A Happy Origami New Year New love for the new year!

FICTION Alice was determined to make herself over into a new improved version for 2018… but was origami really the way to do it?

My friend Eliza was looking at me strangely. “It’s just that when you said you were determined to try new things in 2018, what I imagined was abseiling or bungee jumping, maybe even a bit of cocktail making – but not origami.”

“There’s nothing wrong with origami, Eliza,” I said, racing ahead of her through the college where I’d booked us both on a course.

I stopped and turned, and Eliza braked sharply, almost ploughing into me, her blonde curls bouncing.

“I’ve been eating blueberries and bananas for nearly a week,” I said. “And I’m half way through a box of granola. Plus I’ve embraced dry January and been gin-free for almost ten days. I just feel if my mind and body are in tip-top condition, I’ll finally get over Gary.”

“Well I’m all for you getting over Gary, Alice. You know that.” Eliza screwed up her nose. “But do you really think origami is the answer?”

I ignored her and hurtled towards room 17A. Up on tiptoe, I peered through the glass in the door and into the room. Two men stood at the head of the classroom, animatedly talking to a group of about twenty people standing at worktops.

I glanced at Eliza. “Where are the mats?” I demanded. “Mats?” “The origami mats. Where are they? They should be on the floor.”

“Alice, I think you may have got a tiny bit muddled,” she said with a giggle. “Origami is the art of paper folding. I thought you knew that.”

My mouth dropped open. “What? It’s not a form of yoga?” Eliza shook her head, still laughing. “Oh dear. Let’s go home,” I said. “But we’ve paid for the course now,” she said, pushing me into the room. “It could be fun,” she whispered in my ear.

As we entered and the two men fell silent. They smiled, looking smart in black jeans and polo shirts with Origami Brothers emblazoned across them.

“Welcome,” said the taller of the two men. “Please head over to a free worktop, we’re about to begin.”

Once at the bench, the taller one told us his name was Seb. He flicked his floppy dark hair from his green eyes, and began folding a piece of blue paper with quick, attentive fingers.

“So there you have it,” he said, spreading out the tail like a fan, before expertly manipulating a head and feet into shape. “One peacock.” He held it up, clearly proud. “Wow!” Eliza said in admiration, and I rolled my eyes.

The smaller OrigamiBrother – Jake – had eyes the same shade of green as Seb’s, but he wasn’t quite as handsome, with mousy, wiry hair, and a cuddly area around the tummy region. He also produced a beautiful bird. “And now it’s your turn,” he said, matching Seb’s smile. I looked at my pile of paper. I’d hoped to be stretching in every direction by now. Folding paper wasn’t going to make me slim and fit. In fact how was making a bird out of paper going to make me into a new and much improved version of the Alice of 2017?

My eyes flittered around the room. Everyone was folding.

Even Eliza was beavering away, her curls tucked behind her ears, seeming to already have a good grasp of origami, but then she’d always had a strong artistic flair.

“This reminds me of being a kid,” she

He flicked FLOPPY dark hair from his GREEN eyes while he FOLDED paper

said cheerfully, smiling up at me.

Seb and Jake wandered from bench to bench commenting… Keep the fan pleats thin. That’s great! Are you sure you’re not a professional?

I looked back at my paper once more, and my mind drifted.

“I have to put myself first, Alice,” Gary had said. “I’m sorry,” he’d said. “I want to travel alone,” he’d said. He’d felt trapped and suffocated by our wedding plans. He even did the whole “It’s not you, it’s me” thing.

It was a month after he walked out, that a friend sent me a screenshot from Facebook of him with a brunette in

Spain. The only suffocating he was feeling was her lips crushed against his!

That was six months ago. I am so over him now.

“2018 will be a great year,” I’d told myself since the New Year chimed in.

“You haven’t even started yet. Can I help?” a voice broke into my thoughts. I startled and looked up to see Seb. He was far too handsome, and I automatically formed an opinion of him. He was just like Gary. All good-looking men should be avoided at all costs.

“No, I’m fine,” I said sharply, picking up a piece of paper and folding it firmly across the middle.

He took the paper from me, brushing his hand against mine.

“Like this,” he said, folding carefully, his smile dimpling his cheeks. I snatched it back. “I can manage, thanks. I’m sure other people need your help more than I do.”

It wasn’t true. I was clearly the worst student in the room. I’d come to stretch and bend on a mat, after all.

His cheeks flushed, which rather surprised me.

“OK, great,” he said. “I’ll look forward to seeing your finished model.”

With that, he moved away, and began helping a white-haired man who seemed to have gone off-topic and was making a rather lovely penguin.

Eliza was still going great guns, fanning out the tail, and Jake was by her side, instructing her. I could hear snippets, and began to wonder if she was flirting with him.

It wasn’t like her. Eliza preferred cats to men.

“Cats won’t let you down,” she’d told me a while back, as her cat Sooty purred round her legs.

The truth was, she’d never actually been let down, because she’d never actually let anyone close enough.

Although to be honest, since Gary left, I was pretty much the same.

At the end of the lesson, Seb said we could take our models home. I threw mine in the bin, glad I could go home.

“Next week we’ll be making famous buildings,” he said. “I’ll look forward to seeing you then.”

As I drove us back to our apartment, Eliza informed me with a giggle that Jake had told her she was a natural.

“I can’t wait to start buildings. Jake said we’ve got a choice out of Big Ben or the Egyptian pyramids.”

“I don’t want to make buildings out of paper,” I said with a groan. “I want to get fit. You can go next week,” I went on, “but I’m going to Pilates.”

“But I need you there, Alice. Please, you have to come.” She clapped her hands together as though praying. “You fancy him, don’t you?” “Who?” “Jake. You fancy him.” “No, I don’t.” She turned from my gaze. “I just love origami.’ She paused. “Pleee-ease, Alice.”

What could I say? She broke me down. Convinced me I would love to have a paper Big Ben on my bookshelf.

At our next lesson, Seb didn’t come near me, which I was grateful for. I really couldn’t fall for another Gary

type. Jake floated by, giving me a few tips, although he just couldn’t keep his eyes off Eliza.

My Big Ben was a flop, and I still couldn’t see the fun in origami.

What was worse, I found myself watching Seb and the way he was so helpful and reassuring to everyone. It was as I was staring that he dragged his eyes up from a remarkable paper version of the pyramids that the white-haired man had made, and our eyes linked. I looked down, cross with myself for being attracted to the wrong kind of man – again.

Jake’s such a great bloke,” Eliza said, coming through the door after a night out with him. I was pleased he’d asked her out. She was positively glowing.

“I’m glad you’re happy,” I said, refusing to let any form of envy creep in. “Jake does seem nice. Perfect in fact.” “Seb is too.” “You saw Seb?” She nodded, easing off her pretty pink jacket and throwing it on the sofa.

“He came to see Jake in the bar after the meal to drop off some keys. He’s really nice. Apparently when Jake had an accident about two years ago, Seb was there for him,” she said. “Is Jake OK now?” She nodded. “Yep, fully recovered, but the trauma got to him for a while. Seb got him back on his feet, and Jake said he doesn’t know what he would have done without him.”

I felt bad that I’d judged Seb on looks alone. “He sounds like one of the good guys, I suppose.”

“He really is.” She bent and kissed my cheek, seeming a little giddy. “I’m going to bed,” she said. “Sweet dreams.”

But we’re doing cats, Alice,” Eliza said the following morning as we got ready for work, her face hopeful that I might go along to another origami class. “They’re introducing wet-folding.”

“Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?” I said with an air of sarcasm, but the truth was I wanted to go back, glad to see Seb again.

Eliza grabbed her bag. “I’ll be late home. I’ve got to go dress shopping. Jake’s best man at his brother’s wedding, and invited me as his plus-one. I’m so excited.” She raced to the door.

“Seb’s getting married?” I called after her, my heart sinking, but she didn’t seem to hear me.

Ihad as much trouble with wet-folding as I’d had with dry. As I tried to mould my lion’s body, the soggy paper kept splitting. I threw it in the bin with a thud. Everyone looked up.

“Are you struggling?” Seb asked, heading over.

“I think that’s an understatement,” I said, wishing I hadn’t come.

“You need to make sure this isn’t too wet,” he said, picking up my cloth and squeezing it, so droplets of water dripped from it. He brushed it gently over both sides, glancing up at me as he did so, and the paper began to curl. “Just make sure the paper is damp, not wet, and you’ll be fine,” he concluded, walking away.

My finished product wasn’t too bad, and, even if I do say so myself, it looked remarkably like an elderly relative of TheLionKing.

“Brilliant,” Seb said, coming over, and giving me a long look. “Maybe we should celebrate.” He smiled, dimples forming. “A drink sometime perhaps?”

As Eliza and I headed home in the car, I said, voice wobbling, “I can’t believe Seb!” It was obvious he was just like Gary, and it had taken all my willpower not to tell him just that.

“What do you mean?” she said, glancing my way as I changed gear.

“I’m sure he was flirting with me earlier. He even asked me out.”

“But that’s great isn’t it? He’s so cute. Whyever would you have a problem with that?”

I sighed deeply. I’d thought better of her. “Because he’s getting married.” “Is he?” “Yes. You told me he was.” She looked puzzled. “No I didn’t.” “Yes you did. You said Jake’s going to be best man for his brother.” “He is. But Seb isn’t his brother.” “Isn’t he?” “No.” “What about the OrigamiBrothers?” “Ah, I see.” She gave a little laugh. “Jake said they came up with the name because they’ve been friends for years, and feel like brothers, especially after the accident.”

She smiled, and I felt sure she was mentally planning our future dates as a foursome.

“So what are we making next week?” I said, quickly changing the subject and trying to act as though her revelation hadn’t affected me, hoping she couldn’t hear my heart dancing in my chest.

The new 2018 version of Alice wasn’t only going to be a whizz at paper folding, she might even allow herself to love again.

“Origami cupids,” Eliza said with a cheeky wink. “Or at least, that’s what I’ll be making.”

I was CROSS with myself for being ATTRACTED to the WRONG type – again