Chapter 19

‘Hey Marco’
‘Hi Saff, how are you’
‘Great, good to see you again, hey Marco this is my boyfriend Toby.’
‘Hi Toby, nice to meet you.’
‘Hi.’
‘I haven’t seen you at the Hetley for a while now Saff. We had a great party last weekend. It was completely packed. ‘

‘Yeah I know, I've been a little busy with work lately. Let me know when the next one is and I’ll try to make it along.’
‘Of course. How many do you want, two? ‘
‘Thanks.’
Marco slipped his hand down to Saffron’s side and then smiled and walked away.

‘How do you know that guy?’ Toby asked curiously.
‘He’s just one of those people that you know because you’ve seen them around. I used to go clubbing quite a bit before I became all grown up and serious. There is a flat in Brixton where that guy Marco, and a bunch of other guys hang out and sometimes I used to go there.
‘Ah ha’ Toby said grinning. ‘Finally the skeletons come tumbling out.’
‘You haven’t heard anything yet! But the truth is, I haven't been for ages now. I'm a bit over it. I still like to go out for a dance once in a while but, you know, just on special occasions.’
‘What made you change your mind.’
‘I don't know, I guess I starting getting a little bored with the scene. It’s always the same people, the same conversations and my weekends tended to consist of cab rides home at nine or ten in the morning and sleeping all day. I think the real change though was last Christmas.’
‘What happened?’
‘I’ve always really loved Christmas and we’ve always made a big effort on Christmas day with the lunch and all that sort of thing but last Christmas a group of us decided to stay in London instead of going home. There are quite a few people from the group I was hanging out with from overseas like New Zealand and South Africa who can’t always make it home for Christmas so we decided to spend the day all together. It all started off with the best intentions; we started cooking and getting things organized but in the end that never happened and the whole day ended up like some Saturday night. I actually got quite depressed and ended up crying in my room. So after that I decided it was time to do something new.’
‘And then I came along smashing your drink and changed your life for ever’ Toby said with a smile.
‘Ah don't worry about that. I’ll be over you soon as well. You're just a brief fling. I'm just using you.
‘Of course you are. What can I say, I’m a hot piece of meat and you’re not the first, nor will you be the last to feel that way. It's the problem with being born beautiful. People just can't seem to look past the body. Deep down I’m very intelligent and sensitive you know.
‘I’m sure you are’ Saffron said kissing Toby's neck. ‘But who cares about that.’
‘Hey lets move somewhere a little less crowded? Toby said taking Saffron by the hand and steadying his drink in his other.
As they made their way across the dance floor Toby’s progress was blocked by a man who looked out of place and decidedly serious. He put his hand on Toby’s shoulder to stop him as he tried to pass.
‘Where’d you get the pills?’ he said leaning in to Toby’s ear, all the while continuing to block his progress.
‘Sorry mate, you’ll have to ask around.’ Toby tried to move around but he didn’t budge. It was only then that Toby realised that this wasn’t some casual enquiry. The look on the guys face gave that away. Toby stopped, aware that his enquiry wasn’t entirely casual. Looking more closely at the guy standing in front of him, it was clear that although he was dressed for the part in his jeans, t-shirt and trainers, he looked at least ten years too old to be in a club like this.
‘Listen mate, you’ll have to try someone else ok, now let me get past.’ Saffron, still not sure what was going on stood behind him trying to hear what was being said.
‘Listen mate, I’m not pissing around. I’ve been watching this place all night. I saw you and your girlfriend walk in. I saw you walk up to that guy and I saw him reach his hand into his coat pocket and pass your girlfriend the pills.’
‘Good for you’ Toby said, starting to get a little frustrated and still not fully grasping the situation. ‘If so you saw all that, then you shouldn’t have any problem finding some for yourself should you, now get out of my way ok, we’re just trying to go and sit down.’ Toby once again tried to push past and again he was stopped by a hand to his shoulder.
‘Listen. Don’t be an idiot. I’m not going to make a problem out of this but I can certainly call over one of the bouncers if need be.’ Toby became aware of a badge in front of his face, waved long enough to sober his senses before being hidden away again.
‘Jesus, what the hell is this all about?’ Toby said, this time the confidence drained from his body.
‘Good, I’m glad I’ve finally got your attention.
Saffron, by now confused and having missed the majority of what had been said moved forward from behind Toby to his side and leaned in to his ear. ‘What the hell’s going on Tobe.’
‘He’s a cop.’
‘What?!’ Saffron looked at Toby with a look of, is this some kind of a joke? It wasn’t.
‘Keep your voice down mate’ said the balding roadblock who was sweating profusely under the heat of the club. He moved closer to Toby and dropped his voice down to a whisper. Beads of sweat were running down the side of his temple and patches were forming on his poorly chosen light grey t-shirt.
‘Now relax. I’m not interested in you two. I just need you to confirm whether that guy over there sold you pills.’ He nodded his head in the general direction of Marco, who was dancing with a group of others on the other side of the room, about ten meters away.
‘Which guy?’ Saffron said a little too sarcastically, moving closer to Toby’s side so that she could hear what was being said more clearly.
‘Listen love, don't piss about. I saw what happened and I can just as easily reverse my policy and make a nice little example of you two if you want.’
‘If you saw it happen why the hell are you asking me?’
‘Yes or no will be sufficient. And just think about how you want tonight to end.’
Saffron hesitated, looking across at Toby and then over at Marco who was dancing blissfully unaware of what was happening ten metres away. She wasn’t particularly close to Marco. In fact she had only really met him a few times before she stopped going to the Hetley all together. Once she had decided to take a break from the scene she found it impossible to see some of the friends she had been spending almost every weekend of the past year with. One way or another a night with them always ended up the same way. It didn’t matter if they went out or stayed at home, someone would turn up with a bag full of pills or two or three grams of coke and that was it. She didn’t need that temptation. When she had first stopped going out she had tried to contact some of her better friends to try to meet them in different situations where they could just talk, have a coffee or some lunch or something a little different. But the first time she did this all her friends talked about was the last party the went to, how wasted they got and when would she come round next. In the end it had just been easier to completely cut herself off from the group. At least for the time being.
‘Listen. When I say we don't care about who's taking, we don't care up to a point. I'm really not in the mood for games. I’ve asked you a very simple question and all you need to do is answer it and then you and lover boy here can go back to whatever it was that you were doing.’
‘Fine yes it was him’ said Saffron. Can we go now.
‘Of course you can. Now that wasn’t so hard was it.
‘Saffron grabbed Toby by the arm and pushed her way across the dance floor towards the exit.’Let's get out of here’.

They raced out past the bouncer as quickly as they could without running and in to the street. Both their hearts were pounding and they kept walking, as quickly as possible until they were well away from the club.
‘Jesus ‘ Toby said trying to keep up with Saffron who was practically running. The last thing she wanted was to be pointed out as having landed Marco in the shit. ‘I nearly shat myself when I saw his badge! I’m really sorry I should have handled that all myself. Fuck.’
‘God don’t worry about that. He was talking to both of us. Shit, poor Marco’. Saffron slowed her pace a little as they reached Acre lane and looked over her shoulder before turning towards Toby.
‘Christ he’s a bloody idiot. Did you see how casually he was walking around the club? He has absolutely no idea. Jesus I’m shaking, there’s a bar just down here. I need a drink.’

Toby followed Saffron into a dark bar below the railway bridge which was practically empty but open.
‘Grab a seat’ Toby said, feeling equally nervous but trying his best to appear calm. ‘I’ll get us a drink’.

‘God my heart is bloody racing, Toby said setting two strong Gin n tonics down in front of Saffron. ‘These should help the old nerves.
‘C’mon, you love the danger don’t you?’ Saffron said winking, trying to lighten both their moods and taking a long sip from her straw. ‘I think we’ll have to leave the dancing for another night don’t you? I’m feeling too rattled.’
‘Of course. At the moment I’m feeling lucky just not to be in the slammer.’ Toby put his arm around Saffron who leaned in against him. The bar was mixed with tables of diners and drinkers and the music was low enough to help settle their nerves. ‘Besides, this is far more exciting than my usual nights in alone weeping into my pillow.’
For a while Saffron sat there leaning into Toby’s shoulder. Saying nothing. Safffe with his arm around her. Six months ago she had been such a part of Marco’s world. Endlessly living for the weekend, pills, coke, ketamine, whatever was going. But now, sitting with Toby wrapped around her she felt utterly detached from that past. She had thought she would miss it but she didn’t. Not now. Now things were different. She had started that different life with Toby. The Toby who was content to sit there, saying nothing, rubbing her hair softly. He wasn’t the kind of guy she could have been with six months ago. He wasn’t the kind of guy she could have imagined ever meeting or being with. But that was serendipity. She met him at the right time and now he felt like the perfect guy for her. She didn’t want to be anywhere else. She was in love with Toby. Trying not to move, she reached for her glass and took another sip.