Ten Things My Cat Hates About You by Lottie Lucas

Author:Lottie Lucas [Lucas, Lottie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2019-07-31T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

One look at Adam’s face after we left told me that he needed a drink. A proper drink, preferably in multiple hues and with a swizzle stick in it. If I were to choose a motto, it might well be, When life knocks you for six, have a cocktail.

Or even six cocktails.

Actually, scratch that. I’ve been there before. Six cocktails is not a good idea, believe me.

I’ve brought us to my favourite bar. It has pink suede seating, a drinks menu which stretches to over seven pages and a wraparound terrace from which you can see pretty much the whole of Cambridge. On the horizon, the sky is melting into a rainbow of sorbet-coloured stripes, and a crescent moon peeps out from behind a crenellated spire. On a night like this, the city looks more otherworldly than ever, like a lost kingdom suspended in the half-light of an enchantment.

I’m not sure Adam’s even noticed the view. In fact, I’m not certain that he’s ever been to a cocktail bar before either. He looked so baffled by the menu that in the end I ordered for him.

He watches warily now as the waiter places a tall, slender glass in front of him.

“What did you say this was called again?”

It’s about the first full sentence he’s uttered since we left the college.

“It’s a Long Island Iced Tea,” I reiterate, sharing a sympathetic look with the waiter. “It’s a classic.”

He picks up the glass, but doesn’t take a drink. “And what, exactly, is in it?”

A lot of alcohol is what. That’s basically why I chose it. But he doesn’t need to know that.

The waiter looks at me questioningly, and I give a minute shake of the head. With a shrug, he puts down my strawberry daiquiri and moves away.

“And what is that?” Mercifully, Adam seems to have been distracted by my own drink.

“Strawberries and rum, mainly,” I answer, talking a sip. Heaven. “Plus it has the distinct advantage of being pink. And if you ask nicely they’ll arrange the strawberry slices in a flower shape on top.”

He rolls his eyes. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. What’s the point? You’re only going to drink it.”

“Not everything in life has to be purely functional.” I twirl the cocktail umbrella between my finger and thumb. “Like these. Completely pointless, and yet wouldn’t our planet be a much bleaker place without them?”

The expression on his face suggests that he thinks I’m thoroughly mad. I nudge his own glass closer towards him.

“Come on, drink it. You’ll feel better.”

Frankly, I think a bit of whimsy would do him good. At least after this evening I can begin to understand why he’s so uptight. I can’t imagine what it must be like, having to exist in that environment day in, day out. I’d have lost the plot long ago.

“I’m so sorry about tonight.” He scrubs a hand across his face with a sigh. “I honestly didn’t know he would be there. I never would have subjected you to it otherwise.

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