Our Stop(80)

Nadia looked at her friend.

‘Go!’ Gaby said, smiling.





52


Nadia


Nadia walked out of the office, and immediately her eye was drawn to a man in a security uniform, wearing a yellow rose in his lapel. He looked to her immediately. She recognized him as the man who had come up to her lab earlier that day with the flowers – the one who had stared at her and said the thing about understanding what all the fuss was about.

‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Nadia.’

Nadia nodded. ‘Hi, again.’

‘I’m Romeo. I didn’t introduce myself before, but I work with Daniel, and I hope you don’t think this is strange, but I wanted to tell you, before you met him – he’s a good guy. He was telling the truth about why he had to leave that night, when you had your first date. His mother needed him. But then, he’s just that kind of guy …’

Nadia nodded again. She looked in the direction of the road, wondering who else she’d speak to and where he was hiding.

‘I’m supposed to tell you that he’s regretted it since it happened. He regretted standing you up. He’s thought of you every day since then, and I can vouch for that because we’ve talked about it.’ Nadia smiled. ‘He said to take note of all the details you can, because you’ll never have another first date again. He’s going to do this one right.’

Nadia raised her eyebrows. ‘That’s confident of him,’ she said.

Romeo laughed. ‘He’s confident about you, I think,’ he said. And then: ‘Okay. Go in that direction, across the road. Find the next person. Enjoy!’

Nadia smiled at him, and kept walking.





53


Nadia


‘Nadia!’ she heard, a voice she recognized. Across the street was Emma, wearing a yellow rose around her neck. ‘Come here!’

Nadia shook her head, as if to say, ‘What the hell?’ Emma laughed. Nadia knew she must look confused, and that Emma laughed hardest when she looked like a fish out of water.

‘He’s wonderful!’ she said, as Nadia reached her.

‘You met him?’ Nadia said.

Emma nodded. ‘He’s so wonderful, and I just wanted to tell you – don’t worry. Just enjoy it. Enjoy him, okay? He’s … I really like him.’

Nadia didn’t know what to say. Her heart swelled and beat faster, her breathing speeding up to match.

‘I have something I am supposed to tell you, though. Hold on.’ Emma unfolded a piece of paper, where she’d scribbled something down.

‘Ready?’ she asked. Nadia nodded.

‘Coffee Spill Girl. Time to put our money where our mouth is and finally have this date. We’re only about four months behind, but I have no doubt you’re worth the wait. I can’t believe I didn’t say hello to you the first time I saw you. I promise not to make a habit of being so stupid. See you in a minute, Train Guy.’

Nadia rolled her eyes. ‘I was an idiot too,’ she told Emma.

‘Nah,’ Emma said. And then: ‘Okay. Head down that alleyway there. Go. Fall in love.’





54


Nadia


Nadia walked down the back alley as instructed, seeing, in the distance, a handsome man with a yellow rose in his hand.

‘Hello?’ she said, uncertain.

‘Nadia,’ the man replied. ‘Are you Nadia?’

‘Yes,’ she said, reaching him.

‘Lorenzo,’ he said. ‘I’m Daniel’s … I know Daniel.’

Nadia waited for him to continue.

‘He’s been nuts about you ever since he heard you talking to your boss one lunchtime,’ Lorenzo said. ‘And I thought he was over-egging it a bit. Thought he was crazy to get so excited about a woman he hadn’t actually talked to himself.’

Nadia smiled.

‘But, that’s who he is. He gets a read on people. Knows people. He’s waiting around the corner for you, at The Old Barn Cat. Where you should have met last time. He wanted me to tell you how excited he is, and to ask if you saw the paper today? He wrote another advert, but – well, I don’t suppose it matters now.’

‘I don’t suppose it does.’

‘He was always going to find you again.’

Nadia smiled. ‘I think we were always going to find each other,’ she said, before thanking him and turning the corner to the bar.





55





Daniel


Daniel had gone straight into the bar this time, no dilly-dallying outside. He’d ordered a bottle of cava, some tap water, and a charcuterie board. The place was dark and peppered with candles, and the cold outside but warm air inside had forced condensation up the windows, making it feel cosy and like winter had almost arrived. His jacket was hung under the bar, on one of the hooks, and his phone was face-down in front of him. He waited.





56


Nadia


‘It’s you,’ she smiled.

‘It’s you,’ he smiled.

Nadia stood before Daniel, her flowers cradled in the nook of her arm. Her cheeks were flushed and she felt jittery and coy, like a schoolgirl. Her heart thumped.