Chapter two

"So are you going to tell me what that was all about? Or shall I just patiently wait for hell to freeze over first?" Lydia asked eventually, when the silence turned awkward.

"Oh please, please don't make me," Sarah half laughed, before she stopped. "It's a very long story," she added with an eye roll to add extra emphasis.

Lydia rearranged her legs so that they were folded underneath her on the sofa. "My favourite kind," she smiled kindly. "Do please feel free to leave in all the gory details. But before you begin; I think it's your round first?" she held out her empty glass, which Sarah took, shaking her head.

"Just as I was thinking I could actually quite like you as well." She sighed, ensuring that Lydia saw the smile on her face as she did. She picked up her own glass before she headed to the bar.

Lydia watched her go, wondering. Her gaydar hadn't been wrong for a long time, and there was definitely something there between that Zoe chick and Sarah. Hmm, this could be interesting…

"She seems nice." Kris sidled up beside Sarah at the bar, as he was fulfilling round buying duties too.

"Yeah, she's alright," Sarah answered automatically, looking in her purse for an extra pound she'd swear was lurking at the bottom somewhere.

"Bit too… obvious for my liking though," Kris replied, reading the cocktail menus, but watching for Sarah's reaction at the same time.

Sarah found the pound, and grinned triumphantly before turning to face her companion. "What?" she asked impatiently, shaking her head, not getting what Kris was hinting at.

"Well, the way she was checking Zoe out for a start, I've seen starving men look at a buffet with less hunger in their eyes, honestly. No subtlety at all. Where's the fun in that?" Kris asked, eyebrow quirked.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and looked between Lydia, playing with her phone, and Zoe, who'd just sat back onto her stool having walked back from the toilet. Kris's drinks arrived in front of him, and he picked them up before turning away. "No fun at all," he muttered again, smirk firmly planted on his face, as he took them back over to his drinking buddy and left Sarah alone at the bar, her mind reeling.

Whilst Sarah waited for her drinks she deliberated between going over and yelling at Lydia, and going over and yelling at Zoe. She couldn't work out a remotely sensible or rational reason for wanting to do either, other than she really, really wanted to shout at one of them.

Why did the thought of Lydia fancying Zoe make her stomach lurch in the unpleasant way it was doing now? Why was she even bothered? Zoe was a free agent, she could see whoever she wanted. And she herself wasn't gay, she wasn't exactly interested, was she? But, still…she shook her head, and resolved to pulling herself together. She gripped her glass a little tighter than she originally meant to as she thanked the barman for the drinks and carried them back over to where Lydia sat waiting, an expectant look on her face. Sarah forced a smile on her face as sat herself back down.

"So," Lydia nodded her thanks at the drink Sarah placed in front of her, and raised both eyebrows in a 'the interview is about to begin' kind of way. "First things first. Why did you make up that nonsense about some dance contest thing and then get all nervous when that hot blonde chick came over?"

Sarah grimaced. "You really are going to be one of those people that likes to know everything aren't you?"

Lydia beamed. "I'm pleased you got it so quickly. Some people take ages to cotton on."

Rolling her eyes, Sarah pleaded for a meteor strike at that very moment. "Oh what joy," she said sarcastically when the world continued to turn. Then she took a deep breath, and prepared to manipulate the truth in her favour.

"Well," she began, her audience captivated and nodding encouragement. "I should probably start out by explaining that she used to go out with my dad…"

"Woah!" Lydia looked over to where Zoe and Kris were drinking. "This is going to be good isn't it?"

Sarah followed Lydia's gaze and looked down quickly as Zoe glanced over and met her eyes. "Good so isn't the word I'd use," she muttered quietly, picking up her drink.

"Zo?" Kris waved a hand in front of the vacant expression on his companion's face.

Zoe jumped when she suddenly blinked out of the daze she'd fallen into. "What? Sorry. Sorry Kris." She turned guiltily back to face her friend, and took in the expression on his face.

"Zo, why don't you just admit it."

"Admit what?" Zoe asked, having another sip of her drink.

"Zo, you've been watching them," he nodded over at Lydia and Sarah, "for the past fifteen minutes, I've never seen you pay that much attention to anything other than Deal or No Deal before. You've been uselessly trying to listen in on their conversation, you're not even giving me the adoration I deserve, just admit it…" he paused, as Zoe looked at him with eyes pleading him not to finish his sentence, even though she knew what he was saying was actually true. "You're drunk!" he laughed, pointing an accusing finger at his friend.

Zoe let out a burst of thankful laughter, knowing that her behaviour had been acknowledged, but that she wouldn't be pushed on it, for tonight at least.

"Fine!" she cried, finishing off her pint with a final gulp. "Guilty as charged!" she put the empty glass back on the bar, and at Kris's nod, ordered another round from the lurking barman.

She didn't look back over to the sofas again, even though she ached to know what was going on. She'd seen the way that Lydia had been looking at Sarah as they'd been talking over course of the evening, it was blatantly obvious that she fancied her, a fact that Kris had helpfully pointed out much earlier on. She really didn't like the way that it made her stomach contract when she thought about it. Her ears were burning as well, a sure sign that somewhere, probably not a million miles away, she was being talked about. She made an executive decision, and ordered a round of shots to go with their drinks as well.

Onwards, to chapter three…