Soul Fire

completely inappropriate?’
    ‘No, no. I suppose I’m just surprised . I didn’t even know you’d met him.’
    She pulls a face. ‘It was the last thing on my mind that day, obviously. But sometimes even if you’re not looking , you can’t help but feel a connection with someone. You
can’t explain it, it just happens.’
    Like with Danny . I wasn’t exactly on the pull the first time I saw Meggie’s friends on the Beach, but I felt a connection with Danny all the same. Not that I can share that
moment with my best friend.
    Instead I say, ‘At least you didn’t ask me for his phone number at the church.’
    ‘No, well, obviously even I know that’d be wrong.’ She waits a few seconds. ‘I did friend him, though. And guess what? He’s invited me to a party!’
    ‘A party?’ I stare at her. What the hell would he be having a party for? Then I remember. ‘Oh. His birthday thing. Sahara mentioned it too. But it’s not really a party,
is it? Just a quiet get-together. I mean, his best friend isn’t even buried yet.’
    ‘Ah. Sorry. I just assumed it was a party . . . On account of it being in this really loud tapas bar in town, and the length of the guest list on Facebook.’ She goes quiet.
    I feel stung on Tim’s behalf. But perhaps they’d planned it as a party before Tim died and couldn’t cancel. I try not to think about it. ‘You’re serious about fancying Ade?’
    ‘Why not? He’s cute. That pale, intense look appeals. Especially as I found out this weekend that my darling Sergei has buggered off back to the Ukraine without telling me. I am
never eating chicken Kiev again!’
    I never even knew there was a Sergei, but her new crush unsettles me. ‘Ade does have a girlfriend, remember?’
    ‘Well, Sahara’s no threat, is she? I reckon he’s only seeing her because he’s scared she might beat him up if she’s dumped. But I’m not scared of
her.’
    Maybe you should be . ‘I don’t like this, Cara.’
    She shrugs. ‘I totally understand if you don’t fancy coming along. But then again, you are meant to be exploring your wilder side, aren’t you? And don’t you owe it to
your best mate to cheer her up after the sad loss of Sergei?’
    Sometimes I can’t tell when she’s serious and when she’s kidding. The bell goes before I get a chance to work it out.
    As I walk to Media Studies, I think about it, and realise I’d like to go out with Cara anyway. Plus, Mum will think I’m getting back to ‘normal’ which means I
might get my laptop back sooner.
    And, most important of all, there’s a chance Ade or Sahara might let their hair down after a few drinks and reveal something useful. I can’t afford not to go.
    I try to remember the last time I went to a party for fun. It seems like a whole lifetime ago.
    On the way home, the sky is dark grey, like the slate rocks that enclose the Beach. I crave sunshine, and Danny.
    The wait till four a.m. seems endless. When the time finally arrives, I leap out of bed and downstairs to the laptop.
    He’s there, in our place, beyond our rock. It’s a ledge of black stone with room for two, just far enough from the rest of the shore to offer that most precious thing: a
little privacy.
    ‘Hello, beautiful.’
    ‘Hold me,’ I say. ‘Warm me up.’
    His arms around me feel like the only solid thing in my life. ‘Is it so cold where you are?’
    ‘They’re forecasting snow again, even though it’s spring.’
    Danny grips me tighter. ‘Remind me what it’s like to be cold, Alice. How snow feels on your skin.’
    I tell him in between kisses, and try to imagine him in the snow. Doing the goofy things couples do in romantic movies: building a snowman, throwing snowballs that are designed to miss, rubbing
noses and feeling his icy skin against mine . . .
    It’s hard to picture it at first, because the Danny I know exists only on the Beach, in shorts and t-shirts. I bet he skied, snowboarded. There is so much about him that I don’t know
yet, but we have time to discover everything about each other. At least, I hope we have time.
    ‘What did you do in winter, Danny?’
    ‘I skied in all the best resorts. Had the best instructors, best equipment. I was still pretty crap.’
    ‘Danny! I’m sure you were great.’
    ‘No, I really wasn’t.’ He scowls. ‘I was a waster.’
    I squeeze his arm. ‘It doesn’t matter what you were, what money you had. I love the real you. Just plain Danny.’
    He looks as though he wants