[in progress] As hearts collide {chicklit}

Chapter eight - is this a date?

Other than a few stolen glances over the week, Ben had left me alone. I was grateful, unsure about what his presence meant, but his words stayed with me for days.

On Saturday, as I was cleaning the house with mum, the phone rang. Ever since that fateful day, phone calls sent my anxiety skyrocketing, so I tried to avoid answering it as much as possible. But, as mum was in the kitchen and I was closer, I decided to answer it.

"Hello?" I said, my voice uneven.
"Hi, Emily?" Alex's voice responded, his warm and comforting tones easing my fears.
"Alex? Well, this is a surprise." I replied, taking a seat on the stairs.
"I realised I didn't have your phone number, so had to do a bit of internet sleuthing to get your home number... are you impressed?"
I giggled, my anxiety melting away. "Not sure if I should be impressed or scared."
"Maybe both?" Alex's laughter danced through the line and I imagined him smoothing his hand through his hair.
"So, what's up?" I shifted the phone to my other ear, pulse quickening.
"Nothing...you?" he replied casually.
"No, I mean, why are you calling?" My curiosity got the better of me.
"Not one for small talk, eh?" He teased.
"Sorry, I'm just a little confused..." I said, a little hesitantly.
"Well, I realised that we've been friends for a few weeks now, but we've not yet hung out together. So, do you fancy it?"
I sat in silence for a moment. "Fancy what?" I asked, still confused.
"Hanging out - come on Em, keep up!" He joked back and I giggled, a little embarrassed.
"Oh! Sure, ok. What do you want to do?"
"What do you want to do?" He replied, his tone clearing enjoying the moment.
"Er... you could come here?" I suggested. "It's not very exciting, but -"
"Sounds good!" He replied enthusiastically, which made me feel warm inside. "Don't eat dinner. We can get a takeaway together when I get there. Speaking of which, where is 'there'?"
I giggled and gave him the directions to my home.
"Oh! So you're literally next door neighbours with Jim! I always thought that was a joke - "
"Nope! Literally next door - some of our bedroom windows are opposite one another. So, is 6:30 ok?" I pondered, wondering if that was long enough for me to clean up and get ready.
"Fine with me, see you then." Alex replied. His casual demeanour was disarming and as I hung up, my heart started to race. "So inconvenient," I mused, before going to tell mum.
"And who is Alex?" She asked, after I'd filled her in on the evenings plans.
"He is the new guy at school, and Jim's friend." I said dismissively, starting to remove the photo frames to dust the shelves. I don't think they'd been moved since before Sam passed away.
"So are you inviting Jim too?" Mum broached and I immediately felt on edge.
"I don't know... do you think I should?" The last thing I wanted to do is to make things awkward.
"Well, that depends... is it a date?" Mum asked casually.
I laughed. "No! A date at the house?!"
"Well I don't know, do I?" She said defensively.
"We hang out together at school - it's no big deal." I replied, moving to the next shelf. She nodded, but I could tell she had more to say.

By the time 6:30 rolled around, I was a mess of nerves and emotions. Should I have invited Jim? Would he be upset? We'd only really just properly rekindled our friendship and I didn't want anything to jeopardise that. As I sat there pondering, the doorbell rang.

"Hey! I wasn't sure what you liked, so I bought a whole load of stuff," he said, shaking the bag in my direction. His grin was infectious, and I couldn't help but smile back.
"Oh cool, thanks," I replied, taking the bag from him. "Can I come in?" He smirked, still standing on the doorstep.
I laughed nervously. "Of course, sorry!" He laughed and moved into the hallway. "Let me introduce you to my mum before we head upstairs..." I led him toward the kitchen, where Mum sat at the table, engrossed in a crossword puzzle from the village newsletter.
"Hey mum, this is Alex from school. Alex, this is my mum." I made the introductions, feeling a little too formal for my liking. He stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Hi, Mrs—"
"Oh, call me Tara, love," Mum interrupted, her eyes twinkling. She shook his hand lightly. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too, Tara... thanks for having me over." Alex's voice was smooth, and I wondered if he practiced that charm in front of a mirror.
"It's a pleasure. What have you two got planned for this evening?" Mum asked, nodding toward the bag in my hand.
"Probably a movie?" I glanced at Alex, silently asking for approval. He grinned, and my stomach roiled. "Sounds good to me," he said. "And maybe a takeaway if you'd like to join us, Tara?"
Mum smiled warmly. "That's very kind of you, but I'm fine thanks, love. You kids enjoy." She waved us off, and we headed upstairs.