PHASE SEVEN – missing phase six/the walk of shame.
The reality of what happened after leaving the party is artfully hidden by the brain and discretion.
Yeah. In an ideal world.
But nobody can be quite sure who saw what. Not only is it bad enough that something may have happened at the party with a friend, a boss, an enemy, even one of their spouses is bad enough – but the chances are, someone saw it.
The morning of Boxing Day, Smithy ties his tie in the Sunhill bathroom mirror.
Despite the hangover, he feels he got away with the Christmas Party. He wasn't the only one dancing, even with a slightly strange choice of partner. He didn't drink that much. Everything else can be dealt with.
He straightens his collar and turns his head to the left, then the right. Horrified, he pulls down the edge of his collar. The large, reddish mark on his neck is just as visible and angry-looking as it was the morning before.
He shrugs his shirt up and tries to pull the collar up, but the curve of the top sits over the crisp line, completely blowing its own cover.
There's no way he's going to get away with this.
Only three hundred and sixty-one days to live this down.