Soho DREAMS

Lizzy had managed to lose track of dreamy Mark twice. Would it be third time lucky?

- Matthew Batham

THE STORY SO FAR

London, 1980. Twenty-one-year-old Lizzy is a trainee manager at the go-to restaurant, Chez Taylor, in Soho. She is living above a cafe and makes friends with the owner, Kath. At work, Lizzy befriends Toby, one of the waiters. Toby takes Lizzy and Kath to the super-trendy nightclub Dare. There, Lizzy meets Mark, a charming musician with a gentle demeanour, which contrasts with his dyed black hair and tattooed arms. Despite being attracted to Mark, Lizzy leaves the club early, fearing he's too wild, but wondering if she is missing a chance for a real adventure. Lizzy agrees to a date with Andrew, a city trader she met while serving at Chez Taylor. They go to Kath's Café, and Mark suddenly appears by chance. However, Mark walks out when Andrew is rude to him. Lizzy chases after Mark but loses him in the Soho crowds. Will she ever see him again?

Shivering, Lizzy rubbed her arms as a blast of cold air bit into the bare skin of her shoulders. She knew she should have worn a coat for the walk to Dare, which was now her favourite London club, but she had wanted to show off her new black lace off-the-shoulder top and fitted knee-length red skirt.

'You're looking fabulous tonight!' enthused Toby who, in just a few weeks of Lizzy moving to Soho from Kent, had become a great friend, as had Kath, her new neighbour. Wearing denim dungarees and a pair of boots that wouldn't have looked out of place on a building site, Kath was walking just ahead. Her hair was as voluminous as ever, and freshly dyed a vibrant purple.

Kath glanced back with a cheeky grin. 'She's hoping her sexy guitarist will be there.'

Toby playfully nudged Lizzy's side. 'I have a feeling he will be.'

Lizzy rolled her eyes at Toby, who was dressed relatively soberly by his standards, in a dark suit with padded shoulders and a white shirt with a ruffled collar.