In Another Life (1993-1996)

All Your Dreams Are Made

"Oh it's lovely!" I said, as we rounded a corner and headed towardsBrighton beach.

"It's a good job it's summer, cause this place is a bitch when it's cold." Noel said, leading me past arcades and little beach houses, heading towards the pier. "Shall we go for a stroll?"

"Why not?" I said and we lumbered off. Noel took out his sun glasses and placed them on the brow of his nose. I took the hint and put mine on too, as well as tieing my hair up. It was getting very long lately and I had braded small sections for the summer. Gorgeous white building lined the road that stood at the sea front. The sun was shining, but like every British holiday, there were grey clouds on the horizon.

We turned down the pier and began to stroll lazily down the wooden planks, looking over at the pebble beach that surrounded us up until it joined the sea.

"Want to get a bite to eat?" I asked. He turned, from where he had been leaning on the rail.

"Sure." So we queued at the shellfish bar nearby. He offered me a fag as he lit one up and I took it. It was a habit I hadn't proudly adopted, but I had grown sick of the looks I had recieved from Noel when I refused them. Benedict didn't know. Noel lit the ciggie up for me and I inhaled the smoke, blowing it out the corner of my mouth. He was studying my intently.

"You don't look half sexy doing that, what with your surfer hair and your grunge glasses. God, Benji's a lucky lad." He said. I pushed my sun glasses down my nose so I was looking at him over the frame. He smirked. "That's making it more attractive, if anything."  

"We both know full well that neither of us are in the position to be flirting as we are both in other relationships." I said, reminding him of the fact that he was in a relationship with some model or something, I hadn't met her and didn't intend to.  

"So you admit that you were flirting too?" He said with a musing air. Before I could point out that I had said it to add emphasis to the fact I had Ben, the fish monger leaned forward out of the booth to serve us. 

"Winkles are a pound today, my son." He said. He waved his burly hand to show the freshly caught winkles. I caught sight of what I wanted and ordered.  

"A pot of cockles please."  

"And I'll have a cone of chips with a fritter" Noel said. I handed over the money for the food and we moved away. "I could've got that, Evie."  

"You paid for the tickets down, gender equality, Mr Gallagher."  

"Well, if we're talking gender equality, you best buy us a pint or something, cause the tickets were more than a fritter and some potato chippings." He said, knocking my hip with his as he covered his chips in vinegar and salt from the small platform just off the fish stall. I covered my cockles in enough vinegar to drown them twice and we carried on down the path, looking for a bench.  

There was a nice wrought iron seat over looking the waves and we sat down there, finished our fags and starting on the food. 

"God, they stink!" He said, pulling a face as I starting chewing the first of the shell fish.  

"Don't go judging me when you've gone and put that much salt on your chips. You're digging yourself an early grave."  

"I want to get there soon if you're going to be walking around smelling like the sea bed all day."  

"I'll buy some mints, if you're going to be like that. Who buys fritters any more?" I said. He looked at me, disgust on his face 

"Fritters are a national treasure, thank you very much."