Jessica makes jokes

Turning to look at me then, Jessica offered a friendly smile. “And who’s this a friend of your mums?” she asked, her eyes flicking between me and Tyrone curiously.

I felt a blush stain my cheeks at the attention, but Tyrone didn’t hesitate to introduce me. Sliding an arm around my shoulders, he pulled me close against his side, a look of affection on his face.

“This is Brenda,” he told Jessica, pressing a kiss to my temple. “My girlfriend.”

My blush deepened at the word “girlfriend”, warmth blossoming in my chest. We hadn’t really put a label on what we were doing, and hearing Tyrone refer to me in such a way was enough to have my heart racing.

Jessica let out a low whistle then, a teasing glint in her eye as she looked between us. “Well, well,” she said, a smirk playing at her lips. “Look at you, Tyrone. I didn’t realize you were used to picking up your dates from the old folks home.”

Beside me, Tyrone tensed slightly, and I reached up to place a comforting hand on his chest. But to my surprise, Jessica only laughed, shaking her head with a grin.

“I’m just kidding,” she assured us

As promised, our food arrived quickly. I had opted for the spaghetti, while Tyrone had chosen the fettuccine alfredo. The smell wafting up from both of our plates was heavenly, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

But before I could take my first bite, my phone began to ring. Pulling it out of my purse, my heart sank when I saw that it was Tarquin calling.

I looked up at Tyrone apologetically, feeling guilty for answering the phone on our date. But he only smiled back at me, gesturing for me to go ahead and take the call.

“Hello?” I said, bringing the device to my ear.

Tarquin told me their father had been called into work and I needed to go collect them straight away. My heart sunk.