Zoey Jones [Bonus Material]

Still Single

"We didn't fall out," I said. "We grew apart."

"Well, whatever happened, I'm glad you're friends again. Though I don't think you should put slugs in his jacket pockets tomorrow."

I hadn't even thought about doing it, but now that she'd mentioned it, it sounded like a brilliant idea. I was sure I'd be able to find some tomorrow. Maybe some snails and worms as well. Catalina muttered something in Spanish but was smiling a little. I guessed she was wishing she hadn't said anything. I, on the other hand, was so glad that she had.

"Zoey, door for you," Mum called.

I frowned and hopped off the unit. I'd told everyone I knew that under no circumstances were they to come here today. The wedding dress was stood in a corner of the lounge and I'd banned even myself from going anywhere near it.

"Alex, what are you doing here?" I hissed and shut the door behind myself. "This is a man free zone!"

"But the best man's house has a leak so they all came to mine and it's a wedding party only zone."

"Dan's the best man. Sort of. In a weird – Alex, you can't be here."

"What, am I supposed to sleep on the street?"

"Go to Lexie's or something."

"My taxi just left."

"Then get a bus."

"I only brought money to pay the driver."

I growled a sigh. "Then go to Grisha's for all I care! Don't you have other friends?"

"Not really," he shrugged. Then he grinned. "You know you're enough for me."

I rolled my eyes at his lacklustre flirting, glad that he didn't mean it in the slightest. "Go to Grisha's, Alex. He won't mind."

"I don't know –"

"Alex!" I cried.

He began to look a little lost so I took pity on him and hoped over the garden wall and knocked on my boyfriend's front door. He scrambled over careful to not get his suit dirty.

"Zoya?" Grigory asked. "What are you doing here?"

"She's here to steal a kiss because she can't bear to be away from you for so long," Alexander said and I could practically feel the roll of his eyes.

Grigory gave me a slow smile and raised his eyebrow a little. "Didn't need the excuse to come over."

"Well, contrary to your testosterone fuelled reasoning, that's not why I'm here. You need to put Alexander up for the night."

" 'Put him up' where?" he frowned.

"Why does he think," Alexander asked in my ear, "he needs to hang me somewhere?"

"I'll hang you in a minute," I muttered and then spoke to my boyfriend. "Sleep over. You're having a sleep over."

"Why?"

"Oh my god," I sighed and threw my hands up in the air a little. "So much for a man free day." I turned to the wall to climb over it, but there wasn't a handy rock on this side. With a broken arm, climbing back was dangerous and I really didn't want to do myself another injury the day before the wedding.

"Go in, Alexander," Grigory said and then helped me over the wall.

Before I could go inside though he climbed over too and put his hand on my waist. As always, I leaned into his touch and enjoyed it more than I perhaps should have given how simple the contact was. I looked up at him. He was smiling at me softly.

"What?" I asked.

He didn't say anything but leaned in for a kiss.

"Ah, ah, ah," I tutted. "Man free day. See you tomorrow."

I headed in, but not before he kissed my hand in some sort of show of Russian chivalry. I blushed and grinned like a fool.

"What happened to no men?" Catalina asked and put a bowl of food in my hands.

I straightened my face out and sat in the chair I normally sat in with Dan. "Blame your son."

Mum choked on her paella.

"He didn't kiss me. Grigory did."

"So you wake me and Peter up at –"

"Oh he only kissed my hand, Mum. Chill out. And, anyway, I wouldn't have even seen him if Alexander wasn't too scared to knock on his – Oh man." I grinned. "Oh man. This is perfect."

"What?"

"Nothing, Mum. Nothing."

Catalina shook her head and rolled her eyes.

That look followed me as I sneaked into my boyfriend's house early next morning. I'd seen both of them head out for a morning run about five minutes ago. It was half nine in the morning, we had to leave to get to the hotel in five hours. There was so time for this even if Mum had just told me there wasn't. She was a bride though. She was supposed to panic. My response? I'd given her a bottle of vodka just to hammer the point home. When she opened it though, she'd be guzzling water.

Still dressed in pyjamas and bare foot, I made my way over to Mum's heat stricken flowerbed to begin my "trickery" as I'd called it when she'd asked why I was up so early. She'd watered them late last night when she'd been unable to sleep and then again this morning. There were slugs everywhere. I grinned evilly and scooped some up. I was wearing some gloves from Dad's first aid kit so I happily plucked them up and put them in the tub I was holding. I filled the tub – and it wasn't a small one either – and then crept over to Grigory's back door.

It was unlocked already for some reason, but that just made everything that much easier. Two pairs of shoes were sat on the table, polished to a shine. Though both were the same size, I knew which ones were Alexander's having been his prom date and all. They were the slightly pointy ones on the right.

From my dressing gown pocket I got a couple of dog treats. We'd left Archie's bowl out over night by accident once, and come morning the food had become a slug feast. I put a couple of treats in each of my target's shoes and then stuffed the slugs in right at the end of the toe where they'd go unseen for a while. I grinned like a mad woman. And heard the front door open.

"Shit!" I whispered to myself.

I quickly gathered my things and darted out the back door making sure to close it. I scrambled over the wall to my garden and quickly closed the door behind me.

"What have you done?" Mum asked warily. She was in her dressing gown and was sat eating yoghurt and fruit.

"Nothing," I said.

I pulled the gloves off with a satisfied snap and threw them in the bin and then put the tub in the sink to soak.

"Nothing indeed," she smiled. "I saw you at my flowerbed."

"No you didn't, Mum. The excitement is making you see things."

She chuckled and finished her breakfast. "Go for a shower, Zozo. I'll do your hair."

"You shouldn't be lifting a finger."

She walked over to me and held my face in both of her hands. "It's my wedding. I want to do my daughter's hair for it."

I smiled and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Mum."

"I love you too, sweetheart." She kissed my forehead. "Now go shower."

I performed a mock salute (and I totally did not hit myself in the eye even though I was wearing glasses, oh no) and hurried into the bathroom before Catalina could beat me to it.