Page 70 of Read Between The Lines

I thought about Leo’s words as I checked my phone again. It had been twenty minutes since the show had ended, and the other members of the cast had left long ago. What could be taking Blake so long? I navigated to the SO Ox app, in case another message from Brian James had appeared. His latest one had made my skin crawl at the way he’d fluctuated between talking poetically about how he wanted to run his hands through my ‘soft flowing locks’ and bemoaning the cruelty of a world in which he couldn’t afford to be there for the disaster victims. I was toying with sending Brian slash Blake a message asking for his bank details as a last-ditch backup plan, when a text from Leo buzzed onto the screen.

LEO

He’s a no-show. Let’s try another time.

Short and to the point, as always. I started tapping out a quick response.

KAT

I’ll give it another five minutes.

However, before I could hit send, the heavy metal stage door opened with a clatter. I jumped and dropped my phone.

‘Here, let me help you,’ said Blake, reaching down and scooping up my phone before I could stop him. I thought I detected movement out of the corner of my eye from near the bins. I shuffled around to block Blake’s view of that direction, and flapped my hand behind me in a back-off gesture which I hoped Leo would interpret correctly.

‘Thank you,’ I said as Blake handed my phone back. I quickly started recording while pretending to be checking it over for damage. ‘No harm done, thankfully.’

‘That’s good,’ said Blake.

Given how many hours– no, weeks– I’d wasted pining after and then worrying about this bloke, I was somewhat insulted that he appeared not to recognise me at all. Moira would probably say it was because he had balls of steel. I looked at him more closely, trying to spot a tell-tale sheen of nervous sweat on his upper lip or an anxious twitch of his fingers, but there was nothing.

‘Can I help you with something?’ asked Blake, his face the picture of detached politeness. In fact, he was already looking past me, no doubt thinking ahead to whatever he had planned for his break between shows.

‘Actually, there is,’ I said, adding what I hoped sounded like a flirtatious giggle for good measure. In none of the scenarios I’d played out in my head had Brian James slash Blake Jenkins looked at me this blankly without even the slightest glimmer of recognition, so I was having to improvise rapidly.

‘I saw the show, and I thought you were amazing,’ I gushed. ‘You had me in tears.’

His expression brightened. ‘Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me. Would you like me to sign your programme?’

‘I don’t have one. But perhaps you could sign a napkin for me.’ I forced myself to smile, even though I wanted to shout at him. The longer he continued this pretence, the more frustrated I was getting.

‘Sure, do you have a pen?’ he asked. I’d assumed he’d produce one of his own. A guy with the confidence to scam someone online would undoubtedly be the type to carry a Sharpie around with him on the presumption that he was big enough of a deal to be handing out autographs. He needed a wake-up call.

‘I have to confess I don’t have either a pen or more importantly a napkin.’ I blinked, leaning into the character of a slightly ditzy seductress. ‘But if you let me buy you a cup of coffee in the café around the corner, then I’m sure they’ll be able to provide us with both.’

I was acting a part, but there was something pretty empowering about being so bold and just asking the guy out like this. If only I’d tapped into this side of my personality earlier to do the same with Leo.

Blake grinned broadly, his chest practically puffing up as I played to his ego. ‘I can’t refuse an offer like that. Let’s go and get that coffee. What did you say your name was again?’

‘I didn’t. I’m Kat. Kat Fisher,’ I said.

‘Nice to meet you, Kat,’ said Blake, still keeping up a front of polite ignorance. How long was he going to maintain this pretence?

‘How are you enjoying Oxford?’ I asked, trying to appear like I was making small talk as we walked towards the café.

‘It’s good to be back. I actually grew up here, then went away to drama school and travelled and toured for a while. I feel like I’m getting to know a new side of the city now I’m an adult here, with my own digs and everything.’

He held the door of the coffee shop open for me and I did a double-take, immediately clocking Leo already in there and sipping from a mug. How had he managed to get past without my spotting him?

He caught my gaze and sent the ghost of a wink in my direction, impossibly pleased with his subterfuge skills. I fought the urge to smile back.

‘Why don’t you grab us that table in the window while I fetch the coffees?’ I suggested to Blake.

‘Good idea,’ he said. ‘I’ll have a venti iced macchiato with caramel syrup and an extra shot of espresso. Oh, and can you ask them for almond milk as well? I bloat when I have dairy.’

He ran his hand over his stomach, a self-conscious move rather than one intended to draw my attention to how flat it was, I thought.

‘No problem,’ I said. ‘I’ll do my best to remember the order.’

---