Chris turned back to me. ‘So, you’re still in love with him then?’
I shrugged. ‘Hopelessly. Unfortunately.’
‘Well I hope the silly sod realises the mistake he’s made. If that’s what you want, of course.’
His phone stopped ringing, then immediately started up again. He threw me an apologetic smile and got up to get it.
‘Sorry, I’d better see who this is.’ He looked at the screen and his smile disappeared. ‘Excuse me a moment.’ He threw on his shirt and opened the sliding door to the balcony as he answered the call.
Through the window I could see him pacing up and down the balcony, raking his hand through his hair and speaking rapidly. Obviously the call was not a welcome one. An ex of his own, perhaps?
I tried to recall the last fight I’d had with James. Somehow it would’ve been comforting to remember a fiery, explosive session of shouting and plate throwing. But I think we’d had a petty argument over leaving the lid off the Vegemite and had given each other the silent treatment for a few hours.
My own phone began to ring and Lana’s name flashed up on the screen.
‘What happened to you?’ she demanded. ‘I know you weren’t having the best time but it’s not like you to pull the ghost exit.’
‘Sorry, babe. I kind of picked up, believe it or not. But—’
She shrieked with delight. ‘Was it that cute guy you were talking to before? He was hot-diggity-damn delicious.’
‘As if you could have seen him properly from that distance. You really should wear your glasses when you go out.’
‘I don’t need my glasses to know he was hot. But why are you answering your phone? Get back to it, girl!’
‘I kind of chickened out,’ I admitted. ‘I couldn’t go through with it. I’m too drunk, and all I could think about was James.’
‘Oh, honey. Don’t waste your emotion on that dipshit. You should’ve got your freak on anyway. Are you still with him?’
‘Yeah. He’s on the phone though.’
‘Well, when he hangs up, jump his bones. Don’t let James ruin your fun.’
‘Nah. I’ve made enough of a fool of myself already.’
‘Why don’t you come back to the bar and dance with us? It’ll be fun.’
‘Thanks, but I need to go to bed. Alone,’ I added in anticipation of her response.
‘OK, babe. Call me tomorrow, we’ll catch up for breakfast.’
‘Sure,’ I said.
I hung up just as Chris walked back into the room. His face was pale and he looked stressed.
‘Sorry to do this to you, but I’ve gotta go,’ he said.
‘Is everything OK?’
He barely looked at me as he began to throw clothes into a backpack. ‘Uh, sure, sure, something’s just come up. I have to take off.’
I watched, mute, as he shrugged into his jacket. I was still sitting on the enormous bed with only my bra on, and starting to feel a little miffed. ‘Are you making this up? Because I’m quite capable of taking a hint, you know.’
I stood up and put my shirt back on. It was as if he’d become a completely different person in the last few minutes. He rushed into the bathroom and I heard him scrabbling toiletries into his bag. When he reappeared, he looked ever so slightly contrite, but I was in no mood to take this lying down.
‘I’m terribly sorry to have gypped you out of an easy lay,’ I said, ‘but it might come as a surprise to you that it’s quite legal for me to change my mind.’
When he finally met my gaze, there was real fear in his eyes. ‘Look, I’m sorry about this. I’m not ditching you because you wouldn’t have sex with me. I just really need to go. The room is paid for so stay as long as you like, but I have to get out of here right now. It was nice meeting you, Sarah.’
He picked up a black guitar case from the corner of the room and, without a backwards glance, he rushed out, leaving the door gaping open. I peered into the hallway and watched as he ran to the lift and punched the call button four times in rapid succession. Either my rejection had royally messed him up, or there really was something wrong. Regardless, I was alone once again.
I put on my jacket and surveyed the room. It really was quite grand. I was tempted to stick around for a while, lounge on the big bed, order room service and charge a porno to the room to get him back for running out on me, but I was exhausted and just wanted to pull the pin on this complete arse of a night.
The lobby door closed behind me as I walked out into the icy cold of the Melbourne winter. The driver of the first taxi in the rank greeted me with a big smile as I slid into the passenger seat.
‘Hello, my friend, how are you?’ he asked cheerfully.
‘I’m great,’ I said. ‘Just great.’
I gave him my address and he pulled out from the kerb, whistling along to the Bollywood song playing on the stereo. It was only as we were turning into my street that the image of my credit card sitting in the glass behind the bar flashed into my mind. I leant forward in my seat, elbows on my knees and head in my hands, and the tears I’d been holding back all night came at last in a prodigious flood of misery.
‘Everything OK, miss?’ the driver asked.
‘We’re going to have to go back.’ My voice shook and the tears dripped through my fingers and into my lap. ‘I’ve left something behind.’
CHAPTER TWO
It started raining as soon as I got off the tram on Queen Street. Melbourne being Melbourne, it wasn’t a friendly drizzle but the kind of stinging, sideways blast that goes straight through your skin and into your bones. I’d forgotten my umbrella so I tried to shield
