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heats some oil, then starts chopping the onions and mushrooms.
    ‘So you think I should just do it? Ask her out on a date? I’m so crap at stuff like this.’
    ‘Normally people call people up and say something like ‘hey there, fancy going out?’’
    ‘Not when I do it, they don’t.’
    ‘That’s ‘cos you’re an amateur.’
    ‘You’re not making me feel any better.’
    ‘No? Get a counsellor.’
     
     
     
    We watch Top Gear as we eat our pasta. Parker has these trays with a cushion bit on the bottom so it sits on your lap all snug-like. At first I was like, ‘where did you get these from?’ and he said ‘what do you care, they do the job.’ Seemed like a reasonable explanation at the time.
    As I put a large forkful of pasta in my mouth, there’s a knock at the door. I glance at Parker.
    ‘Well it’s not going to be for me,’ he says.
    ‘I bet it’s Tristan or one of his druggie friends,’ I say, putting the tray on the coffee table and standing up. ‘What the fuck Tristan…right in the middle of my fucking dinner!’ I shout. He’d better be overdosing or dying. I walk to the front door and open it. Standing in front of me is Ashley Morgan, another ‘friend’ from school. Except she was, on occasion, more than a friend. It’s complicated, I’ll explain later. My mouth opens. I haven’t seen her for, what…two years? Jesus. Her dark brown hair is long and she has it down. She wears grown up makeup and that lipstick stuff that makes lips look wet. The last time I saw her, she was just starting to go out with this real character (I use that word in the loosest possible way) called Gary. We kept in touch on Facebook and as I’ve said before, we were always…close.
    ‘Ashley?’ I ask, still processing the surprise of seeing her here. She smiles awkwardly.
    ‘Hi Ollie. Sorry to just turn up like this but um…I uhh...’ She looks down.
    ‘What’s wrong?’
    ‘Long story. Do you mind if I come in?’ she asks.
    ‘Of course,’ I say. My eyes glance downwards and I notice she has a suitcase. A very large suitcase. She steps inside. I hear Parker on his way.
    ‘Who is it?’ Parker says. He appears next to me and stops when he sees Ashley. ‘Oh. What do you want?’ a hostile tone in his voice. Ashley forces a smile.
    ‘Hello Parker. Nice to see you.’
    ‘Well I’d say the same but that would be a lie,’ he replies. I shoot him a frown.
    ‘Can I come in?’ Ashley asks, looking at me.
    ‘No,’ says Parker.
    ‘Yes,’ I counter, turning to Parker. He glares at me, shakes his head and walks back into the living room.
    ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you were living with Parker,’ Ashley says, picking up her suitcase. I go to help her. ‘It’s okay, I’ve got it.’ I’m unconvinced because the suitcase is almost as big as she is. However she drags it inside, scuffing the wall a little as she does so.
    ‘Yeah, we’ve lived here for over two years now.’
    ‘Cool, uh…’ she yanks the case again and gives up as it falls on its side. I go to right it. ‘Don’t worry it’ll be fine there, there’s not much in it.’
    ‘I disagree, looks like everything’s in it,’ I say.
    ‘I mean, nothing of value.’ I nod slowly, she glances away. ‘Nice place.’
    ‘Yeah, it’s small but does the trick. You want a tea or coffee?’ I ask.
    ‘Tea, if that’s okay?’ We walk into the kitchen and I fill the kettle. She seems so different to how I remember. Almost, nervous.
    ‘Parker still not forgiven me then?’ she says. I shrug.
    ‘Well you did sort of cheat on him.’
    ‘With you, it’s not really cheating though is it?’ This is a bad situation. You want the details now, don’t you? It’s not like that. Me and Parker are best friends, have been since school and Ashley and I have always been…complicated. I thought Parker didn’t give a shit. They had started seeing each other and he just seemed, almost uninterested in her. I remember commenting about it at the