Lucy in the Sky

have become involved, but I want to see Nathan. And if that means James seeing Zoe, well…
    ‘Alright,’ I say graciously, and slide back down underneath the duvet. ‘Let’s just forget it.’
    I call Nathan the next day, making a point of doing it in front of James. This is no big deal, my sign language is screaming, we can all be friends here.
    ‘Hey,’ he answers. ‘I was just thinking about you.’ I’m dying to know what exactly he’s been thinking, but I can’t ask in front of James. Instead I ask him how his first week at work has been, willing us to return to normality.
    ‘Good, thanks. Bit of a culture shock.’ He’s working on a large hotel near Wembley Stadium and is finding his new boss to be a ball-breaker in comparison to the guy he worked for on the boutique hotel in Manly. It’s a much larger workforce here, and a lot less responsibility. In other words, less challenging and not more fun. I suspect he misses his home-renovation work too.
    ‘Have you done any sightseeing?’ I ask, not wanting him to dwell on the downsides of his job. The last thing I want is for him to start missing home and looking forward to leaving.
    ‘No, nothing. Still feeling a bit jet-lagged, but we might go into town later.’
    ‘You should. Hey, maybe we could meet you for a drink tonight?’ I glance down at James, who rolls his eyes.
    ‘Yeah, that’d be great,’ Nathan replies. I try to keep a relatively straight face. I don’t want James to pick up my excitement.
    ‘Why don’t you call me when you’re setting off and we’ll make plans?’ I suggest.
    ‘Cool. I need to go and get a new mobile because this one is costing me a fortune.’
    ‘Sorry…’ I say, but he laughs.
    ‘No, I didn’t mean you.’
    ‘Okay, well, speak later.’
    We ring off and I turn to James. ‘That’s alright, isn’t it, hon? It’d be good for you to meet him.’ We’ve got to make this less of a big deal. Nathan is only here for three months and then he’ll be buggering off home again.
    Ouch. The thought gives me a nasty little shock. Is that really the first time I’ve fully comprehended the three-month thing? That’s not long. At all. I turn away from James, not wanting him to see my troubled face.
    Well, I think eventually, I don’t know why we’ve all been getting our knickers in such a twist over it. Nathan will be gone soon. Zoe, on the other hand, is here to stay. And I don’t like that thought, not one iota.
    Nathan calls to say that he and the others are going to be at the Walkabout pub on Charing Cross Road from about 7 p.m.
    What a cliché, I think. James says it out loud and we grin at each other.
    I’m on edge as we walk into the packed bar, not quitebelieving I’m about to introduce my boyfriend to the guy I haven’t been able to stop thinking about for months on end. James seems fairly relaxed. He’s wearing a dark green long-sleeved T-shirt and grey cargo pants and looks pretty sexy. Nathan is taller than James by about two or three inches, but James is broader, more manly. He’s also four years older. They look very different.
    I try to steel myself against Nathan as I scour the crowds, giving James’s hand a quick squeeze before letting go. I’m here with my boyfriend. My boyfriend .
    I spot Ally and the dark-haired girl from the flat–I can’t remember her name–and another tall bloke with short brown hair who I’m guessing could be Richard. James takes my hand again and we make our way through the crowd towards them.
    Suddenly I see Nathan, heading back to his flatmates with four beer bottles. I stall for a split second, resisting the urge to drop James’s hand, but I keep walking. I don’t think James notices.
    It’s odd seeing Nathan greet James. Very odd indeed. There don’t appear to be any uncomfortable undercurrents between them, though, and I’m relieved, realising I was holding my breath for the duration of their introduction. I force myself to concentrate as Nathan introduces his flatmates. Billie, I remember, when it’s the turn of the girl with multiple piercings. I was right about her; she is short.
    Ally looks even better out of her PJs. She’s wearing hardly any make-up and has the clearest skin. When she and Billie go off in search of the toilets, James turns to Nathan and Richard.
    ‘Is she single?’ he asks them.
    ‘Sure is,’ Richard answers.
    ‘There you go, mate,’ James says, nudging Nathan good-humouredly. ‘You could be in there.’ Nathan