starting to get too hot, that Elise suggested we go back to the bar for another drink.
Elise suddenly grabbed my hand and veered off to the left when she saw Bella already sitting at the bar, perched precariously on a high stool and chatting to the barman. I glanced briefly at Bella, thinking I ought to join her, but followed Elise instead.
“You don’t want to sit with the others?” I leant against the bar and jerked my head towards Bella.
“Thought it would be neat to chat with you alone.” Elise shrugged. She lifted her head slowly to a barman, effortlessly catching his eye and summoning him over to us, even though he appeared to be busy with other customers. “Got any champagne?” she cheekily asked when he got to us. “Whatever you’ve got, we’re not fussy.” She looked at me from the corner of her eye. “Especially if it’s free,” she whispered.
I watched as the barman fetched a bottle from the chiller, popped it, then poured us a long glass each, the bubbles rushing precariously to the rims of the glasses before settling down again.
“You look warm.” Elise’s eyes roamed my face, making me self-consciously flick my hair away from my forehead.
“Dancing always makes me hot.” My cheeks burned even more as I spoke, wishing I’d said something less ridiculous.
Two glasses of champagne appeared in front of us.
“To Jasmine and Casey,” Elise said, lifting her glass to me.
“We already did that, didn’t we?” I smiled, taking a small sip, loving how the bubbles pricked my tongue.
“With wine, though,” Elise said. “That doesn’t really count.” She studied me over the top of her glass. “You enjoy playing Jasmine, don’t you?”
“I do,” I replied truthfully. “I can’t imagine her ever not being in my life.”
“You’re so right for the part of her,” Elise said. “I think you totally nail her.”
A sound bite of our first conversation when Elise suggested I was stilted entered my head, and I resisted the urge to respond as I remembered her reaction in the car when I’d mentioned it after another compliment from her.
“Thank you,” I said instead.
“I mean it.” Elise stared down at her glass, running her finger round the edge of it. “You’re a lot like Jasmine, you know.”
“What, goofy and a bit silly?” I laughed, taking another sip.
“No,” Elise said, watching me. “Just nice.” She began popping the bubbles from the surface of her champagne. “I think Jasmine’s very brave as well,” she said quietly. “Casey, too.”
“Brave?”
“To both know what they want and not be afraid to get it.”
“You mean because they want each other?” I asked, struck by the sudden seriousness of her tone.
“Mm.” She studied me carefully. “It must be nice to have the confidence to go for something—or someone—that you want.”
“You don’t strike me as lacking in too much confidence,” I said. “I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.”
Elise dragged her eyes from mine. “Nah, I have buckets of confidence when it comes to my work,” she said, still popping her bubbles, “just not so much when it comes to other things.”
“Such as?”
“Never mind.” Elise drank the rest of her champagne back. “Alcohol makes me think too much sometimes.”
*
Long after Bella had left and Robbie had made out with his third girl of the evening, Elise and I finally fell out of the club at around four the next morning, blinking groggily at the hazy early morning light that took our eyes ages to adjust to. As we made our way unsteadily down the road, still busy with all the West End revellers, I was aware of a flashlight going off just to my right. I swung round and saw some guy standing less than twenty feet from us, with a camera in his hands. As I looked at him again, another flashlight went off, temporarily blinding me.
I stopped in my tracks and looked in bemusement at him, then turned and looked at Elise.
“Did we
Elise suddenly grabbed my hand and veered off to the left when she saw Bella already sitting at the bar, perched precariously on a high stool and chatting to the barman. I glanced briefly at Bella, thinking I ought to join her, but followed Elise instead.
“You don’t want to sit with the others?” I leant against the bar and jerked my head towards Bella.
“Thought it would be neat to chat with you alone.” Elise shrugged. She lifted her head slowly to a barman, effortlessly catching his eye and summoning him over to us, even though he appeared to be busy with other customers. “Got any champagne?” she cheekily asked when he got to us. “Whatever you’ve got, we’re not fussy.” She looked at me from the corner of her eye. “Especially if it’s free,” she whispered.
I watched as the barman fetched a bottle from the chiller, popped it, then poured us a long glass each, the bubbles rushing precariously to the rims of the glasses before settling down again.
“You look warm.” Elise’s eyes roamed my face, making me self-consciously flick my hair away from my forehead.
“Dancing always makes me hot.” My cheeks burned even more as I spoke, wishing I’d said something less ridiculous.
Two glasses of champagne appeared in front of us.
“To Jasmine and Casey,” Elise said, lifting her glass to me.
“We already did that, didn’t we?” I smiled, taking a small sip, loving how the bubbles pricked my tongue.
“With wine, though,” Elise said. “That doesn’t really count.” She studied me over the top of her glass. “You enjoy playing Jasmine, don’t you?”
“I do,” I replied truthfully. “I can’t imagine her ever not being in my life.”
“You’re so right for the part of her,” Elise said. “I think you totally nail her.”
A sound bite of our first conversation when Elise suggested I was stilted entered my head, and I resisted the urge to respond as I remembered her reaction in the car when I’d mentioned it after another compliment from her.
“Thank you,” I said instead.
“I mean it.” Elise stared down at her glass, running her finger round the edge of it. “You’re a lot like Jasmine, you know.”
“What, goofy and a bit silly?” I laughed, taking another sip.
“No,” Elise said, watching me. “Just nice.” She began popping the bubbles from the surface of her champagne. “I think Jasmine’s very brave as well,” she said quietly. “Casey, too.”
“Brave?”
“To both know what they want and not be afraid to get it.”
“You mean because they want each other?” I asked, struck by the sudden seriousness of her tone.
“Mm.” She studied me carefully. “It must be nice to have the confidence to go for something—or someone—that you want.”
“You don’t strike me as lacking in too much confidence,” I said. “I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.”
Elise dragged her eyes from mine. “Nah, I have buckets of confidence when it comes to my work,” she said, still popping her bubbles, “just not so much when it comes to other things.”
“Such as?”
“Never mind.” Elise drank the rest of her champagne back. “Alcohol makes me think too much sometimes.”
*
Long after Bella had left and Robbie had made out with his third girl of the evening, Elise and I finally fell out of the club at around four the next morning, blinking groggily at the hazy early morning light that took our eyes ages to adjust to. As we made our way unsteadily down the road, still busy with all the West End revellers, I was aware of a flashlight going off just to my right. I swung round and saw some guy standing less than twenty feet from us, with a camera in his hands. As I looked at him again, another flashlight went off, temporarily blinding me.
I stopped in my tracks and looked in bemusement at him, then turned and looked at Elise.
“Did we
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