Floodlights

Chapter 6

As the credits roll up from "Trainspotting", Matthew jumps to his feet and rushes to the shower. Jack is still slouching in his lazy boy laughing at the franticness of Matthew's preparations.

"Why don't we get an identity? Always Scots, Northerners, Cockneys, even the bloody Welsh! What about us?" Matthew vocally jaunts out of the bathroom.

"Yeah I feel you big man! Everyone but us! Brand new by the way!" Jack excitedly bellows in his best Scottish voice, "Anyway hurry up, I still need a shower before Monique gets here!"

"Yeah no worries, just a quick shower for the vitals anyway! Got to prepare the evening's festivities!"

"Yep and thanks for the image of you and your vitals." Jack replies while looking distinctly sick and retching.

Matthew takes up a pose in the shower that allows the hot water to steam and streak down his back. As he quickly washes his hair and 'vitals' his mind thinks about the evening. His excitement clearly shows in his smile and purposeful movement around the bathroom. His hair is rapidly towel dried and as he applies moisturiser to his face's dry skin, Matthew gets a little jittery. He begins to feel a little nervous and thinks about the evening's banter he will have to come up with. He begins speaking to himself into the mirror.

"Right, looking good! Check. Good stories and reserve stories? Check. Now for your clothes and you will be set."

Matthew dashes into his room where from a wardrobe covered in foreign cityscape postcards he pulls a very modern, slim fitting, dark stylish suit. He starts dressing with the trousers and pointed black shoes. After deodorant and Ultraviolet aftershave, a well-ironed white shirt is put on with purple cufflinks. As Matthew dons the suit jacket and styles his hair, he appears as a beam of light from his dark, cluttered room: the contrast so stark that any prolonged time in the room could actually start to dissolve the clutter by light spreading throughout the room like an Air Glaze advert. Matthew hovers out of the room and enters a room where Jack still hasn't moved from the lazy boy.

"Thought you wanted the shower?"

"Yeah. Yeah, just a whore's wash. I'm going after T-O-T-P! Britany has been shaking her stuff." Jack replies without taking his gaze from the 'Toxic' video.

"Ok, how do you think I look?"

Jack turns slowly and then chuckles, "you are wearing that suit again!"

"Well I'm not going to wear my break up suit!" Matthew jokingly replies. "Anyway I'm looking good, but feeling so bloody nervous!"

Jack gets up and laughs as he moves towards the bathroom. Before he takes his shower he exclaims in a posh aristocrat accent "By Jove, I think he likes her!"

***

"God I feel all giddy."

"You are look at you! You are shaking!" Monique surprisingly says while holding up Beth's hands.

"Oh well, is this it?""

"Yes my dear it is. Could be quite nice if they did it up, still in their uni phase I think!"

"Here it goes." Beth says while buzzing the guys' flat button. The building is somewhat regular in shape and appearance for an apartment block. The small squatty brickwork has no real identifiable feature except it trying to snugly hide amongst the cities overbearing surrounds.

"Speak to me" Jack pronounces through the muffled intercom.

"Well hello there sir, you are a lucky boy tonight because there are two cute girls here to see you." Monique playfully replies, "and hurry up it bloody raining still out here!"