Free Ghost in the Machine by Ed James Page B

friendly.
    "Katie." Cullen looked at the barmaid, willing her to hurry up getting his drinks.
    Katie moved over beside him. "We've just got here," she said, struggling to be heard over the music. "I can't see Becky anywhere. Do you know where she is?"
    "They were over on the dance floor."
    "It's nice to see you, Scott."
    Cullen just shrugged.
    "I like your t-shirt." She ran her hand through her hair, seeming nervous.
    He looked away.
    She came right up to him and spoke into his ear. "Look, Scott, there's no need to be so hostile, okay?"
    "Yeah, whatever."
    The barmaid handed him his drink in a plastic cup, and a bottle of water. By the time he'd paid, Katie was getting served.
    As Cullen moved away from the bar, Katie turned and looked at him. "I'm sorry about what happened between us. Can't we be friends?"
    "I don't think we can." Cullen walked away from the bar, looking for somewhere to sit and be alone.
    Finding a seat at a table near the back of the room, he downed the water in one. His mouth was drying up - the dancing had made him sweat, the sweating had made him almost sober.
    He was tired, feeling battered by the workload. He'd done the months as an ADC, on top of the years as a PC, but it hadn't prepared him for the long, relentless shifts he was now facing. He was thrown into it, drowning in exhaustion but at the same time expected to be at the top of his game. It was supposed to be nine to five.
    He looked over at the dance floor, clutching his vodka and watching the crowd dancing. Johnny had Dawn straddling him. Beside them, Tom had his fist in the air, pumping to the beat. Cullen could see Becky dancing with a group of people he didn't recognise.
    One of the girls was pretty, short dark hair held back off her face with a hair clip, wearing a tight silver kimono.
    He spotted Katie heading over to join the group, holding hands with a short guy, his hand casually placed on her bottom.
    Cullen turned away and sipped at the vodka.
    "How's it going?"
    He looked up. Dawn.
    "Okay," said Cullen.
    "It's not, is it?" She sat next to him.
    Cullen looked away. "Not really." He crunched some ice. "Katie's here."
    "She's moved on, you know?"  
    Cullen nodded. "I know. She tried to ram it in my face earlier."
    "Maybe it's time for you to find a girl and settle down."
    "Yeah, right," said Cullen. "My job and the hours I work aren't exactly giving me much opportunity for finding the right one."
    "At least you know you want to."
    Cullen laughed. "True." He took a deep breath. "I need a new start, Dawn. I'm almost thirty and here I am in some shitty nightclub with the same old people from university."
    "Are you bored of us?"
    "It's not that. I just need to move on, as you say."
    "Cheer up, you bugger," she said.
    "Look, the music is shit tonight and I'm nowhere near drunk enough," said Cullen.
    "You need a Jaegerbomb."

eighteen

    Cullen linked his arm with Dawn's as they walked up South Bridge, heading away from the centre, in the middle of a group of people he didn't recognise, trying to get a taxi to a house party somewhere. He had no idea where Tom and Johnny were. The guy Katie had her arms around earlier shouted something, then ran off laughing.  
    Two taxis pulled up and they got into one. Tom and Johnny appeared from somewhere and joined them.
    Katie's boyfriend climbed in as well. He called an address out to the driver. "Party at ours."
    "You're going out with Katie, aren't you?" said Cullen after a while.
    The guy held out his hand. "Steven. And we're not just going out, mate. We're engaged."
    Cullen ignored the hand. He looked at Dawn, looked at Johnny, looked at Tom. They all looked away.
    Why had nobody told him?

    ***

    Cullen stood at the kitchen sink in Katie and Steven's flat on Grange Loan, drinking from a can of Red Stripe he'd taken from the fridge. Shit French house music spewed out of the speakers. Tom was standing by the sofa in front of Cullen, playing the ten-pin bowling game on the Wii. The big lummox had