Chapter 2

Jake stood on the platform, his head spinning. He almost felt like a teenager again. Either side of him, people rushed past as if he were a rock in their fast-flowing stream. When he regained his composure, he ambled after the crowd and once through the ticket gates, he was faced with a choice. The ramp to his left led to up the main station concourse. The steps to his right led down to the tube station. Charing Cross was on the Northern and Bakerloo lines. Jake chose the Northern line, which ran north to south through the heart of the city.

The interlude with Emma had shaken him. He needed time to think and clear his head. Where better than a flight on the London Eye? The short hop south to Waterloo was uneventful, as was the walk to the bank of the Thames where the giant, futuristic Ferris wheel stood majestically, dwarfing everything around it. He knew he was lucky to get on immediately for the thirty-minute flight which lifted him over four hundred feet above the Thames. He had magnificent views of the city from the glass capsule on the enormous observation wheel. He gazed out over the London skyline. The leaflet he’d been given when he boarded said he’d be able to see for twenty-five miles on a clear day and it was certainly a clear day. In the distance, he could just make out Windsor Castle.

At the peak of the wheel’s path, Jake’s mobile phone rang and everyone in the capsule turned to look at him. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and apologised to his fellow passengers, then looked at the screen. The call was from a friend. “Bobby!”

“Hey, Jake. Where are you? It’s a great day to be out on the course. Fancy a game?”

“I’d love to, Bob, but it’ll be a bit difficult.”

“Why? Where are you? There’s a hell of an echo.”

“I’m on the London Eye.”

“What? Why?”

“Fancied a day in London. Hey, Bobby, you’ll never guess who I met on the train.”

“Who?”

“Do you remember that brunette in Ladz a couple of weeks ago that looked a bit like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”

“I think so. Nice tits, if I remember. But then, don’t they always?”

“Sure. Well, she opposite me on the way up here.”

“You’re joking? You sure it was her?”

“Positive. I knew I’d seen her before, but couldn’t place her. So I asked her when we got in. She told me who she was and we swapped numbers.”

“No way! She gave you her number?”

“Yeah. It was weird. I expected her to tell me Fuck off. Or slap me and tell me Fuck off. But no.”

“Mate, I bet you’ve been fake-numbered.”

“Been what now?”

“Fake-numbered. I bet she gave you a fake number to get rid of you.”

“Do people do that?”

“All the time.”

“You sure?”

“Sure, man. I’ve done it myself. Hell, I did it last night to this blonde bit who kept pestering me. Look, I’m going to give Andy a call, see if he’s up for a game. See ya later.”

“Yeah. Later.”

The more he thought about it, the more Jake was convinced that Bobby was right. Emma must have given him a fake number. After all, she’d been in Ladz and she probably had tons of guys asking for her number. There was one way to find out. Call her. But that presented its own problems. What if he wound up speaking to an elderly lady from Brighton?

He put all thoughts of Emma out of his head and tried his best to enjoy himself. It was a truly lovely day. He purchased some sandwiches from Mark & Spencer and took them to Hyde Park where he watched the hordes of scantily clad students playing childish games. After lunch, he took a riverboat from Westminster to Kew and wandered aimlessly around the Royal Botanical Gardens. He had just left the Palm House when his mobile beeped to tell him he’d received a text message. It was from Emma.

Jake started at the message, unable to quite believe it. So much for being fake-numbered.

He quickly keyed in his reply.

His phone rang a few seconds later. “Hi, Emma.”

“Hi, Jake.”

“Are you serious? Would you really like to meet up for a drink?”

“Of course I would. Where are you now?”

“Kew.”

“Well, I’m heading to Leicester Square. How about we meet outside The Odeon?”

“Fine. See you in twenty.”

“Looking forward to it. See ya.”

She looked great standing in the sunshine outside the cinema and that smile of hers lit up her face when she saw him approaching. She rushed up to meet him and kissed his cheek.

“Hi,” she said with a blush when she pulled back.

“Hi.”

“I thought you were going to stand me up.”

“No chance. Just took a little longer to get here than I expected. So, where do you want to go.”

“I know a place. Come on.”

She led him to a little pub in one of the streets surrounding Leicester Square. They ordered drinks and then found a table.