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She hugged Alex tightly. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be writing up a storm in New York City by now.”
“It’s a long story. I have so much to tell you! It’s been what? Two years since we were in touch?”
“I know. We have to do a proper catch up. I’ll be finished here in about forty minutes if you want to hang around?”
Alex nodded. “Sure. I’ll eat and wait for you to finish.”
Lucy gave Alex a thumbs-up and disappeared into the back room with the damaged sandwiches. Alex bundled an egg mayo sandwich, a Coke, and a bag of sea salt crisps into her arms and skipped over to Olivia standing beside the baskets of fresh apples and bananas.
“That’s my friend, Lucy. She works here. Can you believe it?”
The two of them placed their food choices on the shiny metal counter in front of the cash register. “She was one of my best online friends. We lost touch about two years ago. I can’t believe she’s here…and I’m here. It’s crazy.” She pointed at the hodge-podge of healthy and unhealthy choices. “Let me get this.”
Olivia slid her salmon, prawn, and crab sushi, and a bottle of coconut water in front of Alex. “It’s crazy all right.” She looked at her watch and crossed her arms. “This place is filling up. I’ll grab a table over there.”
Alex pulled a twenty-pound note from her wallet. “Okay, cool.” Once her body-conscious flatmate turned her back, Alex waved a chocolate brownie bar at the employee and then tossed it into her bag.
• • •
Olivia wrinkled her nose. “This Lucy person. She’s someone you found online? But you’ve never actually met in person before today?”
Alex knocked back a swig of her cola. “Yep. We met on Twitter about four years ago. We’d chat about Doctor Who, Sherlock, comic cons, books…all sorts of fandom stuff. We moved over to Facebook and email. We Skyped a lot, too. The more we chatted, the more we realized we had in common. I probably shared more with Lucy than anyone else.” She peered inside her egg mayo sandwich, curling her lip. That crinkly leaf of arugula had to go.
“Isn’t that a bit weird, though?” Olivia narrowed her eyes and sipped her coconut water. “How can you really know someone online?”
Alex nibbled her sandwich. “I think online friends often know you best.”
She offered her crisps to Olivia, who instinctively shook her head no. “I’ve spent so much time online discussing things that matter to me, what touches my heart. Sometimes the people dearest to you aren’t the ones you see every day. Sometimes your besties are at the end of an Internet connection, smiling in solidarity over a new film trailer or geeky t-shirt design.”
Alex glanced over Olivia’s shoulder and grinned, spotting her old friend laughing with a customer near the apples. “I’ve never had to explain myself to Lucy. She just gets it. She gets how you can love something or someone so much it physically hurts. We have fangirl shorthand.”
“Fangirl? Like One Direction fans…aren’t you a bit old for that?”
Alex stifled a laugh. “Fangirls span all ages. Sure, there’s the boy band type—all teenage hormones and squeeing—I’ve been there, but the older you get, it changes. We don’t scream or stalk, but we still have a blast as fans. A new film clip, meme or collectable can make my day. I think people who aren’t fans don’t get that. But the coolest thing about fandom is the friendships made along the way with people who share your passions.”
Olivia swallowed a bite of sushi. “I’ve always had plenty of real friends, so I’ve never had to search for kindred spirits elsewhere. I suppose if you’re feeling like an outsider or have unique interests, the Internet can help you connect with like-minded individuals.”
“Exactly. We’ve always wanted to meet. We just didn’t have the means.”
Alex loved talking about Lucy but could sense she was losing her audience. “Those playwriting programs you mentioned before, how do they work? I need to hit the ground running. A year will fly by quickly, so every day needs to count.”
The brunette nodded. “I’ll email you the details. There’s a website that lists a lot of the programs and workshops available. And if you ever want another pair of eyes to look over your work in progress, just let me know.”
Alex’s jaw dropped. “Would you? Olivia, that would be fantastic. If you could give my suffragette play a read through, I’d really value your opinion.”
“Happy to.” Olivia crumpled up her napkin and stuffed it inside her empty sushi container. “I might have some time later before Harry and I go out—”
“That would be fab.” Alex added her empty sandwich box to the pile of trash on their silver tray. “There’s a hard copy sitting on top of my laptop bag. The cover is marked with date stamps and professor’s comments. You can’t miss it. I’ll be busy with Lucy for a few hours, so you won’t have me snooping over your shoulder.”
“And on that note, I’ll leave you to it.” Olivia held the hem of her dress and pivoted gracefully off her chair. “Check Facebook. I sent you a friend request.” She gathered her shopping bags. “Your Wonder Woman profile photo threw me; I had to stare at it to make sure it was really you. I’ll see you back at the flat tonight.”
“Absolutely. And…thanks for today, Olivia.”
Without a second thought, Alex opened her Facebook app and accepted the request.
Seven
At six o’clock, the Pret staff began to pack away the day’s remaining sandwiches, cookies, and salads, destined for their charitable program that feeds London’s hungry and homeless. Lucy sauntered out from behind the counter, stuffing her hat, and white and burgundy Pret shirt into her beat-up satchel. Her wild curls skimmed her shoulders, and her eyes—always smiling, even when her mouth wasn’t—danced when she said goodbye to her coworkers. Alex wasn’t surprised that Lucy’s off-duty wardrobe consisted of faded jeans and an Iron Man t-shirt. Some things never change.
