The next to arrive was Sacha. Rona and Phuong were huddled beneath a gas heater at the back of the bar, warming their mouths with a bottle of red wine while the coats and scarves which had shielded them against the rain outside lay discarded, taking up seats. "Hey, Sacha!" hollered Rona as soon as she recognised Sacha's profile - glasses, pony-tail - in the gloom of the bar. "Grab a glass!" Rona continued, holding up the bottle. "Come and join us!"

Sacha did so. "What are you drinking?" she asked when she got there, glass balanced in her hand.

"Merlot" replied Phuong. "My choice. I like it."

"Yeah, fuck what that bullshit film says." Rona knocked back a large gulp of wine. "Gees, it must be cold out there" she remarked as she watched Sacha unwrap her dark coat and scarf.

Sacha ignored this. "Thin crowd" she said.

"Well the band' not due to start for a little while yet."

"Really?" Sacha looked at her watch in surprise. "I thought they were starting at 9:30."

"That's when doors open, silly" giggled Rona. "Not when the music starts."

"Oh, of course." Sacha poured herself a glass of wine to hide her embarrassment.

Phuong nudged Rona on the elbow. "Is that Brent?" she asked, pointing to the door where a young couple had just walked in, shaking their coats dry and unwrapping their scarves from around their necks just as every other person to walk through the doors had done. A clanging guitar chord rung out from the stage.

"Yeah, that's him" replied Rona. "Ugh, and his girlfriend too." She grinned and waved in a forced manner as Brent spotted them and started striding in their direction, holding Catherine's gloved hand. Phuong moved to squeeze up against Rona on the bench they were both sitting on, in order to make room for Brent and Catherine. "No, no, leave that seat free" said Rona.

"Why?" asked Phuong, her mouth upturned with curiosity and her eyes gleaming.

Rona went silent for a moment. "Here, have another glass of wine" she said hurriedly, pouring herself one.
Brent arrived. "Hello, hello!" he beamed. "You remember Catherine, right?" he asked, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "And Catherine, you know everyone - Phuong, Rona, Sacha."

"Oh, hi again!" smiled Catherine, waving enthusiastically at Sacha. Sacha nodded in response and smiled back, uncertain how to behave with both Catherine and Rona in close proximity.

"What are we drinking?" asked Brent, picking up the bottle. "I'll go get another one. Are we expecting anyone else? How many glasses should I get?"

"Alain should be turning up some time. Hannah too, god knows when though."

"In her own time, no doubt" replied Brent. "Centre of attention as always" He headed off towards the bar.

"Can I squeeze in there?" asked Catherine, pointing at the bench Rona and Phuong were sitting on.

"Sure" replied Phuong after a moment of uncertainty, and moved up so that she was pressed against Rona.

"Hi, Catherine" said Rona, smiling thinly at her but with her eyes glaring quietly.

"Hi" replied Catherine, not bothering to smile at all and turning her head quickly away to scan for Brent over at the bar.