Chapter Thirty-Four
Despite my mini spat with Jonah, it feels like my life is on an even keel again.
Sally has forgotten all about the New Year’s Eve balls-up now we have George Michael booked in, Noah and I are about to go on our second date, and I still haven’t experienced another meet-cute since the Halloween party.
I do not miss them. Not one bit, and I’d forgotten how blissful it is to get through a shift without needing to change my T-shirt or how pleasant it is to drive without the constant fear that the engine is going to conk out.
I hadn’t even realised how bad the background anxiety of my life had become until it started to ebb away, and I’m feeling so content after my early shift at Rollerz that I take the lift up to the flat instead of taking the stairs. Oh, the luxury!
‘Jo-Jo?’ I shoulder the door open and step into the hallway.
I know he had a workshop at a school this morning, but he should be back by now and I stopped off at the Costa drive-thru on my way back for hot chocolates.
A peace offering, because things have been a bit strained since Bonfire Night, when I accused Jonah of ditching me and sulked around the flat like a baby for the next few days.
I don’t know why I acted so entitled the other night but I’m hoping we can put it behind us.
‘Jonah?’ I nudge the door shut with my foot and head into the living room.
It’s empty, but Jonah’s jacket has been flung across the back of the sofa, so he must be home.
I place the hot chocolates down on the coffee table and pick up the jacket, calling out his name again as I move back through to the hallway to hang it up.
‘Hey you.’ Jonah slips out of his bedroom, encased in a stripy dressing gown, and he shuts the door quietly behind him.
‘Did you go back to bed?’ I roll my eyes as I head back into the living room.
‘Lazy git.’ I wriggle one of the hot chocolates free from the cup holder on the table and present it to my flatmate.
‘Ta-dah! Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.’ I don’t point out that it’s a peace offering, because I don’t want to draw attention to my infantile behaviour the other day.
‘It’s officially hot chocolate season because Sally had me dragging all the festive decorations out of storage this morning.
We’re putting them up over the weekend. Which means it’s very nearly festive romcom season.
’ I clap my hands together, because festive romcom season is the best and I can’t wait to snuggle up watching the cheese-fest Hallmark movies with failing Christmas tree farms and family bakeries, and high-powered businesswomen learning how special and cosy it is to spend the day with their loved ones.
‘We could get a sneaky one in early, if you want? I’m not meeting Noah until eight, so we have plenty of time. ’
Jonah scratches the back of his neck. ‘The thing is, I’m not alone.’
I crane my neck to try to see in the kitchen. ‘Is Thea here?’
Jonah shakes his head, his gaze dropping down to his dressing gown.
Oh.
‘Who’s here?’ I whisper the question, so whoever is in the bedroom doesn’t hear.
Jonah widens his eyes at me. ‘Paris, obviously. Who else is going to be in there? Zayn Malik?’
I shrug. ‘I didn’t think things were that serious between you.’ As far as I know, they’ve only been on that one date on Bonfire Night, and didn’t Jonah say she was too busy to get together any other day?
‘You don’t have to be engaged to have sex, you know.’
‘I know but…’ But what? Why am I being so prudish about this? They’re both young, free and single. Good for them. ‘Why don’t you give this to Paris?’ I grab the other hot chocolate and hand it over to Jonah. ‘I haven’t touched it.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely sure.’ Absolutely sure I’d like to get out of here, as quickly as possible. ‘I’ll leave you guys to it. I have stuff to do.’
Jonah frowns. ‘I thought you wanted to watch a festive film?’
‘I did. I do. But not right now.’ I roll my eyes. ‘It’s only the beginning of November.’
Jonah’s frown deepens. ‘But you said…’ He shakes his head. ‘Never mind. Maybe at the weekend?’
‘Yeah, yeah. The weekend. I’m free Sunday?’ I start to shuffle towards the hallway, keen to get out of the flat because, as pleased as I am that Jonah is finally moving on after Freddie, I don’t want to witness it firsthand.
I stay away for as long as I can, driving into town to wander around the shops and pick up a few early bargains to put away for Christmas, but eventually I have to return to the flat to get ready for my date with Noah.
My steps are tentative as I head inside, but I needn’t have bothered sneaking around as neither Jonah nor Paris are here.
I shower, trying to ignore the sight of Jonah’s dressing gown on the back of the door and the thought that keeps jabbing into my consciousness: did they have sex in here?
It’s a relief to squirrel myself away in my bedroom, where I know they definitely did not.
I dry and style my hair, change into jeans and a nice top and put on a bit of make-up before getting the tram into town, where I’ve arranged to meet Noah at the cinema to watch a new slasher movie.
Horror and gore aren’t really my thing, but it turns out romcoms aren’t Noah’s thing (big shock) and it was a choice between this and yet another yawnsville superhero film.
I meet Noah in the lobby, where he’s leaning against a poster for a soon-to-be-released action film and looking pretty damn hot in a fitted leather jacket.
He’s reading something on his phone, but he slips it into his pocket when he spots me, a smile lighting up his face.
Could I fall in love with this man? I don’t see why not: he’s attractive, he’s fun and amusing, and I’m looking forward to getting to know him more.
‘I have to warn you.’ He steps towards me and leans in to kiss my cheek, and I brace myself for butterflies, but they don’t quite take flight. ‘You might have to hold my hand during the scary bits.’
‘We can hold each other’s. I’m a bit of a wuss too.’
‘A wuss?’ Noah gapes at me. ‘Who said anything about being a wuss? I am a brave Knight of the Realm, remember?’
I groan and squeeze my eyes shut. ‘Please don’t start with the medieval speak again.’
‘You don’t like it?’ Noah’s brow furrows. ‘Then why didn’t you say?’
‘I believe I said you sounded like a knob when you did it.’
Noah pulls his chin back. ‘And that’s a bad thing?’
I roll my eyes and nudge him in the ribs with my elbow. We’ve been wandering across the lobby and have reached the queue for the snacks. ‘Sweet or salty popcorn?’
Noah looks at me as though a second head has just sprouted from my neck. ‘Sweet, obviously. Salty is gross.’
‘Right? Jonah prefers salty so we always have to buy both.’
‘Jonah’s your flatmate, right?’
I nod. I’ve already mentioned my living arrangements to Noah, and I know that he lives alone, in a flat that’s in a pretty rough area and a forty-five-minute commute from work, but affordable.
I also know that he’s a museum curator (which doesn’t pay much but it’s his passion and he hopes to progress up the career ladder over time), that he has two brothers – Malachi and Nathaniel – and a sister, Lydia, and his favourite food is his nan’s cottage pie.
‘He has terrible taste in popcorn.’ Noah scrunches up his nose, but his face relaxes as he leans in close. ‘But tremendous taste in flatmates.’
My cheeks flush as he meets my eye, and our gaze holds for what feels like a very long time. I think he’s going to kiss me, on the lips. But then it’s our turn to be served and we’re forced to break eye contact and shuffle forward to the counter.
‘So I know you prefer sweet popcorn to salty, but what about…’ Noah holds the door to the screen open for me after we’ve bought the snacks. ‘…Pizza or pasta?’
I groan as I step into the darkened room. ‘Tough one, because both are delicious. Can I pick both?’
‘Nope. You have to choose.’
I squint down at the tickets in my hand.
Noah is carrying the popcorn and the drinks, while I’m in charge of the tickets and the share bag of Maltesers.
‘That’s really mean. That’s like asking me to choose my favourite kid.
If I had any.’ I head towards the steps and start making my way up to row L.
‘But if I absolutely had to choose, I’d say… pizza. No! Pasta. I think.’
‘You think?’
I groan. ‘Fine. Yes, I choose pasta. What about you?’
‘Pizza, every time.’
‘You’d give up spaghetti and meatballs?’ I look back at Noah, who shrugs. ‘Lasagne? Mac ’n’ cheese?’ Wow. I couldn’t give those up, not even for all the Domino’s in the world.
We stop at row L, and I look at the numbers, but there’s someone sitting in one of our seats. I wouldn’t normally mind and would simply sit elsewhere, but the screen is pretty full and there don’t seem to be any two seats together anywhere else.
‘Excuse me.’ I cringe as I start to speak, because this is the most un-British thing I’ve ever done. ‘But I think you’re in our seat?’ I pose it as a question, even though I know for a fact that it’s true.
‘Oh?’ He wriggles his ticket from his pocket and smooths it out. ‘Oh! Sorry.’ He smacks his forehead with his hand. ‘I thought it said L two, but it’s an I.’ He shakes his head and starts to gather up his things. ‘I really am sorry.’
‘Don’t worry about it.’ I step aside as he emerges from the row with his arms full of drinks and snacks.
A few days ago, I may have been more wary about this scenario, but my guard has started to lower so I’m caught off guard when he stumbles in the darkened room and a large tub of popcorn rains down on me and an Ice Blast falls at my feet, its lid popping off and the contents splatting on my shoes.