Is this a terrible idea? Have I really reached that level of desperate, where I’ll take a near stranger to all of my big events over the summer? I really want to say no but, now that I’ve told my family that I’m bringing Millsy with me as my plus one, I’ve somehow made things even worse. Now, if I turn up without him, I’ll look even more tragic than if I’d just turned up alone. At least we’ve got a few events to go to before Flora’s wedding, so I suppose we can get in a lot of practice. I really don’t know why I’m getting cold feet all of a sudden; surely now the worst thing I could do would be to back out of our plus-one agreement. Millsy hasn’t steered me wrong yet… well, I guess he has, but only as far as dating advice goes, but I guess he’s just programmed differently from the way I am. As a friend though, I can’t fault him. Who knows? We might even have fun at these things. It’s too late to turn back now, we’ll just have to wait and see…
9
‘Look at you,’ Millsy says as I meet him outside my apartment building. ‘You’re sticking with the new look, then?’
I can't exactly change the hair in a hurry but I don’t know if he believed I’d keep up the new clothing style and bolder make-up.
It’s weird – if I haven’t seen my reflection for a little while I forget that I look different at all. I forget about the daring (for me, at least) outfits, the make-up that completely transforms the shape of my face – I even forget about the long red locks.
‘Yeah, I love it,’ I tell him. ‘Even my family loved it… for the most part.’
‘You can’t win them all,’ he replies with a shrug of his broad shoulders and a flash of his cheeky smile. ‘I have your bag.’
‘You do,’ I say, almost surprised as I take it from him. He notices the look on my face.
‘What, did you think I was going to let myself in with your keys?’ he asks.
‘No, no,’ I reply quickly. ‘But I can’t say I’m not surprised every time you’re just a nice, normal person.’
‘Does my reputation precede me?’
‘A little,’ I admit. ‘Plus, you know, how often do people just… do nice things for people they don’t really know, just to be nice?’
Millsy shrugs and smiles again.
‘Do you want to come in?’ I ask. ‘See if you pass the not-murdering-me test?’
I feel as if a joke might dispel a little of the potential offence I might have just caused, even if he isn’t letting on.
‘Yeah, sure,’ he says. ‘We need to plan, don’t we?’
‘We do,’ I reply. ‘We definitely do.’
‘After you, then,’ he prompts.
It’s safe to say that no one ever comes back to my flat, and my family don’t visit all that much, so I spend the entire lift journey wondering what I need to quickly kick under the sofa or swipe from the worktop into the sink. I like to think I’m a reasonably tidy person but I’m no stranger to leaving my tea mug by the sink or kicking my tights off on the sofa. I suppose because Millsy’s flat was so amazing, and so tidy, I feel a little self-conscious about mine.
Thankfully, once we’re inside, it turns out I actually left the place quite tidy – with the exception of a few papers on my coffee table.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ I ask.
‘Please,’ he replies. ‘Anything cold.’
I’m with him on that one. It’s such a muggy evening.
Millsy looks around the room before cocking his head curiously.
‘Do you have a leaky pipe or something?’ he asks me. ‘Not that I know what a leaky pipe sounds like, but…’
‘Oh, just give it a few minutes,’ I tell him as I gather up my papers.
As the rhythmic tapping turns into more of a banging, followed by the clash of cymbals, Millsy realises what the noise is.
‘Oh, God, do you live next to a drummer?’
‘A drummer, a saxophone player, singers, dancers, actors with lines they need to practise until the early hours. It’s driving me mad, man.’
‘Is that why you’re flat-hunting?’ he asks, gesturing towards the papers in my arms.
I look down at them. The flat listings the estate agent gave me, none of which feel right. They’re too far outside town, too small or too expensive. They are almost all too expensive.
‘Yeah. I work from home and it’s impossible to get anything done with the noise. I’d found somewhere new but it fell through so I’m looking a little more urgently now.’
I stuff the papers inside a folder on my desk before heading to the fridge.
‘You rent?’ he asks.
‘I do.’
‘Furnished?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Interesting,’ Millsy says thoughtfully. ‘Did I mention I was renting out my spare room?’
I laugh.
‘I’m serious,’ he insists. ‘You’re looking for somewhere to live, I’m looking for a roommate. It sounds like you’re going to be homeless soon. We’re basically working together. Move in with me.’
‘This relationship is moving a bit fast,’ I point out with a chuckle. ‘Thanks for the offer though.’
I grab a couple of cans of Coke from the fridge and hand one to Millsy. I swipe the other one across my brow in an attempt to cool myself down.
‘Are you sure?’ Millsy asks.
‘I’m…’
Right on cue, potentially the loudest bass drum of my life is beaten. I feel it rattle right through my body. I really don’t know how much longer I can take the noise here. I don’t know if it seems worse than ever, or if I’m just so annoyed by it that it seems even more intrusive. And I really am going to be homeless if I don’t like any of the flats I view next week. I have to admit, none of them are as central as I am now, and they certainly aren’t as nice as Millsy’s apartment – not without flat-sharing with someone who would be an actual stranger I know nothing about. At least I’ve known Millsy for a few days, I know things about him, I’ve seen his place and know that I could make myself at home there. My only other option, of course, would be to move back in with my mum and dad…
‘Well, maybe if I could temporarily, while I look for somewhere more permanent?’
‘Yeah, whatever you want,’ he says casually.
‘You’re so nice to me,’ I point out.
‘I really need a plus one.’ He laughs. ‘But, honestly, it’s no big deal. And we can just have the one lair where we do all our plotting.’
‘Are we going to have a serial-killer wall, with maps and photos?’
‘Absolutely,’ he replies. ‘What’s our first gig?’
‘My bosses are getting married next weekend,’ I say. ‘It would be good to have a plus one. It’s only the evening do, so nothing too formal. They keep telling me I can bring someone if I want to.’
‘Sounds great,’ he says. ‘But can we talk about this at home, please? Between the sweltering heat and the banging of the drum, I’m getting a right headache.’
At home. I laugh.