Please Mind The Gap #1

16: Please mind the nonexistent Friendster

16: Please mind the nonexistent Friendster

--- The many faces of Teddy Errol in the media section ---

"I can't believe you declaimed your love for me in front of everyone," Teddy muttered darkly. "You really had to do it in front of EVERYONE. Ivan literally was dying of laughter. I had to hide my face."

Nathan laughed wearily, rubbing his brown hair vigorously so that it stuck out in messy curls. "That's how lucky you are to have someone like me. No one in the world can make Ivan die of laughing."

"Too lucky for words," she retorted but she smiled as they lapsed into silence, ignoring the way he had mockingly said Ivan's name. Nathan spun the steering wheel of their car expertly as they travelled back to Nathan's home from the party.

"I like you, though," Nathan said quietly, his eyes on the road. "I really do."

Teddy was stunned into silence. Nathan glanced at her fleetingly before grinning. "What? You just admonished me for telling you that I liked you in front of everyone, and now I just said it without anyone watching."

Teddy smiled faintly. "Nothing," she said. "I just..."

"You're not accustomed to guys telling you they like you?"

"You idiot."

"Ah, the classic 'you idiot'." Nathan laughed. "I may be an idiot, but I'm a very hot idiot."

"Whatever, Wren." She paused. "So maybe I do like you back," Teddy hedged. "Although I'm not sure how that would work out... I mean...I've been thinking."

"And?"

"Look, we practically live across the ocean, miles and miles away from each other." Teddy lay back against her seat. "And sure there's Skype. Facetime. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram, Viber, Snapchat, and the nonexistent Friendster, but how long can that last?" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What are we going to do?"

Something flashed in Nathan's green eyes. He parked the car outside the house and then turned his body to face her. "I don't know," he whispered.

"I hate this," Teddy said, unstrapping her seatbelt violently.

"Teddy," Nathan said, catching her hand in his own.

She exhaled, calming herself down. "I'm just scared," she said. "I'm scared of losing someone else after my parents." She watched as Nathan's gaze darkened and he looked distantly away from her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared too," was all he said. He unstrapped his own seatbelt and put on his old carefree grin. "Come on."

"What?" Baffled by the sudden change in the mood, Teddy got out of the car. "Seriously, I'm going to sit on you until you tell me what's wrong."

"I think I'd rather enjoy you sitting on me."

"If I release some sort of flatulence, would you enjoy it then?"

"You disgusting girl."

Teddy barred his path. "Nathan, talk to me. You just went 'I'm scared too' and back to normal like nothing happened."

"Listen," he said soberly, moving closer to her. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her as he drew nearer to her, brushing a hand through her hair. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips, stroking her cheek tenderly. "Meet me on the roof okay?" He said against her mouth. "I'll tell you there."

---

"Nathan?"

Nathan turned, looking at Teddy as she approached him on their special place on the roof. He smiled at her as she sat down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not daft, you know," Teddy murmured into his shirt. "Something's obviously going on. Your parents are always out. You're always worried. You're always dodgy when it comes to your sister..." Teddy moved closer to him. "You can tell me."

"I know you're not stupid," he said. "You're brilliant, and you deserve to know everything..."

Just then, Teddy's phone gave a loud ring.

"Sorry," she apologized moving away from him and swiftly bringing her phone out. "I bet this is just Aunt Tess..." She glanced at the screen, then frowned. "It's Larry."

"Go ahead," he said, half-disappointed and half-relieved that he didn't tell her about what was happening. But mostly guilty he was keeping it from her for so long. "He won't eat you through the phone."

She tapped the screen and put the phone on speaker mode. "Larry?"

"Hey, Teddy!" Larry's voice was a little staticky from the background noise of the party. "Sorry you had to leave early."

"No, it's fine, the party was terrible anyway," she replied. Nathan shrugged and lay on his back.

"Someone wants to talk to you," Larry said loudly.

Teddy made an unladylike grunt. "Who does?"

"Was the party really that terrible?"

Nathan sat up at the smooth English voice that spoke.

Teddy nearly dropped the phone. "Ivan?"

"Got your first guess correct." Nathan scooted over to Teddy, listening to their conversation. "Hey, I was wondering if you want to hang out before we go back to London, you know, just tea perhaps."

"Er..." Teddy looked at Nathan who was silently wishing he could crush her phone. "I don't know."

"Come on, how about tomorrow?"

"Well, maybe... I guess I could squeeze tea in for tomorrow."

"Great! See you tomorrow, four maybe?"

"Where?"

"You know Waves? The cafe?"

Teddy looked at Nathan. "I don't."

"I'll pick you up anyway. Where are you staying?"

"Nathan's."

She told him how to get there then hung up.

"Nice how he's taking you out," Nathan said, unable to hold the sarcasm back.

She frowned at him. "It's not a date. It's just tea."

"So what if it's just tea? If I take you out on a date to eat spaghetti, would you say that it's just spaghetti and not a date?"

"That's different," Teddy snapped in her usual Teddy way. "It's just bloody tea, for God's sake."

"Whatever," he said, standing up. "I'm heading downstairs."

"Are you seriously pissed off right now?"

"I'm just pissed that he gets to take you out before I ever did."

Teddy gaped at him for a moment then burst out laughing. "Well, if that's what's bothering so intensely..."

She took her phone, dialed a number and held it to her ear. "Yeah," she said into it after a while. "Hey, I can't make it tomorrow, I'm sorry." She waited as the one on the other end of the line replied. "Maybe back in London. Yeah. Next time." She winked at Nathan as she said, "It's for an emergency. Yeah. Bye, Ivan."

She pressed her screen and grinned. "So when are you going to take me out for spaghetti?"

-----

Thanks for reading everyone:) Find out what the frick is happening to Nathan's life in the coming chapters *wink wink*

Love ya all<3

-K