Chim - Turn To Stone

Chapter 9

Nine

I walked in to our managements office where we were due to have a discussion about an upcoming tour. I made sure that I got there a little bit earlier than normal because I didn’t want to arrive after Cheryl, I know it was a bit immature, but I didn’t want to have to go through that awkward moment where everyone looks at you, trying to gage your reactions.

Nicola and Sarah were already there when I got there. They were in deep conversation, I could see through the glass window in the door, yet when I entered they both stopped talking.

“you two know how to make me feel paranoid” I joked, putting my bag on the floor and sitting on one of the seats around the table. “sorry” Sarah said to me, “how are you”?

“I’ve been better” I laughed, although there wasn’t really any humour in it. I wanted us to get over this little awkward patch we had stumbled in to. I knew it was hard for them, but I wanted them to just be normal around me.

“I’m going back to the house to pick some of my things up after the meeting, will you come with me” I asked Nicola. Her face fell and she looked at me with sympathetic eyes. “I’m really sorry Kim, I said I’d go out with Cheryl” she said, the guilt apparent on her face.

And so it began… As much as I had tried to keep this between me and Cheryl, it had already started to affect our friends. Nicola felt guilty about spending time with Cheryl, something which she normally looked forward to.

“its ok” I smiled, trying to make her feel better. I really didn’t want any of them to feel like they had to choose between us. It should never have come to this, all of our lives were so closely knit together that it was impossible for our actions not to affect each other.

“I’ll go if you want” Sarah offered with a smile. Normally Sarah was the one I would go to if I wanted to have a good time, get p***** and forget about my problems, it was easy to forget that she had a sensitive side too. “thank you” I said, taking her up on her offer.

No sooner had I took my coat off when she arrived. I was wearing dark blue jeans and a plain white t shirt, the only thing that I could find from my little suitcase that didn’t need ironing. She in turn had a white summer dress on that fell just above her knee and wore sunglasses despite the fact she was inside.

I remember being with her when she bought the dress. I remembered being with her when she bought the sunglasses and I even remembered the arguments we used to have about her wearing them in doors.

As if reading my mind, she took them off and put them on the table before sitting on a seat next to Nicola. I was thankful that she didn’t sit next to me.

She looked good. I found myself looking at her in the way that I used to when she made an effort, not that she ever needed too.

I loved her.

I love her.

 I loved everything about her, from the way she woke up in the morning in a fowl mood, I loved her constant complaining, I even loved her when we were arguing. Of course that was when we were arguing about what to have for dinner, or where we might have left the car keys, not because one of us may accidentally have slept with somebody else and broke the other ones heart.

But most of all, I loved the Cheryl that no body ever really got to see but me. And there she was, sat opposite me, looking great, which only made me more confused.

Nadine came through the door in a hurry which was a welcome distraction because I knew I had looked at Cheryl for a bit to long. She smiled to us all before taking her coat off.