Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Jules
I could barely take my eyes off Tai, and I really hoped he hadn’t noticed me staring.
But how could I not? He was… well, gorgeous for one thing, with his sparkling dark eyes and long lashes and this bright smile that enchanted me, but he was also confident, effortlessly stylish, and radiating this calming warmth and a “don’t give a fuck” energy I’d never managed to achieve.
From the vintage The Clash T-shirt, to his nose piercing, painted nails, and green-tinted mohawk, he was the epitome of cool.
I probably looked ridiculous sitting opposite him.
I’d never been cool in my entire life. More like stuffy, boring, and tedious.
Both Darius and Philip had made that abundantly clear more than once, reminding me how lucky I was to have them in my life.
Without them, I would be friendless and alone, and they were doing me a favour by letting me hang around with them.
I knew I should be grateful for their presence, which was why I still felt doubts about my post on Heart2Heart and dragging Tai into this.
Even if Darius annoyed me with his demands, that was simply the way he was.
After all, he only wanted Philip’s first opening to go well and that meant he had to care.
I just… I wished he’d cared about me like that.
I wished either of them had cared.
“So, tell me more about this whole thing with your ex,” Tai said, sipping on the mango smoothie he’d ordered, the straw resting perfectly between his lips. “It sounds like a bit of a mess if I’m being honest.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not really that bad. I’m probably overexaggerating,” I said as I reached for my chai latte, my eyes fixed on the little heart they’d made with the milk.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Maybe?” I sighed and picked up the cup, cradling it in my hands.
“It’s a little complicated, but again, maybe I’m being ridiculous about the whole thing.
I’ve known Darius since I was three when we were at nursery.
Our mums were friends so we played together a lot.
Darius is… well he’s… he can be a bit demanding.
Sorry, that’s disingenuous of me to say.
Darius just knows what he likes and what he wants. It’s the way that he is.”
“Okay,” Tai said slowly. He’d pursed his lips, like he wanted to say something but thought better of it.
“Anyway, he’s now dating my ex, Philip. I sort of introduced Philip to our friend group last year, and when we broke up, he and Darius…
well, they clicked. They’re actually very good together.
” I swallowed and took a long sip of my coffee, trying to hide my emotions.
“Philip’s an artist, and he’s got this new exhibition opening at Lewis after all, this was nothing more than a platonic connection.
But I was happy he wanted to see me again. And that he’d had fun.
That was… nice. More than nice. Wonderful even.
He’d enjoyed seeing me and he wanted to do it again. And I hadn’t had to ask.
I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Jules: I had a lot of fun too and thank you for letting me talk your ear off about Cécile!
I would love to see you again, one night this week would be great.
I finish around five, but I can be flexible.
Would Wednesday work for you? Also, this time I should be the one doing the travelling, so you pick somewhere and I’ll meet you!
Tai: Wednesday is great! I can definitely pick somewhere - do you have any allergies/intolerances/dislikes? I’m not great with fish personally. The texture is gross.
Jules I don’t have any allergies but I don’t eat shellfish or crustaceans. But I can always find things on a menu around them.
Tai: No worries, we can easily avoid them! There’s a cute little French bistro near me if you fancy it? It’s pretty chilled.
There was a link in his message which led to the bistro’s website, and I scrolled through the menu suddenly dreaming of steak frites and tarte tatin. It was a little further to go, but I was very happy to travel since he’d come to me the first time.
Jules: That looks perfect! Thank you, I’m looking forward to it.
Tai: Great, I’ll book a table. Also, you wanted garden pics, so here it is today.
Tai: [Sent pictures & video]
The butterflies in my stomach fluttered again as I looked through the photos, smiling giddily as I played the video and listened to Tai give me a walking tour of the beautiful, compact space.
It made me think of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers and Tanaka’s Lavender Field.
I had the sheet music around for that somewhere…
perhaps I could play it and send it to Tai.
Would that be too much?
Maybe I’d record it and then see how I felt.
And if I didn’t feel brave enough to send it, I could always show it to him on Wednesday.