You Had Me at Halo(43)

You can say it, you know, Vince said as he shrugged his jacket back on and lifted an arm in the direction of the rest of the group to say goodbye.

Say what?

Say that Gemma will never agree to go a date with Andrew.

Vince, I wasn’t...I mean... Holly chewed her lip. Hell.

It’s okay, Holly. Andrew already knows what the answer is.

So why’s he going to ask her out then? Holly wanted to know, before remembering that she hadn’t planned to admit that Gemma would in fact say no. With capital letters.

Because at least then he’ll know he’d tried to do something about it.

Holly shook her head as they made their way out of the bar and back onto the street. There was no way she was ever going to understand men, and considering she was now getting first hand experience, that was really saying something.

xxx

“Sorry I took so long.” Holly looked up to see Gemma standing next to the bush that she and Vince were currently hiding behind. They had been there for the last twenty minutes and whatever weirdness had sprung up between them at the bar had disappeared again. “Has Rochelle come home yet?” her friend asked.

“She’s been in there for ten minutes and so far there hasn’t been any movement.” Holly shook her head as she glanced up to the art deco style apartment block where Rochelle lived.

“That’s a relief.” Gemma joined them in a squatting position so she wouldn’t be seen. “I was terrified that we’d miss this window of opportunity all because I’d used Arial instead of Courier New and that my boss was too techno-phobic to change it. Have you been drinking?”

“Sort of,” Holly admitted. “Just a quick one.”

Gemma swiped at a bit of dirt near her shoe before frowning. “I’m not sure that was such a good idea, especially since you know what a light-weight you are when you drink on an empty stomach.”

“Yes, but I wasn’t drinking on my stomach,” Holly reminded her. “I was drinking on Vince’s stomach, so I feel perfectly okay.”

“It’s true,” Vince agreed. “She only told me that she loved me three times...though I think I’m now her best friend in the whole entire universe,” he confided with a wink.

Holly raised an eyebrow. How exactly did Vince know so much about drunken women, anyway? Did he go out to clubs and meet them? She tried to think if she’d ever seen him out, but she was quite sure she hadn’t. Perhaps he went to the sleazy pick-up joints were the women were really free and easy? Well, she hoped he behaved himself because he was too nice a guy to throw himself away on a drunken woman with no morals. Not that it was any of her business of course, she was just saying.

“You are drunk,” Gemma accused and Holly forced herself to stop drifting off.

“Honestly, I’m fine. Vince is only teasing you. Apparently he has a sense of humor underneath his dark and brooding act.”

“Thanks. I think,” Vince retorted.

“Yes, but while it’s all well and fine to laugh about it,” Gemma said stubbornly. “It’s not really funny. Did you realize that alcohol is a depressant and that suicide is the third biggest killer in the fifteen-to-twenty-four age group, so obviously the two are closely linked.”

“What?” Holly and Vince spoke as one.

“It’s true,” Gemma persisted. “Sometimes people don’t show the signs on the outside, but it doesn’t mean they’re not there, and—”

“Gemma,” Holly interrupted. “Have you been reading those suicide help line pamphlets that have been scattered around the office?”

“It’s just a little bit of proactive information, it’s not like it’s aimed directly at you.” Gemma gave a defensive wave of her arm.

“That’s because I’m dead and as a rule they don’t try to target deceased employees. Anyway, I didn’t kill myself, remember?”

“Oh.” Her friend started to chew her lip. “Sorry, but don’t you think it’s creepy how many people feel like killing themselves and no one even knows?”

“Yes, well perhaps if they knew how awful heaven was, they wouldn’t be in such a hurry?” Holly retorted and Gemma blushed.

“You’re right. Just ignore me. Anyway, we got sidetracked. I’m still not clear on why you were drinking in the first place.”

“It’s a bit of a long story.”

Gemma glanced towards Rochelle’s closed door. “I think we have time.”

“Fine,” Holly said as she launched into the how they had tried to avoid Andrew and Co but had ended up being found out.

“But Fluffy’s so sweet and kind.” Gemma widened her eyes once Holly had finished her story. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know, that’s what I thought, but apparently Fluffy doesn’t like Vince.”

Gemma looked shocked. “You don’t like Fluffy?”

“Hey. I never said I didn’t like Fluffy,” Vince protested. “I said that Fluffy didn’t like me.”

“But why? You know even though my roommate, Irene is crazy, she’s often said that if a dog doesn’t like someone it’s because there’s something wrong with the person. Like they’re evil or something.”