Drinks flowed, songs were sung, the table next to us ended up unofficially joining our party, then we merged with the one next, joining forces against those opposite as we got sucked into a good-natured karaoke sing-off. Elaine talked Ryan into accompanying her for a terrible rendition of “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights,” then some bastard put me down for “Love Shack,” and when the emcee wouldn’t let me out of it, I insisted Ryan join me on the mic. By the time the bell rang for last orders, my cheeks were aching from laughing, and I was more than a little tipsy. “Good luck getting this one home,” Ryan said to Magnus as we rose to leave. “I am not drunk!” I protested. “Seriously.” I turned to Magnus. “The walk to the tube station will sober me up.” “I’m not worried,” Magnus said, holding my jacket for me to slip on. We parted from the others at the corner of the street. Ryan and Sameer only lived a couple of roads away, and Sameer had offered Elaine and Mark a lift home.
