Forget Me Not

Chapter 7: The Crooked Label

Tess
Saturday

"Oh my god, that's incredible! I can't believe you hadn't told me sooner. It sounds like something out of a movie!" Lottie bellowed into the phone.

I decided to finally fill her in about my situation with Kitt. Notably, I left out the parts that involved Lucas and whatever deviating events occurred from it.

"I know! He's really not what I expected," I cooed.

"I can't believe you snuck him in your room. There's no way I could do that with Felix. Imagine! You're Dads gonna freak if he finds out," Lottie was her usually ecstatic and lively self.

And for the first time in a while, I effortlessly matched her upbeat energy. Opening up to Lottie about my devastatingly intense crush on Kitt had lifted a weight off me I didn't realise could be shifted.

"You can't tell anyone. My Father would have us all killed!" I urged her.

"I won't, I promise. Are you going to ask him over again? Has he messaged you this morning? Maybe you should text him!" Lottie's mind began to reel with questions.

"Hmm, What would I even say?" I asked.

Lottie paused for a moment to think. "Oh! Say something flirty and cheesy!"

"Is that what you do with Felix?" I teased.

"Tess! No! God! C'mon, don't flip this onto me."

I smiled into the phone. Lottie was a romance movie fanatic and so was I. We had watched the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet numerous times, can both quote The Notebook and completely unravel over Ten things I Hate about you. Therefore, one would imagine I would be well versed and educated in the art of flirting. However, I was as enticing as a plank of wood with the wit and comedic value of a puddle. I was certainly no Megan Fox or Harley Quinn.

What would I even say?

A knock on my bedroom door interrupted me. My Father cracked it open, politely stepping inside with a wide grin and newspaper under arm.

"Morning Sweet Pea. I've made breakfast. Time to eat. Also, no more phone until you've done some more study." He said.

"I'm just talking to Lottie about History. I'll be there in a moment." I lied.

With that, he left, closing the door gently behind him. I heard Lottie squealing into the phone. Surprisingly, she was starting to thrive on hiding the Kitt situation from my Father. We were masterminds, planning and plotting undetected.

"I have to go. I'll text you later tonight."

"Okay good, because I do need help with History. Chapter five has me going mental. Anyways, Goodluck love bug!" She laughed.

Things with Kitt were reasonably good. I sat for a moment and contemplated what it would be like if Kitt was my boyfriend. I imagined meeting my Father would be an interesting ordeal and Kitt would probably have to dress nicely to make a good first impression. He already proved that he could be wrestled into a button-up by Brielle's request so that was a good start. I thought about how different things would be at school. He could walk me to classes, share lunches and pick extra curricular activities together. I might even get lucky enough to have him drive me to and from school some day. I wondered if I'd be standing there by the wall after school with them. I quickly decided that wouldn't be a regular thing because I didn't really want that getting back around to my Father.

*

Kitt
Saturday

After my usual afternoon boxing session with Marcello - who was particularly ruthless today and after a much needed cold shower, I finally decided to check my phone. After last night, I slept most of the day. I didn't bother to clean my room, or speak to my Dad when I woke up. Instead, I rolled out of bed around 1 pm and headed straight to the gym to confide in Marcello. He was obviously disappointed in me for fighting and made sure I'd regret by pushing my limits today. I vomited twice from absolute exhaustion, but he forced me to keep going.
Alternatively, I was frustrated that Tess hadn't replied to my messages all day and sifted through my inbox one more time. I raised an eyebrow when I saw I had missed 7 calls from Chris. I lazily towel dried my hair, hitting callback. I placed my phone on the bench in the locker room on loudspeaker while I got dressed. The locker room was completely empty so I wasn't bothered about anyone eavesdropping on our conversation. I was surprised when Chris answered almost instantly.