Lucy in the Sky

always so sure about what hewanted to do. He always liked being outside in the garden with Mum. I think I probably take more after Dad.’
    ‘What, architecture?’
    ‘No, not architecture. I’ve left it too late for that.’
    ‘You’ve never left it too late.’
    ‘No, I have. It’s years and years of uni and I barely even finished high school.’
    Suddenly the door bursts open and a slim, blonde, mussyhaired beauty is standing there in a skimpy T-shirt-and-short set.
    ‘Hi!’ I say a little too enthusiastically and leap to my feet.
    Nathan calmly props his guitar against the bed and stands up. ‘Amy, meet Lucy. Lucy, meet Amy.’
    ‘Hi!’ she exclaims, matching me for enthusiasm. ‘I was wondering who was in here, chatting away.’
    ‘I was just going to make some breakfast,’ Nathan says. ‘Want some?’
    ‘Ooh, what are we having?’ she coos.
    ‘Depends. What do you fancy, Lucy?’ He leads the way into a small kitchen and opens the rusty, pockmarked fridge door. ‘Want a fry-up?’ he asks. ‘Or an omelette or something?’
    ‘An omelette would be nice.’ I realise I’m famished, having eaten hardly anything in my hung-over state the day before.
    ‘Omelette, hey?’ Amy chuckles. ‘Your speciality, Nathan.’ I don’t like the way she says ‘speciality’.
    ‘So do you want some or not?’ he asks her.
    ‘No, I can’t handle a stodgy meal at this hour. I’ll stick to fruit.’
    I’ll stick to fruit , I echo bitchily inside my head. I don’t know how I squeezed into her wetsuit. She seems to be having the same thought.
    ‘Wetsuit fit okay?’ she asks.
    ‘Yes, perfectly,’ I answer.
    ‘Good!’ She looks pleased. Or surprised. I can’t tell.
    ‘Orange juice?’ Nathan interrupts.
    ‘Yes, please.’
    This is very domesticated. I can’t see James doing the shopping while I’m away. It’ll be takeaway all the way. Mind you, Amy may well have stocked up the fridge. I wonder if those are her eggs he’s getting out. He cracks two into a chipped mug. Amy walks over to him and puts a hand on his back. It could be my imagination, but I swear I see him stiffen.
    She then makes herself comfortable next to me at the kitchen table and asks me all about my trip. How long I’m here, how long since I was last here…Meanwhile Nathan brings our omelettes to the table and I attempt to eat, while answering her many questions. Blimey, she’s an inquisitive little thing. A subtle shift seems to have taken place and I don’t like it. The closeness Nathan and I felt on the beach has gone. He doesn’t seem as relaxed with me, nor I around him.
    ‘Are you going to Molly’s hen night on Saturday?’ Amy asks finally.
    ‘I am. Are you?’
    ‘Of course!’
    I’m surprised. Why ‘of course’? I didn’t realise she and Molly knew each other that well.
    ‘I’m glad she decided to have her hen night this Saturday instead of next Friday. Fancy considering having your hen night on the night before your wedding,’ I say, shaking my head.
    ‘Oh, she would’ve been fine. She just wouldn’t have been able to drink much.’
    ‘Exactly!’ Nathan and I exclaim in unison before looking at each other and grinning, our familiarity temporarily restored.
    A flicker of annoyance crosses Amy’s face. ‘I don’t know why people need alcohol to have a good time.’ Nathan looks at me and subtly raises his eyes to the ceiling. ‘I don’t really drink,’ she explains. ‘Seeing Nathan wake up after a night on the town is enough to put me off. Urgh!’
    Seeing Nathan wake up. I wonder if she means seeing him from the other side of the same bed or just from the moment he walks out of his bedroom.
    She glances over at the kitchen clock. ‘It’s almost nine, Nathan. Weren’t you going to help Barry this morning?’
    ‘Shit, yes.’ He starts to clear the table.
    ‘Don’t worry, I’ll do that later,’ Amy offers, before I have a chance even to get out of my seat. ‘Why don’t I drop Lucy back?’
    Oh, no.
    ‘No, no, it’s okay. I’ll take her now.’
    Thank you, Nathan!
    ‘Don’t be silly, I don’t mind,’ she persists.
    I do!
    ‘I have to go and see Molly anyway,’ she explains.
    ‘Is that okay?’ Nathan looks at me.
    ‘Of course,’ I brightly reply. As if I’m going to say anything else.
    ‘Go on, you, off you go,’ Amy tells him impatiently. Is she waiting for him to leave first?
    ‘Alright, Luce, I’ll see you later,’ he says.
    When?
    ‘Bye!’ I force myself to