Page 24 of To Feel Like This Again
Chapter 14
Lisa
On tippy toes, I am reaching for the creamer in the cupboard when my phone chimes on the coffee table, a part of the message popping up on the screen. I’ve been meaning to change that setting since I upgraded the phone over a year ago.Ugh.
Hi Mrs Davis, please let me know what time I should come by for dinner tomorrow.
Popping the lid and pouring the creamer into my cup, I glimpse Alex through the corner of my eye as he picks up the phone — so much for privacy. He reads the preview, shouting across the hall, “Honey, your little mentee is asking what time he should come by tomorrow.”
Stunned, the bottle slips out of my hand, the liquid flying all over the counter as the bottle crashes to the ground. I leave it there and walk as fast as I can to go retrieve the phone, trying not to look like I have something to hide —why the hell did I work from home today?
“Everything okay?” Alex asks, hearing the ruckus, as he hands me the phone.
“Yea, everything is fine. I just made a little mess in the kitchen. You know how I can be clumsy at times,” I joke, surprising myself at how calm I sound.
I unlock the phone and read the message.Very, discreet. Feeling relieved, I look at Alex, “Can we do dinner at 7:00pm?”
“Yea, that time is good.” He sips his beer, turning his attention back to theHouse of the Dragonseries on HBO. It would have been nice to watch it together since going to the movies is out of the question. Not that I think about it; I haven’t been to a movie since James reached his teens (and by then he preferred to go with his friends rather than his mom).
“He sounds like a little bitch,” Alex continues, laughing between sips. “I should have invited him to shoot hoops with the guys and give him some real advice.”
Annoyed and wanting to defend Nick, I say, “Why would you say that? He’s just trying to make a good impression, that’s all.”Wait, what the hell is going on with me?
7:00pm is good
And for absolutely no logical reason, I click on his new WhatsApp profile picture and enlarge it.
Chapter 15
Nicholas
On Saturday, the Uber driver picks me up at 6:30pm and we strike up a conversation along the way. He’s serious about getting good reviews I guess, as he even rejected calls from his mother — saved asMammain his phone — and Alexia, whoever she is… She called three times.
Less than two minutes away, according to Google Maps, I now realize why the driver is being such a good host. The houses, or rather mansions, become larger as we approach Lisa’s address. That blue house must belong to someone on the Forbes’ list or maybe he plays for the Yankees. I should have known the driver was lying when he said that the Reggae Boyz is one of his favourite teams to watch. Fair play, you deserve it, you got yourself a US$50 tip (is that too little or too much, given the circumstances?)
“This is it.” He pulls up to a house that looks like a palace of some sort from that popular Netflix series, filmed in England.I’ll soon remember the name of the show.
I ring the doorbell and a few seconds later I’m pleasantly surprised. “Hi! I’m Emily, you must be Nicholas.”
The excitement I feel is even more than that time when, as a teenager, I found money — money I had completelyforgotten about— in my pocket, after my jeans went through the heavy-duty cycle on the washing machine.
I instantly recognize her from the Instagram photos. I had assumed she was a close family friend based on the pictures she posted with Lisa and her family. But still, I wonder what she’s doing here.
Smiling, I gently nod. “Yea, that would be me… I wasn’t expecting to see you here. But nice to meet you in person, Emily” and extend my hand to her (Is it okay tohug her,after all we are Instagram friends?). Yup, it definitely is okay. Sensing my hesitancy, she ignores my crummy attempt at a handshake and comes in for a hug.This feels nice.
At this point, I know that I should describe her for you. But it’s best to put it like this.
Whenever I’m asked, what’s my favourite movie? It’s impossible to answer the question. Too many great movies.
Whenever I’m asked, what’s my favourite song? It’s impossible to answer the question. Too many great songs.
If you were to ask me… Who’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen? It’s impossible to answer the question. Too many beautiful women in the world. But if I had to choose one, it would be Emily.
“This way,” she says smiling while leading the way. She’s wearing a yellow mini dress with strings at the shoulder that fits her perfectly. One pull at the string and it would all… stop, stop right there, get a grip yourself. Have some respect.
So, yeah, on a respectful note — as she walked ahead of me, I can see that her back is magnificently toned, like she does a lot of bent-over rows with resistance bands in the gym. Her calves are also magnificently toned, like she does a lot of squats.
“This is Lisa’s home office,” sweeping her arm in an arc to show me the room.
