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“A latte please Bob, and the greasiest breakfast you can do.”
“Heavy night was it?” Bob replies from behind the cash register, far too chirpy for 8am, at least in Vanessa’s hungover opinion.
“Too right. That’s the last time I let Kerry convince us to do shots.” She says tiredly, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the rest of the women at the table behind her.
“I’ll bring your food over.”
“Ta Bob.”
“So, three guesses why you were late to breakfast this morning?” Victoria says with a smirk as Vanessa joins them at the table. Vic is the only one who looks presentable, with her hair in plaits and sipping on a mug of tea. Evidently being the last to arrive and the first to leave the club had spared her from the fate of the others.
Priya is slumped on her elbows, her usually sleek hair piled into a scrappy bun on top of her head and Bernice has replaced her usual work outfit with tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt. Kerry looks almost like her normal self, except for her refusal to take her sunglasses off, even indoors.
Vanessa knows that with no make-up on and wearing one of her girlfriend’s jumpers, she probably doesn’t look much better right now.
“How’s Charity?” Vic continues teasingly.
“Fine. Thank you.” She snipes back. As happy as she is about their change in relationship status, Vanessa is sure she made enough of a drunken tit of herself over Charity last night and would rather not dwell on that particular memory.
“Speaking of gettin’ laid, has anyone heard from Robert?” Kerry chips in between chugs of orange juice, thankfully changing the subject.
“Haven’t seen him since last night, doesn’t look like his bed’s been slept in either.” Vic supplies, as she picks the blueberries off the top of her muffin and pops them in her mouth.
“Good! It’s about time. I kept telling him.” Bernice insists, pointedly avoiding Vic’s food and looking rather pale.
“You wanna eat somethin’ man, you’ll feel better after.” Kerry tells Bernice whilst shovelling bacon into her mouth, which Bernice just ignores.
“That Mike seemed really nice, well from what I can remember anyway.” Priya pipes up
“Yeah, I just wish he’d answer my texts, so I know he’s alright.” Victoria says, a crease of concern between her eyebrows.
“No need, look.” Kerry replies, nodding towards the café door, where Robert has just entered. His hair is slightly messy, but other than that he looks perfectly fine, better than fine actually.
“Morning ladies.” Robert says, a massive grin on his face as he heads for the counter.
“Looks like someone had a good night.” Kerry comments slyly, as Robert places his order.
“Why weren’t you answering my messages, I was worried.” Vic says, smacking Robert’s arm as he leans over to grab a piece of Bernice’s uneaten toast for himself.
“I was busy, and I haven’t had time to charge my phone, stop fussing.”
“Busy?” Priya asks, an eyebrow raised, to which Robert just shrugs nonchalantly.
“So come on then, give us the deets, was Mike good?”
“Kerry!” Bernice groans, her face screwed up in distaste.
“I’d say so… you’ve got a little something on your neck by the way.” Priya chips in, effectively drawing everyone’s attention to two tell-tale little bruises on the side of Robert’s neck, just beneath his left ear.
Robert doesn’t look flustered as he reaches up to touch the marks, just a bit confused.
“Mike? I don’t… oh!” he says, eyes widening in realisation.
“What’s up?” Vanessa asks, “You didn’t forget his name didya?”
“No, I um… I didn’t go back to Mike’s.” Robert confesses sheepishly, drawing up a chair from the next table and sitting on it backwards as Bob comes over, carrying Vanessa’s fry-up, and two take-away cups for Robert.
“So where were you all night?” Vic demands.
“Yeah, and where did this come from?” Bernice adds, poking Robert in the side of the neck, causing him to wince a little.
“Did you get lucky with someone else instead?” Kerry suggests.
The girls are all leaning forward on the table now, headaches forgotten and hanging on Robert’s every word, sure that juicy gossip was coming.
“I guess you could say that.” Robert says, a smirk obvious, even as he takes a sip from one of the takeaway cups. He pauses to drink three large mouthfuls of coffee, before putting them out of their misery.
“I came back to the village and, uh, sort of ran into Aaron again.”
Vic and Bernice both sigh loudly.
“Rob we’ve been through this…” Vic starts, looking disappointed. “He told me he wasn’t gonna mess you around anymore”.
“He’s with Alex, remember?” Bernice adds.
“Calm down alright? It’s not like that.” Robert tells them. “Aaron finished with Alex last night and we’re… well we’re back together.” Robert tells them, his grin a mile wide.
“Seriously?” Vanessa asks him, sure that her eyes are as wide in surprise as the rest of the women at the table.
“Like properly together?” Vic asks.
“Yeah, we talked about a lot of things, Seb and stuff you know? And we’re going to give it another go.”
Vanessa can see the huge change in Robert since last night. He doesn’t just look happier, he looks lighter, like a massive weight has been lifted from his shoulders, his voice is softer, and his eyes are shining.
She can remember feeling something like that last night as she sat at the bar with Charity talking about strings, that squirmy, giddy feeling that you never wanted to let go of. She couldn’t be happier for him, and she tells him as much.
“Ohh that’s amazing Rob. I’m so happy for you.” She says sincerely, as Vic leans over to hug her brother.
“We should have a drink in the Woolie tonight to celebrate!” Kerry suggests, which is met with a chorus of “no” and a “my head hurts enough thanks”.
“Maybe tomorrow night instead?” Priya amends.
“Yeah go on then.” Robert says, before turning to Vanessa.
“So what about you Ness? How did things go with Charity?”
It takes twenty minutes of prying before Vanessa admits, grinning, that she and Charity are now officially a couple.
“Double celebration then.” Robert says quietly to her, winking at her from the counter where he’s waiting for another coffee, the one he originally bought for Aaron having gone cold while they had all been gossiping. The rest of the girls have moved on to trying to convince Priya to look for a new man on their next night out.
“Yeah, I spose it is.”
The both grin at each other, before Robert turns to the table and announces that he needs to get going because he has things to do.
“Someone to do more like.” Kerry remarks in an undertone, but Robert just waves and heads to the door, either oblivious to their teasing, or just too happy to care.