Page 21 of When Sparks Fly

‘He’s just buying me a drink, ladies. Chill out.’

I head back over to Si, flanked by my friends, and thank him again for my Kapop.

‘Listen,’ he says to the three of us, ‘I’m here with my mate and he’s boring me senseless. Do you girls want to join us for a chat?’

Oh, I would love to talk more with him, but I’m not sure I want to do it with an audience. Not if Mel is going to spend the whole time trying to get me to try to shag him.

‘I’ll tell you what,’ Mel pipes up. ‘We’ll go and talk to your friend, and leave you and Lia to catch up. How does that sound?’

Oh my God, I can’t believe she’s doing this. It’s so weird, he’s never going to say yes.

‘Yes,’ he says, almost instantly. ‘Okay. That’s him, over there, and he’s not used to talking to beautiful women, so cut him some slack.’

Mel practically giggles.

‘Great, you guys have fun,’ she tells us.

Mel gives me an encouraging wink as she walks off, whereas Angie gives me a disapproving shake of her head.

So, he’s a little bit older than me, he’s still gorgeous, and maybe it’s all the alcohol I’ve put away over the course of the day (it’s the pre-drinks that get you) but maybe spending a little time catching up with him wouldn’t be a terrible idea.

Si and I find a small, cosy table in the corner of the pub, away from the dance floor, which is where most of the noise is coming from.

‘So, what have you been up to all these years, Si?’ I ask, taking a sip of my new drink. Oh, God, it’s like this one is more potent than the last.

‘Well, after uni, I started working for a law firm,’ he explains. ‘I worked in Leeds for a bit, before moving back out this way. I missed the sea, more than anything. What about you, Lia? You’ve grown up so much since I last saw you. What have you been doing with yourself?’

‘I lived in London for a while, working for a company that managed tours for musicians, festivals and things like that, but now I’m back,’ I reply, trying to keep my voice steady despite the butterflies in my stomach. ‘I missed the place too. It’s been an adjustment, but it’s nice to reconnect with old friends.’

He smiles.

‘Old friends, huh?’ he says with a laugh. ‘I’m not that old.’

‘You know what I mean,’ I remind him with a smile.

‘I remember when you used to follow me and your brother around,’ he reminds me. ‘You used to want to hang out with us, and he would always say no.’

I laugh, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

‘Yeah, I guess that’s the age gap,’ I reply. ‘He didn’t want his annoying little sister hanging around.’

‘You weren’t annoying, you were cute,’ he replies. ‘I had a little brother – now those things are annoying.’

‘Older brothers aren’t much better,’ I reply. ‘Rory still annoys the hell out of me. I wish he ignored me now, to be honest.’

Si laughs.

‘It’s weird because I know it’s you but… I don’t know, I can’t get over the fact you’re this beautiful woman now.’

‘I see you’re still as charming as ever,’ I point out.

‘I know, I don’t understand how I’m still single,’ he jokes. ‘Well, single again – I haven’t been single all this time.’

I smile. It’s cute, to see him losing his cool a little.

‘I’m single too,’ I tell him. ‘People clearly have terrible taste.’

‘They really do,’ he says softly.