I gave him a hug, feeling teary-eyed. I knew he would make the best dad and was just so happy for him at this moment.
‘Thanks so much for the stuff too; I really appreciate it, man. Sorry if you had other plans by the way; I’m just so exhausted.’ Steven rubbed his eyes as if on cue.
‘Boy, please. I’m your sis. This is what I’m HERE for,’ I replied, wiping my own tears. ‘I got everything on your list and some food too, just in case you don’t have the energy to go downstairs. Is there anything else you need?’
Steven had a dig through the bag before picking up an almond croissant and a bottle of water.
‘This is perfect. Thank you so much, sis. I’m actually gonna see if I can have a little nap after this, seeing as they are both still asleep.’ He nodded over to Bianca, who was snoring loudly.
‘After pushing out a nine-pound baby, shit, I’d be snoring too,’ I said, laughing. Me and Steven said our goodbyes as I left him to rest and headed downstairs to the main reception to wait for Theo and try and salvage what was left of the day.
Twenty minutes later, I receive a call from Theo.
‘Hello, hello, I just parked up outside the hospital; which wing are you in?’
‘Oh, let me come out to you; those parking fees are an absolute piss-take,’ I said, gathering my handbag and making my way to the exit.
‘Your wish is my command; see you in a minute, love,’ Theo replied. I quickly nipped to the toilet to powder my face, making sure I still looked cute, took a deep breath, and strutted my way out of the exit to see him.
Theo was by his car, as suave as ever, this time wearing a casual rugby shirt and a pair of light-wash baggy jeans. Everything about him was so effortlessly cool, in comparison to myself, who currently looked like a hyper nursery teacher who had been attacked by her students.
‘Hey, so—’ I started, trying to address the elephant in the room ‘—please ignore the aesthetic today. It’s been amorning, and I’m fully aware I look like I’ve been dragged through a bush.’
Theo just smiled, tilted my chin up with one hand, and pressed a soft kiss onto my forehead.
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re gorgeous,’ he said, his teeth practically sparkling in the sunlight like a Colgate ad.
Still, somehow, Theo looked at me like I was a vision. Which just proved my theory: men really don’t notice eyeliner smudges – or maybe he was just into feral woodland creatures.
As we got into his car, I turned to face him. ‘OK, so basically, my brother had his son early this morning and I needed to swing by TK Maxx to pick up some last-minute bits for him. Sorry about the chaos of it all!’
Theo started the car and turned to look at me in mock sadness. ‘First of all, congratulations, Auntie! I hope everyone is doing well; that’s major! And secondly, I see that this was all just a ploy – aruseif you will – to get me to be your free chauffeur for the day, huh? I see how it is.’
I playfully punched him. ‘First of all, don’t flatter yourself. If I was really trying to scam a free chauffeur, I’d have picked someone with a Mercedes, at least. Secondly, I’ll have you know, I am adelightfulpassenger – I come with witty commentary, questionable singing, and an endless supply of mints. You’re welcome.’
He smirked, shaking his head. ‘Uh huh, sounds like a hostage situation in the making.’
‘Exactly.’ I grinned. ‘And you’re the lucky victim. Buckle up, babe – today you’re officially my UberXL with benefits.’
Theo made a right turn out of the car park, back to-wards Vauxhall.
‘So, where to next, m’lady?’ he asked.
I didn’t mind what we did, as long as we did it together. But a random thought did occur to me.
‘What about seeing a random shitty film at the PeckhamPlex on Peckham Rye? I used to go there all the time as a kid. A fiver for a cinema ticket! You can’t beat those prices these days; and it comes with an extra serving of sticky carpets and overzealous Jamaican security guards. We’ll have all the fun. Or we can just walk around the area and complain at the gentrification of it all.’
Theo laughed, typing the venue into his satnav as he did so. ‘If we survive the carpets and the security guards, I’m buying you popcorn. It’s the least you deserve. We’ll go in that direction anyway and see what we feel like.’
‘You’re on!’ I said, giggling like a little schoolgirl. For the first time in my life, I was going on a normal date, with a normal guy, with a shared chemistry, who was incredibly gorgeous, who liked me back, and it felt exhilarating. It felt as if all my Christmases had come at once.
Chapter 15
Three weeks had passed since the Jeff incident, and I had barely seen him at the office due to him ‘coincidentally’ booking more consultations at his private practice. For the most part, we had been able to keep out of each other’s way, with the exception of the odd email here and there, which were always to the point, and professional. As my manager, I suppose I had a duty to report what had happened to Kofi, but decided not to tell him after thinking about it for a while; I didn’t want to escalate it any further; the less people that knew about it, the better. I just wanted to forget it ever happened.
It had also been three weeks since my cute ‘Theo: free chauffeur and Peckham Rodeo’ adventure. After meeting up with his cousin for a drink, we decided to ditch the PeckhamPlex idea and he’d decided to take me to his flat in East London. This was in fact A Big Deal. He was letting me into his world, little by little, and it was something I didn’t want to take for granted.
His flat was small, yet beautifully decorated. It followed a very earthy aesthetic, with loads of wood panelling, soft beige decor, candles and African artwork – he had a good eye for interiors, I’d give that to him.
