Ana drummed her fingers on the table as Johnny’s phone rang out. Again. She’d been trying to call him for the last three days, but he wasn’t returning any of her messages. She was used to him being aloof, but seriously, this was getting ridiculous. She sat at the kitchen bench, wondering what to do, and listening to the rain gently patter on the roof. She was hoping to get all her closest friends together for dinner this evening to tell them her and Tom’s exciting news that the wedding was back on and to give them all the invitations that Tom had got printed earlier in the week. It was just going to be a small wedding – their closest friends and family – but she still wanted a bit of pomp and ceremony. After all, she was only going to get married once.

Ana heard the front door open and Mia wandered into the kitchen.

“Mia, can you do me a massive favour?”

Mia nodded. “Sure.”

“I think that Johnny is mad with me about something and I need to get in touch with him,” she sighed. “I have no idea what I did, but he’s not answering his phone. Will you call him from your mobile and see if he picks up?”

Mia hesitated. “What do you need to speak to him about?”

“Tonight. He’s supposed to be coming over for dinner, but he doesn’t know it yet because I can’t get through to him.”

Mia groaned inwardly. She had forgotten about dinner this evening and that she would have to potentially be in the same room as Johnny again. From past experience, she knew that did not bode well for a good night.

“He’s probably busy,” she said wandering to the fridge and staring in, more for something to do than the fact she was hungry.

“I know, but I just want to try once more.” She put on her best puppy-dog eyes. “Please Mia?”

The last person Mia wanted to speak to was Johnny, but if she didn’t Ana might think something was up and then she would, literally, never hear the end of it.

“OK, fine,” she said, not even trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She dialled his number from her mobile and willed him to not pick up.

Johnny answered on the second ring.

“Mia?”

“Hi Johnny. I have…”

He cut her off. “I’ve been trying to call you for weeks.”

Mia glanced at Ana who was looking at her expectantly.

“Um, yes, it’s been a very frantic couple of weeks, hasn’t it?”

“Not really,” he said, his voice deadpan.

“Tell him about tonight,” Ana hissed to her.

“We, I mean Ana, would like to invite you over for dinner tonight.”

“You want me to come over tonight?”

“Ana does,” Mia said between clenched teeth.

Johnny hesitated. “I’m not coming if you don’t want me there.”

“No, Ana’s having a dinner party.”

“But you don’t want me there?” He sounded genuinely hurt.

“No, you should come.”

Ana was straining to hear parts of the conversation.

“It would mean a lot to, err, Ana,” she said finally.

“Ask him if he’s mad with me?” Ana whispered again.

Mia rolled her eyes. “Are you mad with Ana?”

“Why would I be mad with Ana?”

“She thinks that you’re mad with her because you haven’t answered her calls.”

“Oh right.” She could hear him sigh loudly. “I just assumed that you’d told them about, you know, what happened and that she was trying to call me to yell at me or something.”

“No, not at all,” said Mia brightly. “She’s very much looking forward to seeing you tonight.”

Johnny paused, all kinds of things suddenly falling into place.

“She’s standing right there, isn’t she?”

“Err, absolutely. See you tonight!”

Ana jumped up and clapped her hands together. “He’s coming?”

Mia nodded.

“Oh goody. This is going to be fun.”

Mia wasn’t entirely sure if fun was the right word, but she managed a wan smile before disappearing upstairs.

***

Hours later, the five friends were sitting contentedly around the table. Ana and Tom had put together a delicious meal for them. Mia snuck a look over at Johnny, marvelling at just how gorgeous he looked. Even though she’d abstained from wine, remembering what happened whenever she drank around him, she couldn’t help feeling weak at the knees and wobbly in her tummy just from looking at him. Why oh why did he have to look so good every time she saw him? He caught her eye and held her gaze until she blushed and looked away.

Ana stood up and gently tapped her fork against her wine glass.

“Ahem. We have an announcement to make.”

Tom reached into his jacket pocket and took out three envelopes, handing one to each of them.

“We’d like to invite you to our wedding,” she said.

Tom stood up and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently on the cheek. Everyone cheered and opened their envelopes, making the appropriate noises of appreciation at the delicate craftsmanship of the invites.

“You can all bring dates if you want,” Tom said, grinning around the table.

“I might just do that,” Johnny said, laughing.

“Ooh, someone in particular? Do you have a girlfriend?” Willow teased.

“Well, I do have someone in mind as a matter of fact, but I’m not sure if she’ll go with me.”

“Who could resist you?” Willow said, jumping up and pinching his cheeks.

He laughed and batted her hands away. “Well, she’s done a good job of it so far.”

Mia hoped that no one else noticed that he looked pointedly at her when he said this.

“Rubbish,” called out Ana, topping up her glass. “I’ve never known a single girl to say no to you Johnny.”

“Yeah, literally!” called out Willow, holding out her glass for a refill too. It had become a ritual for the two of them to gently rib Johnny about his colourful love life. “And he never says no back, do you?”

Only Tom noticed that Mia and Johnny didn’t find this in the least bit amusing.

***

Mia stomped upstairs leaving the others to clean up. She knew that she was being unreasonably petulant, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to know about Johnny’s sordid love life. If she was truthful to herself, she just wanted him to want her, but that was never going to happen. Not really anyway. Sure, he thought he fancied her now, but no doubt he’d get sick of her in no time at all when he realised that she wasn’t like the other girls he dated. She just felt so… dull compared to the other women she’d seen him with.

“I’m boring,” she sighed, flopping on her bed.

She looked at the framed photo of her last trip overseas to visit her family, wishing that she could have even a little taste of the humidity, warmth and holiday feeling to take her mind off Johnny.

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. Why couldn’t she? She was owed a few weeks holiday and what better time to escape than during the middle of Melbourne winter?

Fifteen minutes later she was booked to fly to Thailand the following Thursday for two weeks. She smiled to herself as she lay back on the bed. Boring people don’t just book themselves trips overseas on a whim. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.