"Fuck." I turn to look at Nina, wide eyed.
"What? What's wrong?" She puts her hands on my shoulders.
"Don't look now. But there on your right." She turns her head casually before facing me quickly with a smile on her face.
"Maybe you are getting laid tonight!" I sigh in frustration. "Lionne, Zak guess what!?" Nina shakes their arms and almost jumps in excitement. "Nina stop." I try intercepting. "Guess who's getting laid tonight? Guess!" I grab her shoulder trying to get her attention, while telling her to shut up. "Guess who's getting laid! Come on!"
"Who's getting laid." I turn around and almost scream in shock, and horror. I gather myself enough to give Nina a terrifying death stare, she gave me an uneasy look.
"Uh, me! I am. Ha, yeah. With my boyfriend, Marc. I love him." Nina laughs shakily. We all look at each other.
"Nice to see you've found a guy, Nina." He sticks his hand out to Lionne and Zak. "I'm Matty."
"Oh yeah! Tati's ex-B! Lovely to finally meet you! This is my boyfriend Zak!"
"Hey man." Zak and Matty shake hands, Zak slaps him on the shoulder doing that guy thing that guys do.
"Tati!" A giant trudges over and I realise it's George. He picks me up in a giant hug, almost squeezing the life out of me before setting me back on the ground.
"They come in pairs." I say, looking between him and Matty.
"It's been so long Tati, I was getting used to just seeing you on the screen, and now you're here, right in front of my eyes!" George exclaims.
"Crazy." I say sarcastically. He engulfs Nina in a giant hug too, before moving on to meet Lionne and Zak.
"I didn't know you smoke." Matty was next to me, taking a drag of his cigarette.
"What? I don't."
"Well you did, you were smoking Nina's cigarette."
"I wasn't smoking it, I smoked it. One smoke. Singular." He laughed.
"Whatever you say." Silence engulfs us, only the sound of the DJ's set could be heard, the distant chatter of people, and the noise of my friends laughing.
"I saw your collection at fashion week last month. I told you you were going to be great." He smiled, causing me to blush and look down at my feet.
"Yeah, yeah." I take a few steps to lean against the balcony edge.
"So, Tokyo? What brought you over there?"
"The fashion there is crazy. I needed the inspiration. Plus Nina found heaps of work there." He smiles, asking me to tell him more. "We've been travelling back and forth for the last couple of years. London, Tokyo, New York and Milan even. Mainly for Nina. Everyone wants to work with her these days." I was rambling on, must have been the alcohol. I had seemed to forgotten I was speaking to my ex-boyfriend. My first real boyfriend. I'd forgotten everything that happened in those many years, the good and the bad.
"Why are you here? You knew Nina was playing, you knew I'd be here." He looked almost taken aback. I can't help but feel happy that he's here. I can't help having a soft spot for him.
"Yeah, I suppose. It wasn't planned, honest. But I'm glad you're here."
I sigh. "Yeah, me too." I flip my hair to the side. "How long are you in London for, aren't you on tour?"
"We're on a month's break, before Coachella."
"I'm going to Coachella, we all are." I say excitedly.
"Well, I guess I'll see you there." We look at each other for a moment, a smile on our faces.
"Tati, ready to go home. Nina's knackered. And by that I mean ready to collapse." Lionne puts her arm on my shoulder and I look to see George basically holding Nina up as her eyes are half closed.
"Yeaaaah. Well, I'll see you around." I pull Nina into my arms, Zak comes around and takes her. "Bye George." I quickly walk away, following my friends through the crowd, and out into the cool London air.
I can't be bitter to Matty. I can't be blunt to him. Every time I see his face it's like I'm seeing him for the first time. He's always been the most beautiful guy to me, and somehow that made me forget the past that night, somehow it made me act like the 17 year old girl I was 8 years ago when I met him that night at a party.
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hope you liked it - how I imagine Lionne above ^
xxx
