Cathy Hopkins - [Mates, Dates 05] by Dates Mates, Sole Survivors (Html) Page B

attention and the fact that
someone wanted to be with me so much.
    ‘I’ve never been
dumped before…’ Nesta started. ‘Just because he hasn’t returned one call
doesn’t mean he’s going to dump you,’ I said. ‘He’s probably been busy.’ ‘Too
busy to talk to me? To return
one
call? Get real. There’s one thing I
do
know about and that’s boys. And when boys want to be with you, you don’t have
to spend time agonising over whether he will or won’t call. If he wants to, he
calls. What shall I do? Finish with him before he finishes with me? What?’
    ‘Just play it cool for
a while,’ said Izzie. ‘I
have
. I only called twice, then I thought, no
way I’m doing this. Reject is not a role I want to play.’
    I didn’t know what to
say. Usually it’s me going to Nesta for advice not the other way around. But she
did look fed up.
    ‘It will be OK,’ I
said, remembering something I’d heard my mum say on the phone to one of her
clients.
    ‘All relationships go
through down patches. It’s probably just a phase and next week he’ll be back
banging on your door begging to see you.’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Nesta,
making an attempt to brighten up. ‘Sorry I’m being a downer. So, when am I
going to meet loverboy?’
    ‘Tomorrow, if you
like. We’re going to Netting Hill. We’re going to go down to Portobello Market
to look at the vintage clothes stalls. Do you want to come?’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Nesta,
cheering up immediately. ‘When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.
Anyway, I love it down there. What are you doing, Iz? Are you seeing Ben?’
    Izzie shook her head.
‘Nah. Actually, I need some space from him. All we ever do is band stuff I’ve
been locked up in his garage all week. An afternoon with the girls sounds
great. Shall we call TJ?’
    ‘No, I spoke to her,’
I said. ‘She’s on her way back from Scotland and is going round to ours
tomorrow to have the great reunion with Steve. Honestly, he’s been like a limp
lettuce while she’s been away.’
    ‘Right,’ said Izzie.
‘Tomorrow. That’s settled then.’
     
    Daniel was waiting for
me outside Ladbroke Grove tube and at first he looked disappointed when he saw
that I’d brought the girls. Sweet, I thought. He wants me all to himself. He
was all in black and looking gorgeous as usual. I felt proud to introduce him
to Nesta as
my
boyfriend.
    ‘So, Lucy tells us
that you want to do fashion when you leave school,’ she said as we made our way
to the market.
    Daniel nodded and
glanced at himself in a mirror in a window. ‘I’ve started already, actually. I
did some designs for our end-of-year fashion show at school. Got first prize
and the local paper came and did an article.’
    ‘Really,’ said Nesta.
‘We’d love to see them some time, wouldn’t we?’ She turned to Izzie, then back
to Daniel. ‘Has Lucy shown you hers?’
    But Daniel wasn’t
listening. He’d seen a shop with an interesting display and had taken my hand
and hauled me off. ‘Sorry. Just
got
to show Lucy these designs,’ he
called over his shoulder.
    When we got to the
market, Daniel insisted that he buy us all a drink and took us to a cafe he
knew. He asked the girls what they wanted, then went to order.
    ‘He didn’t ask if you
wanted anything,’ said Izzie.
    I blushed. ‘Oh, I
trust his choice. He knows so much about everything, even coffee.’
    Daniel came back a
moment later with Cokes for Izzie and Nesta and double espressos for me and
him.
    ‘But you don’t like
espresso,’ said Izzie as I took a sip.
    ‘It’s what everyone
drinks in Milan. It’s an acquired taste,’ said Daniel. ‘She’ll get used to it.’
    I might have been
imagining, but I was pretty sure Izzie shot Nesta a ‘look’.
    As the afternoon went
on, I could see that Nesta was feeling more and more miserable. She kept
checking her mobile for messages and I don’t think it helped that Daniel kept
putting his arm around me and playing with my hair and kissing