One-night StandEmily and Dylan were enjoying a Saturday night drink at the Twickenham Arms, just embracing the peace and quiet before her parents arrived on Sunday evening. The pub was deliciously warm and welcoming and softly lit with orange and yellow glass lanterns. The gold tinsel strands on a huge Christmas tree were quivering in a faint draught by the door. Emily had a joint of beef marinating in the fridge back at her flat, and Jake’s house was ready with the guest room all made up and stocked with a basket of new towels. ‘Maybe I should stop drinking in a bit. All the cooking tomorrow will be a nightmare if I’ve got a belting hangover. I want to make tomorrow a nice day for Mum and Dad; it’s the first time in years that they’ve been so excited about anything. I really hope they enjoy living in Jake’s house.’ ‘Relax, babe, you’ve thought of everything,’ Dylan said, his arm draped casually around Emily’s shoulders.‘Did you just call me babe?’ she laughed.‘Is that okay?’‘Yes, it’s really nice,’ she smiled.‘I’m looking forward to the dinner tomorrow,’ he said then.
