Loud Like Love

Chapter Four: Rob the Bank

'Don't do anything I wouldn't do,' said Dave's Mum, giving him a hug. Her husband was already at the car, looking rather annoyed at being kicked out of his own home. 'Have fun tomorrow.'

'Thanks,' said Dave. 'Have a good trip.'

'Bye, Aunt Abigail,' said Mellie, hugging her as well, and then they were gone. Mellie turned to Dave. 'Having your mum for an ally has its perks, eh?'

Dave smiled. 'They were certainly easier to convince than last year. Come on, we've got a party to plan.'

They walked back inside and sat down in the living room. 'This is going to be a right sight easier now that you're eighteen and I can just send you to Tesco to buy all the booze we need,' said Dave. 'Especially since my actual birthday isn't until Sunday.'

Mellie laughed. 'Okay, so we need a drinks list.' She pulled out her phone to take notes.

Dave thought for a moment. 'Vodka, for mixing. Can be super cheap. Maybe some rum, too. The rest will be BYOB, so a box of wine or something for us and anyone without booze?'

'Sounds good.' Mellie put away her phone. 'Lots of people coming?'

Dave shrugged. 'About twenty. You're not gonna believe this, but Mandi's actually gonna be there.'

'Oh, yay! I'll finally get to meet her after you raving about her for a year.'

'Not sure how she managed to convince her parents. But she'll be eighteen soon, too, so maybe they think she should be able to make her own decisions now. Or maybe they're testing her. Or, maybe they trust me to protect her from the other guys, should the need arise.'

Mellie giggled. 'Or maybe a bit of all three. Anyway, I'm glad she's coming. Anyone else from Dorcrest?'

'Yvonne and Russell are coming, a bloke called Mark, girl called Sophia . . . Erin, Mae, Raymond . . . Oh, and Patrick.'

'You've mentioned him before, I think.'

'Yeah, last year he was a bit of a prick, but then . . . Well, we're friends now. He came out to me and Mandi first day of term. He's kind of a flirt.' Dave felt his cheeks redden slightly, and Mellie raised an eyebrow.

'Is that so? And do you flirt back?'

Dave smiled, looking away. 'Sometimes.'

'Well, I look forward to meeting him. What about the rest?'

'Well, there's Alan and Matt, Chas and Ellie, a couple of their friends from Sapswell, and a couple of my old teammates from football. Should be a fairly varied bunch. Cool people only, obviously.'

'Obviously,' Mellie echoed and nodded. 'So, what about food?'

* * *

The next morning, Mellie went out for supplies, while Dave got to work tidying the house and making sure the cabinets with the fine china and the liquor were locked, just in case. Mellie returned with a boatload of booze, plastic cups, paper plates, and other useful things. They went out again a bit later to buy food at Tesco.

'Damn, the self check-out is closed,' said Mellie when they neared the exits. They turned to the registers and found that only one was open, and that that one was manned by a very familiar face.

'Fuck,' said Dave, at the same time as Mellie said, 'Shit.'

'He wasn't at work this morning,' said Mellie. 'Well, we don't have much choice. You, er . . . You want me to handle this, and you can go outside?'

Dave shook his head. 'No, I need to get this over with. We can't keep avoiding each other forever.' They joined the queue. Dave's heart hammered in his chest. He couldn't not look, couldn't not think. When it was their turn, Nick looked up at them and froze, like a deer in the headlights.