Love to Hate You

Chapter Twenty Two

Jennie

Five.

That's how many sambuca shots we have.

One for each shitty day of the week.

We are at Ray's, a cheery, little Caribbean bar in downtown. It seems oddly out of place in a city surrounded by desert. A plethora of palm trees and battered wooden tables fill the space, and colorful murals of rainforests and beaches line the walls. There are only a few people in here, probably because it is a long weekend.

Bob Marley is playing in the background, and I can hear bongo drums, but for the life of me can't work out where the sound is coming from. I suspect the heavy foliage is playing a part in impeding my hearing.

"I think they went a little heavy on the palm trees. I feel like I'm on a plantation," I whisper to Lisa after being slapped in the face by a frond seconds after walking through the front door.

"Definitely," she nods. "Twenty-three and counting."

Lisa and I sit on a navy suede couch perched upon a mound of yellow sand. It is nestled between two palm trees and looks out over the tiki-themed bar.

It is also way too soft, so we drop down a foot into the cushions, and my ass is barely off the ground.

We decide to stay there because, well, it's too hard to get up.

I am struggling to keep a straight face when I look over to Lisa because just to the right of her head on the wall is a massive red, blue and white parrot that looks like it is sitting on her shoulder. If she had a hat and an eye-patch, she would be a pirate.

I avert my eyes from the parrot and say to her, "So, I didn't know you date?" I am acutely aware of how ridiculous it sounds. Unfortunately, the sentence slips out before I can fine-tune it.

Of course, Lisa doesn't disappoint. "What because I am from Mars?"

I can't help the laugh that bursts out of me. "Obviously, you're an alien. But you're also a workaholic. How do you squeeze in time? Apart from the other day, I've never seen you with a female."

Lisa shrugs. "Not going to lie. I feel like the living dead most of the time, but occasionally I make an effort. Usually, with nurses, because they are in my immediate circle at work."

"You're a walking cliché. Doctors and nurses." I pull my hair up in a messy bun because I'm feeling oddly fidgety and need to do something with my hands. "I think that makes you a lazy dater, Miss Manoban. Never venturing outside the work circle. What happened to Ashley?"

"I'm still looking for the connection outside work." Lisa gives me a look, and I feel my temperature rise. I'm not sure if it's the drinks or what, but there has been a perceptible shift in our dynamic. I think she may even be flirting with me.

"It's Amber, by the way. And nothing, we just went on a few dates. She is a nice person. We had a nice time together."

"Sounds very pc. Not serious then?" I say, momentarily distracted by the ridiculous sag of the couch. Lisa and I are squished together in the center of what is probably a four-seater, so I latch onto the arm and try to pull myself up. Lisa is smiling at me. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh." I am caught in her stare and wonder how her eyes manage to be misty yet tantalizing at the same time. "So, you were saying about Ashley..."

Lisa eye-rolls. She has picked up on the fact that I just can't seem to get her name right. Or maybe I am avenging my Kuku to her version of my dog's name.

"No, it wasn't serious. We were more suited to being friends. Lacked proper banter. A cornerstone of any solid relationship," she says.

I feel a weird buzz in my chest, so I throw a glance over to the comical parrot to reset me. "Well, I could've given her some pointers."