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‘How the hell do I know? I never talk to them.’ I pressed my lips together to stifle another giggle. There was the sound of rustling leaves, and Thomas backed out of the bush with the keys dangling from his mouth, growling like a dog.
I cackled like a crone.
We lurched down the street and into his flat with me stating that I couldn’t stay for long as I had important work to do.
Then somehow, after the kettle had boiled and cups of instant coffee were made, we ended up in his bedroom, sitting on his hastily made bed. The hot coffee (Sainsbury’s Gold Roast) definitely sobered me up, and I realised that (a) Thomas kept glancing at me in a certain way and (b) I didn’t mind it. That, in fact, I was glancing at him in a certain way too.
Depositing my empty cup on the bedside table, I suddenly felt shy.
‘Um, we could lie down for a bit. Only if you want to,’ he suggested.
I gulped. ‘OK.’
‘Sorry, the bed’s not made. I wasn’t expecting a guest. Hang on.’ He hastily plumped the pillows, yanked the cover smooth (with me sitting on it), switched off the main light, and turned on a nearby lava lamp—all in the space of ten seconds flat. I blinked at the transformation from ordinary room to amorous boudoir.
Then Thomas did something that shocked me. He removed his white prison uniform shirt and trousers, then his blue T-shirt and boxer briefs. Then seemingly unconcerned that he was stark naked, he hopped under the duvet.
I sat there feeling a bit stunned at having seen his bits, albeit a five-second flash. Apparently, ‘lie down’ in his book meant ‘horizontal nakedness’.
‘Are you getting in?’ he asked from the depths of the duvet.
‘Um.’
I had no intention of revealing my body—even if it had been recently shaved, moisturised, and plucked—to a guy I’d just met. The best thing to do, I decided, was to get under the covers fully clothed, minus my ratty trainers and the cap. It was either that or run away screaming.
‘OK, so now I feel a little underdressed,’ said Thomas, sounding amused as I wiggled my way in and lay on my back.
‘When you invited me over for coffee, I wasn’t expecting us to get naked,’ I replied, very aware of the heat radiating from his body only centimetres away. ‘Do you normally do this with women you’ve only known for a few hours?’
Thomas shrugged. ‘Depends if I like them or not.’
‘Oh.’ I took that to mean he liked me.
‘We don’t have to do anything. We can just hold hands if you want.’
‘I think I can manage that,’ I replied. My heart started beating faster as Thomas’s warm palm slid into mine.
‘I may have jumped the gun, sorry. I thought you would’ve cottoned on when I suggested lying down,’ he said.
‘I didn’t, but s’ok.’
Since he’d apologised and didn’t seem to expect anything other than hand holding, I calmed down.
‘There. Isn’t this lovely?’ he said deadpan, and the ridiculousness of the situation made me want to giggle again. ‘But I have enjoyed hanging out with you tonight,’ he added.
Something in Thomas’s voice made me turn my head on the pillow, and I saw he was looking at me in that way again, like he wanted to kiss me. Feeling nervous but also tempted, I swivelled my head back. I couldn’t kiss Thomas, could I? Not when I was so enamoured with Jeremy. It would be tantamount to leading him on. But I did like him. Maybe it was best to be honest.
I cleared my throat. ‘Since we’re forging a path of clear communication, there are two things you should know about me.’
There was a pause. ‘Er, OK. What are they?’ asked Thomas warily.
‘Ever since my long-term boyfriend cheated on me with my twin sister, I haven’t been with a man. I think I might have a sexual phobia.’
‘Riiight.’
‘And ...’ I paused to summon courage. ‘I’m wretchedly in love with someone.’
Thomas didn’t say anything for a minute, then propped himself up on his elbow and peered down at me. The covers fell away from his chest, and I tried not to ogle, but his pecs were well defined; there was also a suggestion of abs going on. I felt a little worried that he was going to kick me out of his flat after my admission. But what he said next suggested he wasn’t upset, just intrigued.
