HOW TO BE SINGLE | SIDEMEN

EIGHTEEN

e i g h t e e n
" i put a fiver on him trying to kiss you "
-

-

The vase of sweet peas on her window were delicate and yet packed with a wonderful punch of scent. They were sweet, just as their name promised, and yet they were brighter than any other flower in their little garden. Her mother prided in growing these, rarely cutting them. So, waking up to their smell set her day up to be simply beautiful.

And the bird were singing, they had no worried or troubles. They were free to sing and fly as they pleased. A simple life, a pleasant life. One many envied in the works of literature and song. One many wished for, although some did not mean it.

Adela didn't mean it.

As she lay there that morning, Alice lying next to her scrolling through her phone, sipping tea, the silence allowed her to think clearly.

Although she knew she wouldn't ever be completely over Simon, she was getting close to it. With the business of her life (new home, new job interview and a time and place for her and Lewis to finally meet up set), she hadn't properly thought about Simon in days.

She even felt giddy to be meeting Lewis later that day.

"Does it make me a bad person to be actually... excited to be meeting him today?" Adela asked, rolling onto her front to look at Alice as they spoke, feeling it only polite.

"Why would it make you a bad person? You're going to join him on one of his walks, not going to fuck in the local park, Ads," Alice replied without missing a beat, although the smirk did take a while to drift across her mouth as if it were being held back.

"But you know what I mean?" Adela bit her lip.

Alice sighed and locked her phone, dropping it onto her lap. "You're overthinking this. If you and Simon were going to get back together, it would've happened by now. Besides, he's probably done a lot worse than go on a dog walk."

"Thing is, I know you're right, but I can't help but wonder what if he's just waiting for me to call."

"Stop thinking about him. Think about the handsome dog walker waiting for you instead, ok? Just enjoy yourself and think about what it all means later." Alice lifted her phone up as it vibrated twice, smiling to herself.

"Let me guess, you've got a date tonight?" Adela said, rolling her eyes as she sat up.

"How did you guess?"

"Nothing else makes you smile like that."

And it was true. Of course, Adela made her friend smile, but not like he did. It was a different kind of smile. A smile of a girl in love. Content and brimming with excitement for their future together.

Adela used to smile like that.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" Alice said. Adela nodded, regretfully. "For goodness sake, Ads, you need to stop. Honestly and truthfully I can tell you that he never made you smile like a girl on top of the world in the last few months."