Chapter 13

By Thursday night, I’d become really nervous. I think it was the buying of the outfit I was gonna wear for the date. It had made everything seem so real. And then deciding on the film we were gonna watch- that made things kinda final, too.

And now that the date was only one night away, I was beginning to get really bad butterflies!!

Uni was a nightmare on Thursday, but still- it had been a nightmare all week. How are you supposed to concentrate on school teaching when you have a hot date with Christian from a1 on Friday night?!!

It was impossible. I’d spend the whole class just either;

a)      thinking about what he was doing right now

b)      thinking about/worrying about/ planning the date

c)      just daydreaming about Christian and how wonderfully gorgeous, nice, sensitive and thoughtful he was!

The closer the date got, the more I thought about it, and the more I thought about it, the more nervous I got!

I’d tried on the outfit a million times. It looked good- great in fact- but I still had doubts. What was Christian gonna think about it? But Abbie was right- it was me he was interested in, not what I was wearing.

Although, the way Abbie was going on about him, the more confused I was getting!

She seemed adamant that he was some mega womaniser. That he was obsessed with girls and was always staring at them! All the time!

It did make me wonder what kind of person Christian really was. I didn’t really know him all that well, did I?

It’s just that what I did know, what he’d told me the other day on the phone, completely contradicted Abbie’s perception of him.

She portrayed him as some kind of over-obsessive flirt, whereas he came across as shy and sensitive. He’d even said he didn’t get on with English girls, hadn’t he? Didn’t mean he didn’t like to stare at them, though…

I sighed, confused. I was going to have to wait until tomorrow. That’s when I’d find out. Spending a few hours in his company… heaven! That would determine what kind of guy he was.

I mean, I really didn’t want to go out with him if he was the person Abbie said he was. I could see myself getting paranoid and jealous. If I even lasted that long with him.

Apparently, his longest ever relationship had been 3 months!

Jeez! Now whether that had been due to a1 or not, I didn’t know. I don’t know if I did wanna know!

That was a really short time!

Compared to me, anyway. My longest was 18 months!

How different we were. In more ways than one.

But at least this date was still on- thank God for that!

I’d been dreading that, “Hi Katherine, I’m sorry, but I’m gonna be busy Friday night and can’t make it…” telephone call for ages.

But it hadn’t come yet, so I guess I was alright. But he’d cancelled at the last minute last time, so I wasn’t taking anything for granted.

I’d finished my essays for the week, and I was now catching up on some housework, which I absolutely hated, but had to be done unfortunately.

I’d had to catch up on the washing, ironing, cleaning the whole apartment… ughhhh.

Bor-ing.

I was cleaning my “dining room” table- really getting stuck into it, when the telephone rang.

I left the cloth I was cleaning it with on the table, and went over to answer it.

“Hello?”

It was about a quarter past eight.

“Katherine- hi, it’s me,” said Christian.

And as soon as I heard his voice, I think I knew what was coming. I could tell by the tone of his voice- it was quiet and foreboding.

The call I’d been dreading… it had come.

“Hi… hi,” I squeaked.

“How are you?” He asked, in the same flat tone.

“F-fine,” I said. Oh- why was he bothering with this small talk?! Why didn’t he just tell me- put me out of my misery?

But I didn’t want to hear it. I really didn’t want this to happen all over again.

It’s not fair. It’s not fair on me.

How can he keep letting me down like this?!

“Good,” he said, tone as before.

“Christian- just say it!” I suddenly cried. I couldn’t stand it anymore. It was driving me crazy.

“Say what?” He asked, seeming confused.

“That tomorrow- it’s off. Just get it over with,” I sighed.

“Katherine- what are you talking about?” He asked, very confused now.

“Well, that’s why your phoning, isn’t it?” I said. “To cancel the date.”

“No!” He cried. “Of course not! Definitely no!”

“You’re not cancelling?” I said quietly, unable to believe it.

“No- no I’m not! God, is that what you thought?”

“Yes,” I said. “As soon as I heard your voice I thought, “oh no, not again…””

“Oh Katherine, no! That’s not why I’m phoning at all. I’m sooooo looking forward to tomorrow!” He assured me.

“You sounded really ominous,” I said, the relief inside me immeasurable.

“I’m really tired,” he confessed. “This is the first time in the last- what- 15 hours? That I’ve had a chance to relax, and to stop working. I’ve been flat out all day.”

“Are you in Manchester?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m calling from the hotel room,” he said.

“You’ve had a tough day, then?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he sighed, sounding shattered. “It’s just been travelling then promo, promo, promo for this new single. And I’m absolutely beat.”

“You shouldn’t be calling me then!” I laughed. “You should crash- right now!”

“I know…” he said, sounding guilty, “but I suddenly got an urge to call you. This is gonna sound really sad, but… I wanted to hear your voice.”

Ohhhh, that was sooooo sweet!

I felt to privileged! I felt all warm inside again! You have no idea how much that meant to me right then.

He’d wanted to hear my voice!

“That doesn’t sound sad,” I smiled. “That means a lot to me, you know.”

“Oh, I do miss you!” He sighed. “I know I don’t properly know you and we haven’t even been on a date yet and all that… but from just talking on the phone to you- I know I want to see you again. I have to!” He said, making me laugh.

Oh God- this was not the guy Abbie was talking about! There was no way he was obsessed with girls! Not now anyway. He seemed so into me sometimes, it was quite overwhelming. He seemed so excited about tomorrow- even more than I was!

He was definitely only interested in me at the minute- and boy, did that make me feel good!

Really, really good!

“Well, you get a good night’s rest, otherwise you’ll be falling asleep during the film!” I teased him, laughing.

“Arraghhhh, I’ve gotta go out with the guys tonight,” he sighed, sounding frustrated.

“What?” I cried, amazed.

“Yeah- we’re just getting ready to go down to the bar. I haven’t properly eaten yet, either. We’re going to have a drink before we go to bed,” he informed me.

“Well, don’t stay up too late!” I said, sounding like the over-protective girlfriend.

He laughed. “I’ll try not to, mom!” He said, making me laugh.

“So- how’s Uni? Is everything alright?” He asked, changing the subject. “Finished those essays?”

Ahhhh! He’d remembered!

“Yeah, they’re done. I’ve just been house cleaning tonight,” I admitted, and also reminding myself. I got up and took the cordless phone over to the table, where I resumed the cleaning.

“Ooooh, that sounds exciting,” commented Christian.

“Yeah, it’s thrilling,” I agreed. “I think I’d rather be going out for a drink with you, though!”

“Yeah, I wish you were here! Although, I don’t suppose you need to know that!” He laughed.

“So- how was the video the other night?” I asked, scrubbing at the mahogany surface.

“It was good,” he said. “Well- the film was. I don’t know if you’ve seen it- it’s called “Hollowman”…”

“Christian!” I cried, stopping the cleaning. “That’s scary, isn’t it?”

“Not really,” Christian said, sounding a little embarrassed. “And I don’t get scared by every movie, y’know! Have you seen it?”

“No,” I said. “It’s meant to be really good, though. Quite scary.”

“It’s good! I liked it, and I wasn’t scared… much,” he said, and laughed. “But, even though the film was really good, we had a slight problem. The evening didn’t quite go according to plan.”

“Oh?” I said.

“Well, Ben was sick. Really, really sick!” He started laughing. “He threw up like, 4 times!!”

“Oh my God!” I gasped. “Is he alright?!!”

“Yeah, just silly. He bought loads of ice cream, like I told you, and he ate too much and mixed it with too much beer. Not a good combination,” he said.

“Ohhhh,” I laughed. Poor Ben! Served him right really, though!

“Is he ok today?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s alright. But I don’t think he’ll be going near ice cream again for a while!”

“Didn’t you try and stop him?” I asked him. “I mean, how many tubs did he have?!!”

“Ooooh… about 3!! After the second one, Mark was like, “Ben mate, don’t you think you should stop, now?” And Ben was like, “no way, mate! I’m fine!” And he was on about his 3rd beer at that time too, so it was bound to end in disaster!” He said, and laughed.

“God- no wonder he was sick!” I said.

“Yeah well… Ben’s really stubborn. He was determined to eat this 3rd tub. He was halfway through it when he suddenly went really pale and said, “I’m gonna be sick.” And Paul said, “Well it’s your won fault! Go upstairs if you are!” But he didn’t quite make it that far…” Christian started chuckling.

“Oh my God! Where was he sick?” I asked.

“In the kitchen sink. He just rushed out and was in there for about 20 minutes! Paul had to go help him out. And then of course, he missed the end of the film and he got really angry about that…!” I could see Christian shaking his head in bemusement. “He’s so silly sometimes.”

“Sounds like a very entertaining evening,” I commented.

“Oh- tomorrow’s gonna be better!” He said spiritedly. “’Cos you’re gonna be there!”

I laughed. “You’re really excited about tomorrow, aren’t you?” I said, grinning.

“Yeah!” He laughed. He’d really brightened up since he’d phoned me up, I could really tell that.

“Aren’t you?”

“To tell you the truth, I’m a little nervous,” I confessed.

“What of?” He asked, concerned.

“Oh… I don’t know,” I said, stretching my hand out to clean the back of the table.

But because I wasn’t fully paying attention, I wasn’t watching what I was doing, and I suddenly heard this huge crash which made me jump out of my skin.

“Ohh!” I exclaimed.

What the hell had that been?!!

What had I done?!!

“Katherine!” Christian said on the other end of the line, sounding anxious. “Are you alright?!”

I still didn’t realise what I’d done! I looked around the side of the table, and saw the reason for the crash.

I’d knocked the vase of flowers off the table.

I always keep a vase of flowers on there- they brighten up the flat- but now they were lying, strewn around on the floor, mixed with porcelain pieces from the shattered vase.

I stared at it in dismay. Oh- how the hell had I not seen that?! How could I be so clumsy?

I’d just not been paying attention. Now the vase was a complete write-off and I’d have to throw it away with the flowers.

Oh, way to go, Kate!

“Katherine?!!”

Oh  my God, Christian!! He sounded absolutely terrified!

“Christian, I’m fine,” I reassured him, still looking at the mess on the floor that I now had to clean up.

“What was that big crash?” He asked shakily. I think he thought I’d hurt myself or something!

“Oh, I knocked the vase of flowers off the table,” I sighed.

“You sure you’re alright?” He asked, making sure. “That really scared me!”

I managed a laugh despite the situation. “I’m fine. Just annoyed. I’m so stupid,” I cursed, and with my ear still on the phone, I went over into the kitchen area, and to the cupboard to find the dustpan and brush. Might as well clear it up now.

“Is it smashed?” Asked Christian.

“Completely,” I said. “I just don’t understand how I could be so clumsy!”

“Oh Katherine, it happens to us all. Don’t get upset about it,” he told me.

“Yeah, but that was my best vase, as well,” I sighed. “In fact- my only vase! And the flowers’ll have to be binned, too.”

“What were they?” He asked.

“Oh- chrysanthemums,” I said. “Pink ones. I suppose they needed changing anyway,” I shrugged.

“You like chrysanthemums?” He asked.

I laughed. “I wish I could afford fresh roses every week, but I can’t! I haven’t got time, either. Never mind, I’ll sort it out,” I said, wiping away the mess into the dust-pan.

“You alright?” He asked gently. I think he could tell I wasn’t.

“I’m just annoyed, that’s all,” I said.

“Was it my fault?” He said. “If I hadn’t been talking to you…”

“No, no!” I said, quickly. “Not you, at all! My fault Christian, completely my fault,” I took full responsibility. I wasn’t going to have him blaming himself!

I cleared it away and emptied it into the bin, still thoroughly irritated. It was just an inconvenience, that’s all. Not a major tragedy, just annoying.

“I think I’d better go,” Christian said. “Leave you to your cleaning!”

“No, seriously,” I said. I didn’t want him to go! “Christian, it’s not you at all. Please don’t go. I want to tell you about tomorrow!”

“What about tomorrow?” He said.

“I know what film we’re seeing,” I said, trying to pick myself up.

“Really? You found a good horror movie?” He asked apprehensively.

I laughed. “Er… no, not really. I think it’s about as scary as “Hollowman”. If you survived that, I’m sure you’ll be fine on this one!” I said. “It’s called “The Gift”. It’s supposed to be really good.”

“Oh yeah- I’ve heard of that!” Christian said. “Yeah, I wanna go see that.”

“What restaurant are we going to?” I asked him.

“Alessandro’s,” he told me. “You know that?”

“Oh wow Christian- that’s… expensive,” I breathed. I couldn’t believe he was taking me there! That’s like, where famous people go!

But I suppose he was in a1!

“It is not!” He laughed. “Anyway, this was my treat, remember? For cancelling on Sunday like that.”

“You don’t have to-“ I started, but he interrupted me by saying firmly,

“Katherine- no. I want to, and I will.”

I sighed. Ok then, if he was adamant.

“I’ll pick you up at 6 then-ok?” He said.

“Oh my God!” I suddenly exclaimed, remembering. “You have your new car!”

He laughed on the other end.

“Oh, what is it? What is it?” I asked excitedly.

“I’m not saying!” he said secretly.

“Ohhhh Christian! Come on!” I whined.

“No- you’ll have to wait and see,” he teased.

“Well- is it yellow?” I asked.

“I’m not saying.”

“Christian!”

He was so annoying!

“I’m sorry!” He laughed.

Then I heard someone- I think it must have been Mark, say to him- “Chris, are you coming, mate?”

“I’ve gotta go,” Christian said. “You’ll see tomorrow!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I admitted defeat. “See you then.”

“Bye Katherine.”

“Bye!” I put the phone down and then returned to my cleaning- more relieved than anything that he hadn’t cancelled!

I woke up the next day, and my first thought was: I’m going out with Christian from a1 tonight.

ARRAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I was really nervous now. Even though speaking to him last night on the phone had kind of helped, it had also made me even worse!

I’d got up early to have a shower and to wash my hair ‘cos I wouldn’t have time later on after I’d got back from Uni.

God, I’d only have 2 hours before Christian was picking me up!

Not long at all.

I drove to Uni and caught up with Abbie before first class. She couldn’t believe I was going for dinner at Alessandro’s!

“Woah, Kate! tell me if you see Brad Pitt!” She laughed.

“Abbie!” I laughed. “Don’t be silly!”

“Kate- honestly, you are gonna see so many famous people!” She warned.

“I only wanna see Christian,” I said, and then blushed, ‘cos I sounded really cut up on him!

“Awww hunny, course you do!” Abbie said, giving me a hug. “You sure you’re gonna be alright tonight? Don’t want Danny and I to come along to the ODEON and keep an eye on you two?”

“Abbie, if you turn up, I will be so angry!” I warned her, making her laugh. “You’re not gonna spy on us!”

“Ok! Ok!” She laughed. “You don’t want help getting ready, either?”

“No, I’ll be fine thanks,” I told her. “Look, I’d better rush off to class!”

“You be careful tonight with Christian,” Abbie advised. “Remember what I said. Just have a good time and don’t expect too much.”

“Abbie!” I sighed. “I’ll be fine. Really. He’s much different than you think. Maybe your portrayal of him is what the magazines think. The real him is completely different!”

“I’m just warning you, Kate,” she said. “I’m only being caring.”

“Yeah well, I’ll be alright. I’ll see you later,” I said, a little annoyed at her. Why did she keep this thing with Christian up? It soooo wasn’t true! Maybe she was just jealous, or something.

Yeah, that’s all it was.

Classes were a nightmare. A real nightmare. I don’t think I heard a word Mrs Roberts said. I was totally pre-occupied about tonight.

Would he like what I was wearing?

Would he be expecting me to act in a certain way?

Did he really want me to pay?

What if he was really late?

What if- Oh my God- there was a message on my answer phone right now saying he was stuck in traffic on the way back from Manchester?!…

Oh no, oh no, oh no!!

At lunch, I was not hungry at all. I was too nervous to eat. I’d got some lasagne, but I was just messing around with it, pushing pieces of it around my plate.

“Not hungry, Kate?” Asked Emm.

I shook my head.

“Is everything alright? You look really worried,” she commented.

“Do I?” I said, surprised. Oh no- I didn’t, did I?

“Yeah- everything ok, Kate?” Asked Karen.

Karen and I were getting on a lot better now since Tuesday. We didn’t talk about Josh, although I could tell she was still annoyed- but we didn’t bring it up.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just fretting about the exams, I guess.”

“Oh- they’re weeks away!” Scoffed Karen. “Why don’t you come out clubbing with us, tonight? We’re going to The Rebate tonight- all 8 of us.”

“8?” I inquired.

“Yeah- Ewan’s coming too,” she aid of her boyfriend.

“Erm… no thanks,” I said.

I was busy tonight, of course!

“Oh c’mon, Kate! It’ll be a laugh! You can let your hair down!” Noel encouraged.

“My hair is down,” I said flatly.

Noel tutted. “Nooo! C’mon, have a dance and a drink.”

“No,” I said firmly.

“Kate- c’mon! You never go out anymore!” Karen scolded. “You’re so boring! You can’t stay home on a Friday night!”

“You know I don’t like clubs,” I said, trying anything now to get them off my back.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Kate! You used to go out all the time!” Karen said. “But now- you’ve just really changed! You’re turning into a grandma! C’mon! How are you ever gonna meet anybody if you stay in all the time?”

“I don’t want to meet a guy in a club,” I said.

“Oh Kate!” Karen was getting annoyed at me now.

“Karen- if she doesn’t want to come, leave her alone,” Abbie said- as of course, she knew where I’d be tonight!

“Fine,” Karen said, giving up.

Things were getting really strained between us these days. I wish I could tell her the truth, but I couldn’t!

I got through the rest of the day somehow, and I drove home as quickly as I could. I had loads to do!

As soon as I got in, I checked the answer machine.

Wonderfully, fantastically BLANK.

Wa-hoo!!!!

I had a quick shower, and then I made myself some coffee to try and calm myself down. I had a bite to eat as well, as I was getting a bit hungry now. But I was going for dinner soon, so I didn’t eat loads.

I got changed into thee outfit at just after 5 o’clock. It was still looking really great. Well- it did cost me altogether nearly £100!

But I felt no compunction; it was gonna be worth it.

Abbie phoned up whilst I was doing my hair up into a spider clip. It was mainly to wish me good luck and to, as soon as I got in tonight, phone up and tell her all about the date. Even if it was midnight!

I told her ok, and she made me promise I had to. No “tired”, or “can’t be bothered” excuses, ok?

Then she left me to finish my hair and make-up.

I was all-complete for about 5.45pm. Christian would be here in 15 minutes.

Ok- I was ready. Outfit on, hair and make-up all done, I was all ready.

Except that my stomach was churning and churning away and I felt so nervous I was gonna throw up.

I should have had lunch, I scolded myself. But too late now. Ok, keep calm, keep calm…

5.50.

10 minutes to go. He’d be here soon…

And then there was a knock on the door.