Brew Books

Chapter 17

The others leave. Kitty without a backward glance. Will tries to catch my eye and mouths something to me as I'm leaving, but I don't catch it. Even though I supposedly owe Harper a drink, he tells me to wait while he goes to the bar and orders. I decide to swap from the big table we were taking up to a smaller table, and when Harper has the drinks he glances around, trying to find me, before spotting me sitting in the dark corner of the pub. He grins.

He's still wearing his denim jacket, but when he places our drinks on the table he takes the jacket off and slings it over the back of his chair, revealing his black t-shirt. He's gotten himself a Camden pale ale, and a lighter yellow liquid for me. One taste reveals it to be an apple cider.

'The problem with working in a bar,' Harper says, after he's swallowed a large mouthful of his beer, 'is that the only nights you can go out is Sundays to Tuesdays.'

'And the problem with working in a café,' I say, 'is that you have to wake up before the sun to serve other people coffee.'

Harper grins. 'But do you like it, so far?'

'Yeah, I do. Mostly because of the people I work with,' I say, nudging him cheekily.

'Yeah, we're not so bad,' Harper says, smirking. 'Even when we argue.'

'Do you argue often?'

'Not that often,' Harper says. 'Although I guess...' he pauses, and looks down into his beer before he says, 'We've all been a bit upset with each other since Matt left.'

'What happened?' I ask. 'Why did he leave?'

Harper sighs. 'I don't think I can really explain it. And Kitty doesn't want us to tell you everything.'

'Yeah, so I've heard,' I say. 'So I'm guessing something happened between them that Kitty doesn't want me to know?'

I raise my eyebrows, watching for Harper's reaction, to see if I'm onto something, but Harper gives nothing away. He just takes another swig of his beer.

'Anyway, the topic of Matt is a bit of a sore point in our group, in case you haven't noticed,' Harper says. 'Probably a good idea not to bring it up, especially around Ed. We're glad you're here, anyway. We're glad you've taken over his room, and his job.'

'He's not going to come back anytime soon and demand his room back, right?' I ask.

Harper laughs. 'No, I don't think so. He made it pretty clear to us he doesn't want to live with us anymore.'

I'm intrigued, but Harper changes the subject and asks me whether I'm enjoying the Bukowski novel he recommended me.

'I'm finding it hard to get into,' I admit.

Harper rolls his eyes. 'It's a classic. You'll love it, trust me.'

'Yeah, I'll keep going, don't worry,' I tell him. 'I have this thing where I can't not finish a book once I've started it.'

'Huh. I wish I had that thing. I've probably picked up a thousand books, read a chapter or even gotten halfway through and then gotten distracted by something else.'

The thought of all those half-read books makes me feel squeamish, and I tell him so.

Harper laughs. 'I don't want to waste my time reading a book that won't give me something, you know? Everything I've read has changed my life in some small way, and if I force myself to read some absolute drivel, it might change me in a bad way.'

'Well, how do you know from just the first chapter?' I ask.

'The prose, the themes brought up in the first chapter, everything, it should hint at what's coming,' Harper says. 'If it's shallow from the first chapter, it'll be shallow throughout.'

'Don't you believe in a slow burn?' I ask.

Harper shakes his head. 'It needs to be fiery from the outset. Not necessarily in plot. The plot can start slow and build, but the themes, the prose, the essence of a good book, will always be fiery from the beginning. And if it's not... I stop reading.'

'You must have a lot of unread books in your bookshelf,' I say.

Harper shrugs. 'I usually take Will's books. He has too many, and he's good at recommending them. He always knows what I'll like. He just recommended I read American Psycho.'

'Oh, is it good?' I ask.

'I'm finding it amazing,' Harper says. 'Although I'm not sure it's your kind of book.'

'Well then what is my kind of book?' I ask.

'Hmm,' Harper says. 'I'm guessing you adore Wuthering Heights.'

'Uh, I like it, yeah,' I say.

'But not as much as Pride and Prejudice,' Harper says, a cunning grin on his face.

I give a defeated shrug.

He takes a swig of his beer, and his hand lingers on the glass. He absent-mindedly traces his finger up and down the dewy pint glass as he looks at me. 'But your favourite book...' he says, and I feel like he's staring into my soul. 'Urgh, it's something like Bridget Jones, isn't it?'

'What's wrong with Bridget Jones?' I ask. 'But no, that's not my favourite. I'll let you keep guessing.'

'I'll guess again tomorrow,' Harper says. 'I'm pretty sure it'll take me less than a day to figure out your favourite book.'

'Do you really think I'm that simple, that... shallow?'

Harper rolls his eyes and leans forward across the table. 'No, of course I don't. I'm just really good at guessing people's favourite books. The same way I'm good at making them good cocktails. I just get people.'

• Author's Note •

Thank you for reading! And thank you for voting to help support this novel!

My question for this chapter...

Who is your favourite fictional couple in any book/movie/tv show?

Seriously can't wait to hear your responses!

elle xx