Dan waited for Charlie outside the lecture hall. Sipping his takeaway coffee, he watched uni students walking between classes. He wasn’t envious of them; he hadn’t liked studying marketing. It was all bullshit. He’d only gone to uni because he’d been accepted into the course and Yolanda said he had to do something with his life. He still didn’t know what that was – but at least he didn’t have to deal with the people in his course everyday.
Dan yawned. He threw the rest of his coffee into the bin and stretched. He felt nerves flutter through him. He’d been avoiding Charlie for the last two weeks, though he’d denied it when Charlie had texted to ask point-blank if that was the case. Dan had then offered to meet for lunch to make it less weird. Their last lunch had been interrupted by having to chase Lyssa home.
Dan sighed and leant on the wall outside the hall. Charlie never missed the social marketing lecture, because most of the girls from the PR course attended it.
Eventually, Charlie swaggered towards him in a pink polo shirt, jeans and Gucci loafers. Dan had been with Charlie when he’d bought those loafers. The price tag was twelve hundred dollars, and even Dan had raised an eyebrow. But with Charlie’s allowance from his wealthy father, a pair of Gucci shoes was normal. So was the new Audi he drove, his credit card and three overseas trips a year.
‘Dan the Man,’ said Charlie. He slapped his friend on his back – a little harder than usual, or was Dan imagining it?
‘Hey,’ Dan said.
‘You come bearing good news? Is my dark lady ready to be whisked off to my lair?’ said Charlie in his best pretentious-idiot voice. Once, Dan had thought this was funny. But today, it was getting under his skin.
Dan cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, about that … Look, Lyssa’s got a lot going on, so I don’t think she needs any distractions now,’ he said, using his mother’s line.
‘Excuse me?’ Charlie’s arm shot out and grabbed Dan on the shoulder.
‘Like I said, she’s just busy,’ Dan said as casually as he could. ‘Anyway, where do you want to go for lunch?’
They stood facing each other, Charlie’s hand still heavy on Dan’s shoulder.
Charlie stepped in close. ‘I hope you’re not cutting my grass.’
Dan felt a surge of anger flow through him. ‘She doesn’t even know you, mate. How do you know she’d be interested?’
‘I get it. You’re fucking her,’ Charlie said, looking Dan up and down.
‘No, actually,’ Dan said, trying to keep his voice steady. ‘Lyssa’s not like that. She’s different.’
Charlie paused for a moment, and then his face broke into a smile. ‘Well done, Danny boy.’ He started to walk. ‘So, the wingman becomes the pilot, eh?’
‘It’s not like that,’ Dan said, shaking his head. He and Lyssa hadn’t done anything more than kiss on the beach, and that was okay. He just wanted to be with her. Talking to her on the phone was enough, nearly. He smiled at the thought of her soft voice. Charlie turned to face him, tilting his head in the way he did when he was after something.
‘So, what’s it like then?’ asked Charlie smoothly.
Dan felt uneasy, even though Charlie didn’t seem angry.
‘I don’t know. She’s just different,’ Dan said, shrugging, trying to play it cool. What he didn’t say was how he thought about Lyssa all the time, how she was the most focused person he knew, how much he admired her.
Charlie took out his phone and checked it. ‘They all seem different at the beginning, my friend, and then they end up gold-digging sluts – just the way I like them.’ He looked up from his phone and gave Dan a wink.
Dan frowned. Had Charlie always been such a prick, or was he worse than usual? He couldn’t tell. He wished he hadn’t offered to have lunch with him.
As though the universe heard him, Dan’s phone rang. It was one of the girls from the agency, calling with a mundane question.
‘What?’ said Dan into the phone, trying to sound genuinely shocked. ‘Okay, I’ll be straight in. Don’t do anything till I’m there.’ He gave Charlie an apologetic look. ‘Sorry, mate, emergency at work – I’ve gotta go in.’
‘What exactly constitutes an emergency in a modelling agency? Two girls fighting to death with a hair straightener?’ Charlie was still smiling, but his eyes were cold.
‘Just a contract issue I have to sort out,’ Dan said. He nodded at Charlie. ‘Later then.’
‘Indeed,’ Charlie said archly.
Dan could feel Charlie’s eyes on him as he walked away.
On the tram he pulled out his phone. Lyssa would be in school now, he realised. Just thinking of her made him ache with desire – not just to hold her but to talk to her, be with her. She’s intoxicating, he thought, as the tram rumbled through town and towards the agency.
When he finally arrived at work, he could hear his mother’s laughter, which was a pleasant change. She’d been so stressed for the last year. He knew the agency had been through a tough time financially; there was no loyalty with the girls anymore, as she often lamented each night over a hefty glass of wine.
‘Hey,’ he said, as he walked inside and saw Yolanda sitting in the reception area with some of the team.
‘Hello, darling,’ Yolanda said, beaming at him. ‘I have news.’
‘What?’ he asked, taking in all the smiles in the room.
‘Lyssa got the Domotille Hargraves campaign!’
Dan felt his eyes widen. ‘What? No way.’
‘Way,’ said Yolanda, imitating him. ‘She’s going to be the next big thing. I told you,’ she crowed. ‘Aren’t you glad you went after her now?’
Dan nodded. He wanted to call Lyssa immediately! Giddiness welled up inside him. ‘Oh, that’s so great. She really needs it. God, she’ll be so happy.’
Yolanda looked at him, her eyes suddenly narrowed. ‘Why does she need it? Have you been talking to her?’
Dan shrugged. ‘She mentioned something about it when I went after her that day.’
Yolanda nodded. ‘All right, back to work everyone.’ She stood up and the moment of excitement was gone.
Dan walked towards the kitchen.
‘Dan, can I see you for a moment?’ Yolanda said, walking into her office.
Dan stood still, mentally kicking himself. He should have kept his mouth shut.
Yolanda was sitting at her desk when he walked in. ‘Dan, I don’t want you fraternising with the models,’ Yolanda said, sitting back in her chair.
‘Stella told me that you’ve slept with at least two of them. They confide in her, you know.’ Yolanda’s eyes were steely as she spoke.
‘It wasn’t anything serious. They knew that,’ he heard himself justifying.
‘I don’t care if you proposed and they knocked you back. You don’t sleep with the girls on the books.’ Yolanda pushed back her chair and stood up. ‘Lyssa has something special, Dan. She can do anything she wants. I want to get her to Paris after this campaign is shot. She can do runway.’
‘Does she know about your plans for her?’ Dan asked, trying to remember if Lyssa had said anything about Paris.
‘I’ve mentioned it to her, in passing.’
‘And how does she feel about this?’ asked Dan, crossing his arms. ‘She might have her own plans,’ he added, thinking of medical school.
‘She knows I have her best interests at heart. I have big dreams for her.’
‘What about her dreams?’ Dan pushed. ‘You don’t own her.’
‘I understand that, but Lyssa is different to the other girls. It’s not just her look. She has that X factor.’ Yolanda seemed to soften a little as she spoke. ‘She could have it all, Dan. Please don’t hold her back.’
‘I’m not,’ he said defensively. ‘What sort of a person do you think I am, Mum? Christ.’
‘I know who you are, Dan, you and your friends, and Lyssa isn’t like them. One long party isn’t actually a career goal. No girls and no drugs, you hear me?’
Dan nodded.
‘And no dating Lyssa. You wouldn’t be a good influence on her. Got it?’
Dan swallowed, but he nodded again. How could he tell her that Lyssa was changing him? And – more than that – how could he let go of Lyssa now, when he knew he was falling in love with her?