The Wedding Day Part 16

It felt good to make an effort, more for herself than for anyone else. She hadn't had an opportunity to get dressed up for ages and she was looking forward to going out on the town with her new friends.

"Oh, that's ok. Sarah likes to get dressed up when she goes out too. I thought you had a hot date that you weren't telling me about."

"What makes you say that?" Nicole asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You've been acting differently lately, almost like you have a secret or something. You keep staring off into the distance and you just seem distracted, like there's something playing on your mind."

"I'm thinking about work, that's all really. I desperately want our wedding planning business to work. I'm having so much fun working with you, sis."

"Me too," Evette grinned.

"It's a shame you're not coming out with us tonight," Nicole said.

"I know, but I can feel a ma.s.sive migraine starting and I'm better off staying at home, relaxing. Alcohol and loud music will definitely aggravate my head. Hopefully if I take it easy tonight I'll be able to ward off a full-blown migraine."

"I hope so, sis," Nicole sympathised. "Have you got enough painkillers?"

"I've bought up half the chemist," Evette laughed.

"Call me if you need anything, ok?"

"Ok, ok. Stop fussing. Your taxi just buzzed outside. I'll be fine. Go and enjoy yourself."

Evette shooed her sister out the door.

Nicole felt nervous. She had excited b.u.t.terflies in her stomach, but she didn't understand why. Sarah had called her the previous evening to see if she'd like to go out on the town and Nicole had been looking forward to it all day.

She'd spent hours trying on different outfits and deciding what to wear. It was the first time in a very long time that she'd really wanted to make an effort with her appearance, more for herself than for anyone else.

None of her clothes really fit her properly anymore as she'd lost a stone in weight since the fiasco that was supposed to be her wedding day.

One of the positives of being jilted at the altar, she thought ruefully to herself.

She'd been thrilled to discover the black sparkly mini-dress in Topshop which she'd immediately pounced on.

Sarah waved when she saw Nicole approaching the taxi. Ben jumped out of the pa.s.senger seat and gallantly opened the car door for her.

"You look beautiful," he smiled.

Nicole blushed under his appreciative gaze.

"Thanks."

"Where's Ev?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, she has a migraine coming on, so she thought it wise to have an early night."

"Lightweight," Sarah grinned.

"So where are we off to tonight?" Nicole asked.

"I'd like to start with a few drinks at O' Carolan's and then head on to Cupid's nightclub later."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"It's ladies night at Cupid's so you two lovelies will get in for free," Ben said over his shoulder.

"High five!" Sarah raised her hand to Nicole's and they both laughed. Nicole could feel that it was going to be a good night.

"How long have you two been friends?" Nicole asked as she took a sip of her wine.

Sarah's expression changed for just a moment, but not without Nicole noticing.

"Too long," she laughed.

"Not long enough," Ben chimed in.

"Creep."

"Have you ever been more than just friends?" Nicole continued her line of questioning.

Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Well, we had a moment a few years ago," Ben answered easily.

"A very brief moment," Sarah agreed, a little too forcefully.

"Do you think that men and women can ever just be friends?" Nicole asked.

"Ben and I are just friends now," Sarah replied. "I guess we are proof that it is possible."

"It's possible once you get the s.e.x issue out of the way," Ben said.

Nicole almost choked on her wine.

"That's a bit blunt, even by my standards, Ben," Sarah chuckled.

"You know what I mean," Ben replied, rolling his eyes. "It's natural that men and women will check each other out when they first meet, especially if there's an attraction or chemistry between them. Sometimes there is an attraction but there are times when a man and woman simply want a platonic relationship with each other.

Some of my closest friends are women and I haven't slept with them. It's interesting when you consider the fact that I'm not in contact with any of my ex-girlfriends. I love my female friends. I have more girl- friends than male friends actually. It can be a little tricky at first but once you've reached an understanding about your relationship then there can be great benefits from cross-s.e.x friendships."

"I suppose you mean friends with benefits?" Nicole teased.

The wine had gone to her head quite quickly and she was beginning to feel giddy. Sarah gave her a stern look.

"It can be irritating at times. Some people simply will not accept the fact that a male-female friendship is possible. Ben came to my Christmas party one year and my colleagues refused to believe that we were just friends. They teased me all night about him. Ben and I were the main topic of conversation at the party. People were nudging each other and winking at us all night. My boss even asked me if I was lesbian!"

Ben exploded into loud laughter. "I never knew! Why do people have to be so sceptical?"

"Oh, you know what most people are like; anything or anyone out of the so-called norm is just socially unacceptable and completely beyond their comprehension," Sarah said disparagingly.

"Are you a lesbian?" Ben teased.

Nicole collapsed into helpless giggles and Sarah punched him playfully on the arm.

"Yes, I'm a lesbian," she said.

Ben's face lit up.

"I hope you enjoy lots of fantasies about that one. I'm going outside for a cigarette."

"You can't handle the conversation, eh Sarah?"

"Whatever!" she brushed past him and headed towards the smoking area.

"What do you think, Nicole, can men and women be friends?"

A tingle ran up Nicole's spine as he glanced thoughtfully at her. She recalled the pa.s.sionate kiss they'd shared and wondered what it would be like to kiss him again and feel his hands on her body.

What would it be like to sleep with him? She'd only ever slept with one man and that was Paul. She suddenly remembered Paul and blinked to get the image of Ben kissing her out of her head. She took a long, slow sip of her wine before finally answering Ben's question.

"We're friends, aren't we?" she retorted.

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"What if I'd like to be more than just friends with you?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Paul and I are going to try to work it out."

"Pity, he's a lucky man."

Ben looked momentarily disappointed at her announcement.

"Have you ever had a male friend before?" he asked, quickly regaining his composure.

Nicole squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.

"Before what?"

"Before me, of course."

"Are you and I friends?" she asked flirtatiously, suddenly deciding to change her att.i.tude towards him.

"I'd like to think so."

"Well, no, I haven't, you would be my first, actually." She eyes him over the rim of her gla.s.s.

"Why do you think you've never had a male friend before me?"

"I don't know. Paul was my best friend and I had a few close female friends. I never consciously decided not to have male friends, it just never really happened."

"What about your male colleagues at work and when you socialised? Did you honestly never have an opportunity to become friends with any of them?"

"Like I said, it just didn't happen."

She was getting tired of his game.

"Did you have any male friends at school?" Ben continued his line of questioning.

Nicole was beginning to feel as if she was being interrogated.

"I went to an all- girls Catholic school until I was eighteen years old, so I didn't have many opportunities to meet boys for friendship or otherwise."

"Wow," Ben gasped, in mock horror.

"I didn't know any boys until I went to university. I suppose Paul was my first male friend and eventually we became more than friends."

"I wonder why you couldn't have stayed friends and nothing more?" Ben mused.

"There was a strong physical attraction between us," Nicole explained. "I guess our relationship developed from there."

"It's funny how society has become so ingrained in the philosophy that a romantic relationship is the prototypical male-female relationship."

"It's inevitable," Nicole said. "After all, romantic relationships are what keep the life cycle going. We can't fight Mother Nature."

"I dunno, it irritates me that male-female friendships have been trivialised or ignored. I think we have so much to learn from each other."

"Like what?" "I have male and female friends and I have to admit that I'd rate my female friendships much higher in overall quality and enjoyment. I like the way I can talk and relate to a woman, something which is difficult to do with another guy."

"I love my male friends," Sarah interrupted.

She'd suddenly reappeared with a fresh round of drinks for them and had just caught Ben's last sentence. "All the sharing and discussing that I do with my female friends can be exhausting at times. It's much easier to joke and banter with my male friends without all the emotional baggage.

My friendships with the men in my life are lighter and generally more fun. I suppose because men aren't so sensitive about everything. Men tend to take my natural bluntness in their stride whereas women get offended quite easily by me.

Ben is like a big brother to me now. It's cute how protective he is of me but one of the best things is that I have an insight into how men truly think."

"I never thought about that aspect," Nicole's eyes opened wide. "Paul used to do things that I couldn't fathom at times and I know he felt the same way about me too. It's like we were from a different planet and couldn't understand each other. Sometimes I wondered if we needed a translator to communicate."

"Men are from Mars and women are from Venus," Ben sang. "Have you not read the book?"

"No," Nicole looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Have you?"

"I've read it cover to cover. It explains a lot. I'll lend you my copy next time we meet."

"Thanks, I might have to take you up on your offer." Nicole took a long sip of her wine in an effort to hide the giggles that threatened to erupt at any minute. She didn't know if Ben was being serious or not.