Then There Were Four

Chapter 6

I stop when I am a few metres behind his bench and plaster on a smile despite my nerves.

"Hi," I say.

Chapter 6

He turns around. Now that his hood is off, I can't believe I didn't recognise him at the café – even with his sunglasses on. The sun catches his face perfectly and he glows brilliantly in the sun. He is pure perfection.

"Hi there." He smiles. My chest constricts and I have to consciously make an effort to breathe.

"Umm, do you mind if I sit here?" I ask him, pointing at the opposite side of his bench.

He looks around the park at all the empty benches but nods his head. "Sure." He smiles again, wider than before.

I sit down and put my lunch bag on the table in front of me. "You, um, you mean 'no.'"

He looks at me confusedly. "Sorry?"

"Well, I asked if you minded and you said 'sure' which means you do mind which means I shouldn't sit here." I can tell I'm rambling but there doesn't seem to be any way to stop me.

"You're right. Well, what I meant to say was 'No, I don't mind,'" he says, laughing lightly.

"Thank you very much." I try to grin wider to show how comfortable I am when that is the complete opposite of how I feel.

"Sure." He takes another sip of his tea. "Did you, by any chance, follow me here?" he asks me.

I was right! I think. "No! I actually come here for lunch every day that I work. I had no idea you would be here, I swear," I reply way too quickly.

"So, my disguise is good enough, then?" he asks.

"Yeah. Well, at least until you only wear half of it. I recognised you without the hoody," I say before realising how obvious what I said was. "Uhh... obviously," I add and gesture to me and him on the bench.

"Yeah, right." He takes another sip. "Oh, sorry. How rude of me." He takes off his glasses and sets them on the table.

His eyes. Holy crap, his eyes. They look like brown pearls of the sincerest magnificence I have ever seen in my entire life. I am speechless for a few seconds, just trying to get over his eyes.

He clears his throat and I quickly look down at the table. I can feel my face flushing a deep red. I open my lunch bag and take my salad out to give my hands something to do.

"So, this might be weird but... I think I recognise you too," he says and takes another sip.

"You do?" I say, briefly looking up in the general direction of his face, trying not to get mesmerised by his eyes again.

"Yeah, I do. Is that weird?"

"Yes. Well, um, no, I guess. I was at the Meet and Greet last night."

"Oh yes! Of course! You are..." He looks at me for a moment then lightly bangs his fist down on the table between us. "Crap, I've forgotten your name! I'm so sorry. Is it Kayley or Carly or am I completely wrong?" he says, smiling apologetically.

Of course he remembers Carly. "Not completely. It's Kelly. The friend I came with – her name's Carly; the other was Dee."

"Oh, of course! Kelly. Kell-Kelly. Nice to see you again." He grins, reaching out over the table to shake my hand. His hand is warm and his handshake is firm. When he touches me, it feels like an electric shock runs through me but I know it's all in my imagination.

"Nice to see you, too." I smile. He is just a regular guy. An incredibly gorgeous, famous regular guy – but normal nonetheless.

"Quick question: you aren't a creepy stalker, are you?" His face becomes completely serious.

"I... No... I am not?" I say, unsure where he is going with the question. He downs the rest of his tea.

"Well, my delicious peppermint tea is finished, you haven't touched your lunch, there doesn't seem to be anyone around and your café doesn't serve meals," he states, still sombre.

"Umm... yes... and?" I ask, perplexed.

"Well, I'm not doing anything for a few hours, I'm starved and I need to eat and you're not a creepy stalker," he informs me.

"Uhh... I think I'm still missing something."

"Would you like to join me for lunch?" He finally smiles and this time his teeth show. Stunning.

He just asked you to go to lunch. Say yes. Say yes, Kelly. "Oh! Oh yeah, I'm not doing anything. I'd love to," I reply, a little too eagerly.

"Great. Do you have any suggestions for places that aren't too crowded but have great food? Because, Kell-Kelly, I am quite out of my element. I came into your café because it looked quite empty but they don't serve food, so..."

"Oh, yeah... umm... I know this excellent place we could go to, not far from here..." I suddenly remember Dee.

I can't tell him my friend is supposed to meet us! That would undeniably constitute as 'creepy stalker'-ish.

I can't text or call her either, he would definitely notice that!

I'll just have to go to the bathroom when we get there. I'll text her then. It will be fine.

"What?" he asks me and I suddenly realise that I'm staring at my salad as if it is telling me all the answers to life's biggest questions.

"Nothing," I reply hastily and pack my salad away.

We get up from the bench and begin the walk towards one of my favourite restaurants.

~~~

Hi, everyone! So, three things:

1. I know this chapter is super-duper short. Please forgive me. The next one will be longer, I promise!

2. Thank you for reading anyway! x

3. Please vote & comment! It truly makes my day hearing from you!

Love you for reading!
~Rea xx