‘Does it include beer?’ That’s all Charlie cared about.
‘I don’t know, let’s check… yep it’s by the bottle though…’ Penelope reported back.
‘That’s cool.’ Charlie settled into the leather couch, and patted the seat beside him for Zara to sit down. Zara reluctantly joined him, he was so confident and gorgeous… he made her nervous.
‘First round is on me.’ Penelope trotted off to the bar.
This was a lot for Zara to take in… apart from the Happy Hour bit this place was nothing like home, everyone seemed so gorgeous and confident! And they all seemed to be in their twenties. Every single one of them?! ‘This is actually really fun, this place is cool,’ she thought to herself. ‘These two must come here the whole time, the bar staff seem to know them really well. This place is amazing, and there’s a real student, but not student crowd… it’s like… yeah… .the first jobbers, that’s what it is… I couldn’t put my finger on it for a sec there. Still acting like students, but with jobs… excellent! I’m going to fit in here. Penelope is gorgeous! I’m dying to know if the two of them are together! I don’t know what to talk to her about! With Charlie it’s easy… he just likes talking about himself all the time… and “the music”. It’s pretty interesting actually, the music that is. At first I thought he was just some rich kid, but he does seem to know what he is talking about. I hope I get to meet the rest of the band. I don’t seem to have anything in common with her though. I asked her what her job was and she may have been speaking Chinese for all I understood. Something to do with banking I think. She keeps talking about “the City”, I don’t know whether that just means London, or somewhere else… she talks about it like it’s a different planet. I hope she didn’t realise that I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about! Having said that, I don’t have a clue what I’m going to be doing on Monday. A job in marketing, in an organic food company. At least it’s very central. I hope I get to make some new friends down here, it’s pretty weird being here and not knowing anyone. Hopefully Simon will want to move in, and at least that’s one mate, but he’s not too sure whether they are going to offer him the job or not. I really, really like this area here… well what I’ve seen of it so far. Everyone seems to be twenty-something… even when I popped down to the supermarket there seemed to be no kids running around or haggard housewives like back home… it’s pretty cool. Plenty of good looking guys too, much better looking than the guys from Uni, and they dress so well. I suppose I am in London now, a fashion capital… I will really have to brush up my image if I want to fit in here.’ Zara sucked on the dregs of her first Strawberry Daiquiri , and swapped the empty martini glass for the full one sitting in front of her, as she thought about her new life in London. For the first time since she had arrived, she felt as if… everything was going to be ok…
***
The next morning, Zara woke up with a thumping headache.
‘Oh no… I feel weak, Happy Hour always kills me, two cocktails for the price of one, the thought of them makes me feel sick now. I really should have taken it easy, I don’t really know my new housemates too well yet, maybe that’s why I drank so much. I feel like I’m going to die. I hope nobody else is up, I’ll wander down to get some water.’ Zara summoned all of her strength, and threw her feet onto the floor, the rest of her body remained firmly under the duvet. ‘One step at a time… c’mon Zara, you can do it,’ she thought to herself. She pulled herself upright, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y… and made her way downstairs.
‘Oh, hello!’ Zara was surprised to see an unfamiliar face in the kitchen… was this the way it was going to be in this house, strangers popping up all the time!?
‘Hi, I’m Mandy… I was just looking for a glass of water, where are the glasses?’ The girl kept opening and banging all of the cupboard doors in search of the glasses.
‘Oh, right, glasses, em, they are over here. Did I meet you last night? Sorry I was really drunk and my memory is a bit hazy.’ Zara stammered, she was so embarrassed, they had been speaking to quite a few people last night, friends of Charlie and Penelope’s, was this one of them?
‘Were you at the party with Charlie?’ Mandy enquired, one eyebrow arched.
‘Oh that’s right, he went off to some party, it’s slowly coming back to me now, so this must be his girlfriend…’ Gradually Zara started to piece things together.
‘No, I think I came home straight after the pub, I’m Zara I have just moved in with Charlie and Penelope.’ Zara struggled with the conversation, her headache was getting worse.
‘Who is Penelope, oh no! Is she Charlie’s girlfriend, does he have a girlfriend?’ Mandy shrieked at Zara! Her questions were like machine gun fire, too many crowding Zara’s head, ‘Can’t concentrate, stop talking, stop talking… she’s obviously not his girlfriend then, but looks like she wants to be…’ Zara thought to herself. ‘No, she is just a close friend of his. Did you just meet Charlie last night?’ Zara had never really seen anything like this before, in real life that is.. Zara had gone to her local University, so she had never had housemates before, and this would certainly never happen in her mum’s kitchen at home.
‘Yep, ok, I’m going to head back upstairs, thanks for the water and nice to meet you…’ Mandy was gone.
‘Ditto…’
‘Hilarious! So that’s Charlie’s thing. I wonder if he is a bit of a ladies’ man… only time will tell. Oh god… my poor little head.’ Zara hauled herself onto one of the kitchen chairs, and sat at the table with her head in her hands.
‘Morning Zara, oh dear you look a bit pale.’ Penelope arrived into the kitchen, she was already dressed.
‘I’m dying, I drank way too much last night.’ Zara raised her head, she felt like death.
‘I’m feeling pretty much the same. You’ll be ok once you eat something, I was like you about an hour ago, but I made myself eat some toast and I’m feeling much better…’ Penelope felt so sorry for Zara, she obviously couldn’t hold her drink as well as she and Charlie could, that was something that would change after a few months living in London.
‘Food is the last thing I feel like…’ Zara couldn’t even think of eating.
‘I know, but it’ll help,’ Penelope assured her.
‘You are right, I’ll try to eat a piece of toast or something.’ Zara knew that Penelope was right.
‘We have loads to sort out today, we need to talk about getting a fourth housemate.’ Penelope knew that they had no time to waste, after all none of them wanted to have to share the cost of the extra room.
‘Oh yeah, my friend Simon might be moving down, so is it ok if I offer it to him first?’ Zara started to feel slightly better.
‘Absolutely! I have asked around everyone, and there is nobody I know looking for a room, and it’s the same with Charlie. If you actually know someone who wants to move in that would be great… otherwise we’ll have to advertise for someone.’ Penelope was pleased that Zara might know someone looking for a room, it would make life so much easier.
‘Oh, I thought that the landlady might get someone else?’ Zara couldn’t understand why they had to get housemates themselves.
‘Oh no, it’s entirely up to us, it’s better that we choose the person though… because we have to live with them, if you know what I mean,’ Penelope tried to convince Zara.
‘I see what you mean.’ Zara pretended she knew what she was talking about. ‘Oh no! how on earth do we find someone, I really hope Simon can move in,’ Zara shuddered, she felt like every time she was starting to feel comfortable with her new surroundings, she was presented with something else that made her feel like some kind of country bumpkin.
‘So you let us know as soon as your friend lets you know, and if he can’t move in we’ll put an ad in Loot.’ Penelope was very reassuring.
‘Ok, he should find out about his job on Monday, and he will call me then. By the way, what do you think of the living room?’ Zara tried to change the subject.
‘Oh
my god, it’s dreadful… we reckon a coven of witches lived here before us… those weird shapes on the wall… and that purple!’ Penelope laughed as she pointed at the spirals.
‘I think it looks grim!’ Zara had been really freaked out by the living room when she first moved in and had barely set foot in it.
‘We asked if we could paint it and Mrs Evans said that we could.’ Penelope was thinking about colour schemes.
‘Cool!’ Zara was relieved.
‘We were so keen to move in that there wasn’t time to get it done before we did. That can be our first house project. Now, we will need to write to the gas, electricity and phone companies to put all of our names on the bills, we can put the new person on the bills when they move in.’ Penelope had done the house share thing so many times before, it was second nature to her.
‘That’s a good idea.’ Zara could barely believe all that she had been hearing, but she was a bit relieved that someone knew what they were doing. She was actually glad that she had moved in with the others now, she wouldn’t have a clue about all of this stuff on her own.
***
Later that day, Zara returned after her first hungover adventure to the local supermarket… exhausted!
‘It has taken about five hours but I finally feel a bit more human again… I even struggled my way down to the supermarket. I can’t believe I am living in London, I don’t think the big change has really hit me yet. I keep expecting mum to walk in asking me what I want for tea. I have only been here for two days now, I suppose, that once I start work it will hit me. I haven’t even been on the dreaded Tube yet. I wonder what to do tonight? If I was at home I’d be deciding what to wear now, getting ready for a night out with the girls. God… I actually really miss them already, and I have only been gone two days. I might give them a ring in a little while…’ Zara put her groceries away, and sat down at the kitchen table. She picked up her mobile phone and dialled the last number.
‘Hi, it’s me.’ Zara was so glad she didn’t get the voicemail.
‘Zara! So you haven’t forgotten us already then?!’ Sophie shrieked.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, and anyway I have only been gone for two days.’ Zara giggled.
‘Is that all?!… it feels like ages!’ Sophie was so dramatic, she could not believe that one of her friends lived in London now, it was sooooooo glamorous.
‘I have a bit of a hangover, I was out last night…’ Zara sounded sheepish.
‘Oh, where did you go?, somewhere dead glam? And what’s the house like? And did you meet any nice boys? It must be sooooo glamorous,’ Sophie shrieked.
‘I went out for drinks with the people that I live with.’ Zara knew that more questions were coming and she hadn’t really prepared her answers yet in her hungover state!
‘What people!?’ Sophie couldn’t believe this… she had new friends already?
‘Charlie and Penelope,’ Zara admitted sheepishly, already regretting the words that had already fallen out of her mouth.
‘They sound posh, are they posh?!’ Sophie was full of questions!
‘A bit, but they are really nice.’ Zara started to feel a bit uncomfortable, all of this was quite hard to explain to Sophie. So much had happened since she had left home.
‘Well that’s the main thing. I better go, Karen is on her way over, we are getting ready here tonight. Zara it won’t be the same without you, have a fab night tonight whatever you end up doing, bye.’ Sophie was already distracted by the outfit laid out on the bed for tonight.
‘Bye, speak to you soon.’ And with that Zara hung up, as she burst into tears…
‘Oh my god, what is wrong with me? Maybe it’s the hangover, or PMS or maybe, just maybe I don’t want to be here… .. I really miss my friends. It looks like I’m staying in tonight, I don’t think I have ever stayed in on a Saturday night before in my entire life. There is nothing I can do, I don’t know anyone in London yet. This is awful. Oh no!, I think I hear Penelope, better not let her see me like this, I’ll run up and wash my face.’ Zara was startled by the sound of someone coming and she darted up the stairs.
‘Zara, hi it’s only me.’ Penelope flounced into the kitchen, and flicked the kettle on.
‘Hi, I’m upstairs.’ ‘Quick hide the tissues,’ Zara thought to herself.
‘Come down and I’ll show you my new shoes, they are amazing,’ Penelope sang up to Zara, she wasn’t expecting to see Zara looking so upset. ‘Oh, are you ok?’ she changed her tone completely.
‘Fine thanks, I’m just still feeling a bit off from last night’s overindulgence.’ They both knew that this was a lie!
‘Bloody hell, that’s the longest lasting hangover ever.’ Penelope tried to laugh it off.
‘I know, I really do suffer with them.’ Zara’s nose was all blocked up now, and her eyes were all red and puffy.
‘Ah, you mixed your drinks didn’t you?’ Penelope tried to offer a practical solution.
‘If I could remember that I would be doing well.’ Zara was fighting back the tears.
‘Oh dear!’ Penelope arched one eyebrow.
‘Indeed, what are you up to tonight?’ Zara asked Penelope trying to change the subject.
‘Eugh! I’m going on a date.’ Penelope did not look happy when she said this.
‘Oh, anyone nice?’ Zara didn’t understand her tone, she would love to be taken out on a date.
‘Well, yes, nice being the key word there, he’s another guy from the City, very nice, but they are usually very dull, it’s like going to dinner with a waxwork.’ Penelope began to wonder why she had agreed to go at all.
‘Why do you go then?’ Zara asked. ‘There she goes mentioning “the City” again… I wonder if I’m ever going to find out what she is talking about… maybe that’s the name of the company that she works for?’ Zara was still baffled by all of this.
‘That’s a good question, and it’s one that I ask myself repeatedly as I get ready, and on my way home if it was boring, but the thing is you just never know… sometimes the ones who you think are going to be so dull are great fun, and then sometimes you are dead right about them. I have been single now for ages, so I suppose I should make an effort. But sometimes it really just feels like a waste of makeup.’ Penelope sighed. ‘I’m really getting to the point of giving up on the whole thing! But I always think that if I’m going to meet him, I’m definitely going to meet him in London. It’s one of the most exciting cities in the world after all.’ Penelope gave a weak smile.
‘Oh god! Is that what I am going to have to do now that I live in London. I have never been on a date in my entire life. I wouldn’t know how to do it. It was so easy back home, we know all the guys that live nearby, and there is none of this dating thing, there is just so much to learn!’ The colour drained from Zara’s face as she contemplated having to go on dates with dull bankers from “the City”.
‘I know what you mean, Penelope, I hate dating myself, I try to avoid it if possible.’ Zara tried to sound convincing, she constantly felt like such an idiot since she had arrived in London, she felt so clueless.
‘Oh god, call me Pen, my mother is the only one outside of work who calls me Penelope, it makes me feel like I’m in trouble… or in work,’ Penelope laughed.
‘Ok, I’ll try to remember that.’ Zara was relieved, this might make Penelope seem a little less intimidating!
‘It’s the only way to meet men in London though, it’s such a big city, unless you manage to get together with one of your neighbours! That’s how George met her man.’ Penelope was like a font of knowledge for Zara.
‘Seriously?’ Zara was now dying to find out who lived next door to them!
‘Yep, they kept running into each other in the hallway or something ridiculous like that. Speaking of neighbours, have you noticed anyone coming or going next door? I think it might be empty,’ Penelope asked… she was doing a great job of keeping Zara distracted from whatever had been upsetting her.
‘I haven’t a
ctually seen anyone. Maybe an old granny lives there with her cat.’ Zara grinned, she thought that would be hilarious!
‘Oh, no! don’t say that, no parties for us then.’ Penelope did not look happy at this prospect.
‘It’s probably empty.’ Zara didn’t want to upset Penelope, they had been getting on so well.
‘Well we’ll soon find out if the post starts piling up.’ Penelope nodded at her.
‘That’s a good point. Pen.’ Zara was trying to get used to the shorter name, she was struggling a little with it.
‘Right, well, I would love to stay and chat but I must go and pretty myself up… after all he could be the o–’ Penelope stopped herself just in time..
‘Don’t say it!’ Zara shrieked, it was an unwritten rule that if you think he might be “the one”, you never ever said it… to avoid tempting fate!
‘Well you know what I mean…’ Penelope winked at her.
‘Totally!’ Zara was delighted with herself, thank goodness they were on the same page for this at least!
‘I have some painkillers in my room if you need some, for the hangover.’ Penelope felt so sorry for Zara, she looked awful.
‘Thanks, but I have taken some, I should be fine in a while.’ Zara choked back the tears, hoping that Penelope couldn’t detect the wobble in her voice.
Zara settled back onto the sofa, and tried to take her mind off the dating thing… there were so many other lessons to learn before she started that!
‘Thank god she’s gone… the tears were welling up there, I was struggling to hold them back. I feel so depressed. I think I might have a bath, and see what’s on TV. Thank god I have a TV in my room, so I can have a good cry if I need to. I might go and get some junk food, and see if there are any films on tonight. Oh no, my life is so sad, I’m living in the big city, or should that be “the City”, and I am sitting in with the TV on a Saturday night! Saturday night!… That kind of thing is ok on a weekday night, but not Saturday! Oh no, here come the tears again. I’d love to ring mum, but they were so proud of me getting a job in London, she told everyone in the town practically, it would break her heart if she thought I wasn’t happy here. I might go back up as soon as I get paid to collect some more stuff, and go out with the girls. That’s better, something to look forward to.’ The prospect of going home for the weekend helped to stop the torrent of tears for the time being.
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