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I was taken aback a little by his question, and by the memory of Daniel’s words flashing through my head:You need a good fuck–that’s what you need.Should I tell Patrick? I wasn’t sure I was ready to open up quite that far. ‘No, he didn’t, thank God.’ I hoped Patrick wasn’t as good at reading minds as he was at cooking.
‘Good.’ He glanced out at the water, then scooped up the plates from the table. I grabbed the cutlery and coffee cups. As we stood to walk back inside, I noticed a new tension in his shoulders.Was it something I said?
My heart started to beat a little faster. ‘Is everything okay? You seem annoyed. Did I say something wrong?’ We walked back to the kitchen and placed the tableware on the bench.
‘No, not at all. Just irritated by Daniel sleeping with Debra. He’s a married man …’ He shook his head and sighed. ‘Loyalty seems to be a rare thing these days … You’re really lovely, Naomi, and you deserve to be treated with the utmost respect. Sorry you’ve dealt with all this drama. Must be a relief to be away from it all.’ He filled up the sink with hot water and dishwashing liquid and began to scrub the dishes.
‘Yeah, Daniel is disgusting, but don’t worry about me. I’m used to the way people carry on. If anything, it’s just given me a tougher skin,’ I assured him, distracted by the fact he was doing dishes by hand instead of using his dishwasher.
‘Have you sorted out your complicated situation with this Sebastian?’ He paused with a plate in his hand.
‘Oh yes. We’re officially over, alright.’ I rolled my eyes in repulsion. ‘He slept with another woman on the night of Deb’s party.’
Patrick’s eyebrows raised. ‘That’s a surprise. Sorry that happened to you,luce delsole. It’s not a good feeling.’ A glob of foamy water dropped from his hand into the sink.
‘Yep, I’m officially done with men for the time being. Well, him.’
‘So, your main focus is just on work?’ A strand of dark tousled hair fell down his cheek, and I felt a strange desire to move it away for him but decided against it.
‘Sure is.’ I grinned. ‘I’ll be one dedicated pizza girl. I officially have no extra baggage.’
‘What if you met the right person? Would you consider dating again then?’ he asked while looking down at the plate he was scrubbing.
‘Depends on who the man is.’ I smiled as for a brief second I wondered if Patrick could have a tiny crush on me. ‘Do you need any help with those dishes? I thought you would just put them in the dishwasher.’
He shook his head. ‘It’s good exercise to do them by hand, and there’s only a few here. I use the dishwasher for messy meals, and, no, relax, Naomi. You’re my guest.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m more than happy to help.’
He ignored my response and asked, ‘Do you just date men your age?’ He looked up, directed his gaze into mine, and maintained a casualness to his face.
His question took me by surprise – I hope he didn’t think I was like Deb and slept around with older men. I searched for a quick response that wouldn’t give him the wrong idea. ‘I haven’t dated that many men, but, no, Sebastian was thirty, so age isn’t really a priority when I’m looking for someone. I just look for compatibility, which is so hard to find these days.’
Oh my God, why is he asking these questions? Is there actually a chance he could like me as more than a friend?
‘Interesting.’ He nodded, smiling to himself.
I smiled and decided to try not to think about Daniel, Seb, or Deb for the rest of the day. I just wanted to enjoy my time with Patrick.
We spent the rest of the day chatting and laughing, and I stayed for dinner – homemade rosemary focaccia, Caprese salad, meatballs and fresh Mooloolaba prawns – which we ate back out on the terrace, enjoying the river breeze. The food was sensational, of course, and we ended the night eating organic macadamia nuts coated in white chocolate while watchingLa La Landin his home cinema room.
His theatre was incredible, with its midnight-blue walls and ceiling fitted with mini-lights that imitated a starry night sky. The floors were fitted with plush black carpet, which blackleather reclining chairs rested on, and a massive screen was built into the wall that a projector at the back shone onto.
It was ironic that in the movie we decided to watch, the main character just so happened to be called Sebastian too. Funny that.
When I turned to look at Patrick, I noticed our hands were only inches apart on our armrests. More than anything, I wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but I was too afraid to make the first move. What if he rejected me? I looked at him and waited to capture his attention. He turned to me and smiled, then looked down at his hand and noticed how close it was, and instead of touching my hand, he moved his away and stretched his arms out, reminding me that we were nothing more than friends. Maybe Deb was right that Libra men did only have ‘one true love’, and clearly, that wasn’t me.
25
Love Confession
Ithought back to that morning’s hairdressing appointment at Colour n Cuts, where I was booked in for a regrowth retouch. As I stared into the long salon mirror, all I could do was think of Seb’s words to me about my blonde hair:Your blonde hair just turns me on.His words tormented my mind and made my jaw clench. I was on the verge of tears, and before Sandy could mix up the dye, I said to her, ‘I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to be blonde anymore. Can you show me the brown colour chart?’ My tone was certain, and I spoke decisively.
Sandy gave me a surprised look, followed by a smile, and handed me the chart. I tried my hardest to focus on the hair colours and not my memories of Deb, but it was impossible not to think of her, when she usually sat in the chair next to me getting a recoat of auburn. She’d drink her caramel latte and flick throughCosmopolitanuntil she landed on the horoscope page, then she’d recite our horoscopes aloud. And to remind me of Deb some more, Sandy asked, ‘Where’s your friend today?’Her platinum-blonde fringe was smooth like satin, and her skin was as fair as porcelain.
‘She’s … she … is busy,’ I stammered.
She nodded and instantly picked up the vibe I didn’t want to talk about it and instead busied herself with her equipment.
