Double Take

Chapter 9 - Fake Believe

"Elsie!" I whisper-scream into my mobile phone the second my call is answered. I'm beyond relieved she picked up and a little surprised. Her gym rat must have been underwhelming. Like hell, he could have handled both of us.

"Everything Ok Kyra?"

"Jay asked you out... like to date... properly."

"What?" Elsie squeaks in horror. Her tone alone confirms my suspicion that she wouldn't be delighted at Jay's proposition. "Oh shit. Ah, so what did you say?"

"I was kind of put on the spot and regurgitated that line you told me...relationships are complicated, and I like simple."

"That's good. So, how did he take it?"

"Well, he downplayed that, and then I asked what was wrong with what we have. He said he wanted more. So I excused myself, and now I'm having a panic attack in the bathroom."

"Shit, hon. Ugh, I can't imagine how awkward that must have been for you. I so need to break it off..." I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, and frown. Elsie's a fool. "What can I do? Do you want me to call your mobile and fake an emergency so you can leave?"

"No, uh, it's OK. That would be really obvious and not to mention mean."

"True, how about you stall him for now. Tell him you need to think on it longer, and I'll call him tomorrow." I murmur my agreement and begin mentally preparing myself on how to distract Jay from the matter. A couple of ideas pop into my head.

Elsie's voice drags me back down to earth and out of my fantasy. "I honestly owe you big time Kyra. I'll see you when Jay drops you back." We say our goodbyes, and the call disconnects as I try to breathe in deeply and calm myself. My already frayed nerves are startled when a random number rings my mobile. With shaky fingers, I silence the incoming call before tucking it back into my clutch.

Summoning up all my courage, I emerge from the bathroom and head back into the restaurant. Jay's face lights up like Christmas when he spots me across the room. I can't help but smile back, secretly loving the way his handsome face studies me with rapt attention. My whole life, I've wished a man would look at me like that, and Elsie is going to throw this away. I'll never understand her.

"You came back! So, I didn't scare you off after all." Jay jokes, but I hear his anxiety brimming beneath the surface. 

"Of course not. I just needed to freshen up. Sorry I kept you waiting." Sending him a warm smile across the table I clasp the thin stem of my glass before gulping down some of the vile liquid as elegantly as possible. Good old liquid courage should help me play this cool.

As I place my wine glass down, Jay catches my hand, threading his fingers through mine. His eyes twinkle in the candlelight, and I gaze mesmerised. Despite the fact I'm pretending to be someone else, the chemistry coursing between our hands is electrifying.

The table vibrates as my phone buzzes inside my clutch. "Excuse me," I murmur and reluctantly let go of his hand to check my phone; it's an unsaved number again. Quickly silencing the call, I tuck the phone away. "Sorry, I should have turned it off during our date." While he doesn't know it's me I hate Jay to think I'm not enjoying his company.

"I don't mind, maybe it's important." I ponder his words for a second. It could be my lecturer checking in to see how my 'family issue' is going after I hauled ass out of class. But how would that phone call be explained if I'm meant to be Elsie?

"No, it's not a saved number. If it's important, I'm sure they'll leave a voicemail. Besides, I want to spend time with you."

"Fair enough." Closing my clutch, I push it to the side of the table when my eyes land on the leather-bound dessert menu.