Happy Never After

Chapter 3

The infection cleared up quickly so on Friday I was ready to go back to work already. Well I would have, but Jo Jo made me stay at home and insisted on covering me for the day again. I didn't really want to but she didn't leave me much choice. I guess I'd just have to wait until tomorrow to see if Perfection-With-Legs came back. I hoped he would. So for the whole day I just sat at home and watched TV, doing nothing but eat and read and watch Big Bang Theory. It was my absolute favourite programme and I rarely got through an episode without having at least one fit of laughter. When it got to about three o'clock I was getting really bored though because there wasn't much else to do so I decided I would get ready for dance later. The doctors told me not to but I loved dance too much to care. If I hadn't opened Ghosties, my cake shop (don't ask me why I named it that, I just loved it), then I probably would have taken dance as a career choice. Not sure what I would have done but it definitely would have been dance. Ghosties closed at four o'clock on Fridays (half five every other day apart from Sundays when it was closed) so if I made it out the house by half four then Jo Jo wouldn't be able to stop me either. The lesson started at five so I would be really early but oh well. I made my way to my bedroom and got changed before stretching my ankle before later.

At about quarter to four I decided that actually, half an hour of stretching was probably enough, so I went back to the settee. I watched an episode of Friends this time as there was no Big Bang Theory on. To be honest I didn't really like Friends that much - other people were always going on about how good it was but I didn't really see what all the fuss was about. The only episode I really liked was 'The One Where Ross Is Fine' - the episode where Ross invites Joey and Rachel round for dinner and gets really drunk. This just happened to be the episode that was currently on so I watched it before tidying round quickly then heading out to dance. It was a ten minute walk to the hall so I was there twenty minutes early but Lorna, the teacher, said I could help out with the current class if I wanted. It was the grade 5 class in ballet so they were all twelve-thirteen year olds but they were all really good! I loved helping out though because it meant they could get even better - or at least I liked to think that my helping made a difference. You would think having two teachers would. At the end of the lesson my phone started ringing and, seeing it was Jo Jo, I answered it.

"You better not be at dance, Emily!" She said down the phone.

"Well..." I replied.

"Emily you know the doctors said not to!" She tutted.

"Yes I know but it beats sitting at home all evening like I've been doing for the past two days! Besides my ankle's fine. Honestly." I reassured her.

"Fine. But don't come round mine later crying because you've over done it!"

"I won't." I laughed. "I gotta go now but you can come round later for dinner if you like?"

"Oh sorry sweetie I'm having dinner with Dougs." She said.

"Ah okay no problem! Bye!" I said before hanging up. Dougie was her boyfriend. She was always telling me about him but, despite the fact they'd been going out for three months, I'd never actually met him. I slipped my phone back in to my bag before sauntering over to the bar ready to start the first lot of exercises.

Ten minutes into the lesson and I was distracted. Big time. One of the girls from the previous class was still waiting to be picked up - Carrie - and guess who shows up ten minutes late to pick her up? Yep. Hot guy. There I am doing a plié and in he walks, in perfect time to see me with my legs wide and nothing-but-a-leotard-covered...'area' showing. It's safe to say I was blushing and I was so distracted that I completely forgot the rest of the exercise. Lorna saw that I was obviously distracted and, with a wink and a smirk, said we could all have a couple of minutes to recap. I of course didn't, just ran - I mean, walked casually - over to Hot Guy. Still blushing I said hi and he said hi back, but in a much more cool fashion. Mine was more of a squeak whereas he just said it normally. Completely. Normally.

"So, um...I didn't know you danced." He said.

"Yeah I - I love it. Been dancing since I was three. Ish." I said with a giddy laugh. I quickly coughed and tried to act normal again. He smiled at this which just made me feel even more giddy.

"Come on Tom, I've been waiting for ten minutes already!" Carrie said, tugging at Tom's arm towards the door. "Look Emily, you're really nice," Carrie said to me before turning back to Tom, "but I'm STARVING! Let's go and pick up the takeaway and go home and eat it!"

"Alright. I better go. See you around." He said before walking at with Carrie. So he was called Tom? Hot name for a hot guy, makes sense. And I hoped I would see him around.

Later that evening once I'd had dinner I phoned up Jo Jo and asked her how her date with Dougie went.

"It was lovely as usual. I really like him. Actually - look I haven't told anyone else so don't go blabbing. But I think I love him." She confessed a few minutes in to the conversation.

"Aww! That's amazing Jo!" I said.

"Yeah well like I said, I haven't actually told anyone so don't go blabbing it around. I know we've only known each other a few months but I'm really hoping he'll ask me to live with him soon. I think we're ready and it would be so amazing. Imagine waking up next to him every morning and not having to leave fairly soon after?" I smiled at my friend's fantasising and hope for her sake that it would happen. Though I wouldn't be happy if they lived together before I'd even met him.

"So when am I going to meet this mystery boy?" I asked.

"Hmm...next year? Or maybe the year after?" She joked.

"Seriously though, when can I meet him?" I laughed.

"I don't know. I'll ask him later. Maybe we could go out for lunch next time you have a day off?" She asked. I thought about when my next day off was and suddenly remembered.

"Ugh, not til nearer Christmas! That's weeks away!" I groaned.

"Hmm...okay. Well I need to go now so I'll see you soon. Bye!" She said then abruptly hung up. With a sigh I put the phone back before heading to bed. It was Saturday so I had an early start tomorrow - an hour earlier than normal - so I needed an early night. I changed into my pyjamas then snuggled under the duvet before dozing off.