Page 56 of Ask Another Day

How’s Tally?

Holly:

Missing you

Seb:

The girl has good sense

Even though it was just a text, Holly could feel the teasing tone on the screen. The realisation soothed her far more than anything else he could have said right now. If she tried really hard, she could glimpse a future where they could be proper friends again. Like they’d been before her fateful party.

Holly:

I’ll let you have that one, as I’m still in apology mode

Holly waited to see if he’d send another message, but a knock at the door to the pub caught her attention. The hope that Seb had come to see her so soon, bubbled inside her as she hobbled to the door and eased it open. Until now, she hadn’t let herself acknowledge how much she’d missed having him around. Dealing with the aftermath of her accident, and Lucy moving in, had distracted her enough from admitting Seb was an important part of her life now. It had started when he’d come back for the funeral and stayed. When he’d started working at the pub he’d cemented himself in her life.

But it wasn’t Seb at the door.

‘Rose,’ she deadpanned when she saw her friend smiling at the door.

‘What? Not pleased to see me? You’re not still annoyed about Nikolai?’

At Holly’s look she added, ‘Too soon? Yep, too soon. I come bearing snacks.’

Holly eased the door open wider to reveal a tube of Pringles and a jumbo bag of Haribo stretched out towards her.

‘Those snacks are acceptable. Come in,’ she opened the door fully and gestured for Rose to follow.

‘So Luke said brunch went well, and he talked to you about Seb?’

‘It did, and he did.’

‘And?’ Rose leaned in, excitement glittering in her eyes as she waited.

‘I messaged him and apologised. He’s coming back to work in the pub.’

‘Oh thank God. I was really starting to miss his appleslaw sandwiches.’

‘I should have apologised sooner. Natalie has been moping around for weeks. Why didn’t you and Luke stage an intervention sooner?’

‘I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Holly, but you’re pretty prickly when it comes to Seb. We had a tense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, to see who had to be the one to talk to you about him.’

Holly snatched the Pringles tube from Rose’s hand and popped open the lid, shovelling in a handful of the moreish crisps into her mouth. She knew she wasn’t rational when it came to Seb, but no one liked being called out on their irrational behaviour. Licking away the last of the sour cream dust from her lips, she focused on Rose.

‘I get it, OK? I’m trying to bury that hurt. I know he’s a good person. Natalie adores him. I’m a big girl, and I won’t lash out at him again.’

Rose nibbled on her bottom lip.

‘What?’

Wincing a little, Rose switched from nibbling her lip to her thumb nail; buying herself some time. By the time she spoke, Holly had nearly been ready to drag the words out of her. ‘It’s just… you know our challenge?’

‘I release you from your beer mat contract, Rose.’

Holly leant across the bar to reach the cork board on the corner wall where the beer mat Rose had pinned up earlier in the year was staring at them. When it was in her hands she made to rip it apart.

‘No! Don’t do that. It’s bad luck!’ Rose yelped, snatching the beer mat away.