Awkward…
‘Um…’ I said, shuffling in my seat. ‘They’re not actually for you, Luke. They were a gift. For me. They arrived just before I left the office, and I couldn’t leave them at work, so…’
‘Oh.’ He scowled. ‘I see. Waiter!’ he shouted, clicking his fingers. ‘Bottle of your best champagne. Quick as you can.’
‘Very good, sir!’ grinned the waiter. ‘Celebrating a special occasion?’
‘You don’t need to be celebrating to have champagne. I’m having it just because I like it,’ he snapped.
‘A bottle of our finest coming up.’
‘Good,’ said Luke, nodding at the waiter in acknowledgement before turning back to face me. ‘So, what’s the story, then, Alexandra?’
‘What’s the story about what?’ I frowned.
‘I’ve been trying to figure it out since our last date, and I don’t get it.’ He leant forward. ‘I took you to one of the most prestigious and impressive bars in London, or indeed Europe, told you I wanted us to make love and you turned me down. This has never happened before, and I need to understand why. Are you sleeping with this guy who got you those stupid flowers and feeling guilty? No. That wouldn’t make sense. It must be something else.’
See? I’d known it was only a matter of time before he started asking questions too. I mean, obviously I had to accept that turning up to a date with flowers was kind of a giveaway. Once he’d established they weren’t for him, the next natural assumption was going to be that they were sent by another guy. But at the same time, Luke wasn’t making sense either. I’d thought he was happy to take things slowly. He’d said he was. So why bring it up if he really did accept that I wanted to wait?
‘I’d rather not go into it right now,’ I said.
‘Alexandra…’ He leant even further forward and looked me straight in the eyes. ‘As you should know by now, I’m a direct person. I like you. I’m very attracted to you. I would like to make love to you, and I know from the way you’re always looking at me, undressing me with your eyes, that you want me too. So it just doesn’t add up. And it’s rare that there’s ever a problem that I can’t solve.’
‘No,’ I sighed, just wanting to get off the subject. ‘I didn’t turn you down because I’m sleeping with someone else. I do go on dates with other guys, but that’s it. Just dates. You know, going out, but no sex.’
‘I knew it!’ he said, clapping his hands. ‘I knew it wouldn’t be logical for you to sleep with him and not me. Impossible. What is it, then? I’m even more curious now.’
Now that it had been raised, someone like Luke wasn’t going to drop the subject unless I told him. He was stubborn and determined. I supposed as we’d reached our fifth date and it had come up naturally, it made sense to tell him and see how he reacted. After all, if he wasn’t willing to wait, better I found out sooner rather than later so I wasn’t wasting my time.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘But before I tell you, Luke, I need to know how you really feel about me. I mean, do you like me? How much? Where do you see this going? Us?’
‘I definitely see us going all the way,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘I told you. I’m a man who wants it all. The career, the wife and the kids. And I’m still here, aren’t I? Five dates in.’
‘True. Yes, you are. Okay,’ I said, exhaling deeply. ‘It’s like this…’
I explained the challenge to him. His face remained blank throughout. I couldn’t gauge whether he was shocked, horrified, intrigued or in agreement. Finally, once I’d finished, he sat up straight in his chair.
‘So this is a real challenge, then?’ he said, his eyes widening.
‘Yes.’
‘Because you believe, Alexandra, that you can abstain for six months?’
‘Yes,’ I replied, still trying to work out what he was thinking.
‘And how far in are you now?’ asked Luke.
‘A couple of days shy of six weeks.’
‘Interesting! So four and a half months to go? That is indeed a challenge. And you believe your resolve can’t be broken—that you’ll be able to stick to it?’
‘Yes, I do. That’s the plan.’
‘Hmmm. I see. This is fascinating. Count me in!’ he said, clapping his hands again.
‘Count you in?’ I said. ‘Do you mean you’ll wait?’
‘I love a challenge, Alexandra. This is an interesting experiment. A test of strength. Willpower. In fact, power. I’m glad you told me.’
‘You are?’
‘Yes!’ said Luke. ‘Now that you’ve told me, I know what I need to do. I mean, I know where I stand. This will help immensely…’
‘I don’t follow.’ I frowned.
‘I can now understand you better. Understand the man you want me to be. This is exciting!’
‘It is?’ I said, not quite believing what I was hearing.
‘It is indeed! I never shy away from a challenge. I’ve always sensed that somehow you’ve doubted my abilities, Alexandra. You questioned me declaring that I was the best in my field. My prowess. My powers. But this experiment of yours has presented a unique opportunity. I’m going to prove myself to you once and for all. This boy that sent you flowers or whoever else you’re seeing is no match. You’ll see. As the saying goes, may the best man win, and that man, Alexandra, as you’ll soon find out, will be me.’
Chapter Eighteen
Even though I shouldn’t have been, I was feeling nervous. My heart was pounding as I walked the final steps to the bar where I was meeting Miles.
He’d invited me to a work do. Well, I use the word invited very loosely. Technically it was less a case of him inviting me and more a case of me inviting myself.
I’d been relieved when he’d replied to the message I’d sent last Thursday thanking him for the flowers and asked if I wanted to meet for dinner that Saturday. I thought maybe he’d be weird after the way we’d left things that night after the cinema, but the date had flowed well like it normally did. Anyway, towards the end of our meal, I was trying to steer the conversation towards the future and his intentions for us. However, somehow we got sidetracked into talking about his plans for the following week, and his work gathering, which was a retirement party for one of the doctors, came up.
He was saying that he always dreaded going to these events because all of his colleagues were married or coupled up, so he often felt like a third wheel. Maybe I wasn’t thinking straight, because I was trying to work out how best to ask whether he reckoned he’d be likely to fall in love with me and marry me anytime soon, without him running a mile, which he would have done if I’d phrased it like that. But before I knew it, I’d jumped in and said, ‘I’ll go with you!’, volunteering my plus-one services even though they hadn’t been requested.
As soon as the words had fallen from my mouth, I’d instantly regretted it. You don’t invite yourself to someone’s work thing. You wait to be asked. After all, these were people that he spent most of his day with. His career was very important to him. This was his professional life. Maybe he wasn’t ready to introduce me to his colleagues. Not yet, at least.
After all, inviting me along would surely lead to them wanting to know our connection or the status of our relationship. Just friends? Fuckbuddies? Girlfriend? It’s a natural reaction, right? And given that it was a delicate subject at the moment, which required further discussion (something I was hoping we could address tonight), in hindsight, maybe I should have kept schtum. But I hadn’t.
Thankfully, though, rather than making things awkward, after a slight pause, Miles had said, ‘Um, yeah, yeah! Why not? I’d love you to come. As long as you don’t mind meeting a bunch of doctors?’
And I’d said, ‘No! Of course not! I’m sure it will be fun!’
So here I was. About to meet his colleagues. They’d probably all be super smart and spend the whole night spouting lots of medical terminology that would sound like double Dutch to me and I’d feel really stupid, but maybe their partners would be e
qually bamboozled by their doctor talk and we could chat about something more generic.
Yes. It would be absolutely fine. I was used to meeting new people and making conversation. When you’re in sales, you have to be good at small talk. That’s why I shouldn’t be nervous.
Tell that to my bloody heart, which was still beating way too fast…
I took a deep breath and opened the large glass double doors. There were crowds of people scattered in groups throughout the large open space. It had huge windows, high ceilings, exposed brickwork and metallic ventilation ducts. Industrial chic with a modern twist.
Miles was already here. He’d finished work at 5 p.m. and come straight to the venue. I’d hoped that I could leave the office early, but of course Steve was having none of it. I offered to have the time taken off my lunch break, but he said that we were ‘a team’ and that we were ‘all in this together’ so he couldn’t start ‘playing favourites’ and giving me ‘special treatment’. I wasn’t asking for bloody special treatment. Just a bit of flexibility. You’d think that after being loyal to the company for thirteen years, leaving half an hour early wasn’t too much to ask.
So now it had just gone 6.15 p.m., and it seemed like the evening was in full swing. After I’d put my coat away, I quickly popped to the toilets to check myself in the mirror. I really needed to get my extensions done again, but it was such a big expense. They’d be okay for another week, I supposed. I brushed the mid-lengths and ends to ensure it was smooth, then topped up my lipstick. I’d gone for a neutral pink colour. I’d considered a bold red lip, but then I’d thought best to play it safe. A do for doctors was likely to be quite subdued. Didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself. Blending in would be much better. That’s why I’d opted for plain black heels and an LBD. Never could go wrong with a little black dress. I had one which was low-cut and sleeveless, but in the end I’d worn this one with the scoop neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves. Not massively sexy, but much more professional. I just wanted to make sure I made a good impression with Miles’ colleagues.
I picked up a glass of wine from the waiter’s tray and wandered around the curved white-and-green-tiled bar in search of Miles. I spotted him chatting away to a bald, smartly dressed man in his sixties and tapped him gently on the shoulder.
‘Alex!’ he said, giving me a kiss on each cheek. ‘So glad you came. Alexandra, this is Dr Peters. Dr Peters, meet Alexandra.’
‘Call me Gerald, please,’
‘Lovely to meet you, Gerald,’ I said. He certainly had a firm handshake.
‘Well, good to catch up, Miles. Let’s talk later,’ said Gerald as he headed off to the opposite side of the room.
‘Thanks for coming, Alex. You look stunning,’ he said, flashing his beautiful smile. Gets me every time.
‘Thanks. You look very dapper too,’ I said, using it as an excuse to look him up and down. He was wearing a black roll-neck jumper under a navy blazer with matching trousers. No shirt underneath today, and first time I’d seen him in a full suit. He looked hot.
‘Very kind of you. I did try.’ He glanced at my glass. ‘Glad to see you’ve got your priorities straight and have already got yourself a drink.’
‘Of course!’
‘Stepped out of your comfort zone and gone for white wine rather than rosé too, I see?’
‘Oh yes! I’m all for living life on the edge.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ he chuckled.
For the next hour or so, we worked the room. Miles seemed to know everyone here, and their faces all lit up whenever he approached them. He was clearly well liked. I could see what Miles meant, though. It was very couple-centric. Most people chatted in twos, sticking with their significant others, and I was also surprised at how many of them worked together. Doctors married to other doctors, nurses or other roles in the profession. I suppose we’re at work at least five days a week, so it’s only natural that people find love with those they spend the most time with. Well, unless you work with the likes of Garth and Steve, that is. There was more chance of me becoming Queen of England than there was of me ever dating them.
Just as Miles and I finally got to have a chat by ourselves, Gerald swooped over. ‘Terribly sorry, Alexandra, but would you mind if I stole Miles for five minutes? Just need to pop upstairs to the private lounge and introduce him to someone.’
‘No, no, of course,’ I replied as my stomach sank. Would we ever get some time alone to have that talk? Maybe tonight wasn’t the best time or place. ‘That’s fine.’
‘Thank you. I won’t keep him long,’ said Gerald, resting his hand on Miles’ shoulder and leading him towards the staircase.
‘Sorry!’ mouthed Miles as he walked away. When your boss calls you to talk work stuff, you’ve got to go, I guess.
I headed over to the back wall to the table of canapés. I’d been starving all night, but it’s tricky to hold a conversation with a mouthful of food and juggle a plate and glass of wine at the same time. If I was with friends or people I knew, then it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I was so conscious of trying to make the best impression possible.
I rested my glass on the table, picked up a mini sausage roll, placed some fancy-looking vol-au-vents stuffed with what looked like meat of some kind and some other nibbles onto my plate, then turned around to face the crowd. More people had been arriving throughout the evening. I’d thought it was busy before, but that was nothing compared to now, it was heaving. I just needed to find someone who was on their own and strike up a conversation. But first, time to eat.
Suddenly, just when I’d taken a bite of my vegetable spring roll, the crowd parted as a woman glided across the floor. She was wearing a skintight one-shoulder red mini dress, and with every step she took, her glossy dark locks swooshed in slow motion like she was starring in a hair commercial. Wow. Her matching bright red full lips screamed look at me, which was exactly what everyone in the room was doing. I spotted one of the wives who’d caught her husband gawping giving him a nudge with her elbow and another actually pushing up her man’s chin to close his mouth, which had fallen open when he’d laid eyes on her.
She was like an Amazonian goddess.
You could tell that she knew everyone was staring at her and was relishing every second. More power to her. If I had a figure like that, I’d walk around the streets naked, stopping every few seconds to pose like a peacock to ensure everyone got a good look. Like they say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. And she was definitely doing that.
There I was thinking that I needed to blend in, afraid to wear colour, for fear of going against the grain, whereas Ms Confident Goddess in Red was sticking her finger up at convention and proudly standing out.
She plucked a glass of champagne from the tray (wine was probably far too lowly for the likes of her) and I swear the waitress almost curtsied when she approached. She then strutted straight over to the buffet, which surprised me. The goddess in red was actually going to eat? If I was wearing a dress like that, I’d be terrified to even sniff food for fear that I’d gain ten pounds. She must be one of the lucky ones that could eat whatever she wanted and didn’t put on an ounce.
Captivated like everyone else in the room, my eyes followed her to see what she was going to pick up.
Oh. A carrot stick. Dipped in some hummus. That made sense, I supposed. Not likely to put on weight eating that.
‘I’m famished!’ she said, catching my eye. When I’m hungry, I normally reach for pizza or a burger, not a carrot stick. I wanted to explain that a solitary raw mini vegetable probably wasn’t going to help satisfy her appetite and that she should at least opt for something more substantial like a cocktail sausage, but I thought better of it.
‘I love your dress,’ I said, falling back on the tried and tested ice-breaker of complimenting someone.
‘Thanks. It’s the only thing I could find in my wardrobe to put on.’
Lucky her. I had some nice dresses in my wardrobe, but what she was wearing was
on a completely different level. It must be designer or something. Probably cost the equivalent of my entire monthly salary.
‘I’m Alexandra,’ I said.
‘Nice to meet you,’ she replied. ‘I’m Gabriella.’
‘So, are you here with anyone tonight?’ I asked, shuffling a bit as I gazed at her face. Her skin was flawless.
‘Well, I came on my own, but I don’t intend to leave on my own if you catch my drift.’ She smiled. God, even her teeth were perfect. Probably paid a pretty penny to get them so neat and white too.
‘Oh, I see.’ I grinned. ‘Hoping to meet a nice doctor tonight, are you?’
‘Something like that…’ She smirked. ‘I already know a fair few people here, but there’s one in particular I’m hoping to bump into…’
‘A new romance,’ I gushed. ‘How lovely!’
‘Not so much new. More like a rekindled romance. We have history. We were madly in love. Really serious. He was absolutely besotted with me. Would’ve given me the world on a silver platter, but I got cold feet and bailed. I’ve seen the light now, though, so I’ve come back to—’
‘Gab-Gabby?’ said Miles as he walked towards us cautiously, looking like he’d just seen a ghost. ‘What are you doing here?’ As Gabriella threw her long arms around him, his body stiffened and the blood appeared to rapidly drain from his face. He pulled away. ‘Wh-when d-did you get back?’
‘This morning,’ she said, tossing her ridiculously thick, glossy hair back over her toned shoulder. Bet those locks were all natural too. Even with extensions, I could never get my hair looking that immaculate. ‘I’m so jet-lagged, I must look terrible, but Gerald insisted I come along tonight, seeing as I’m going to be working at the hospital again.’
‘You’re…you’re coming back?’ asked Miles, as his eyes widened.
‘Yes!’ she shrieked, clapping her hands. ‘I start Monday! I swore Gerald to secrecy. Told him I wanted to surprise you. It’s only temporary to begin with as I want to see how it goes and whether any more opportunities come up to work in Africa again. Maybe you’ll get to come with me this time?’ Gabriella cocked her head to the side flirtatiously.
Only When It's Love: A Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy Novel: Holding Out For Mr Right Page 14
