‘I thought you told me they’d be fun,’ said Will to Helena.

‘Will!  Don’t be rude, I’m sure they are!’ she said and winked at Alexa.

‘Well real students don’t have fun at the theatre!  Tell me some wild stories.’

Alexa smiled and felt her cheeks flush.  ‘I have a silver pole in my apartment that Rachel bought for my birthday, how about that?!’

‘Now that’s the of kind of conversation I’m looking for!’ said Will.

Rachel laughed flirtatiously and Alexa caught Helena’s eye, who rolled her eyes at her.

‘So when you’re not working and you’re not pole dancing what do you do then?’ asked Helena to Alexa as Rachel and Will flirted back and forth for a few moments.

Alexa shrugged.  ‘Why when anyone asks that kind of question does your whole life seem somehow inadequate?’

‘You’re right, that is a really awful question,’ said Helena and laughed liking this girl more by the minute.

‘No it’s ok I just don’t do anything exciting.  I like art.  Rachel and I both go to a drawing class and I like music, collecting it from all sorts of different genres, I sort of keep a soundtrack to my life.  I like to get out into the Peak District, walk, see how small the world looks from the top of a mountain.’ Alexa sipped her wine and thought for a second.  ‘I like to swim, not in the chlorine filled pool at the gym but in any sea, anywhere, anytime.  I like road trips, just to get in a car and drive, never knowing quite where you’re going to end up….and amateur astronomy, I’m a constellation nerd.’

Helena liked the way Alexa spoke, the way she was, natural, interesting, honest.

‘So tell me about you,’ replied Alexa.  ‘What are your interests?’

‘My cousin has two passions, fine wine and fine women, right Hel?’ said Will downing another whisky.  Rachel and Alexa looked at each other wondering if they’d heard right.

‘Ignore my cousin, as you can see two whiskeys and he becomes an asshole.’

‘Oh please were all adults here.  Don’t worry! This isn’t a Baptist church meeting for god’s sake!’

‘Excuse me a second,’ said Helena tersely.

‘Forgive Helena she has a tendency to be uptight, it’s been a while since she scored.  You don’t know of any young lezzies you could swing her way do you?’