Dream a Little Dream Read Free Page B

rip my ears off every time the donkey-on-helium sound ricocheted out of her mouth.
    Shaking my head to clear those memories, I scroll over the little Facebook invite in front of me. I’m sure it doesn’t mean that Dan has no consideration for my feelings, even though we dated for seven years, planned to buy a little pug puppy together (a girl – we were going to call her Monroe – Monnie for short) and had talked extensively about our future. Surely not. It’s just that sometimes I’m sure he’s forgotten we even have any sort of extra history outside of our friendship group. Especially when he’s there rubbing his hand up and down Perfect Lexie’s back and giving her bottom a quick grab when he thinks no one
is watching. But I’m watching, of course. And the sight always makes me want to vomit – even though it’s been nearly two years (actually, twenty-one months and twenty-five days, but who’s counting?) since he dumped me to be with her and her perfect butt.
    My phone vibrating along my desk thankfully cuts into my thoughts. I sigh and let the anxiety drain away from me as I look down at my phone and see it’s my (our) friend Natalia calling.
    Everything’s absolutely fine, fine, fine. Breezy, breezy, breezy.
    ‘Hey lover,’ she shouts as soon as I pick up – she’s clearly power walking somewhere as I can hear wind swooshing past and a babble of people around her.
    ‘All right?’ I croon back. ‘Where are you?’
    ‘On my way to Harrods to pick up some pieces I’ve ordered for a client. It’s chaos out here – I think everyone’s already out doing their Christmas shopping!’
    ‘It’s only November,’ I moan.
    ‘Not everyone waits until the weekend before and panic buys online.’
    ‘Guilty as charged,’ I laugh – although there’s no way I’d rather be out in the crowds elbowing people over festive treats when I can do the whole thing from the comfort of my bed in my pyjamas.
    ‘Anyway, you on the book of face?’ she asks.
    ‘Where else?’
    ‘Seen the invite?’
    ‘What invite?’
    ‘From Dan? It says you’ve already accepted. Very prompt of you.’
    Bugger – I must’ve pressed ‘Going’ by accident. Although, clearly, this ‘event’ wasn’t something I’d be able to dodge too easily.
    ‘Oh that!’ I tut as though it’s already escaped my mind and isn’t burning a weeping hole into my achy breaky heart (thanks Billy Ray Cyrus). ‘I didn’t realize they’d moved already.’
    Another lie. Of course I knew that they’d bought – yes bought, not rented (that showed proper commitment – bet they even have a joint bank account to match), a house together just off Columbia Road – my dream location and, rather annoyingly, within walking distance (it’s the other side of the park) from the little rented flat I share with Carly, the third girl from our original university friendship group. The flat is the same one Dan and I shared together. The one he deserted me in. I should’ve moved, I know that – but it’s so close to the park and affordable. Plus, Carly was looking for somewhere to live after coming back from yet another travelling gap year (this time in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos), so it seemed a shame to have all the upheaval of finding somewhere new and then moving when the flat I was already in was actually all right and probably better than anything else we’d be able to find in the area. Sod all the ghostly memories surrounding the place and my weeping whenever I looked at Dan’s empty wardrobe space. Well, that void has been filled and it’s a girlie pad now. There’s even a Ryan Gosling poster hanging in the living room to prove it.
    ‘I think their parents went round to help shift boxes over the weekend,’ informs Natalia.
    ‘That’s nice.’
    ‘I’m surprised they’re doing a party so soon, though – I’d have thought they’d want to settle in first.’
    ‘Any excuse for a drink,’ I say dryly.
    ‘Apparently it’s a gorgeous