Read Online Little White Lies by Gemma Townley - Free Book Online
Authors: Gemma Townley
Tags: Fiction
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size six and I don’t look like I’ve just walked off a film set.
“At least let me put some makeup on you,” says Julie, tut-tutting, and I acquiesce. She pulls out a bag and is soon rubbing creams into my face. When I look in the mirror my eyes have doubled in size and my lips have formed a bright red pout. I grin. I wish Chloe could see me now. And Pete, too.
Ten minutes later Lucy emerges from the stockroom in a cloud of perfume and powder.
“I like your jeans,” she says generously, then links arms with me.
“Ready girls?” she asks.
Julie winks at me. “Ready!”
There are no queues outside Canvas when we get there, but there’s still a bouncer at the top of the stairs looking a bit bored. He winks at Julie and Lucy as we walk in, then looks me up and down slowly. I immediately feel my paranoia surfacing—is he going to turn me away? What will Julie and Lucy think? But he quickly looks past me—which I assume means that I should go in. Trying to contain my excitement, I follow after Lucy.
“Just smile at the nice man,” she says with a laugh, winking at the doorman. “He’s useful to know.”
Downstairs, the bar is smaller than I imagined. There are a few benches covered with cushions, a small dance floor, and a long bar. In the corner, a DJ is playing cool ambient music.
Julie walks straight over to the bar.
“What’ll it be, gorgeous?” asks the barman.
“Three vodka tonics please,” says Julie tartly, then turns to whisper in my ear. “I slept with this prick last week, can you believe it? Never bloody called, of course. I don’t think I’m going to be coming back to the bar tonight if that’s all right with you.”
She walks off toward one of the benches and Lucy follows her.
“Leaving you to pay, are they?” says the barman, grinning. “I’m Jason, by the way. Tell you what, you can have these on the house if you can convince your friend Julie to give me her phone number.”
“But I thought you had it?” As I speak, I wonder if I’m betraying a confidence, admitting that I know he hasn’t called. Nice one, Natalie, I chastise myself.
But I’m okay. “I have an instruction to call her, but not the number,” Jason explains, pouring bottles of tonic into three glasses. “She likes to play games.”
I nod nervously as if I understand. God, I haven’t got a chance of getting a date, let alone a boyfriend, if I have to follow rules like that. Back home, you give people your number and either they call . . . or they don’t.
I thank Jason and promise I’ll do what I can on the number front; then clutching the glasses, I make my way over to Julie and Lucy.
“Thanks, Natalie, you’re a mate. Now, how much do we owe you?”
“A phone number. Yours, actually—for Jason. He said he’d love to have it.”
Julie’s face twists into a smile. “Hmmm. I bet he would.”
Lucy moves up to make room for me and I sit down. Already the place is filling up. There’s a girl wearing the shortest skirt I’ve ever seen, with cutoff hot-pink tights and some blue glitter sandals, and another with bright pink hair and a boiler suit open to below the waist revealing a taut stomach and orange bra. I wonder what Pete would make of it, then kick myself for even thinking about him.
“So what about you and men?” asks Lucy. “Got anyone on the go?”
“Well,” I start uncertainly, remembering the stack of lies I told Chloe, “I’ve just split up with someone actually . . .”
“Good for you,” says Julie. “Bloody nightmare, men, aren’t they?” Her eyes wander over to the bar.
“I rather like them myself,” says Lucy playfully. Then she drains her glass. “Right, time for another,” she says. “Same again?”
Julie and I nod, and Lucy walks up to the bar. Jason appears at our table and quickly sits down next to Julie. “All right, lover girl?”
Julie turns round and stares at him. “Don’t you ’lover girl’ me, you user and abuser. No fucking
“At least let me put some makeup on you,” says Julie, tut-tutting, and I acquiesce. She pulls out a bag and is soon rubbing creams into my face. When I look in the mirror my eyes have doubled in size and my lips have formed a bright red pout. I grin. I wish Chloe could see me now. And Pete, too.
Ten minutes later Lucy emerges from the stockroom in a cloud of perfume and powder.
“I like your jeans,” she says generously, then links arms with me.
“Ready girls?” she asks.
Julie winks at me. “Ready!”
There are no queues outside Canvas when we get there, but there’s still a bouncer at the top of the stairs looking a bit bored. He winks at Julie and Lucy as we walk in, then looks me up and down slowly. I immediately feel my paranoia surfacing—is he going to turn me away? What will Julie and Lucy think? But he quickly looks past me—which I assume means that I should go in. Trying to contain my excitement, I follow after Lucy.
“Just smile at the nice man,” she says with a laugh, winking at the doorman. “He’s useful to know.”
Downstairs, the bar is smaller than I imagined. There are a few benches covered with cushions, a small dance floor, and a long bar. In the corner, a DJ is playing cool ambient music.
Julie walks straight over to the bar.
“What’ll it be, gorgeous?” asks the barman.
“Three vodka tonics please,” says Julie tartly, then turns to whisper in my ear. “I slept with this prick last week, can you believe it? Never bloody called, of course. I don’t think I’m going to be coming back to the bar tonight if that’s all right with you.”
She walks off toward one of the benches and Lucy follows her.
“Leaving you to pay, are they?” says the barman, grinning. “I’m Jason, by the way. Tell you what, you can have these on the house if you can convince your friend Julie to give me her phone number.”
“But I thought you had it?” As I speak, I wonder if I’m betraying a confidence, admitting that I know he hasn’t called. Nice one, Natalie, I chastise myself.
But I’m okay. “I have an instruction to call her, but not the number,” Jason explains, pouring bottles of tonic into three glasses. “She likes to play games.”
I nod nervously as if I understand. God, I haven’t got a chance of getting a date, let alone a boyfriend, if I have to follow rules like that. Back home, you give people your number and either they call . . . or they don’t.
I thank Jason and promise I’ll do what I can on the number front; then clutching the glasses, I make my way over to Julie and Lucy.
“Thanks, Natalie, you’re a mate. Now, how much do we owe you?”
“A phone number. Yours, actually—for Jason. He said he’d love to have it.”
Julie’s face twists into a smile. “Hmmm. I bet he would.”
Lucy moves up to make room for me and I sit down. Already the place is filling up. There’s a girl wearing the shortest skirt I’ve ever seen, with cutoff hot-pink tights and some blue glitter sandals, and another with bright pink hair and a boiler suit open to below the waist revealing a taut stomach and orange bra. I wonder what Pete would make of it, then kick myself for even thinking about him.
“So what about you and men?” asks Lucy. “Got anyone on the go?”
“Well,” I start uncertainly, remembering the stack of lies I told Chloe, “I’ve just split up with someone actually . . .”
“Good for you,” says Julie. “Bloody nightmare, men, aren’t they?” Her eyes wander over to the bar.
“I rather like them myself,” says Lucy playfully. Then she drains her glass. “Right, time for another,” she says. “Same again?”
Julie and I nod, and Lucy walks up to the bar. Jason appears at our table and quickly sits down next to Julie. “All right, lover girl?”
Julie turns round and stares at him. “Don’t you ’lover girl’ me, you user and abuser. No fucking
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