11. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Alisha
F or hours, I hovered over the texts from Felix and wondered what the evening ahead would bring. To say I was nervous was an understatement but I felt confident with my decision to have dinner with him. We were going to Down Under, and I was curious to see what the food was like over here. So far I really enjoyed what I’d been eating, and our fridge was now packed with delicious food from the supermarket.
I’d offered for Ophelia to come out this evening but she was quick to say no. “Nope, it’s your night. Your date, I’m not being the third wheel.” Ophelia shook her head.
“It’s definitely not a date,” I had retorted back to her and she raised one eyebrow, which meant she didn’t believe me.
“An attractive man is taking you out to dinner. I believe it is, sweetie. So you will tell me all about it later.” Ophelia wiggled her fingers and reentered her room all whilst I was still reflecting on her statement.
Maybe I needed to accept that it was a date.
Reflecting back on my day, it had been productive. My legs were burning less today, which meant my body was getting used to the physical activity. I was also getting better, my balance and ability to make turns were improving. Hilde had captured my success by filming me and I’d already sent the multiple videos to my family.
I had about two hours to get ready and I was glad that Ophelia had suggested a few outfits for me to wear. One was a dark red, tight dress that stopped just above my knees and which perhaps showed too much breast for my liking. Also, was it really appropriate for the weather out here?
The other was a pair of black flare jeans and a white halterneck top. This screamed disaster to me as I was often fickle with my food and I’d probably end up with sauce over my top before the evening ended. There was one final option, though—a comfortable pink jumper that would go well with the flare jeans. This seemed like the right choice.
I would put my outfit on last but what I needed to do first was sort out my face and hair. I didn’t want to disturb Ophelia in her slumber, so I phoned Kiya for some much-needed advice. She was quite the make-up guru and always gave me tips to make my eyeliner look better or style my hair in a different way.
“Hello, didi,” she said excitedly, and immediately I switched to FaceTime, visibly relaxing as soon as I saw her face. I could see Chou in the background, eating a bowl of dry food. Well rather, chowing down on it like no tomorrow. I was glad he was happy because putting him in a cattery would have been a huge no.
Kiya was grinning widely back at me, her hair slightly tousled, and I wondered how she always maintained a positive, bubbly outlook on life. I needed her to be my life coach at this point.
“Hiya. How’s everything?” I asked her, entering my room and falling back gently onto my bed. I held my phone in front of my face and waited for my sister’s response.
“Totally fine. I haven’t burnt the place down and your cat is constantly sitting on my lap. But I don’t mind. How’s Austria? Meet any cute guys? How’s the food?” Kiya asked, and I wondered what question I would answer first. I decided to go with the first one.
“It’s lovely out here. Had some snowfall this morning but not too much. Food is also pretty delicious. Will send you some pictures later,” I said, and then realised there was one more question I needed to answer. After all, I had rung my sister for a reason and she would clock on that I would be meeting a guy even if I didn’t tell her in accurate words.
“Loooovely,” Kiya replied.
“I did bump into someone. He’s offered to show me the area and I’m going out to dinner with him tonight. It’s not a date, though. So don’t go getting excited,” I said, or rather warned. Kiya rolled her eyes at me but decided to let it go. For now.
“So, I am guessing you need some help with your make-up and hair. As always, you’ve asked the right person.” Kiya smiled and soon, she was picking out the eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara for me.
“I think since you’re wearing a pink jumper, your eye shadow should be either beige or a soft pink. And then your eyeliner, it should be subtle. Then, you can wear a bit of lipgloss,” Kiya advised me. I did as she said, all whilst talking to her and getting her opinion about how my hair looked.
“Do I look okay?” I finally said, my teeth nipping my bottom lip and then ending up with lipgloss on them.
“Okay? You look gorgeous, didi, but to be honest, you always do. I wish you could see that more,” she said and realised that if my sister could tell me I was, then I needed to believe it myself.
“Thank you,” I said sheepishly.
“Now, you are ready. I hope you have a good time tonight. I am rooting for you and what's his name?” she asked, her head tilting slightly to the side.
“His name is Felix,” I said and the tingles invaded my skin and corroded within me as soon as I said his name. I spoke more to Kiya and laughed when she told me how Chou had climbed on her head during the night. Sounded like him.
“Gotta go now, didi. Have a good night and give me all the gossip tomorrow.” Kiya pursed her lips to blow me a kiss.
“Thanks, bon. Give lots of cuddles to Chou,” I said and then waved before hanging up.
I still had about less than an hour to go before Felix would be here, he offered to drive us, and I realised how polite he actually was. Well, he had been over text, at least. My initial impression of him would go out the window tonight. He would possibly prove me wrong about my thoughts of him. I did want to get to know the area more but I also wanted to get to know him too.
I needed a drink of some sort so decided to make myself a small Malibu and Coca-Cola, something sweet to calm my nerves. I topped up the glass with ice from the freezer and poured a double shot of Malibu because, hey, I wasn’t driving tonight so I didn’t mind drinking a little extra. I took one more glance at myself in the bathroom mirror as I sipped my drink and hummed in approval.
It sounded strange in my head but I almost wished time would move faster so that I could get the initial hellos out of the way and dive into some good food.
Maybe I would watch some TV or go onto my laptop to write a bit. After all, I still had a job to do and I needed to write things down that were fresh in my memory. So, for the next thirty minutes, I decided to go onto my Google Docs and type out the day that I’d had. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I started typing one word. Or rather, name. It was almost as if I’d had no control over my reflexes but perhaps that was good.
I needed to keep the readers engaged and people loved reading about real experiences and about the locals. Felix was a mystery and perhaps I was too. But maybe we could crack the codes of ourselves together. I was just finishing typing my last sentence as I heard two sharp knocks on the front door. He was here.
I closed my laptop down, placing it on my bedside table and nearly fell face-first on the floor as I sprinted to the door. Then, I realised I needed to compose myself. I was breathing heavily like an idiot and this would not be a good look. After a moment of steadying my breath, I opened the door.
As I met Felix’s eyes after staring at the floor or, more so, at the expensive Armani shoes he was wearing, it was as if my breath was knocked out of wind. He looked…handsome. His hair had been slightly gelled back but not too much to make you think he had slathered oil excessively into it. Just like me, he was wearing a jumper, but his was a dark blue. His clothing was casual but he still looked good.
“Good evening,” I said nervously, and I instantly hated how shaky my voice sounded. Felix seemed lost for words himself and it made me wonder why, as in his texts, he appeared confident. But often over a screen, people would be.
Stop thinking about the internet and keep talking.
“Sorry, I’m a little early. I thought I’d get lost trying to find your place,” Felix said and I noticed that he was now nervous too, as he wrung his hands together.
“That’s okay. I’m ready to go now if you want to set off,” I said, with a small but soft smile. This seemed to do the trick of easing his vivid stress and his own lips stretched into a crooked smile. This made my stomach do a somersault and backflip at the same time. I had to admit, I was attracted to him.
“Okay, cool. You look nice, by the way,” Felix told me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe, which made me blush. I appreciated the compliment, as he probably didn’t give them often.
“Thank you. You look nice too,” I said and emphasised on the word ‘nice’. He looked so much better than nice but I didn’t want to overdo the compliment. I closed the door behind me after having grabbed my bag from the kitchen. Ophelia was still fast asleep but I knew she’d be full of questions later.
Felix and I walked towards his car, a Range Rover, which was impressive. I had almost pictured him driving a Mazda or, in general, a smaller car than this. As we approached the car, he leaned across me to unlock the passenger door. I caught a whiff of his scent- sandalwood mixed with a touch of mint.
I wanted to know what he was thinking as we both got into our seats and he turned the engine on. As I buckled my seat belt on, he also did the same and we locked eyes on one another. If we had more moments like these, I was going to be unconscious by the end of the evening. His eyes were very beautiful and his pupils started to dilate. His thumb and index finger were hovering just above his seatbelt as he looked at me. I almost wished those fingers would touch my skin, specifically my neck and mouth.
Yes, Ali, you are most definitely attracted to him.
“Let’s get going,” Felix said after what felt like hours of staring at one another and I cleared my throat, nodding in agreement. I couldn’t say any more words, so I relaxed into my seat and listened to the tunes playing on the radio. He didn’t say anything either, but I didn’t mind. It was a comfortable silence and it meant every so often, I could glance at him from the corner of my eye and admire the way he looked and the way he made me feel even though I barely knew him. I was in trouble.