Super Dark 1 (Super Dark Trilogy)

Chapter 5 - Saatchi

When my alarm clock went off on Sunday morning, I didn’t want to get up. The bed felt so warm and snug that I happily could have stayed under my quilt forever. I hadn’t slept well the night before, only managing to drift off in the early hours. In fact, I’d pretty much had no sleep at all since Taffin’s party.

I’d spent all day Saturday drinking black coffee and nursing a killer hangover, to the point of doubting whether I’d be able to go on the Saatchi Gallery trip. But somehow I dragged myself out of bed and was ready by ten-fifteen. This time I was wearing my own choice of clothes: a gray hooded sweater with black leggings and my favorite red-and-white Converses.

In the kitchen, I put two slices of bread in the toaster and made a cup of tea along with scrambled eggs and bacon. When I’d finished cooking, I took my breakfast into the living room and turned on the TV to check the weather forecast. Then, as I sat on the sofa, absent-mindedly chewing my toast, my thoughts drifted back to Lee and what had happened on Friday night.

I kept replaying the events over and over, trying to decipher if there was anything I’d missed. I thought about the way Lee had looked at me, the way he’d smiled at me, how he’d asked me to dance, and the possible significance of him not bringing Becky to the party. Could it be that Frasier was right? Could someone as gorgeous as Lee really find me attractive?

It wasn’t that I had low self-esteem—far from it. I knew I was pretty and knew how to make the most of my appearance, but I wasn’t exactly supermodel material, and Lee was so perfect, I found it difficult to conceive that I’d even show up on his radar.

I closed my eyes and tried to make sense of the crazy state I was in. Why did Lee have such an effect on me? I’d always been so calm and reserved around the opposite sex, never once letting a boy get close to me—but somehow Lee was different. He got to me in a way no one else ever had.

A large part of his appeal for me was physical, which I found disturbing. When I was around him, it was as if my body took on a life of its own. I craved him in a way I couldn’t control—and it was shaking me to my core. We barely knew each other, yet I felt an undeniable connection with him. Part of me was deathly afraid of getting hurt, but another part couldn’t resist playing with fire. I was curious about all my new feelings and wanted to see where they would take me.

Around eleven, I left the apartment and took the overland train from Elmfield to Victoria, and then rode the Tube straight to Sloane Square. As I passed through the ticket barriers, I saw that I was early, so I decided to kill some time browsing the newspaper stand.

Ten minutes passed.

I started growing restless, wondering where everyone was. I pulled out my phone and thought about who to call. I didn’t have Lee’s number, so my best option would be Becky. If my call went to voicemail, I could assume she was on her way.

Just as I was about to dial the number, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I spun around and saw Lee standing behind me. Hastily, I stuffed the phone back in my pocket.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said with a bright smile. “I had trouble finding a parking space and then I had to get change for the meter.”

“You drove up here?” I said in surprise.

“Yes, I rarely ever take public transport,” he replied. “Well, shall we get going? The Saatchi’s just up the road.”

“Hold on, don’t you want to wait for everyone else?”

Lee looked at me strangely. “What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t Becky and the others coming? You said there was a group going.”