pound note. “For the ticket,” she said. “Thank you for getting it for me.”
“That’s okay.” I thought my hand was shaking as I took the money from her, but I wasn’t used to this. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her or anything, I just didn’t expect her to be so quick at paying me back.
“So, what’s been going on?” she asked brightly. She seemed happy to be out, but I was still looking around, making sure there was nobody around who would report back to Natalie.
When I was sure I was safe, I said, “Not much. Been busy at work. Haven’t been getting home until two, and then up early in the morning.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, with an understanding smile. “Most people who work late end up sleeping late.”
“Not me. No chance of that. I get told I’m lazy if I’m not up by nine at the latest.”
“By your girlfriend?”
I nodded and Evie raised her eyebrows but said nothing. I figured she’d decided that this was none of her business and… it wasn’t. But also, I sort of wanted her to ask more questions.
Why would she? She’s here because she needed someone to go out with. She doesn’t give a fuck about you or your life.
“How was your week?” I asked as the truth of my thoughts began to settle in.
No point opening up to her. She doesn’t care.
“It was good. I finished off some long-running projects this week so I’ve been paid in full and, next week, I get to start something new and fun.”
“What is it?”
“My best friend has two children and she often takes them to the soft play centre in Stockport. I go with her sometimes, and they’ve asked me to re-brand their logos and everything. It’s going to be great.”