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‘There’s not like a tonne of hot water left, sorry,’ she said and Sadie said, ‘That’s OK, it’s in my best interests that you stay nice and soft,’ but she didn’t turn around so Ada wasn’t sure if she was smiling while she said it. Ada lingered long enough for Sadie to start undressing then let herself out and headed to her room. To their room, really.

Sadie had hung her shirts up in the corner of one of Ada’s three exposed clothes racks filled with vintage polyester dresses and her terrible coats. The sharpness of Sadie’s crisp linen sent shame pinging through her. Only five shirts hanging and then three angular, folded pairs of pants still in her luggage. The bag stacked neatly in a corner with a pair of boots, a pair of Nikes and a pair of grey Birkenstocks lined up next to it. Ada’s shoes were shoved under the bed so she covered herself in dust every time she collected a pair but she wore her ratty raspberry Converse most days because they paired or clashed perfectly with every dress she owned. Too many dresses, obviously, she could see that now.

Ada inspected the shirts more closely and realised Sadie had freed up the hangers for them by double-hanging five of Ada’s dresses. Ada imagined Sadie lifting each gaudy piece off and replacing it with her own clean lines and she had to lie down. She glanced across the bed to Sadie’s side – which meant Ada had a side too, she never usually had a side, she had a bed – and saw that Sadie was reading Dune. Ada’s ex-boyfriend had made her watch that old movie and she’d hated it and when Sadie entered the room wrapped in her towel she told her that.

Sadie started getting dressed and said, ‘You should try the book – it’s basically exactly the same but you might find you get more from it than you did the movie,’ and Ada said, ‘OK, I guess we can both read it, I’ll try not to lose your place!’ and Sadie laughed and said, ‘I meant you could read it after me but OK, let’s call it a Bedroom Book Club,’ and Ada was a little embarrassed but she didn’t think Sadie would want her to be. Ada said, ‘I’m actually trying to finish this book of acting theory which will take me like a year so I’ll wait,’ but Sadie didn’t look at where she gestured.

Sadie was dressed and she scooped her yesterday clothes off the floor and looked around the room. Ada pointed to the boxy window seat that had clearly been created by a frantic architect urged by their boss to add some storage to the flats in their building. It was covered in her laundry and she said, ‘Just put it there, I don’t have a basket.’ Sadie didn’t say anything but did as she was told.

She looked around the room and said, ‘Where … please tell me if the answer is nowhere but where would be best for me to work while I’m here?’ Ada said probably the kitchen bench, that’s what she and Mel used, and then she asked what Sadie was working on.

‘Nothing original, just I had some interest in my play from West End people. But it’s … you know, it’s a one-act so I’d need to extend it if I wanted it to tour.’ Ada said, ‘Well, let me know if you need fresh eyes on it or anything,’ and Sadie said, ‘God, yeah, only if that wouldn’t be boring for you?’ Ada thought it might be kind of boring but there was nothing boring about Sadie wanting her opinion so she said, ‘No, I’d love to help.’

She picked up her bag and said, ‘Speaking of, I’m meeting the programming guy at the Tristan Bates today,’ and Ada said, ‘Great theatre.’

‘I’ll be back—’

‘—for dinner? I mean, I’m cooking for me and Mel tonight so—’

‘—yeah I should be home, back here I mean, by six but you don’t have to cook for me—’

‘—I’m already doing it so yeah.’

And Sadie said, ‘OK, thanks, that’d be nice’ and there was a moment where she could have kissed Ada on the cheek before she left for the day but she didn’t.

And then a week passed the same way except on the third day Sadie came home with a leopard-print laundry basket which wasn’t quite Ada’s style but felt like an effort nonetheless.

EIGHT

12/09/2017

Stuart Parkes

10:44

Yesssssssssss! It’s a good day baby. Pop a bottle for me

•••

Ada Highfield

10:44