“I want to knoweverything!” she cried; her voice almost ultrasonic.
“I figured that much, but let’s save the details for later,” I pointed my chin to Maya, “shall we?”
“Fine, but you’ve got to give me something.”
She parted Maya’s hair in the middle, getting to work.
I summarised last night, making sure it was a child-friendly retelling of the events, which required skipping everything that happened after Thomas brought me to his house. It was too bad, because I really wanted a few pointers from Amelia regarding taking care of Thomas. Mel finished with Maya’s hair and was halfway through mine when Thomas walked into the kitchen, a phone in his hand.
“It’s for you,” he said, frowning.
I pressed the cell to my ear. “Hey, Chase.”
“Hey! What’s wrong with your phone? It goes straight to voicemail.”
“I left it at home to charge. Thomas said you knew we left the club together, which is why I didn’t call you last night.”
He chuckled into the receiver. “Yes, he did. I’m sure you were busy. I just wanted to check if you were alright, and you obviously are, so I’ll speak to you soon.”
He cut the call not waiting for a reply. Thomas took his phone back, looking annoyed. I caught his hand before he could walk away.
“He’s just a friend.”
“He is to you. You’re a bit more than that to him, baby doll.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not. Believe me. I am to him what Chrissy was to you, minus the kissing.”
If Thomas wanted to say something else, he didn’t let it show.
CHAPTER 20
THOMAS
Distraction
The restaurant I chose for the conversation with Chrissy was within walking distance of my office. If it were up to me, I would’ve called her to say I no longer needed her company, but Nadia had a point. It wasn’t Chrissy’s fault she was a plausible distraction. It wasn’t her fault I was a stubborn idiot and refused to forgive the girl I loved sooner.
The waiter led me to a small table by the window and I took the liberty of ordering a light snack. Chrissy arrived ten minutes later, dressed to impress: white, fitted skirt, white, strapless, fitted blouse, high heels and a coat in hand. She even wore glasses with white rims to match. The one pop of colour were her blood-red lips. The same ones she tried to press to mine the moment I rose to greet her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when I turned my head.
“Sit down. Do you want anything to drink?”
Contrary to me, Chrissy was nervous. I could tell by the way she held her chin higher to come off as unaffected.
“A coffee would be nice.”
I called the waiter over and ordered her favourite—hazelnut latte.
“You were awfully quiet over the weekend.” She drummed her long nails on the empty wine glass.
Please don’t drumBohemian Rhapsody.
“I was busy. Hence why I asked you to meet me today.”
Her face lit up. “I’m glad you did. I’ve got two tickets to Chelsea’s game tomorrow. Care to join me?”
Football? Was she trying to woo me with twenty-two sweaty guys running around chasingoneball?