The Pillow Fort Fic - a Sanditon fanfic

The Pillow Fort Fic

It was a Friday in early July, end of the working day and Sidney Parker was to meet up with his friends Babbers, Crowe and a few others in a bar. It had been a hectic week and he was looking forward to relaxing over a few drinks and not too demanding conversation. In a few weeks he would have some well-deserved annual leave, but for now he was grateful that the weekend was here.

When he stepped out on the street outside the cool airconditioned office, the heat from the blazing sun above and the tarmac below hit him almost like a physical wall. His immaculate black three-piece suit, slim-fit shirt and tie could hardly be more wrong and sweat drops started forming on his forehead before the revolving glass door behind him had rotated once around its axis. He immediately hauled a cab and dived inside as soon as it stopped. Taking the crowded metro was not an option on a day like this.

He popped by his apartment for an ice-cold shower and a change of clothes. When he headed out again, dressed in a white linen shirt and grey, hip-hugging but otherwise loose trousers, he felt better prepared to meet the summer night. The heat felt less oppressive now but it promised to be one of those rare nights when the temperature never drops below 20 °C, fulfilling the criterion for being tropical.

Cab no. 2 for the day stopped outside the address Babbers had texted him. It was a bar he had not been to before and to his disappointment it looked more like a large, crowded it-place than the smaller quiet bar he had been hoping for. He should have guessed that the boys would not want to waste a night like this on somewhere quiet. They were all singles and Sidney was the only one who was not in the mood for 'The Game'. 'The Game' was how Crowe referred to their attempts to get laid, after he had discovered Neil Strauss' cult book on the topic ten years after everyone else.

"You look grumpy. What's the matter?" Babbers greeted him when he joined the group of young, handsome men gathered around a mingling table, well on their way to finishing their first round of drinks and not so discreetly scouting the room for prey whilst trying to look casual.

"Nothing really. I was just hoping for something quieter, where I might actually have a chance to speak with you guys, not just watch people move their lips because the volume is so freakin' loud."

"Ah, come on Sid, loosen up. Sometimes you sound like you are eighty-eight instead of twenty-eight."

Babbers comment made him burst into laughter. He knew he had been a bit moody lately and he was not even entirely sure why, because life was generally good. His career was very promising and he actually enjoyed his job a lot. He had loads of great friends and a string of women who would gladly spend their time with him. He could afford good food and wine, vacationing abroad and whatever hobbies he felt like doing and he owned a quite spectacular apartment on a prime location. Yet, something was missing. He was slightly fed up with this bachelor life-style, but had no wish to settle down and commit to any one girl either.

Babbers was right though, complaining about the music being too loud was outright grandad behaviour.

"Get me a beer and I'm sure my mood will be much improved", he grinned.

"I'm on it, old man." Babbers cheerfully obeyed, and decided to buy another round for all while he was at it.

While waiting for Babbers, Sidney leaned his tall, lean frame against the counter and absentmindedly allowed his gaze travel over the crowd. A hot summer evening like this, many were dressed like they were headed for an Ibiza club rather than a bar in central London, wearing less rather than more. Some were sporting a proper tan after a day on a park lawn or even a week abroad, others the more tangerine spray version. There was definitely more exposed skin than usual and even at this early hour the air seemed heavy with hungry anticipation. Nothing like a hot summer night, he thought but did not feel part of the collective festive feeling. There were many beautiful women, but he barely registered them. He was focused on having a good time with the guys and not looking for anything else tonight. When he turned his back to it all, Babbers stood there offering him a beer and scrutinized him with a curious look.