In the Interlude

Chapter 37 - Dramatic Effects

That was close, Aïcha told herself as she stepped out of Tom's house and looked around seeing no one other than the security guard by the gates. She wished him a good one and joined the main road, trying to figure out which way to go while clutching the printed map of the area with Tom's handwritten instructions.

Soon she found the tube station and followed the horde of commuters on this warm Wednesday morning. That was really close, she told herself again, recalling yesterday's events. They could've been spotted in Primrose Hill. They could've been spotted in his car. But no, he had been spotted alone, all by his glorious self. The irony wasn't lost on her.

They needed to be careful, she thought. They had no intention of making their relationship go public. Although she had to admit that it had been nice walking by his side in the park and up the hill. It would've been nice to go to a restaurant, or a play or to the movies with him. It would have been nice to visit his London and hit all the spots he was dying to show her. But it was also thrilling to have this big secret of their own, only Sofia knew they were dating - and Charlotte had probably guessed it all by herself.

Aïcha took a deep breath as she finally arrived at her client's offices in Holborn Street. The very same street where she had met Tom three months ago. She stood outside smoothing her hands over her unwrinkled dress, tucking strands of her hair behind her ears and putting her phone on silence. This was the first day of her new consultancy project and she needed to bring her A-game.

* * * * *

Tom was stepping out of the shower after his morning run when his phone rang. He wrapped a towel around his waist and reached for his phone. It was Paul asking if he was free for drinks on Thursday night. "There's something I need to ask you in person," his friend said.

"Thursday? I'm not sure I can."

"It's really important, mate. Cavill will be there as well."

Tom paused for a second. "Alright, let me get back to you on that, will you?"

Tom paced the room. He knew he wasn't much around but whenever he was in London, he would meet Paul and Cavill for pints and drinks at least once a week. But Aïcha was only here for a very short time. Maybe he can invite her to come along? That was a bad idea. Was it though? He could introduce her to his friends. They knew how to keep a secret. But she would probably refuse. And what if the paps were around? They'd be in a group and he could always ask Paul to bring his girlfriend.

His mind was going around in circles. He knew that he needed to answer one question first. Was he ready to move their relationship up a gear? The answer was a resounding Yes. He was.

But was she?

One way to find out, he said to himself.

It wasn't before lunchtime that Aïcha had finally spared a moment to look at her phone for any missed calls or texts. She found Tom's text waiting for her and froze as she read it.

My friends want to meet for
drinks tomorrow night.
Would you like to come with me?

Did he really want her to meet his friends? Or did he feel obligated to include her in this invitation? And did she want to meet his friends? She didn't have a damn clue.

Luckily, the girls in the office had already suggested going for drinks on Thursday - well, they hadn't left her a choice in the matter. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. There was no need for her to over analyse his text or dissect his underlying intentions. Not yet anyway.

The rest of the afternoon went by very quickly. There had been documents and material to go through and people to meet and meetings to attend. She was expected to present a first outline of the project next Tuesday. Aïcha loved a good challenge and this was definitely one. A lot of work was awaiting her, but she was confident she would deliver what was expected from her.