“Actually…” I sighed when we were halfway to the villa, “Can we go somewhere?”
“Go somewhere? Where? It’s after ten o’clock,” Jake said.
“God I wish my bar was here…” I sighed leaning my head against the window of the car.
“I mean we could find a bar,” Jake replied.
“It’s not the same. Let’s just get back to the villa.”
“What happened?” Jake asked quietly, “You can tell me if you want, I’ll listen.”
“Nothing,” I muttered, staring out into the dark night. The sea was out there somewhere, rising and falling with the tides, but I couldn’t see it out in the black abyss, the moon hidden by dark clouds.
Without anywhere else to go we pulled up at the villa and I slouched inside, kicking my shoes off by the door. Without a word to Jake I climbed the stairs and went into the master bedroom, snapping the door shut behind me.
I stared at myself in the mirror for a minute, not sure what to feel. While I’d initially been annoyed by Michael’s news that we needed to delay the wedding, I’d brushed it off quickly enough and told him it was fine. Was that right?
No, it wasn’t.
I should have been mad. I should have told him that he had to pick me or his job and that we were absolutely not pushing our wedding back another six weeks.
Instead I did exactly what my parents would want me to do. I didn’t argue and I let Michael get his way. How weak.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, wandering to my bag on the floor and pulling out some denim shorts and a t-shirt. I peeled off the dress I was wearing, leaving it in a heap on the floor.
A soft tap on the door caused me to pull my clothes on quickly and I pulled it open to see Jake stood there with a sheepish look on his face, “Come downstairs.”
“Why?” I asked shortly, my hand on my hip. I wasn’t in the mood for his games or anyone’s games. I was annoyed with myself and I wanted to think things through, maybe go for a walk so I could clear my head or something.
“Just come on Lors,” he replied, grabbing my arm and dragging me after him. I just managed to flick the light out behind me as I followed him downstairs and into the kitchen.
“What’s this?” I asked. All of the leftover bottles of wine from the cocktail party were lined up on the counter, a pair of glasses waiting.
“You said you wanted to go to your bar, and well obviously this isn’t it, but I thought…”
I stared at the set up for another moment, emotions swirling in my mind. “Thanks Jake,” I said finally, taking a stool and sitting down.
“Now, what you havin’?” he laughed, going behind the counter and gesturing towards the bottles of wine.
“Hmm…”
“We’ve got red wine, red wine, red wine, oh a white, red, red…”
“You know what I think I’ll have red wine,” I laughed, pushing a glass towards him so he could fill it up.
“So what’s on your mind?” Jake asked, serving himself some wine too. He stood staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to tell him everything.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to be like your bartender back home,” he said, “Surely you’ve got someone you tell everything too.”
“Do you?”
