The A to Z of Us

by Hannah Doyle

  ‘Do you think it approves?’

  ‘Of us? No doubt,’ Zach smiles. ‘We’ve come a long way since we first met, Alice. We’ve had so much fun and a couple of hurdles along the way but I don’t think there’s been a better date than this. I feel so lucky to have this beautiful moon shining overhead, my beautiful girlfriend curled up next to me …’

  ‘You charmer,’ I tease, feeling my stomach do somersaults as I snuggle further into Zach. He turns to look at me, our eyes trained on each other in the moonlight. And that’s when I know it’s time.

  ‘Zach?’

  ‘Alice?’

  ‘I think I’m starting to fall in love with you.’

  Zach scoops me into his arms, covering my face in kisses and stopping every few minutes to look at me, this incredulous look on his face.

  ‘I think you know that I love you already,’ he murmurs.

  The supermoon shines bright overhead as we kiss under the glistening stars.

  Train Trip

  Zach

  Alice is falling in love with me. Alice is falling in love with me. I keep repeating that phrase in my head as if I need to remind myself that it’s true. I imagine this is what it must feel like if you win the lottery, the constant buzz that something really incredible has just happened. Even the stuff that usually annoys me is water off a duck’s back, like needing to remember my pin code when I’ve spent a few quid over the contactless limit, or my alarm going off when I’m in the middle of a deep sleep. Which is exactly what happens this morning.

  I reach out to hit snooze, painfully aware that it’s not even light outside yet when I remember that today is the start of our T date. Showered and dressed in record time, I check my phone as I walk to the train station and find a message from Natalie.

  All going like clockwork here, the birthday girl is excited and confused!

  Today is Alice’s thirtieth birthday and I’ve been quietly planning a special date to celebrate for almost a month now, roping Natalie in to help me out with the logistics. It’s been really tough to keep it a secret. The amount of times I’ve wanted to blurt it out to Alice, even though I know she loves surprises. And then there was the situation after that disastrous ping pong date, where I thought I’d have to request a refund and cancel the whole thing but something told me that we could work it out so I’m glad I had a rare moment of confidence and hope, and I’m grateful I listened to myself that day. Everything between us is better than ever and I’m really glad I can show her how much I love her with this surprise.

  Now Nat’s confirmed they’re on their way and I feel myself relaxing into my plans.

  The earliest commuters have started trickling into the station, hands wrapped around coffee cups, while I flick through a newspaper. I’m reading an article about jet pack paramedics when the station doors slide open again, allowing the bite of cool early morning air inside. Followed by Alice. My heart leaps.

  Natalie trails alongside her, pulling a wheelie suitcase which has a cluster of helium balloons attached to it. I notice that Alice also has one around tied around her wrist and laugh.

  ‘What are you up to?’ She grins as she gets closer.

  ‘Happy birthday, beautiful,’ I reply.

  ‘Ta daaa!’ Nat gestures with magician hands. ‘May I present the birthday girl. It took a bit of persuading to get her up at such an hour on her auspicious day but in the end I bribed her with balloons.’

  ‘I may be officially thirty today but I will always love a balloon,’ Alice chuckles.

  ‘Thank you, Natalie,’ I say, grateful to her for executing the plan perfectly.

  Natalie wafts my thanks away with a wave. ‘Right, I’m going to leave you lovebirds to it. Might get back into bed to be honest. Have fun!’

  I turn back to Alice, looking bemused as she stands there in a green T-shirt tucked into slim white trousers on this chilly September morning. She runs her hands up her arms and shivers so I circle my arms around her for warmth.

  ‘I hope there’s a jumper in there,’ she points towards her suitcase. ‘Natalie was so bossy this morning. She insisted that I spent a full twenty minutes in the bathroom, putting a timer on my phone and everything, and when I was finally allowed back into my bedroom she’d packed all my clothes and was pushing me out the house. I didn’t have a chance to grab any layers!’

  Top marks, Natalie, I think as I pull off my own jumper and ease it over Alice’s shoulders. It swamps her but she snuggles gratefully into the warmth before jumping up and down excitedly. ‘Come on then! I’m guessing that we’re at Sheffield train station at the break of day because our T date is train based?’

  ‘Correct.’

  ‘Where are we off to?’

  I wrap my arm around her shoulders and point to the departures board.

  ‘A birthday trip to London?’

  ‘Come with me,’ I grin.

  I feel a bit bad, letting Alice tick off all the things she’s excited about doing in London, and resist the temptation to tell her everything now, reminding myself that I spent ages planning today out for a reason and that she’ll love it even more if I keep the suspense building for a little bit longer.

  ‘Obviously Columbia Road Flower Market, too,’ she’s saying. ‘I mean, that’s the place to go for flowers in London. I’ve never been before so I’d love to do that if we have time?’

  The train’s pulling into St Pancras now and Alice is looking at me expectantly.

  ‘We might not make it to Columbia Road,’ I say as gently as possible.

  ‘Okay,’ she nods, trying not to look disappointed. ‘I’d only be taking pictures for Instagram anyway.’

  ‘There will be lots of things to take pictures of, I promise.’

  ‘You’re being so mysterious today. I like it!’

  I laugh, wheeling our suitcases off the train as Alice practically skips through the turnstiles.

  ‘How about the champagne bar, to start?’ I suggest.

  ‘Seriously?’ she says, stopping short of stepping onto the escalators down to the main station.

  ‘Well, it is your thirtieth birthday. And it’s five o’clock somewhere,’ I add, pretending to check the time.

  Minutes later we’re sat at a high table with flutes of fizzing champagne in front of us.

  ‘Champagne for breakfast. Zach, you’re spoiling me,’ Alice says, her eyes bright.

  ‘Would you like some facts to go with your champagne?’

  ‘Always, you know I love a fact, especially if it’s wine related.’

  ‘This is the longest champagne bar in Europe.’

  ‘It is long,’ she muses, looking up and down the bar, which runs almost the entire length of the platform. A train to Paris has just pulled in behind us and Alice spins round to watch passengers getting off.

  ‘You can find another fact in there, if you’d like,’ I say, pushing an envelope towards her. She looks at me, full of curiosity, as she picks it up and peels it open.

  There’s a birthday card inside and as she opens it to read it, a pair of tickets drop onto the table.

  ‘What are they?’ She asks.

  ‘Why don’t you take a look?’

  Alice places the card on the table and picks them up.

  ‘WE’RE GOING ON THE EUROSTAR?’

  Her excitement seeps into me and I laugh as she shouts out a stream of enthusiastic phrases.

  ‘SERIOUSLY? YOU’RE TAKING ME TO FRANCE?’

  She still hasn’t stopped shouting by the time we’ve drained our drinks and I lead the way to the Eurostar check-in.

  By the time our train pulls into Paris, Alice has her face pressed up against the train window in delight. She looks slightly less enthusiastic when I tell her we’re getting on another train as we arrive at the Gare du Nord.

  ‘Um, okay,’ she says, pretending to use the balloon attached to her wrist as a pillow as we stand on the concourse. ‘Train to London, yes. Train to Paris, yes. But another train? Have you taken this train date to
o literally, Zach? I’d love to get out and see some of Paris before we head back to England.’

  ‘I’m afraid Paris is off the cards today. However …’ I pause, laughing to myself as I watch Alice perking up. ‘We will see some of France soon, I promise.’

  She rearranges the Happy Birthday tiara she’s been wearing ever since St Pancras and follows me as we head underground. Cramming a birthday girl, four helium balloons and a well-packed suitcase onto the bustling metro isn’t the easiest and we’re both roaring with laughter as we make it into the carriage just in time. In fact, making any connection with Alice isn’t simple. At Gare de Lyons she gets so distracted by a large display of profiteroles in a bakery window that once again we find ourselves scrambling onto our train with seconds to lose.

  Countless rounds of Uno later and our destination is finally revealed.

  ‘Prochaine arrête, Avignon centre.’

  ‘This is us,’ I say.

  ‘We’re getting off at Avignon?’ Alice asks.

  ‘Have you been before?’

  She shakes her head. ‘And are we staying the night?’

  I laugh. ‘I wasn’t actually going to ask you to spend your entire birthday on a train. We’re here for a couple of nights.’

  ‘But what about work?’

  ‘Natalie’s got it all sorted with Eve,’ I explain. ‘Apparently Eve was more than happy to take charge for the weekend and she said it was about time you took some time off, too.’

  ‘So you’ve been in cahoots with Natalie and Eve?’

  ‘Just wanted to plan something special for you.’

  Alice sits back in her seat, a smile curling at her lips. ‘You incorrigible romantic,’ she says. ‘A surprise birthday trip to France?’

  ‘Are you happy?’

  ‘Very. I can’t believe you’ve planned all of this, Zach. I’m so impressed. I had no idea and Natalie is usually rubbish at keeping secrets, too,’ she laughs.

  Alice has been racing around our hotel room since we checked in, sampling all the little products in the bathroom, rifling through the minibar and throwing herself onto the bed to “check the bounce”. It’s like going on holiday with a puppy on crack.

  I lean against the bathroom door, watching her unzip her suitcase to find out what Natalie packed for her. On the top of her clothes is a tissue paper parcel wrapped in ribbon with a little envelope attached and she flashes me a look as she goes to open it.

  ‘That has nothing to do with me,’ I say.

  ‘The card says, “YOU’RE WELCOME”,’ Alice tells me, looking suspicious. Then she opens the parcel and pulls out something black, lacy and extremely sexy-looking.

  ‘Oh my.’

  ‘Are you sure this has nothing to do with you?’ She raises her eyebrows and holds it against herself.

  ‘Promise. It looks like a … sexy swimming costume?’

  ‘It’s a body,’ Alice grins, folding it gently into a drawer. ‘Natalie must have packed it. She’s been taking an OTT interest in my underwear recently.’

  I clear my throat, unsure what to say.

  ‘Oh look, a room service menu!’ Alice says, sitting at a little desk and turning it over in her hands.

  ‘Given that I’ve made you spend your entire thirtieth birthday on a train, maybe room service and some more champagne could be the perfect end to the day.’

  ‘You read my mind. Burgers and fries? But maybe …’ She pauses, looking me straight in the eye. ‘A shower together first?’

  I follow her into the bathroom like a shot.

  ‘Now this is how you should spend you birthday,’ she says later, as we stand by the window in the hotel’s towelling robes, our arms wrapped around each other as we look out over the city.

  The next morning, after an indulgent breakfast in bed which feels like a scene from the romantic comedies I’m definitely not into, we finally leave the hotel and make our way to the Palais des Papes.

  ‘It dates back to the fourteenth century and was once the residency of the popes, apparently,’ I say, pulling out facts from my guide book. ‘It’s a huge Gothic building.’

  ‘I think this might be it,’ Alice says, turning a narrow corner which opens out into a vast square, the enormous palace looming large in the background.

  ‘I think you might be right.’

  Before we head inside, Alice insists on trawling the stalls selling trinkets out front. She buys three lavender soaps, a stack of beaded bracelets and now she’s inexplicably picking up a tiny Virgin Mary.

  ‘I’m getting this too,’ she announces. I must look confused because she adds: ‘I thought your Nonna might like it?’ Alice catches my eye and I am completely touched by her thoughtfulness.

  The heat picks up by mid-morning, the cobbled streets of the city shining under the warm September sun, so we stop to grab a coffee and waffles, watching the world roll by. Alice’s sunglasses are neon pink and she’s wearing a sleeveless blue gingham dress. I feel like the luckiest man in France right now.

  I check the time and tip some Euros on top of our bill. ‘Ready for your next train?’

  ‘I thought we were staying here another night?’ She asks, crestfallen.

  ‘We are. I’m talking about this …’ I turn to point at the little silver train arriving bang on time in the sun-dappled square.

  Alice’s mouth makes an o shape.

  ‘Har har. Very funny.’

  ‘I’m not joking!’

  ‘You want me to get on that tiny train? Isn’t that for children?’

  I laugh. ‘It’s called a Petit Train. As you can see it runs on wheels rather than tracks and it’s a great way to see the city, apparently. You’re the first to admit that you love a theme so I thought we’d keep the train one going for a bit longer.’

  ‘I do love a theme,’ she says cautiously. ‘But I don’t love public humiliation. Look at that little tinker toy … We’re going to end up looking like a right pair of geeks!’

  ‘I see,’ I say with a smile, folding my arms.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Sounds very much to me like the introvert and the extrovert have suddenly exchanged roles.’

  She purses her lips. ‘Not wanting to go on that dork-mobile doesn’t make me an introvert.’

  ‘You’re embarrassed!’

  ‘I am not.’

  ‘You’re worried about how you’ll look.’

  She gives me a side eye. ‘Okay fine, I am a bit. What’s your point?’

  ‘Just suggesting that we’re all different, that’s all. I might not like singing and dancing in public but I am happy to hop on this tiny train …’

  She sighs, taking the last bite of her chantilly-topped waffle. ‘I hate it when you’re right.’

  ‘Well, well, well,’ I pretend to gloat. ‘Can I have that quote printed on my next business cards?’

  ‘Those business cards are the reason we’re in this predicament in the first place,’ she pulls her purse out of her bag and opens it up, handing me the card I gave her when we first met. Touched that she’s kept it, I flip it over to read the note I scrawled on the back.

  A-Z. Call me.

  ‘I can’t believe you still have this,’ I say, remembering feeling so nervous writing it, back then. This clever, confident woman had just stormed straight into my life and I didn’t ever want her to leave it. It’s unreal to think that we’re here, now, twenty dates in and she’s showing this secret, romantic side to herself that I never knew existed.

  ‘I can be sentimental occasionally,’ she says with a coy smile, taking the note back and sliding it into her purse. She carries it around with her. I’m so touched that I reach out for her hand, pulling her towards me for a kiss.

  Alice’s initial mortification wears off so fast that she’s soon waving at passers-by from her spot on the Petit Train. Turns out she’s remembered how to say ‘it’s my birthday’ in French and even though her birthday was yesterday, she’s been trotting out the phrase to anyone who’ll listen. A sweet lit
tle French kid on the row behind us wishes her happy birthday and Alice is thrilled.

  I love that she’s loving it.

  We weave through the tightly packed streets at quite a pace, which makes me think that our train driver may be breaking the tiny speed limit. The tannoy points out landmarks in English and French and Alice grabs my hand every time she sees something of interest, which seems to be mostly patisserie based.

  ‘Zach, this place is divine,’ Alice says later as we walk through the cobbled courtyard of our hotel. Jazz hums in the background and the smell of lavender drifts up from endless planters. ‘It must have cost you a fortune.’

  The truth is it wasn’t cheap, but work’s been going really well for me lately. A couple of big sales and another new commission mean I’m feeling more financially stable than I have in a long time, and it feels good to be able to do stuff like this with someone I love.

  ‘Come on,’ I say, grabbing her hand and leading her back up to our room. ‘I made dinner reservations so we should get ready.’

  ‘Let’s hope Natalie chose something suitable,’ she winces rummaging through her suitcase. She emerges from the bathroom half an hour later looking so beautiful my breath catches in my throat. She’s changed into a long, navy dress with thin straps which delicately drapes from her frame. Star-shaped gold earrings hang from her ears and she’s pulled her hair up into a loose bun, a few curls still cascading down past her shoulders.

  ‘Wow.’

  ‘Wow yourself,’ she grins, looking me up and down. ‘You’ve put a shirt on!’

  I wasn’t sure when I put the navy suit I’d packed on while Alice was in the shower. The white shirt felt quite formal though I’ve undone a button and I’m wearing it with trainers. She walks straight up to me and slips one hand inside my shirt, undoing one more button.

  ‘You said a while back that you thought I might look good in a suit and as this is a special occasion …’

  Alice looks me up and down appraisingly.

  ‘I can confirm that Past Me was right, you look very sexy.’

  As we walk back out of the hotel and into the night, I catch a glimpse of us in the large mirror in the foyer.