Page 3 of One Month's Notice

“It wouldn’t surprise me.” As Nat rested her chin on her hands, she noticed a faint glow from inside her handbag and reached in for her phone. The shot of tequila immediately churned in her stomach as she saw the name on the screen indicating a new text message. A shiver went down her spine—it was like she knew they were talking about her.

Hello darling. How is the job hunting? I hope you can come to Sunday lunch with Simon, Lucy, and Louis. I don’t want you sat moping around on your own. Love Mum x

Nat fought the urge to slam the phone down on the bar. Even when her mum was trying to be nice, she still said the exact thing that would get under her skin. Lexi leaned in to read over her shoulder. Nat turned and raised an eyebrow at her intrusion.

“What?” Lexi threw her hands in the air. “I’m just checking it’s not that dickhead messing your head up again.”

Nat laughed. Lexi had always been so protective of her. They had been close friends since they met at university almost ten years ago. After bonding over a shared love of contemporary art and jazz music, they had become inseparable.

Lexi was the more daring one when it came to adventures. She loved pushing Nat out of her comfort zone and seemed to enjoy it all the more when Nat came kicking and screaming. Sweat-drenched music festivals in the middle of nowhere, where days passed in a dreamy haze of loud music, glittered faces and overflowing beer cans. A spontaneous coach trip to Amsterdam with the cheapest of last-minute tickets. After Nat’s objection of “but I’ve got an assignment to finish”, Lexi had simply laughed at her, packed a small suitcase, and showed up at her door, regardless. Everything was so much easier back then.

“Why is everything falling apart? What is wrong with me?” Nat blinked hard, fighting against the tears. “My business has failed before it even got off the ground. I can’t afford my rent, so I’ve had to move in with my brother and my cheating boyfriend dumped me. I am not winning at life right now.”

“Well, bad things happen in threes. So, look on the bright side.” Lexi flashed an encouraging grin. “You’ve probably had your fill of terrible luck and things can only get better now!”

Nat frowned. “Are you trying to tempt fate on my behalf?!”

“OK, I can’t look at that sad face any more.” Lexi pushed herself away from the bar. “I’m going to the toilet, and when I get back, we are downing these shots and finding some gorgeous men to spend the rest of the night flirting with.” Lexi put her hands on her hips and wiggled them from side to side, showing off her beautiful curves in fitted leather trousers. Her body moved effortlessly in time with the music. She had a natural rhythm that came from deep within and always drew attention from across whichever room she was in. Nat admired her confidence, wishing she could borrow just a little.

“Someone, or something, will put a smile on your face tonight if it kills me.” She winked at Nat and strutted away, deliberately crossing her feet like a catwalk model as her almost jet-black hair, with perfect mermaid waves, swished against her back. Nat laughed at her best friend, desperately trying to grasp onto the fleeting sensation of light relief that always came with her company after a what had been a miserable week.

As the night wore on, Nat’s troubled thoughts began to fade. She laughed and chatted with whichever group of people Lexi had decided would be most interesting before she moved them along to the next group. The taste of tequila lingered on her tongue as she allowed herself to be cocooned by the background music and gentle flow of conversation.

After a while, Nat slipped through the crowded bodies and stepped into the bathroom, eyes squinting as the harsh lights bounced off the tiles. A thin line creased her forehead as she studied herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were pale, a stark contrast against her dark hair that seemed even darker under the unforgiving lighting. Shadows hovered under her eyes, the effect worsened by smudged traces of mascara.

She rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a clear lip gloss, swiping it across her lips and pressing them together. Her throat was dry from hours of conversation and too much alcohol. She needed water. As she zipped up her bag, the bathroom door swung open and a group stumbled in, their laughter echoing against the hard surfaces. Nat smiled at the girls, a fraction jealous at how carefree they seemed, before making her way back towards the bar.

With an unexpected jolt, Nat collided with someone, causing her to stumble. She steadied herself on a nearby pillar and looked up, meeting the gaze of the person responsible. Time froze as recognition flickered across her face.

“Er… hi.” The awkward smile on Joe’s face settled into an unattractive grimace.

“Hi.” Nat’s chest tightened under the weight of the unspoken words she carried within her. They stood looking at each other for a moment. The woman beside Joe fidgeted from one foot to the other, her eyes dropping to the floor. Nat’s eyes shifted to trace the lines of a stranger who had unknowingly caused nights filled with tears and anger.

She was a few years younger than Nat and wearing a casual outfit that, on anyone else, would have looked out of place in a cocktail bar. But she had matched it with just enough jewellery and make-up to elevate the effect. Even the way she had styled her blonde highlighted hair into a messy bun gave it an effortless look.

Nat looked down at her own outfit. Fitted jeans that had been worn too many times and were losing their shape. A plain jumper that, when new, was luxuriously soft and the deepest midnight black. But now, was losing the richness of colour and had developed a fine layer of bobbles, signifying it was heading rapidly towards the end of its life. And let’s not even go there with the make-up.

She looked back at Joe, noticing he was holding onto the woman’s hand—a reminder that his life had moved forward, even if hers had yet to start up again. Nat’s heart drummed in her chest, the intensity of the moment threatening to overwhelm her. She was torn between wanting to turn and flee and a strange desire to confront what had been left unresolved.

“How have you been?” Joe’s voice broke the tension, though his attempt at casualness only seemed to heighten the strain.

“Yeah, really good, thanks.” Nat managed a tight smile, glancing again at the woman.

“Oh, this is Emily.” Joe nodded towards his new girlfriend.

“Nice to meet you,” Emily said, a touch of uncertainty in her tone.

Nat’s lips unwillingly curved into a polite smile. “I’m Nat, Joe’s recently ex-girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Oh, I see.” Emily looked at Joe with a look of surprise across her face, telling Nat all she needed to know.

Joe’s eyes darted nervously between the two women. Nat weighed up her options. She could linger in the uncomfortable silence, unleash a barrage of accusations on him, or walk away with some dignity intact. She chose the latter.

“Well, it was… nice to run into you. Take care.” Without giving either of them a chance to respond, Nat walked away.

She had been fighting so hard against the feeling that everyone thought she was a disappointment, incapable of looking after herself. How many times would she have to be rescued by someone else? Her heart pounded in her chest while her mind raced until she made a resolution—a vow that she wasn’t going to allow bad things to just keep happening to her. As her steps grew more confident with each beat of the music, she left Joe and Emily behind and made her way back to the bar.

“Are you OK?” Lexi’s voice broke through Nat’s trance.