"I love you. I feel as though we were never strangers, you and I, not even for a moment."
- Friedrich Nietzsche, from a letter to Mathilde Trampedach c. April 1876
Have you ever felt a weird sense of familiarity with someone you just met? As if you...
I am so glad that Gia is actually available to come to Jonah's lunch celebration, because I don't think I could've done another sober Becca-and-Emily interaction by myself.
She sticks by my side the whole way from the accommodation until we reach the restaurant, positioning herself on the chair in front of me and declaring a very clear "Marlo, come and sit here", pointing at the seat next to me. This means that Becca isn't able to sit near me, and I am once again reminded of how grateful I am for Gia.
Mikel sits next to Gia of course, but to my surprise, Becca doesn't sit next to Marlo, instead lets Emily, so she's opposite her.
As 7 is too many people to sit at a booth, Marlo had booked a regular table big enough to seat all of us, deliberately picking one that has a seat at the head of it, for Jonah.
Jonah is obviously very pleased about this, declaring himself "King" as soon as he sits down. Marlo rolls his eyes at this.
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Jonah has made sure to make it known to everyone it's his birthday. He's wearing a huge "It's my birthday!" badge pinned to his jumper, complete with a "19" sachet, and had insisted to Marlo that there be balloons tied to the back of his chair. It'd have been very weird if he treated today like a normal person would.
The waiter brings over the pizza for those of us who ordered it first, setting them down in front of me and Jonah. Pepperoni pizza.
Becca clears her throat quite loudly, making me look over at her. "Woah, you sure you're going to be able to finish that? I could never eat that much."
It's clear who she's directed this to.
I don't ever want to eat again.
"Yeah, I'll manage." Is my response.
"What's wrong with it?" Marlo says to her.
She smiles, laughing. "I'm just saying I could never eat that much."
"What, a normal pizza size?"
Her smile falters. "Well -"
Jonah points a slice at her. "You're just weak, Bex, it's okay." He is seemingly oblivious to the tension that's just been created, his tone light-hearted and joking.
Gia catches my eye, giving me a look that says "just ignore her". I do try to, but her comment is replaying in the back of my mind as I go to eat the pizza. I don't finish it.
Marlo gets me a takeaway box for it, though, saying that I'll want to have it later on when I'm hungry.
