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The meal took her close to two hours which was a long time for even a seasoned solo eater. The restaurant didn’t rush her, letting her finish the whole serve of calamari and most of the bread before bringing her the pizza. She was already approaching full but she ate each piece slowly, sprinkling it with chilli flakes and oregano and chasing each mouthful with wine and water. She thought about sending a photo of the empty pizza tray to Ben, but she realised he might offer to come to Brighton on the next train because that’s the kind of thing he liked to do, so she kept the sight for herself. When she was done, the waiter asked if she’d like to see the dessert menu and she said yes, of course, and picked the tiramisu.

Ada hadn’t liked tiramisu as a child but Gabby had often chosen it at restaurants, claiming that it was the only way Ada wouldn’t try to eat off her plate. But as Ada bit into it now, she thought Gabby should have been grateful to her for forcing these flavours on her young. Her usually stretchy leggings were digging into her belly button but every mouthful soothed her with cream and then tingled her with coffee and soothed her again with the dark heavy flavour of liquor and nothing would keep her from finishing.

When her plate was cleared, she asked for the bill, her insides glorious and gorged, and it arrived with a small glass of something dark, ‘on the house’. The waiter told her it was amaro made in the village the owner came from in Italy and Ada wondered if that was bullshit. She sipped it and it was like a liquid garden, a pleasant shock. She said it was delicious and he said, ‘It aids digestion,’ and smiled pleasantly and she said, ‘Well, I’ll need it after all that cheese!’

Only after she had paid with her credit card and thanked every person who worked there on the way out and pulled on Rob’s waterproof did she consider how weird it was to joke about poo with a stranger. But ‘aiding digestion’ was a useful euphemism and the amaro did seem to be doing its work, as she felt oddly fresh and unwilling to go home yet. She turned one corner and then another and found a dark, loud bar and went inside.

FORTY-FOUR

06/10/2017

Melanie Baker

21:13

Just checking in, hope you’re having a sexy time with Stuart!

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Melanie Baker

21:16

Anyway, what time are you home tomorrow? Should we do dinner? I can cook although I really doubt you’ll want that

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Melanie Baker

21:29

Don’t worry about responding if you’re busy (I hope you are wink wink)

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