‘Babe! I am bored out of my mind. Can we shake this hellhole?’
Carmen looked at him.
Even though it had only been a week, he seemed smaller somehow, a little pouting around the mouth.
‘Come on – let’s just go.’
‘It’s my party!’ said Carmen stiffly. ‘I can’t go.’
‘Sure you can! Let’s ditch this joint and go and hang out, just the two of us.’
She frowned at him.
‘What about Skylar?’
‘What about her?’ He shrugged. ‘Come on. Let’s go and have fun.’
‘This is fun.’
Carmen was amazed at herself. For so long, it had been her dearest wish for someone to take her away from all of this, to do some wild and crazy things, to take her away from her life – it had been her dream. All she wanted.
But now, suddenly, all she could do was think of how lovely the bookshop was looking, and worry about Mr McCredie, and wonder where … just where was Oke?
She couldn’t get his face out of her head, and his take on all the things that she normally accepted day to day, challenging her way of looking at life – he saw everything with fresh eyes. In a way that didn’t make him a rube, or unsophisticated, or any of those other things she judged him on because of his shoes. Because he was just himself, at all times. His life was simpler, because he was never trying to be anything – a celebrity, like Blair, or some kind of Instagram yoga bunny like Skylar, or a have-it-all type like Sofia. Or even her, Carmen, just trying to pretend she was getting on all right. When she knew she wasn’t.
She blinked, as Skylar spotted her there and dashed up and grabbed Blair possessively by the arm. He barely glanced at her.
‘Hi, Carmen,’ she said loudly.
‘Hello, Skylar,’ said Carmen. It was the weirdest thing: seeing Skylar’s face, she suddenly felt a burden lifted. It was fine. It was okay.
‘Have you seen Oke?’ she asked Skylar politely. Skylar shrugged.
‘Oh, no,’ she said, casually. ‘Why, were you really hoping he’d come?’
Carmen looked straight at her.
‘Yes,’ she said.
She escaped into the quiet street for a breath of fresh air. The party was thinning out. Well. He hadn’t come. That was okay. Maybe parties weren’t really his thing. But then he’d been at Bronagh’s party.
She had missed him. Dahlia wasn’t here either: maybe he was out with her. The thought grabbed at her heart with far more force than she had expected.
As if she’d summoned her, she saw Dahlia trudging up the street from the coffee shop.
‘Hello!’ she said. Dahlia sniffed.
‘What’s up?’ Carmen said. ‘Are you going to see Oke?’
The girl turned red again.
‘No!’ she said. ‘He’s all yours!’
She looked tearful again.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I really, really liked him!’ said Dahlia, choking. ‘But he said he couldn’t ever date me. Because … he’s a lecturer. And he can’t date students.’
She burst into tears again.
Carmen blinked. She couldn’t believe it.
‘Really?’
‘You’re not a student, are you?’
Dahlia sniffed again, her nose red. Carmen shook her head.