Chasing Daisy

ask, as the waiter pops the cork and starts to pour the fizzing liquid into two tall flutes. I can’t see now because he’s blocking my view.
    ‘That’s fine, thanks,’ Luis says to the waiter. He leans across the table and hands me a glass.
    ‘Hi!’ Will appears at our table and my heart flips. ‘Oh, hello!’ he says in surprise, looking down at me. His eyes flit from Luis to me and I have a horrible feeling that he’s getting completely the wrong idea.
    ‘Hi!’ I say warmly, trying to undo the damage. ‘Sit down, sit down! Can we get another glass?’ I call after the departing waiter. My voice sounds slightly unhinged.
    ‘No, no,’ Will brushes me off.
    ‘Oh, that’s right, you don’t drink.’ I start to giggle. It’s my nerves – and the fact that a few days without alcohol means it’s gone straight to my head.
    ‘I was just off to bed,’ Will says.
    ‘Don’t! Stay!’ I stand up and try to drag one of the really quite deceptively heavy chairs over to our table.
    ‘I don’t want to gatecrash,’ he says.
    ‘You’re not gatecrashing!’ I insist. ‘Is he, Luis? He’s not gatecrashing?’
    ‘Hmm?’ Luis calmly lazes back in his chair and sips his drink.
    ‘Tell him to sit down!’ Okay, now I’m sounding a bit scary.
    ‘Sure, take a seat.’
    He does, and I immediately adjust my body language so I’m leaning forward to talk to him. ‘Where have you been?’
    ‘Training.’
    ‘You’re working late,’ I comment, impressed.
    ‘Yeah, I’m knackered.’
    ‘Just have one drink with us,’ I plead. ‘I’ve been bored shitless here.’
    A waiter comes over with another glass. ‘I’ll just have a soda water,’ Will tells him. He’s wearing a baseball cap with one of the team sponsors’ logos on the front and when he takes it off, his blond hair has a slight dent in it. ‘So why have you been bored?’ He looks at me. ‘Are we not keeping you busy enough?’
    ‘No,’ I reply.
    ‘We might have to rectify that situation,’ Luis chips in.
    ‘You seem to be rectifying it now,’ Will tells him. Am I imagining the frosty tone in his voice?
    ‘I’m doing what I can,’ Luis replies.
    ‘Have you been out today?’ Will asks him.
    ‘Couldn’t be arsed.’
    Will raises his eyebrows. But Luis did go out! I saw him leave with his personal trainer earlier.
    ‘You—’ I start, but Luis interrupts me.
    ‘Top up?’ His dark eyes look like they’re warning me. I shut my mouth again and obediently hold up my glass.
    ‘Thanks,’ Will says to the waiter returning with his drink.
    Now I can’t think of anything to say. At the moment, Luis knows more about me than Will does. It’s strange how the people you care about least, sometimes know you the best. You let your guard down with them because you don’t mind that they see you, warts and all. If your personality malfunctions scare them, so what?
    But I don’t want to waste this opportunity to get to know Will. I just don’t feel comfortable talking in front of his team-mate. We need a subject that’s safe. I know! I look across at Luis and smirk. ‘So where’s Alberta this weekend?’
    Luis shrugs. ‘No idea.’
    ‘What, you didn’t call?’ I ask, mock innocently. ‘You didn’t write? You didn’t text? That’s not very boyfriendly of you.’
    ‘Boyfriend!’ He stiffens in horror.
    ‘I can’t believe you’d treat the boss’s sister-in-law with such disdain.’
    ‘She got what she wanted,’ Luis replies, with a wink.
    ‘I doubt that,’ I scoff, looking him up and down.
    He chuckles good-naturedly. ‘She used and abused me. Then ran back to her husband in Spain.’
    ‘She’s married?’ I interrupt, looking at Luis in shock.
    Luis laughs. ‘I’m joking. I would never steal another man’s girl.’ He gives me a sly look that says, ‘Unlike you.’
    ‘Neither would I!’ I reply crossly.
    ‘Isn’t she Catalina’s cousin?’ Will asks, seemingly oblivious to whatever’s going on between Luis and me.
    ‘Oh, yeah,’ Luis says.
    ‘Who cares?’ I ask.
    Luis laughs. Will leans back in his chair and stretches his legs out under the table. He runs his hands through his blond hair and yawns.
    ‘Are we keeping you up?’ Luis asks.
    ‘I should probably hit the sack,’ Will replies, making to stand up.
    No! ‘Have another drink,’ I plead.
    ‘No, really,’ he says, rising to his feet.
    ‘Got to run off and call his girlfriend,’ Luis says.
    Will winks at him and smiles at me. ‘See you