I’m still waiting, I’m just a fool, I’m just a fool in love with you, then one day he came, he told me that he loved me, I put him off with lies, I had to face the truth I was still in love with you.

“I really like you and everything, but”, he said gazing down into her raindrop eyes.

“But what”, she groaned her speech slightly slurred by the amount of alcohol rushing through her bloodstream.

“Where’s the Jack Daniels”, a voice screamed around the couple in the corner of the living room.

“Kitchen”, a deep voice replied sloshing around the alcohol-covered carpet.

“Tom’s in so much trouble” she said looking up at the mass of curls above her.

“Yeh, I know, but listen, I have to tell you, its not you, I’m, look it’s that, I’m still hung up on Annabelle” he said looking away from the girl he held in his arms.

“Annabelle, ha, what’s she got that I haven’t”, the girl asked.

“Nothing, you know what it’s like, I just love her” he said running his hands up the girls back, she retaliated by running her fingers through those ebony curls, she had longed to touch so many times before.

“Are you ok with that Doll?” he asked looking at her his gaze sturdy for the first time that night.

The girl nodded, “OK that’s fine, don’t worry about it”.

Those final words haunted Dolly they danced about her ears as she took a sip of coffee, the café Lilac, one of the town’s hot spots was filling up quickly with shoppers and lunch time revellers, why had she accepted this meeting, it was with someone she hadn’t seen properly for seven years, it was out of the blue he had called her, he said he wanted to meet up and talk to her, she was his last hope for help,

Dolly’s brighter side of her personality told her there was nothing to worry about, she had a man in her life, Neil was better than she could have hoped for, an architect, Neil was bright, articulate and above all had a heart of pure crystal, so why had she accepted this lunch date, as it could be referenced in the archives, curiosity mostly, why had Jack Boston decided one day he wanted a date with Dolly Seville, the answer was completely beyond her comprehension.

The conversation between her and Jack seven years ago floated back into her head.

“I am sorry Dolly, you do know that, are you mad, I’m so sorry Dolly” Jack had begged the two days after the drunken conversation.

Dolly unable to see such a good friend in a bad state over her, replied that she hadn’t been mad, and he didn’t have to be sorry he still loved Annabelle, although as Dolly recollected, he hadn’t seen Annabelle in over six months at that point.

However unlike Jack, Dolly had frequent contact with Annabelle Jessop, Annabelle had left college that year before turning eighteen to move on with her life in a different college environment away from her friends and more importantly her jealous enemies.

Over the years the two friends had remained close, now at twenty-five neither of them felt their friendship wavering. Those who favoured Annabelle had soon got over the Italian beauty, everyone it seemed but Jack, so what had caused this change of heart to want to see a girl, a friend he had rejected for a phantom crush seven years before hand.

“Dolly Seville please, I’m meeting her for lunch” a deep voice said from by the maitrde’s counter, it was now considered trendy to be led to a table by a waiter, Dolly remembered when you could just walk into a café, sit down, and then go and fetch your coffee yourself, everyone was so fond of waiter service these days it had become unavoidable and inevitably more expensive.

Dolly looked up from her cup of sweet coffee and surveyed her dinner guest, Jack Boston, still as tall as she remembered him, the curls she had once run her excited fingers through, still in place tied in a neat little ponytail at the back of his head, the same beard, but trimmed, goatee style, and instead of the silly slogan t-shirts she could remember Jack wearing as a student, he was sporting a neatly fitted charcoal grey suit and perfectly coordinated tie, something had changed in Jack, and it certainly had affected his fashion sense.

Dolly glanced down at her simple black jeans, boots and slim fitting black top, and felt strangely underdressed in comparison, what Job did Jack do that required him to dress like a respectable business man, being a journalist and part time writer meant that Dolly didn’t have to constantly dress up except when meeting the odd important person in bars, such as local Mps and executives, her job required an open mind a piece of paper and a pen, and Dolly had this in abundance.

Dolly dropped her head as she saw the waiter nod and began to lead Jack to her table, let him speak first she thought,

“Dolly”, wincing at the sound of her own name said by this man Dolly looked up and into those brown eyes, flash backs, followed by conversations flew through her mind.

“Jack”, She smiled putting on her journalists voice used for interviewing the most difficult of clients. “How are you?”

Annabelle Jessop surveyed her gallery from the top of her marble staircase, her final painting had been hung in place in time for the opening night, the champagne was set, the lights prepared, the music finalized, tonight Annabelle would make her dream complete and she would be doing it alone. From being a small girl the part Italian Annabelle had been a painter, from her first copy of Van Gogh’s sun flowers to her replica of Dali’s persistence of time Annabelle had grown as an artist and as a person, her dream when she left college at eighteen had been to open her own gallery and now, here she was on the day of her opening, alone, she had anticipated everything, the entire gallery was to covered in sunflowers in remembrance of her first painting which still hung on her parents fridge twenty three years after it was painted.

She had personally organized the guest list, from her closest friends and family to the most prestigious art critics in the business, the only thing she hadn’t anticipated was Pod.

Pod had been Annabelle’s boyfriend for the past years of her life, his real name was Jason, she had met him at the opening of the Egyptian collection at the Tate Gallery and the two had fell in love, Pod loved Annabelle like nobody had ever loved her before, the two had been inseparable for the short time they had spent together, nothing had, had the power to separate the two except the cancer, Pod was hit by Liver cancer at the tender age of twenty six, Annabelle had stayed with Pod until the final hours of his life, and his time in the open air, now the tribute to Pod hung in optimum place in her marble styled gallery, Pod’s picture was a series of emotions rather than a portrait, Annabelle had thousands of photographs but none showed her emotions she felt towards Pod like the swirling mass of colour which hung above her main gallery staircase.

“Pod”, she said aloud turning to look a the picture, she never knew why he was known as Pod, every time anyone asked, no one knew where the nickname had come from, like the painting the name Pod meant something different to each and every set of eyes which gazed upon its beauty in paint and name.

“I’ll drink a glass of champagne for you tonight, it’ll be or celebration, you’d be proud of me Pod, I’ve done it, from now on, I think I’m going to be ok as long as you hang above my staircase”, Annabelle let a tear trickle slowly down her face as she turned away from the painting and headed down the stairs ready to relax with a drink as the run up to the evening began to unfold before her.

“He wanted you to do what?” Neil Atkins asked his laugh radiating across the sheets he was shaking onto the cream bed.

“Exactly that” Dolly replied completely seriously as she clipped an earring into her ear, smoothing her dress as she sat at the couples dressing table.

“Annabelle still Annabelle” Neil asked in disbelief shaking his head “Seven years and he still wants Annabelle”.

“Annabelle”, Dolly continued brushing her cheeks with a makeup brush.

“And you’re seriously going to take this guy to La Galerie de Marbre tonight with you, and let him terrorize poor Annabelle” Neil said smoothing the pillows on the bed.

“Hey he’s an MP not a terrorist,” Dolly said.

“Same thing in my book” Neil grunted coming to stand by Dolly.

“A whip, and besides she knew him in school, like me” Dolly replied glancing at her boyfriend in the mirror.

“And I seem to remember she wasn’t interested then, so what’s changed” Neil asked stroking Dolly’s neck.

“Oh I don’t know I just, I guess I felt sorry for the guy” Dolly said quietly.

“Madness” Neil said, “Remember I’ll be here when you get back, so we can laugh at this whole farcical situation you have gotten yourself into”.

“Hmm”, Dolly mumbled thinking back to café Lilac.

Jack Boston had dropped himself in front of Dolly in an awkward manner, almost nervous, Dolly herself was as anxious to meet an old friend but she was used to these situations.

“Jack how are you”, Dolly said offering a kind smile.

“Very well Dolly, how are you”, Jack replied fidgeting with his hands, this was a new experience, Jack usually was nervous in any situation he encountered.

“Good yeh good, so how have you been, where have you been, I mean seven years is a long time, you could globe trot in that time” Dolly laughed attempting to make a joke to break the tense atmosphere felt between the two.

“Well, I’m not married or even with someone, that’s the interesting bit, just like in the films, everyone answers that question in that way”, Jack laughed, Dolly smiled, still single just how she remembered him. “I’m currently working for the poison dwarfs, i.e. the labour party” Dolly’s eyes opened in surprise.

“The labour party” she repeated.

“Yep, one of their whips, anything to get on the benches, fight the good cause, you know” Jack said smoothing his hair.

Jack at eighteen floated back into Dolly’s mind, a political mind then, still a political mind seven years down the line.

“And you, you don’t have to tell me, Cosmopolitans favourite Life coach, and part time author, I’ll have to say, you did well to get those confusing mass of words published you wrote in school”, Jack laughed reaching into his bag as he spoke.

“Hey they weren’t confusing, you just weren’t paying attention, not my fault” Dolly retorted.

“Yeh, I know that’s why I bought it to read properly”, Jack said dropping a familiar cover in front of Dolly along with a pen.

“Have I made a spelling mistake” Dolly smiled picking up the pen and book.

“Go on sign, how often do I get to see you”, Jack said urging her hand towards the book.

“How did you find me Jack, London’s a big place, as you and I both know” Dolly said as casually as possible whilst she scribbled a message in Jacks copy of La Belle.

“Cosmopolitan uk of course” Jack laughed going red.

“Avid Cosmo reader are we, Jack Boston I never, you wouldn’t have entertained that seven years ago” Dolly teased.

“No it wasn’t mine, I mean my secretary she had it” Jack stammered.

“Now now Jack”, Dolly said pushing his book across the table, “we have a very large men’s section, you shouldn’t be ashamed of reading a magazine that I write in” Dolly teased.

“No I’m not,” Jack said awkwardly.

“Good”, Dolly laughed, then her face became serious “look Jack in all honesty what are you doing here, you didn’t just look me up for an autograph and a bit of banter, tell me what brought you here today” Dolly asked.

“I read your latest article”, Jack started slowly, “About achieving your dreams, you writing, Melissa’s fashion business and”.

Dolly now knew what was coming, she had written that article when she had heard about La Galerie de Marbre.

“And Annabelle’s gallery, La Galerie de Marbre the opening’s tonight” Dolly finished for him, Jack’s eyes returned to the pine tabletop.

“What’s this about Jack?” Dolly said quietly, Jack didn’t raise his head; instead he spoke to the wood, which held his hands.

“Annabelle, I’m still in love with Annabelle, help me Dolly, I didn’t know who to turn to, when I saw your article about her, the loss of her boyfriend, her gallery, I saw my opportunity, I took it, please you’re the last person I know who has contact with her and is kind enough to help” Jack said blurting out the sentence ashamed of the words pouring from his lips.

Dolly stared at Jack, this was the last thing she had expected, but it was also the thing she had most counted upon, she had, had massive return on the article, letters phone calls, people wanting to achieve their dreams too, some just wanting a ticket to London’s newest art gallery, but Jack appeared to be the only one who wanted a ticket to Annabelle’s heart.