“Shelagh’s had a thing for you for years, Jamie, hell, half our class feels the same way, but she’s always had it big and bad,” I told him, “I know what she was trying to do out there, and I saw her kiss you, and you just looked like she was invisible; she’s probably crying in the ladies restroom right now!
Jamie kind of shrugged; I could see he was very uncomfortable with what had happened, and I felt sorry for him, he hadn’t led her on or anything, she’d practically ambushed him.
“I also saw the look you gave Nia when Shelagh kissed you, and the expression on Nia’s face. How long have you two been a couple, then?”
His eyes opened wide as he realised that cat was out of the bag.
“Look Julie, it’s not like that at all…” he began, trailing off as I shook my head. I decided to ask him a direct question; I knew he’d answer me, he’s always truthful, that’s always been a major part of his innate attractiveness.
“Jamie,” I began,” She’s had you buzzing around her all her life, holding her hand and being sweet, and I have to admit, you are kind of OK looking, and nearly everyone in our entire year at school has been drooling over you for years, so the only question I have is; why did it take her so long?”
Now Jamie looked puzzled.
“So you have no problem with Nia and I, you know…? Really? Why?”
I decided to share, let him know they were not as alone as they maybe thought.
“Because I know what’s happening with you two. My older brother was my first, he said he loved me, I know I loved him, he said we would go far away, where no-one would know us, we could be a couple, have a family, the whole thing. My mum found out, talked him out of it, asked him to leave me and go, and so he fucked off, and he’s never been back in contact with me, so yeah, I know what it’s like for Nia, and no, I won’t say anything; it’s your business; you can’t help who you fall in love with.”
Telling him this made me well-up, and Jamie, concern in his eyes, and ever the gentleman, gave me his handkerchief so I could mop my eyes.
I started again. “Jamie, Nia’s been my friend since we were 11 years old, and all she’s ever talked about is you. She’s been in love with you since she was a little girl, even if she never came right out and said it; we all got it long ago, how long did it take you to get it?”
Jamie looked like a man with a major discovery on his hands, that soft-focus look he always got whenever he spoke of or to Nia.
“I only found out yesterday, no, correction, admitted it to myself for the first time yesterday; Nia was always the most important thing in my life, and I always adored her, even when she was being a real pain; I promised mum I’d be a proper big brother, that I’d look out for her, and I kept my promise; it wasn’t that hard, to be honest. When I saw her again yesterday, for the first time in three years, she showed me how she felt about me, something clicked into place, and I knew I felt the same way. I’m not leaving her behind again; wherever I go from now on, I’m taking her with me.”
That was what I wanted to hear. The two of them had been inseparable inside their heads since early days, emotionally locked together all their lives, it was about bloody time they admitted and accepted it.
I reached over and took his hand.
“Good boy! Perhaps you should tell her that!” I paused. “I just got why she asked Shelagh and me along tonight, you’re smart, you should be able to figure it out too. Oh, and one more thing; Shelagh’s a nice girl, but she can be a vindictive cow, and you just blew her off, so don’t let her know about you and Nia.”
Just then, Shel and Nia came back, so I let him go for now, concentrating on my friend, who was making a good effort to act like nothing had happened. We all chatted like friends, but there was definitely a hollow feel about it, Shelagh was clearly needing to get away, but I needed to reinforce something with him, so I asked Jamie for a dance, noting the way he silently asked Nia for permission; good, he knew who was boss right now!
Once I got him onto the dance floor, I pulled his head down to whisper in his ear “Remember one thing, Jamie; Nia’s one of my closest and oldest friends, if you hurt her, I WILL find a way to make you pay, make no mistake about it!”
He seemed a little taken aback, not to say bemused at being threatened by a small girl like me, but he took my point.
“Julie, I promise you,” he said, ” Nia’s all I want, I know she’s the one, so you can rest easy, whatever we do from here on, we’re doing it together. Is that good enough for you?”
I knew Jamie was absolutely incapable of lying, and he plainly adored and worshipped Nia, so I thought I’d lighten the mood.
“OK, Jamie good enough for me; now for fuck’s sake try and dance like you know what you’re doing!”
He grinned that sweet boyish grin that had always made him so attractive, and made an effort to not look like he was trying to back a truck into a narrow space as he tried his best to dance with me.
When we got back to our table, Shelagh made an excuse to leave, so I went with her; she was hurting right now, and I wanted her to come home with me so she could cry, the way she’d done for me when I needed it.
Jamie hailed us a cab, and caught my eye as I got in, nodded slightly and grinned again that happy grin of his as he took Nia’s hand; I knew there and then that there was no chance there of Nia going through what I did, Jamie was obviously and permanently in love with her, so my mind was at rest on that score.
Shelagh was in tears by the time we got back to my place, heartbroken over Jamie; I felt for her; she’d carried that torch since she was 11 years old, now, nearly 8 years later, she’d tried to light one in him, and she’d failed. I let her cry for a while, then she began hating him, which was healthier than sobbing, I supposed, telling me all the reasons why it would never have worked between them, how much she hated him, and dreaming up complicated revenge schemes. Her final word on the subject was a relief to hear.
“Jules, if I ever mention Jamie Morrison again, slap me, hard, OK? Promise?”