Chapter Eleven #3
Kit rubs his hands together to ward off the chill in the air.
He isn’t wearing a jacket, which makes his waiting outside with me even more gentlemanly.
I’m glad I borrowed Jonah’s blazer, which is at least warding off the worst of the cold.
We chat while we wait for the taxi, and I discover Kit’s been single for a year (just like me!) and he’s an only child (also like me) and he lives with one of his bandmates and a cat called Boots.
I don’t have a cat, but I am a fan of them.
We have loads more in common, like food (pickled onion Monster Munch and curry, though Kit’s favourite is the lamb madras from his local curry house and mine is, and always will be, Dad’s homemade chicken curry).
We both favour Netflix over Prime, and neither of us are religious or particularly into politics.
I forget about the cold and my drunk date half-comatose on the pavement as we chat and I’m a bit disappointed when the taxi arrives.
Kit helps me to load Conrad into the back, once we’ve convinced the driver that he absolutely won’t throw up, and then it’s time for us to part ways.
‘Let me know when you get home safely.’ Kit pushes a business card into my hand. ‘I’ll only worry otherwise.’
‘I will.’ Heat radiates from my chest, despite the cold, pushing upwards and turning my neck and cheeks pink as we hover on the pavement, eyes locked.
My breaths are shallow while my heart beats wildly, almost painfully, and my stomach is fluttery with anticipation and delight but also a hint of hesitation and angst. Because I like Kit.
I fancy him, and I’d like nothing more than for him to lean down and kiss me right now, but what if he doesn’t feel the same?
What if I’m just a girl he felt sorry for and he’s simply being a gentleman?
All the thoughts and emotions mingle together and I feel giddy with it, my head a fuzzy tangle of wants and insecurities.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this and I want to bottle it up, to savour every last drop of it.
We seem to stare at each other for ages but the Uber driver doesn’t grumble or try to nudge us out of our fairy tale reverie so it must only be seconds before Kit snaps out of it.
‘Goodbye, Christina.’ He leans towards me and I close my eyes as his lips brush against my cheek.
It wasn’t the full-on snog I was banking on, but it still shocks me with a jolt of electricity that makes my fingertips tingle.
If his aim was to leave me wanting more, it’s worked like a finely tuned magic trick and my stomach knots with regret as he takes a step away from the kerb.
My legs have turned to jelly, so I sink gratefully into the taxi, raising my hand in farewell as we pull away, my eyes glued to Kit until he disappears from view.
I pray Conrad doesn’t puke as the taxi spirits us away. I’ve managed to get his address out of him, which is only up the road from my flat. I drop him off, unlocking his door and making sure he’s over the threshold without setting foot inside myself.
My responsibility is now over and I rush back to the waiting taxi and sigh with relief as we head to my place.
I can say, without even the teeniest hint of a doubt, that Conrad is not my one true love.
There is nothing less interesting, less sexy, than dealing with someone who doesn’t know their limits when it comes to alcohol.
I want to fall head over heels in love, not become someone’s babysitter. Or, worse, their mum.
But Kit?
Those eleven minutes felt like a lifetime, and that kiss on my cheek felt like a promise of more. Much, much more.
‘How did it go at the piano bar?’ Jonah clocks my face a split second after the question is out of his mouth, and he tilts his head in sympathy. ‘That bad?’
‘Worse.’ I drop my bag down onto the sofa and flop next to it. ‘He got so drunk he could barely stand.’
Jonah tuts. ‘Straight men. They have no class.’
I don’t disagree. ‘I feel like a fool.’
Jonah gives me a sad smile. ‘We’ve all been fooled in pursuit of love.’
‘Some more than others.’ I try to keep my face neutral, passive, but I can’t help the grin from creeping onto my face. ‘It wasn’t all bad though. I met someone else.’
Jonah sits up straight, his eyebrows lifting. ‘A guy?’
‘No, Minnie Mouse. She was a right laugh.’ I roll my eyes. ‘Yes, a guy.’ I squeeze my eyes shut, the grin now Cheshire Cat-like on my face. And what a guy. ‘His name’s Kit and he kissed me right here.’ I press a fingertip to the spot on my cheek that still feels like it’s glowing.
‘Ooh, a kiss on the cheek.’ Jonah fans his face with his hand. ‘Calm down, Christina. You’re getting me all flustered.’
I stick my tongue out at my piss-taking flatmate. ‘Shut up. It was nice. He was nice. I think fate really did bring us together.’
‘You think this new guy was another meet-cute?’ I can sense by Jonah’s tone that he doesn’t, but I really, really do.
‘He was my knight in shining armour, swooping in to rescue me from my drunken-disaster date.’
Jonah shrugs, unconvinced. ‘It doesn’t sound like you needed rescuing. It sounds like you had the situation in hand. Yes, your date was a drunken mess – not ideal – but you’d got him outside and were waiting for a taxi. What exactly did this knight in shining armour do?’
‘He kept me company. Made me feel better. And he did help me get Conrad into the taxi. He was a true gent sent to heal the wounds of my terrible date.’ I cover my face with my hands, cringing as my words hit me.
I groan as I peel my hands away from my shamed face.
‘I’m mad, aren’t I? For believing the universe is serving up meet-cutes so I can live happily ever after. ’
‘Not mad.’ Jonah pushes himself out of his chair and sits down next to me on the sofa, pulling me into his arms. ‘I’d say you were hopeful.’
‘Naive, more like.’
‘Nah.’ Jonah squeezes me a little bit tighter. ‘Optimistic.’
‘Ridiculous.’
‘Batshit crazy?’
I catch Jonah’s eye and we both snigger. My mirth turns into another groan.
‘Am I crazy for actually thinking I’ve met someone I could fall in love with and live happily ever after with?’
‘Why would that be crazy?’ Jonah gives me a squish. ‘You deserve to fall in love and live happily ever after.’
‘But it doesn’t always work out like the films, does it? Not in real life.’
‘I guess not.’ Jonah rests his chin on the top of my head. ‘Real life is a bit shit, isn’t it?’
‘Uh-oh.’ I shift so I can look Jonah in the eye again. ‘What’s happened?’
Jonah shakes his head. ‘Nothing, really. I’m being a miserable git because I’m tired.’
A yawn builds up at the mention of the word ‘tired’ and I catch it with the back of my hand. ‘Me too. It’s been a long day. I’m going to go to bed.’ I heave myself up off the sofa and shrug off Jonah’s blazer. ‘Thanks for lending me this.’
‘No problem.’ Jonah stands up and takes the blazer from me. ‘It suits you. You looked really cute wearing it.’
‘Really? Then maybe I should keep it for a bit longer…’ I reach for the blazer, but Jonah whips it away.
‘No chance. It’s my only piece of formal wear.’ He drapes the blazer over his arm before stooping to kiss me on the forehead. ‘Night, Christina.’
‘Night, Jo-Jo.’ I smother another yawn with the back of my hand and heave my weary body up off the sofa to get ready for bed.
It’s as I’m drifting off to sleep that I remember telling Kit I’d let him know I’d got home safely.
I should get up and text him, but my eyelids are so heavy it feels like they’re superglued down and I’m dead to the world before I can convince myself to move.