Page 102 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Okay, well, let me know how it goes. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be here for you.’
‘What would I do without you?’ said Tori, her eyes filling with tears.
‘Oh, come here,’ said Rose, hugging her friend. ‘I know you’d do the same for me.’
‘Somehow, I don’t think you’re going to end up in this state. You and Jake are meant to be, I reckon.’
‘I hope so,’ said Rose, ‘I really do.’
When Rose left, Tori flipped the closed sign over the back of the café door, pulled up a seat and scrolled through her contacts to find Leo’s number. Her finger hovered over it, her nerves building as she jabbed a finger on the call button. She took a deep breath as she waited for him to answer.
‘Hello?’ said Leo, his voice sounding groggy and hoarse.
‘It’s me, Tori. Are you okay? You sound…’
‘Oh, I’ve just woken up, that’s all,’ he replied, yawning.
‘Oh, okay.’ Tori’s hands trembled. Maybe Leo hadn’t heard about Ryan’s arrival from the Blossom Heath rumour mill yet.
‘I’m on nights tonight – I’m getting some kip in before I start.’
‘Oh God, I’m so sorry I woke you up,’ she said quickly.
‘I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have wake me up.’ Tori heard the smile in Leo’s voice.
‘Listen, I know I said I’d call today anyway but… well,something happened last night after the cab dropped me off and I’m not really sure how to… explain.’
‘What happened? Are you okay?’ he asked hurriedly. She could hear the tone change in his voice.
‘I’m fine, it’s just that… I… well…’
‘Tori,’ said Leo, gently. ‘Whatever it is, you know you can tell me, don’t you? Whatever it is, it’s okay.’ She crossed her fingers and hoped that was true.
‘Okay, well, when I got home last night Ryan, my ex, was here. He’s back from Thailand and I think, well, he says, I mean, he wants us to…’
‘Get back together?’
‘I think so, yes.’ There was silence at the end of the line.
‘Oh, I see,’ said Leo, after a moment.
‘And I’m not saying I want to get back with him. It was just, well, it was a bit of a shock, him just turning up like that and I’m feeling a bit confused. I know things between me and you are, well… it’s early days, and I’m just not sure that, I mean I’m not sure if…’ She was rambling now; she could feel it. Words were tumbling out of her mouth, and she was desperately trying to fill the awkward, painful silence with something, anything, that would go some way towards explaining what was going on in her head.
‘How did you feel about seeing him?’ Leo asked bluntly.
‘I really don’t know. I’m meeting him tonight for a drink.’
‘You’remeetinghim?’
‘Tonight, yes. I wanted to let you know, I want to be straight with you, Leo. I don’t know what any of this meansbut I don’t want to keep anything from you.’ A painful silence hung in the air. Tori was desperate to fill it, but she didn’t know what else she could say. After what felt like an eternity, Leo finally spoke.
‘Listen, Tori. You don’t owe me anything. Whatever’s happening between us is pretty new, right? You’ve got history with Ryan and if you think he’s what you want, I’m not going to get in the way.’
‘Oh, okay…’ She felt stung by his words.
‘I appreciate you being honest with me – it took guts to tell it to me straight. Listen, I’ve got to get ready for work, so I guess I’ll see you around.’
Before she had the chance to reply, Leo had rung off. His words echoed in her head.I guess I’ll see you around. She sat there for a moment, staring at her phone. What had she expected him to say? Did she think he’d race over to the café and beg her not to meet Ryan? To tell her that he couldn’t live without her? That she should forget Ryan and choose him? She shook her head. No, that would be ridiculous. Surely she should be pleased that Leo had reacted to her news so graciously? He’d been decent about the whole thing and let her off the hook without so much as a cross word. That was a good thing, right? Why, then, did she feel so utterly miserable? She knew one thing for certain, deep down in the pit of her stomach: she wanted Leo to put up some kind of fight for her, and the fact that he hadn’t spoke volumes. Perhaps the decision she had to make about Ryan had suddenly got a whole lot easier…
