one stage to turn on the radio, but he
glared at me so ferociously that I hurriedly leant back in my seat
and looked out the window instead.
Finally we
pulled up outside my slummy block of flats. Unaccountably, Heller
was able to find a free parking space right out the front when in
my entire two years living there, none of us had ever been able to
park closer than four blocks away. I stared at him with suspicion.
He was almost supernatural.
Unsurprisingly, the lift was now out of order and he followed me up
the stairs, which today smelt of urine, curry and cat crap. Shame
burned my cheeks and I kept my eyes on the ground. By the time we
reached the seventh floor, I was puffing like a stream train and a
sweat had broken out on my forehead. Heller remained cool, his
breathing normal. He shot me a look.
“Yes, I know!”
I spat out between heaving breaths. “I’ll start working out
tomorrow.” He raised a cynical eyebrow but said nothing. I fumbled
in my handbag for my key and opened the door. It was stifling hot
inside the flat and the smell of unwashed dishes and clothes hit me
as soon as I entered. I desperately did not want Heller to witness
the shabbiness and impoverishment of my life, and tried to close
the front door on him.
“I’ll be back
in a minute,” I insisted. “Wait there.” He wedged his well-shod
foot in the doorway. I tried again to shove the door shut on him,
but he pushed it open with minimal effort. I gave up. He stepped
into the slovenly mess and wrinkled his elegant nose.
“Quickly
please,” he commanded, as if he couldn’t bear to spend one extra
moment in the putrid surroundings. Thoroughly humiliated, I slipped
into the bedroom I shared with Dixie. She was asleep, snoring
lightly, windows wide open to catch a non-existent breeze with the
bedclothes thrown back in the heat. A longish t-shirt barely kept
her decent. This time I shut the door firmly, gloweringly daring
Heller to object. He didn’t.
“Dix! Dix!” I
said urgently. “Wake up.” I shook her shoulder, feeling guilty
because she’d worked the red-eye shift at the fast food store the
previous evening. She roused slowly and drowsily.
“What?” she
grumbled, annoyed, sitting up and yawning. “What the fuck, Tilly?
Why are you waking me up? You know I just got to sleep.” She rubbed
her large black eyes, ran her fingers through her spiked hair and
looked at me properly. “Shit! What happened to you?”
“Oh, it’s
nothing. Had a small argument with an exploding window,” I said,
brushing her query aside. “Dix, guess what? I’ve got the job! You
know, the interview I went for today? I got the job! And guess what
else? It comes with its own little flat. It’s adorable. And I get
free styling. I’m so excited!”
I jumped up
and down on the spot in a happy dance. The thing I love most about
Dixie, despite her many flaws, is that she is emotionally generous.
It doesn’t matter how terrible her life is or how awful her
circumstances, she is always genuinely pleased when her friends
catch a break.
“Awesome!” she
cried, leaping out of bed to join the happy dance with me. We clung
to each other and jumped up and down together for a moment laughing
before she properly registered what I had said. “What? You’re
moving out? No! You can’t leave me here alone with those two
losers.”
“I have to.
Heller said.”
“Who
said?”
“Heller.”
“Who the
fuck’s Heller?”
The door
opened forcefully and Heller stepped into the room. Dixie’s eyes
flew open and so did her mouth. Her nipples stood to attention.
“You’re taking
a long time,” he said impatiently.
“Heller,” I
said politely, “I’d like to introduce my best friend, Dixie. Dixie,
this is Heller, my new boss.”
Heller nodded
at Dixie and she simpered back at him. She has a thing for accents,
especially European accents. And she definitely has a thing for hot
men. Heller didn’t even have to try – she was hopelessly in lust
with
glared at me so ferociously that I hurriedly leant back in my seat
and looked out the window instead.
Finally we
pulled up outside my slummy block of flats. Unaccountably, Heller
was able to find a free parking space right out the front when in
my entire two years living there, none of us had ever been able to
park closer than four blocks away. I stared at him with suspicion.
He was almost supernatural.
Unsurprisingly, the lift was now out of order and he followed me up
the stairs, which today smelt of urine, curry and cat crap. Shame
burned my cheeks and I kept my eyes on the ground. By the time we
reached the seventh floor, I was puffing like a stream train and a
sweat had broken out on my forehead. Heller remained cool, his
breathing normal. He shot me a look.
“Yes, I know!”
I spat out between heaving breaths. “I’ll start working out
tomorrow.” He raised a cynical eyebrow but said nothing. I fumbled
in my handbag for my key and opened the door. It was stifling hot
inside the flat and the smell of unwashed dishes and clothes hit me
as soon as I entered. I desperately did not want Heller to witness
the shabbiness and impoverishment of my life, and tried to close
the front door on him.
“I’ll be back
in a minute,” I insisted. “Wait there.” He wedged his well-shod
foot in the doorway. I tried again to shove the door shut on him,
but he pushed it open with minimal effort. I gave up. He stepped
into the slovenly mess and wrinkled his elegant nose.
“Quickly
please,” he commanded, as if he couldn’t bear to spend one extra
moment in the putrid surroundings. Thoroughly humiliated, I slipped
into the bedroom I shared with Dixie. She was asleep, snoring
lightly, windows wide open to catch a non-existent breeze with the
bedclothes thrown back in the heat. A longish t-shirt barely kept
her decent. This time I shut the door firmly, gloweringly daring
Heller to object. He didn’t.
“Dix! Dix!” I
said urgently. “Wake up.” I shook her shoulder, feeling guilty
because she’d worked the red-eye shift at the fast food store the
previous evening. She roused slowly and drowsily.
“What?” she
grumbled, annoyed, sitting up and yawning. “What the fuck, Tilly?
Why are you waking me up? You know I just got to sleep.” She rubbed
her large black eyes, ran her fingers through her spiked hair and
looked at me properly. “Shit! What happened to you?”
“Oh, it’s
nothing. Had a small argument with an exploding window,” I said,
brushing her query aside. “Dix, guess what? I’ve got the job! You
know, the interview I went for today? I got the job! And guess what
else? It comes with its own little flat. It’s adorable. And I get
free styling. I’m so excited!”
I jumped up
and down on the spot in a happy dance. The thing I love most about
Dixie, despite her many flaws, is that she is emotionally generous.
It doesn’t matter how terrible her life is or how awful her
circumstances, she is always genuinely pleased when her friends
catch a break.
“Awesome!” she
cried, leaping out of bed to join the happy dance with me. We clung
to each other and jumped up and down together for a moment laughing
before she properly registered what I had said. “What? You’re
moving out? No! You can’t leave me here alone with those two
losers.”
“I have to.
Heller said.”
“Who
said?”
“Heller.”
“Who the
fuck’s Heller?”
The door
opened forcefully and Heller stepped into the room. Dixie’s eyes
flew open and so did her mouth. Her nipples stood to attention.
“You’re taking
a long time,” he said impatiently.
“Heller,” I
said politely, “I’d like to introduce my best friend, Dixie. Dixie,
this is Heller, my new boss.”
Heller nodded
at Dixie and she simpered back at him. She has a thing for accents,
especially European accents. And she definitely has a thing for hot
men. Heller didn’t even have to try – she was hopelessly in lust
with
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