Page 3 of High Baller

“Well, I'm not going to say no to clubbing, but I want RnB music this time, none of the dance stuff." One of the other times he took me to this bizarre club. I mean, I have no idea why we were there. Everyone was dressed in hardly any clothes, and it was all neon. I never felt so uncomfortable in my life.

"That was Lillie's choice, not mine," he says, fighting his case, "and don't worry about it, I have found this bar, and got our name on the list a couple of days ago."

“Are you going to tell me the bar’s name?” I ask.

“No. You'll Google it and then moan that you don’t like it, so shut up—you’re going.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine. Are you staying here and coming to dinner with me, or heading home first?”

"If you have something else planned for us before we leave, then I'll go, but if not, then I’m staying.”

"Staying it is then." I turn the music up, we both move from the couch to lie on the floor and just have our normal chats about nothing. Normally, it's moaning about the other members of cabin crew who are on the flight with us. We get along with most of them, but there are a few which, for some reason, we just don't click with.

***

"We both know that you're going to say Sky's gift is better, so how about you stop staring at them, and pick," Calvin tells Dave, as he's been looking at the gifts for a while now.

“You two do this every year, and I have to hurt one of you and—”

"One of us? It's normally me," Calvin says which make Gemma and me laugh.

“I’m sorry, Sky, I think Calvin wins this year, but by a small amount.” Dave looks over at me, and I smile to let him know that it’s fine. I want him to be honest. I'm a big girl now—I can take it.

“I told you that I'd win this year.”

“We've still got Gemma's birthday, and we both know that you suck at buying gifts for women, so I already know I'm going to win." Sticking my tongue out at him. I’ve already bought Gemma's gift, even though her birthday’s not for another few months. But, I saw it and knew if I didn't buy it then and there, I wouldn't be able to find it again.

“I'l let you have that one.” Calvin takes a sip of his wine. I know he’s trying to hide a smile behind that glass.

“So, Calvin, Sky said you and Finn broke up. Are you okay?” Gemma asks him.

“Yeah, nothing like a trip to LA won’t fix.” He looks over at me. “And I have to find a date for this one.”

“I don’t need you to find anyone for me, I think—”

"It's been a while, Sky. I think finding a nice man will be good for you," Gemma tells me. She always says the same—that I need to find a nice man who'll look after me, and no matter how many times I say I can look after myself, she still disagrees with me.

"Well, it's not my fault that all men in the world can only think about one thing. I want a relationship, not a one-night-stand.”

“Good. You know what you want, don’t let a man use you.” Dave has always told me that men are arses, and never let them use you. He even made me take a self-defense class, no matter how much I told him that I can look after myself. In the end, I took it to make him happy.

“And I won’t. Calvin’s on a mission to find me a man, and his taste isn’t bad. I mean, look at Finn.”

“So, you won’t argue with me who I pick?”

"No, but you can't argue with me when I find you, someone.” I look at the waiter as he brings us our food. I never know what to order at this place. Each item has, like, six words in it. I saw the word chicken and went with that. I like chicken, so I know it's a safe bet.

“Are you two going away anywhere nice this year?” Dave and Gemma go on holiday for each other’s birthday every year. Last year, they went to Japan.

“We’re going to Dubai. As soon as you're back from LA, we go for two weeks." Gemma sounds so excited. She’s wanted to go there for about three years now, but Dave would never take so much time off work, as he ran out of holiday time because they both like to travel when they can.

"That'll be amazing. I bet Dave has everything planned right down to the times," I say, smiling at her.

“He said he does, but he won’t tell me anything.” Gemma leans over and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

I want what they have—eyes for only each other. No-one else is even in their view when they’re together. I'd love someone to look at me like that as if I’m their world, where no-one else matters, their eyes only for me, to be with me every day. But, traveling the amount that I do, I’m never going to find that. How am I meant to keep a man only interested in me when I’m away for more than a week sometimes?

I know that my king is out there somewhere—a king that will treat me like a queen. I just have to wait until the day my king finds me.