Hypnotised

Chapter 8

He pleaded with me to stay for dinner. ‘You were my last visitor today, Al’ he said.

I had accepted his offer out of sheer curiosity and expected politeness.

It’s not everyday someone so hot and supposedly straight admits they like me and offers to feed my angry stomach as a bonus.

All in all, it was good. I mean, the food was absolutely superb and he did manage to make his point on the ‘carrots’ matter: they indeed tasted nice when full of cheese…who would have guessed that? The thing is…I felt on edge the whole time. Like Miles would be speaking about how much he loved classical music or why he thought Queen was the best band to ever exist for including orchestras in their music and this tingling feeling would stir in my stomach as if telling me it was all wrong, this whole situation. Anyway, we both found out that we actually have a lot of things in common: from favourite guitar solos ever to apocalypse’s theories, we pretty much held similar- if not identical views. He made most of the talk but still I felt comfortable when it was my turn to speak because he gave me time and his eyes while on me, didn’t look at all demanding or judgemental. On the contrary, they exuded attentiveness, like he really cared what I had to said- even if it took me an hour to put my chaotic thoughts into words. He also didn’t interrupt me, not even once. Those two little details probably moved more in me than the kiss I had shamefully given him. It felt astonishingly comforting knowing that, for a change, my interaction with people could be truly reciprocal.

Nighttime setting in, I expressed my wish to start on my return home- on my own. I really felt like walking down some silent streets so as to let this whole turn of events sink in.

“But it’s cold Al. What’s more, I have my car parked in the building’s garage it is no trouble at
all to drop you off at your place.” He insisted, combing my hair back ever so slowly. I was already in the hallway, he leaned on the doorframe, adopting a slouching position.

“You really enjoy toying with my messy stands, huh?” I replied leaning in and readily smooching his cheek with a silly laughter threatening to slip out my lips at any moment.

He withdrew his wandering hand immediately and pulled back.

“Well, yea your brownish hair is very… touchable” Miles tilted his hair in sort of admiration of my unkempt mane.

“Touchable you said?” I lowered my gaze and let my hand trickle down his sinewy torso then up again all the way to his shoulder. I patted it and looked at his puzzled expression before leaving.

“Night, Mi” I concluded and walked out.

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For the first time in a very long time, arriving to my precious apartment didn’t feel that great. I mean, I wouldn’t have minded staying with Miles longer but yea I had been getting unreasonably flirtier and flirtier- and in all sincerity I’m not sure what that would have led to. Moreover…yes, I really don’t want to boost the whory mental image he doubtlessly already has of myself.

My phone buzzed in my jacket startling me a bit.

‘safe & sound? wanna go out someplace this weekend, just us?’

‘yea x2’ I replied with a big smile plastered on my face.  I never thought such cliché stuff could affect me to the point of staring at the bright screen for minutes before answering and whispering to myself ‘he’s asking me out on an official date, he’s bloody asking me out!’

 

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Two weeks later we were officially dating. ‘Officially’ meaning that we weren’t truly seeing anyone else but publicly…oh, publicly I was still dating Chung and causing a sort of a ‘sensation’ worldwide. We had made it past the music/fashion magazines and now we were recognized by tons of gossip ones and on the internet too we were going viral as the ‘hottest couple of the year’…what a honour! Honestly, I was at this point wondering what exactly went wrong with humanity to make a stupid silly couple have more presence in the media than the disasters that were taking place because of climate change but yea Richard and the monkeys were pleased, and if they were pleased, then it all was fucking okay. Anyway, near my one month anniversary of dating Mi, the monkeys’ cd was finally released and the breaking up with Alexa left ‘for the next one’- as Richard had put it. Due to our singles rapid success on the British charts, I was practically running across town, jumping from one interview to another. Quickly, I became strained and worn thanks to the pressure to give all the ‘desired’ answers regarding my current fakefriend and getting asked stupid, hollow things about my music. Not to mention the anxiety that built up when I was met with exasperated stares when I’d suddenly find myself mid-sentence with no apparent way to continue to express what I wanted to in the first place.