Page 15 of Big Sexy Love
‘Fuuuuuuck,’ I groan tomyself.
‘You’re really frightened, aren’t you?’ Sideburns asks, elbowing curly blonde to stop doing his terrible Robert De Niro ‘You talkin’ to me’impression.
‘Pretty much, yeah,’ I say, pulling a face. ‘It’s weird seeing it all up close! The planes look so big andcumbersome!’
‘Well, Dan here is shit-scared of flying,’ Sideburns tells me, pointing at curlyblondeguy.
Dan gives a thumbs up. ‘It’s pretty much my worst fear,’ he confirms, not looking at all botheredaboutit.
‘No one reallylikesflying,’ a hunky dark-skinned man says. ‘We just do what we have to do to getthroughit.’
‘And what’s that?’ I ask, desperate for any information that will make this whole prospect less alarming. ‘Tell me the secret!Please!’
Sideburns waves his arm across their table, indicating the graveyard of empty pint glasses. ‘Wedrink.’
‘It helps,’ Dan says withaburp.
I pull a face and look at my watch: 4.45 a.m. ‘I’m more of a Weetabix for breakfast kind of girl, to behonest.’
Sideburns laughs. ‘Dan, get this lady a pint. I’m Colin, by the way. This is Bob, Matty, Paulo and, ofcourse,Dan.’
Colin holds his hand out, brown eyes sparkling with friendliness andalcohol.
I tense up as I hear the roar of another plane taking offbehindme.
‘Olive,’ I say, shaking Colin’s big hand and then waving at the other guys, all dressed in matching blue rugby shirts. ‘And I’ll have a small glass of red wine, thanks. Make sure it’s small, though! I don’t drink deadoften.’
But before I’ve finished speaking, Dan’s already on his way tothebar.
I don’t think heheardme…
OceanofPDF.com
ChapterSeven
Text from Olive to Birdie:I love you sooooo much!!! Am at airport. It’s okay here, have met nice peeps and one not so nice peep who jumped Q and made fun of my bumbag!!! I will do this for you. I promise I will find your BIG SEXY LOVE and everything will be okay, I promise! I PROMISE YOU THIS. Also, do you think libraries are sexy? Why aretheysexy?
From Birdie:It’s so early, Brewster! You sound drunk? Are you drunk? You’re never drunk. Oh god, please be drunk. Shit! I’m laughing at the very thought of it. P.S. Yes, libraries are sexy, IF YOU’RE A GIANT NERD. P.P.S. Abumbag??Wtf?!
Wow.I am feeling sooo much better about everything. It’s crazy! I’m feeling better about flying through the air on a tin can, about going to a new country on my own. I still feel awful about Birdie, of course, but the ache in my heart has been diluted by a warm, fuzzy feeling in mycheeks.
Ifeellike I’ve drunk quite a lot of beer, but I’m looking at the pint glass (Dan ignored my request for a small glass of wine and got me a pint of beer like everyone else) and it’s still almost full.Weird.
Either way, I’ve been having a nice time chatting to Colin and his sideburns. As it happens, he lives not too far away from me in Greater Manchester. He’s been telling me all about his love of mending old cars, how passionate he is about playing rugby every Sunday morning and how he loves nothing more than hunkering down on a Saturday night, all cosy with a blanket, cup of cocoa and a goodmovie.
‘Yes!’ I shouted when he told me about his fondness for the indoors. ‘Me too! Everything you need is at home. Why would you want to go out to a busy club full of people who you don’tevenknow!’
‘Exactly.’ He nodded fervently. ‘The beauty of a cosy night in is vastlyunderrated.’
To which we clinked pints and beamed at eachother.
He’s great. Unexpectedly lovely. And since I’ve been sitting here I’ve barely thought about the planesatall.
The screens on the wall of the bar area update and I realise that my flight isboarding.
‘Time to go!’ I stand up from my chair. ‘Woah!’ I wobble. ‘I feel pretty blummin tipsy.’ I peer at my pint. ‘I’ve not drunk much though,’ I say, pointingatit.
‘Um, love, you’ve had two of those!’ Dan says with achuckle.
