Especially since what she was saying wasn’t true. I wanted both of my best friends to find love, and I’d been friends with Lottie, Rory’s ex. Maeve didn’t know what she was on about. A cheer went up on the other side of the room. Isla and Joe had emerged through the double doors, both of them leaning into the excitement and beaming.
‘Saved by the bell, ey?’ Adrian nudged me as we all made our way in their direction, ready to celebrate.
I rolled my eyes, following the crowds to congratulate the happy couple.
7
‘I honestly think she thought it was a prank at first.’ Joe spoke around a mouthful of shortbread. ‘Fuck, these are good.’
I wasn’t sure Mum would appreciate his language, but I knew she’d appreciate the compliment. When we were tiny, she’d let us cut shapes into her traybakes, buying a mega box of cookie cutters and letting us go wild. Joe always ended up with an alphabet of biscuits (predictable and boring), but I’d mixed it up every time, bringing butterfly shortbreads to school in my lunchbox one week and aeroplanes the next.
‘That’s what you get for cling-filming your bedroom door.’ My brother and his now fiancée were notorious for their ongoing prank war. We’d all been dragged into it on multiple occasions, Rory getting a flour-filled balloon to the head once when Isla thought it was Joe coming through the front door. He couldn’t hear properly due to flour cloggage for a whole week.
‘So, how did you convince her that it wasn’t a decade-long prank?’
He smiled. ‘I think the ring did it. After that it was just tears of joy. You may even say I nailed it.’
I rolled my eyes but I didn’t doubt it. Isla had burst into tears at an RSPCA advert last week.
‘Well, as much as our relationship is based on a mutual understanding that we can only be sarcastic to each other, I’m proud of you.’ I held out my bottle for a clink. ‘You’re officially even less of a screw-up.’
‘Who is less of a screw-up?’ Rory excused himself from a conversation with Mum’s friend Angela to tune into our conversation, swaying ever so slightly.
‘Not you, that’s for sure.’ I stole the drink in his hand, replacing it with my empty one. ‘Thanks.’
He pulled a face at me, pointing at Joe. ‘And you, my friend, congrats. Everyone knows that wedding flowers cost a fortune, and you’ve picked just the fiancée to cut that cost.’
‘Does everyone know that?’ I quipped.
‘Take a day off, Pen. Go text the latest lover boy of yours.’
Rory was just trying to hit a nerve, but he didn’t know that I actually did have a text from Isaac waiting for me. Match number five. We’d only exchanged a few texts – I was notorious for opening messages and forgetting about them until I was nudged – but I didn’t hate the conversation. I was saving his message for later, when I could give it my full attention. Rory was staring at me now, challenging me.
‘Lover boy, was that what you said? Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of me kicking your ass in this bet that I couldn’t take on Level.’
Joe was watching us verbally joust. ‘I thought tonight was supposed to be all about me.’ He was joking, but it was enough for Rory to pull him into a conversation about stag do ideas. Marriage had come up enough times in the pub for us to know that Joe and Isla wanted a ‘sten’ (a stag and hen do all in one). I imagined Rory drinking through a penis straw and wearing a pink cowgirl hat. It brought me great joy.
‘Hiya, sis.’ I’d barely had the chance to speak to Isla since they arrived, but she edged her way over to me now, cheeks flushed. She had the ‘J’ doughnut in her hand, a huge bite taken out of it and a tiny splodge of pink icing on her top lip.
‘This is the best day ever.’ She sighed. ‘All that waiting was worth it.’
Joe paused his conversation with Rory, who took the opportunity to head to the bar. ‘I heard that.’
She offered him some of the doughnut and he wiped the icing away from her lip. ‘You were supposed to. I was almost a geriatric bride for a second there.’
Isla was only kidding; I had no idea why she was so loyal to my idiot brother, but she’d been in it for the long haul – engagement or not. I’d had to stop her many a time from describing to me in great detail how much she fancied him. That was where I crossed the line. I was already scarred from the knowledge that some of the nurses compared him to Mason Mount. England matches were ruined for me forever.
‘So, do we have to prepare ourselves? Is your sweet Isla era over? I suspect you could be the bridezilla to end all bridezillas.’
She was wearing a glittery gold dress that shimmered with the force of her shaking her head. ‘If I become a bridezilla, you have permission to cancel the wedding. We’ve had our fair share of hellish brides come into the florist, and I would rather walk down the aisle naked than be one of those.‘
Joe rubbed his hands together. ‘Sounds good to me.’
I coughed. ‘Before I vomit, I’m going to find Maeve.’ I took a quick look around. ‘Anyone seen her?’
Isla shrugged. ‘I think she went outside with Adrian.’
No doubt he was getting an earful after his performance tonight. I left them to it, mingling with the same florists Rory had been flirting with earlier. They were speculating about how Isla would plan a wedding, calling dibs on doing her bridal bouquet. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that if I knew my soon-to-be sister, she’d handle all of it herself.
My phone started to ring, Rory’s name popping up. I answered.
‘Rory, your laziness has hit new heights. Are we not in the same room?’
He didn’t immediately laugh like I’d expected. ‘About that …’ He sounded surprisingly sober. ‘I’m about to get on the Tube. It’s Maeve.’
There was a small wail from his end of the line.
‘Wait, what? Where’s Adrian?’
Another wail.
‘Listen, I’m literally about to go underground, but do you think you can sneak away too? We’ve got a bit of an issue and you need to come home.’
I didn’t think twice about ducking out of the pub; everyone was too tipsy to notice my absence, and Joe and Isla would understand if I sent a quick message. ‘Okay, give me fifteen minutes. I’m coming.’
***
Over the years, we’d developed an unspoken rule when it came to emergencies. If we were able to drop everything, we would. We’d only had to use it on a handful of occasions – when Rory’s dad had gone into hospital after a minor car accident in second year, and when Maeve had failed a really important exam – but there was a system in place for a reason. I’d barely inserted my key into the front door before it opened seemingly of its own accord.
