|24| Radiatori-2

"Are you okay, Izzy?" I took a deep breath, the indistinguishable conversations becoming clearer and the frantic movements forming into defined people. Abbie. Ant. Meg. Sean. Three guys wearing England football shirts. Two men dressed in suits, exhibiting that elegance that only Italians seemed to pull off so effortlessly. All eyes were locked onto me, and that was when the pain registered. My knees stung, and I pulled my legs from beneath me, shifting so that I was sat on the ground rather than kneeling. "Seriously, are you okay?" Jasmine repeated the sentence, her usually calm exterior replaced with concern and panic. "I'm fine," I said. "Just hit the ground a bit hard, that's all." "I'm not fucking surprised," I heard Ant say. "That wanker should have his licence taken off him." The pieces slotted together but the realisation of what had happened just added to my pain. Not wanting to be a spectacle any longer, I struggled to my feet, Jasmine grasping onto me. "Honestly, I'm fine," I said, shooting what I hoped was a reassuring smile at the strangers around us. It seemed to satisfy them, and they reluctantly dispersed, disappearing into the town to continue their nights now that the drama was over. "Can you walk?" Ant asked. "I don't mind carrying you." I must have given them a scare, because even Abbie didn't crack a joke at the prospect of tiny Ant carrying me home. "Thanks, Ant. I'm fine. My ego is bruised more than my body, trust me." "Jesus, Meg, you probably saved her life," Ant said, whirling around to face Meg who was hovering to the side of Sean. "Talk about quick thinking." I waited for Meg to point out that she'd been the sober one out of all of us, with a clearer head and quicker reactions. It was the perfect opportunity. For months she'd made comments about not getting drunk, not losing control and not needing alcohol to have a good time. But she didn't seem interested in acknowledging that she'd proved her point. "I think you're exaggerating," she said instead. "He wasn't going that fast." "Pity, really. If you'd have hit his bonnet, then he'd have been forced to stop." The joke came from an unlikely source. We all turned to Sean, everybody unsure of how to react to the comment. Maybe it was the alcohol or the adrenaline, or maybe even the surprise of Sean making such an inappropriate remark, but I laughed, temporarily distracted from the ache developing throughout my body. "I mean, when you put it like that, you were pretty inconsiderate, really, Meg," Ant said. And even Meg cracked a small smile at that. ❆ "I feel like such an idiot. I'm so embarrassed." "Why are you embarrassed?" Jasmine asked as she knelt in front of my knees with the results of a home-made first aid kit sprawled across the sofa next to me. "You got hit by a car. Give yourself a night off from the self-deprecation." "I got hit by a car because I was drunk. I should have been watching where I was going at the very least." Jasmine looked up at me, wrinkling her forehead. "What are you talking about?" "I'm not a huge drinker. I've never been one to go out and get absolutely wasted. I got carried away and look what happened. I stumbled into the road and now you're having to play nurse." "Izzy, that is not what happened. You were on the pavement and the car came up from behind you. There was another car on the other side of the street, but rather than waiting for it to pass, he came up onto the pavement to swerve around it." My memory of the incident was fuzzy, and I hadn't known what was happening until I felt the car hit my side, so maybe I hadn't been as careless as I'd assumed. "You literally did nothing wrong, so you can forget whatever vision is going through your head of you staggering around like a drunk teenager during Fresher's Week." She pushed herself to her feet and examined my knees from above, a mild frown on her face. "You'll live." "What about Sean, though, hey?" I asked with a smile. Jasmine pulled out a chair from the dining table and took a seat, allowing me to recline on the sofa with my legs propped up on the far arm. "What, his comment?" I shrugged. "I just meant you and him in general. Although what he said did make me smile." She grinned at that, and it radiated pride. Out of all of us, Jasmine had been closest to Sean, somehow managing to ease him into conversation through means that the rest of us hadn't yet mastered. "I'm just glad you got to see that side of him," she said. "Even if it was ill-timed." I shook my head. "Hardly. It was what I needed. The whole thing was way too serious considering that I'd just picked up a few scratches." "He means well. He just lacks the confidence to be himself, which is a shame. His dark sense of humour cracks me up." Her eyes glazed over, as if she'd been taken back to a memory that elicited a smile from her. I'd never seen Jasmine talk about a guy in such a genuinely affectionate way. She'd made her stance on relationships and sex very clear, but that just made the situation with Sean even cloudier. "Is there a spark?" I asked instead. Jasmine chuckled. "There's a definite spark, just one that I'm not used to." "In a good way?" "Of course. I'm not going to shy away from change. But I've never spent so long getting to know a guy just because I want to sleep with him. He's good fun. We've got banter. So maybe we just stay as friends if that's easier. If not... Then he's from Berkshire so we'll see what happens back at home." I grinned. "Jasmine! You're planning for the future." She rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I'm literally just assessing all options. I won't lose sleep over it." Assessing all options turned into a great source of entertainment for the remaining moments of our evening as we sobered up on toast and water. I was so excited for Jasmine that when I noticed Nathan's message asking if I'd had a good night, the more dramatic events had faded into insignificance. ❆❆❆