10

                                    

                                          
27th July 2022 – London (UK)
"Oh. My. God. What have I walked into here?"
Nicola stood still, mouth agape.
Luke rolled his eyes at her reaction.
They were in the living room of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend.  Dark blue curtains framed a big bay window that bought daylight into the room.  A dark green sofa and armchair faced the window and a flatscreen TV.  Further back in the room, there was a modest-sized dining table with two chairs.  All in all, it was a small space that felt lived in and cosy.
Nicola was still stood at the entryway, her eyes fixated on what had been artfully arranged across the well-worn sofa.  There was what seemed to be at least six different soft toys of varying shapes and sizes; there was a large Dalmatian dog, a brown-coated teddy bear and a few Squishmallows.  They were positioned around what seemed to be the centerpiece which was a large bouquet of red roses already placed into a deep blue vase and a few separately framed photos of Jade dressed in various costuming from theatre productions she had been involved in.  One of the photos was from the opening night of 101 Dalmatians which Nicola had attended only a few weeks prior.  Accompanying the flowers and photos was an impressively sized box of Lindt chocolates and a gift bag that had a Champneys Spa logo on the front.  
"Alright, get it out of your system." He said with some amusement in his voice.  
"It's giving shrine." Nicola stated.
Luke laughed good-naturedly.  He moved towards the table where there was an already-lit Jo Malone candle, an orange ceramic teapot, two small teacups and a lot of paperwork strewn about.  
 "I was hoping it was giving your boyfriend loves you very much, well done on all your hard work, I'm really proud of you – oh and sorry I'm going to be working so much for the next couple of months." He started to pour what looked like green tea into each of the cups.
"Well, I guess a harem of plushies is easier than fitting all that on a card." Nicola quipped, following him towards the table.
He laughed again. "Alright, I get taking the piss but do you have to cheapen it by calling it a shrine and a harem?"
"Deal, as long as I can keep taking the piss because this is just... I mean, I'm going to need some time to absorb you in your natural element."  Nicola gestured around the room.
"My natural element? Do I want to hear this?" 
"The little pot of tea, the candles, the definitely-not-standing-in-attendance-for-a-ritual-sacrifice-cuddly-toys – it's all very cute. Jade is a lucky woman." She did mean the words she was speaking.  It was all very sweet.  It was just even easier to mock.  He could tell she was trying to keep her face straight. 
"I'm never inviting you here again." He stated matter-of-factly, taking a sip of his tea. "I pity the man who buys you flowers."
It was a lighthearted remark but something about it stung.  
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Ezra remained hot and cold in his messages with her.  There were days where he would text and call prolifically, bestowing every ounce of attention on her.  Then came the days she had dubbed the drought. She was aware she felt neglected, and her feelings were getting hurt.  She responded to these emotions with frustration at herself for placing too much expectation on the situation and on him.  Why can't I just be cool? She thought.
She forced a small laugh in response to Luke's remark as she shook off her jacket and sat down opposite him.  They were sat around a table so small their knees were practically touching.