her lips around the edge of her mouth to reign in any stray tagine.
“I’m sure you could have had her for free a few months back, no questions asked,” Geri said.
Stu almost spat his food out. “Harsh,” he spluttered, before wiping his mouth with a serviette. “Anyway, don’t you start about quick eaters – you sound like Darren.”
“Maybe he has a point?” Having said that, Geri knew this was the way Laura and Stu had always eaten and they weren’t likely to change anytime soon.
“Apparently health gurus say you should eat slowly and think about what you’re eating. But I bet they’ve never had Vic’s tagine and I was thinking the whole time – I was thinking ‘Please sir, can I have some more’?” Stu mopped up the juice on his plate with some flatbread before continuing. “By the way, my mum calls you Geri – maybe you can add her to your friend list?”
Geri pursed her lips. “Knock you off and put her on it instead, you mean?”
“Touchy. Is it your time of the month dear?”
“Slap him, Gimps,” Laura said, before clamping her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, it just slipped out.” Laura’s face spelt apology.
“I give up – attacked from both sides,” Geri said, smiling. She turned to Stu. “No news from Romeo yet?”
Stu shook his head.
“And what would he say about this dinner – fatty lamb, carby couscous and bread the enemy, too?” Geri leant her elbows on the table and looked Stu in the eye. “How much not to send him a picture of this forbidden banquet right now?”
“Ha ha,” said Stu, reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out his phone. He pressed a few buttons, raised an eyebrow and started to type something. Then he looked up and saw Geri and Laura watching him, so put the phone back in his pocket.
“Not coming until tomorrow now – got a work thing to go to later. Plus, I think he was hoping to miss out on the walk tomorrow. You know Darren – he thinks walking’s a bit low-key. He’d rather spend the morning pumping iron in the gym and then arrive for the evening later, all buffed and ready.”
Stu nudged Abby beside him to pass the tagine down the table for seconds. He spotted the glare of her iPhone from under the table and smiled – he knew a fellow phone junkie when he saw one, but even Stu might draw the line at being on Facebook at the dinner table as Abby seemed to be.
Stu ladled some more tagine onto his plate and offered it to Laura, who took it eagerly.
As Laura spooned seconds on to her plate, Tash put her arm around her.
“You trying to fatten my girl up, Morgan?” Tash asked Stu.
Stu smiled and shook his head. “Just reinforcing our age-old university alliance – survival of the fittest where food’s concerned.”
Tash kissed Laura on the cheek. “I’ve no idea where she puts it, but she’s a hot slab of gorgeousness.”
Laura stopped eating and frowned. “A slab?”
Tash nodded. “Yep. Sturdy. Reliable. Good for paving.”
Tash, Stu and Geri all laughed loudly.
Laura rolled her eyes.
***
Across the table, Stevie watched Kat glance at Abby before refilling her glass of red wine and taking a healthy slug.
Abby wasn’t paying attention, scrolling through something on her phone with her right hand, eating dinner slowly with a lone fork in her left.
Kat deftly refilled her glass again and sat back, triumphant.
Was this how their relationship was most nights, a game of cat and mouse?
“Still having issues at work, Abby?” Stevie asked across the table.
Abby didn’t hear, so Kat nudged her.
Abby looked up. “Sorry?” she said to Stevie, her face showing a smile, her eyes showing annoyance.
“I said are you still having issues at work, being on your phone.” Stevie almost managed to keep the tone out of her voice. Almost .
Abby waved her phone slightly, too late realising that everyone could see the tell-tale Facebook branding. She styled it out with aplomb.
“Yeah – something to do with our social
“I’m sure you could have had her for free a few months back, no questions asked,” Geri said.
Stu almost spat his food out. “Harsh,” he spluttered, before wiping his mouth with a serviette. “Anyway, don’t you start about quick eaters – you sound like Darren.”
“Maybe he has a point?” Having said that, Geri knew this was the way Laura and Stu had always eaten and they weren’t likely to change anytime soon.
“Apparently health gurus say you should eat slowly and think about what you’re eating. But I bet they’ve never had Vic’s tagine and I was thinking the whole time – I was thinking ‘Please sir, can I have some more’?” Stu mopped up the juice on his plate with some flatbread before continuing. “By the way, my mum calls you Geri – maybe you can add her to your friend list?”
Geri pursed her lips. “Knock you off and put her on it instead, you mean?”
“Touchy. Is it your time of the month dear?”
“Slap him, Gimps,” Laura said, before clamping her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, it just slipped out.” Laura’s face spelt apology.
“I give up – attacked from both sides,” Geri said, smiling. She turned to Stu. “No news from Romeo yet?”
Stu shook his head.
“And what would he say about this dinner – fatty lamb, carby couscous and bread the enemy, too?” Geri leant her elbows on the table and looked Stu in the eye. “How much not to send him a picture of this forbidden banquet right now?”
“Ha ha,” said Stu, reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out his phone. He pressed a few buttons, raised an eyebrow and started to type something. Then he looked up and saw Geri and Laura watching him, so put the phone back in his pocket.
“Not coming until tomorrow now – got a work thing to go to later. Plus, I think he was hoping to miss out on the walk tomorrow. You know Darren – he thinks walking’s a bit low-key. He’d rather spend the morning pumping iron in the gym and then arrive for the evening later, all buffed and ready.”
Stu nudged Abby beside him to pass the tagine down the table for seconds. He spotted the glare of her iPhone from under the table and smiled – he knew a fellow phone junkie when he saw one, but even Stu might draw the line at being on Facebook at the dinner table as Abby seemed to be.
Stu ladled some more tagine onto his plate and offered it to Laura, who took it eagerly.
As Laura spooned seconds on to her plate, Tash put her arm around her.
“You trying to fatten my girl up, Morgan?” Tash asked Stu.
Stu smiled and shook his head. “Just reinforcing our age-old university alliance – survival of the fittest where food’s concerned.”
Tash kissed Laura on the cheek. “I’ve no idea where she puts it, but she’s a hot slab of gorgeousness.”
Laura stopped eating and frowned. “A slab?”
Tash nodded. “Yep. Sturdy. Reliable. Good for paving.”
Tash, Stu and Geri all laughed loudly.
Laura rolled her eyes.
***
Across the table, Stevie watched Kat glance at Abby before refilling her glass of red wine and taking a healthy slug.
Abby wasn’t paying attention, scrolling through something on her phone with her right hand, eating dinner slowly with a lone fork in her left.
Kat deftly refilled her glass again and sat back, triumphant.
Was this how their relationship was most nights, a game of cat and mouse?
“Still having issues at work, Abby?” Stevie asked across the table.
Abby didn’t hear, so Kat nudged her.
Abby looked up. “Sorry?” she said to Stevie, her face showing a smile, her eyes showing annoyance.
“I said are you still having issues at work, being on your phone.” Stevie almost managed to keep the tone out of her voice. Almost .
Abby waved her phone slightly, too late realising that everyone could see the tell-tale Facebook branding. She styled it out with aplomb.
“Yeah – something to do with our social
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