After Hello (You Had Me at Hello, #1.5)

by Mhairi McFarlane

‘Well I’d rather have things go wrong with you than right with anyone else,’

Well tap a tree bc sap sap sap

Caro’s impending divorce too, bound

Thank god

‘Huh. Doubt either of us fancy going through that rigmarole again.’ A silence settles. Now I’m perturbed.

Oh noooo tension

Owen’s convinced there’s no one on the other end. ‘I’m waiting for the day it rings while he’s talking.’

Thats funny

Ben talks over him to me, as if he hasn’t heard. ‘Ready to head off?’ ‘OK,’ I say, embarrassed at his bad manners.

Ben stop ur being rude and jealous

‘He’s been shitty to Esther today,’ Ben says. ‘I’m not in the mood to humour one of your lot.’

Ooo trouvle in paradise

The shoulder demon says Why should you? The demon has Deansgate sangria to help him along.

Haha

‘Evening all,’ says a posh male voice to my side, and I look up to see the last person in the world I want to see standing at my side right now, if you discount The Grim Reaper.

Rhyssss…… or simon?

‘Hi, Simon,’

SImon

‘So was I.’ ‘What?’ ‘This Owen has a particular interest in you too.’

JEalousy jealousy healoys

It was because I hadn’t wanted to put the thought in his head.

Mmmm

‘We had some good times.’ ‘We did.’ He beams.

Omg aww

at a table in the corner sit Ben and Esther. They’re deep in conversation, alone, and look oblivious to everyone else.

Wait no thaas not funny

They’ve clearly been in here a little while as Ben’s most of the way through a pint, shirt sleeves rolled up, hair wetted with sweat at the tips. She’s propped her chin on palm, the other flicking her hair.

Thy better be plannin his surprise proposal or smth

Ben is utterly speechless, eyes wide, a stunned reaction which further confirms to me that this is not innocent.

Whats going on !!

before Ben can give chase – not that there was any sign he was going to –

:(((((

Caroline frowns. ‘Odd, but. A drink after work doesn’t seem that bad?’ ‘He was supposed to be playing pool with his friend Jim,’ I say. ‘Oh.’ ‘And he’d turned his phone off, which he never does.’

Thet litefally bettsr be planning a proposal

I think they may be in the early stages of a too intense friendship that tips into him wanting to sleep with Esther. And then an inner voice whispers: And you’d know how that works, right?

:(

‘Is this how we’re going to do this, Rachel?’ Ben says, and I don’t think the house has ever felt this quiet.

Oh no

‘Mindy,’ I say, in a bit of a gasp, ‘you look incredible.’ I grab one of her hands. ‘We’re so proud of you. Your happiness is our happiness too. We’re stealing it.’

Awwww

Her dad is much more antsy, and keeps absently patting her hand in the crook of his arm. ‘You’re meant to say if I don’t want to go through with it, it’s OK,’ Mindy says. He looks startled. ‘Don’t you?!’ ‘Of course I want to. But you’re meant to ask. It’s tradition.’ ‘Do you want to go through with it?’ her dad asks. ‘Now you’ve asked, I’m not sure,’ Mindy says. Her dad looks worried. Caroline and I are laughing as the doors open and we have to concentrate hard on keeping faces straight during our lock step down the aisle.

Aww this is so cutr

Ben smiles. ‘Talk about high maintenance. OK. Third time lucky. Want to know something ridiculous?’ I nod. Ben leans in. ‘I meant it the first time.’

Oh my goodness, awww