‘Not coming.’
His glance flicked to Luke and back to me, then he exclaimed, ‘You’re fucking joking.’ He looked horribly concerned. ‘Because of him?’ He nodded across at Luke.
‘No. Well …’
‘I can’t,’ Adam managed. ‘I really can’t.’ He’d spotted a roving waitress with a tray of champagne and dived at her. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered, gratefully accepting a glass. ‘You’re very kind.’
‘What’s up with him?’ Helen had appeared in a tight little black dress.
Flanking Helen was her Best Friend, Bella Devlin.
‘Bella,’ I said. ‘How lovely to … You look …’ I couldn’t find an adequately effusive word for her fair, pale-skinned perfection. ‘Beautiful.’
To be accurate, Bella looked as though the air she breathed was the purest oxygen, that she only drank water from melted glaciers and that her every thought was good and loving.
‘Rachel.’ Bella took my hands between hers – her social skills were impeccable. ‘You’re breathtaking.’
‘You’re more. You’re breathtaking to the moon and back.’ Sooner rather than later, I usually let myself down around her. ‘Tell me about your dress.’ Because there was always a story. Bella Devlin would never say, ‘This fucking thing? Karen Millen! Two years ago. There was a tear in the hem so I got twenty euro off.’
‘It was my mum’s wedding dress,’ Bella said.
But of course it was – the dress was red and, apart from a mandarin collar, super-plain.
‘Dior,’ Bella Devlin said. ‘Crêpe de Chine. Vintage.’
‘Vintage vintage,’ Helen clarified. ‘It was vintage when Vonnie got married. So now it’s vintage squared.’
Another tray of champagne flutes appeared and Adam, who’d devoted himself to swigging down the glass he already had, once again made a lunge.
‘Have you anything non-alcoholic?’ I asked the server. ‘Tap water is fine.’
‘And for me,’ Bella said. （She didn’t drink, even though her parents said she could.）
‘It’s not fine for me,’ Helen said. ‘Water, please, but the fanciest you have.’
‘I’m grand with champagne.’ Artie, in jeans and a shirt that could definitely have done with an iron, had joined our cluster.
‘Good of you to dress up, bro,’ Adam said to Artie.
With a quiet smile, Artie said, ‘Always.’
Very cool, Artie was. Impossible to rattle.
‘So three waters?’ the server said.
‘Er, before you go.’ Anxiously, Adam lunged at her tray. ‘I’ll take a second glass for my … because I drink quickly. Anna! Hey! And Angelo! Hello!’
Poor Adam was almost as uncomfortable around Angelo as he was with Luke.
Into my ear, Anna said, ‘One of us should go over and talk to Luke. This can’t be easy for him. When I say “one of us”， I mean you, Rachel.’
It was actually a relief to get an order to approach him. It didn’t make me as tragic as if I’d decided off my own bat. Not that he’d know the difference. ‘Okay. Going.’
Nervously, I infiltrated the circle of aunties, stood next to Luke and said, ‘Hey.’
He jumped and turned around. ‘Hey!’ His face shifted from serious to an unexpectedly sweet smile. After a speedy scan of my dress, he said, ‘You look gorgeous.’
‘No need to sound so surprised.’ Quickly, I added, ‘I’m joking.’
‘Where’s Quin?’
‘Not here.’
‘Is he … okay?’
‘I … Just … I don’t really know …’
He didn’t speak, just stared, appearing troubled.
A shift in energy pulled my attention away – Kate and Devin! Kate in the midnight-blue dress, the boned bodice figure-hugging and narrow, the skirt a tulle explosion, Devin in an eighties-style suit in the same colour. They’d come as a matching set and they were dazzling.
As they moved through the room, people were doing second takes, wondering why this duo was so captivating. Oh, I see, they’re young and in love. Well, isn’t this a beautiful thing to witness.
Luke frowned. ‘Is that … one of your dresses?’ He looked upset. ‘I remember when you used to –’
‘No, don’t, please,’ I said. ‘Let’s not be sad. Just for tonight?’