Going Up

by A. E. Radley

  “Well—” Selina started.

  “But there’s something more pressing that you need to think about,” Carrie interrupted. “You need to ask Kate out.”

  Selina nearly choked on her wine. Missy ran for the guest room as Selina coughed and tried to get herself under control.

  “Excuse me?” she managed to wheeze.

  “You’re obviously interested in her; she’s definitely interested in you. She told you as much, and then you left her hanging!”

  “She told you,” Selina surmised. She slumped into the sofa cushions, wanting to disappear into them.

  “I’ve had to watch her looking like she had all her birthdays taken away for the last two days. It was only today that I managed to prise it out of her.”

  Selina rolled her eyes. This was the last thing she wanted to discuss, and certainly something she never wanted to talk about with Carrie. She’d deliberately avoided thinking about that last interaction with Kate, trying to ignore what it might have meant.

  “Is this your way of getting back at me for being a terrible partner?” she asked. “Convince me that Kate is interested in me and watch me make a complete fool of myself?”

  “You don’t need any help from me to make a fool of yourself,” Carrie replied.

  Selina stood up and went into the kitchen. She searched the cabinets for some peanuts, not really wanting them but needing to be away from Carrie.

  “She likes you,” Carrie said from the living room.

  “So you say.” Selina got a bowl from a cupboard and poured some peanuts into it. “She’s more than half my age.”

  “She has a wise head on those young shoulders.” Carrie stood up and joined her in the kitchen. She picked a peanut from the bowl and popped it in her mouth.

  “Why are you pushing this?” Selina demanded.

  Carrie leaned against the work surface. “Why? Because Kate’s been into you ever since I first met her. She came racing into your office that day I came to see you, and I thought something was going on then. Since then, I’ve had my suspicions confirmed.”

  “She’s just grateful for the help I gave her. She was in a bad place, and I helped to get her back on her feet,” Selina explained in hopes it would put an end to the conversation.

  Carrie chuckled. “Sure, it’s gratitude. Absolutely.”

  Selina narrowed her eyes. “What has she told you?”

  “I’m not going to divulge anything that Kate might have told me. I’m just trying to get you to see what’s right under your nose. She’s into you, and I’m sure you’re into her. Or at least you should be. She’s smart, funny, gorgeous, and doesn’t suffer any of your bullshit. You need to stop wallowing and go and speak to her.”

  Carrie reached forward to eat another peanut, but Selina held the bowl away from her. “Why are you doing this?” she asked.

  Carrie sighed and looked at her ex-wife as if she were the dumbest person on earth.

  “Because I love you. We were terrible for each other, but I still love you. I want you to be happy. And I honestly think that you could be happy with Kate. That’s all.”

  Selina slowly lowered the bowl. Carrie seemed sincere in her words, and Selina supposed it could be true. Carrie had nothing to gain by upsetting Kate. In fact, she seemed quite defensive of her young employee.

  “Kate told me about the night she was kicked out of Abi’s house. How you came and found her and brought her back here—”

  “Nothing happened,” Selina quickly clarified.

  “I know nothing happened.” Carrie sighed. “My point is, you must care about her to have done that. She wasn’t your responsibility, and yet you drove around the streets to find her and wouldn’t take no for an answer when she initially refused to go with you. Kate didn’t tell me everything, but I know enough to know that you were worried about her even then.”

  Selina ate a couple of peanuts. She didn’t want to admit to anything to Carrie, mainly because she hadn’t admitted anything to herself yet.

  “Maybe I’m wrong,” Carrie said. “But I feel I know you pretty well, and I think Kate is the kind of person you’d like to have in your life. She’s already told you that she’s interested, you just need to take the next step. But, whether you do or don’t, please stop ignoring her.”

  Selina did feel guilty for avoiding Kate over the past few days. She’d thought about getting in touch with her, but every time she tried to send a text, she found herself at a loss for words. No matter how many times she replayed the conversation in her mind, she found a new way to convince herself that Kate didn’t mean what she had said in that way, or that she’d misspoken somehow.

  Maybe she needed to push those doubts out of her head. Maybe she needed to have a little more confidence. Apparently, Kate had been upset at work for the last two days. Selina didn’t want Kate to be upset, but she had to admit a little selfish satisfaction that she had that kind of power over her.

  “If for some unfathomable reason you’re not interested in asking her on a date, please let her down gently,” Carrie said. She snagged a handful of peanuts and walked back to the living room. She gulped down the last of her wine and picked up her bag. “I think you two would make a good couple. You balance each other well.”

  The sincerity was clear. Selina inclined her head, not willing to say anything to ruin the moment.

  Carrie saw herself out and Selina leaned on the countertop, wondering what on earth her next move should be.

  A Knock on the Door

  Kate listlessly turned the page of her book. She’d read it before. It hadn’t captured her imagination then and it wasn’t doing so now. She had intended to go to the library to pick up another selection of books, but she hadn’t gotten around to it.

  Correction: she’d decided to go home and wallow in self-pity instead.

  A quick stop into the newsagent’s on the way home to pick up a microwave meal for one and a single bottle of beer had her ready for a night in like the previous two nights. Eating bad food, drinking cheap beer, slumped in her chair to read a book she couldn’t focus on.

  It was the best way to keep occupied and not reflect on her last conversation with Selina. The one where she’d called her stunning and admitted that she couldn’t stop looking at her. And then been completely and utterly ignored.

  “Idiot,” Kate muttered to herself.

  It had slipped out. She’d thought—hoped—that Selina would reciprocate her feelings. She’d hoped they’d kiss and end up giddily agreeing to dinner and a movie one night soon, but she’d been reading too many stupid romance novels, where one event followed another like clockwork. This was the real world. Sometimes things were said, and the expected reaction just didn’t happen.

  Which meant that Kate was now devastated and embarrassed. She’d ruined any chance of having a friendship with Selina. She reached her hand down and felt around for the beer bottle. She took a swig and tried to return her attention to her boring book.

  Should have gone to the library, she told herself.

  A rap on the door sounded. Kate let out a long sigh. Door-to-door salespeople asking about her electricity supplier had been in the building lately. Each time Kate tried to tell them that she didn’t have time to look at their paperwork, and every time they said they’d come back later.

  She knew she needed to be harsher to get rid of them, but she also knew they probably needed the job. She stood up, placed her book on the chair, and looked down at her pyjamas. They looked clean, if wrinkled.

  Another knock.

  She decided the salespeople would have to take her as she was. She walked into the hallway and opened the door. She’d expected to see a young guy with a clipboard, a lanyard with an ID card around his neck, wearing a high-visibility vest.

  What she got instead was Selina Hale, hair swept back without a strand out of place, make-up immaculate, wearing a black skirt suit and high heels.

  “May I come in?” Selina requested without preamble.


  Kate stepped back and gestured for her to enter before she even knew what she was doing. Her brain reminded her that the apartment was a mess, she was a mess. The last thing she needed was Selina seeing that.

  All the same, Kate closed the front door and followed the older woman into the living room. She leaned on the doorframe and looked at Selina, who stood in the middle of the room and had turned to face her.

  “I apologise for my silence,” Selina said. “And for coming over unannounced.”

  She seemed so serious, which made Kate feel horribly nervous. She fully expected Selina to launch into a speech about how they had to agree to ignore whatever had been said before and carry on as if nothing had happened. That wouldn’t be the end of the world; at least she’d still have Selina in her life. She could pine from afar; she’d done it before.

  “You said some things that I ignored,” Selina continued.

  “Selina, you don’t have to—”

  “And then I continued to ignore you for the last couple of days. I apologise for that. I do like you, Kate.”

  But, Kate thought. She braced herself for all of the excuses Selina was about to list.

  “I’d like to ask you out to dinner,” Selina said, effectively throwing Kate off balance. “Not that I deserve that after my behaviour, but I’m asking nonetheless.”

  “D-dinner?” Kate stammered.

  “Yes. The evening meal.” Selina looked down at the plastic tray that contained Kate’s half-eaten microwave meal for one. Kate looked down at it as well, cursing herself as she did. She’d meant to take it to the kitchen but had ended up slumping in her chair with her book. Now Selina was looking at it, and Kate wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

  “I…”

  “As a date,” Selina clarified. “You’re not invisible to me, Kate, not by a long shot, but I didn’t think you’d ever feel the same way about me. Now I’m thinking there might be a chance. It took me a while to really accept that and see it. So, I’d love to take you to dinner, if you’re amenable? Anywhere you like.”

  “I… that would… yes. Yes, that would be wonderful.” Kate grimaced, wishing she didn’t sound quite so stupid. She also wished she was showered, in proper clothes, and had cleaned up the apartment.

  “Excellent, tomorrow?” Selina looked at the microwavable tray again. “Before malnutrition sets in.”

  “Hey, that’s a perfectly well-balanced meal,” Kate argued.

  “There she is.” Selina smiled. “Fighting back.”

  Kate smirked and folded her arms. “Oh, you like it when I argue with you, do you?”

  “I’m not immune to some banter.” Selina shrugged. She looked pleased with herself, and Kate bit her lip to keep from smiling. This was the Selina she knew. “What time do you finish work? I can pick you up.”

  “Perhaps I’d like to come home and get changed?” she said, happy to push Selina a little more.

  Selina licked her lips and grinned. “Very well. What time would you like me to pick you up from here?”

  “Six?”

  “Let’s say six-fifteen,” Selina replied, obviously having to get the last word in.

  “You’re impossible,” Kate said.

  “And you have gravy on your pyjamas,” Selina replied as she walked past Kate. “See you tomorrow.”

  Kate looked down at her top and wondered how she’d managed to miss the stain. She was cursing herself when the front door closed, signalling Selina’s departure.

  No Surprises

  Kate stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at her outfit in the small bathroom mirror. A floor-length mirror was the next thing on her shopping list, and now she was cursing that she hadn’t bumped it up in priority.

  She hadn’t worn a dress in years, but the casual dress had caught her eye a few weeks before. It was a colourful red with a tasteful floral print, wrap style with just enough cleavage and thigh on show to be considered a little cheeky, but still reserved enough for any restaurant.

  She’d debated whether or not to buy it for days before finally taking the plunge. It had been her first non-essential purchase since she’d rehomed, and now she was ecstatic that she’d bought it. Her wardrobe was slim pickings, and work required casual clothing. Date clothes weren’t something Kate had in abundance.

  She jumped up and down a few times to see if she could get high enough to see the lower half of the dress in the tiny mirror. She couldn’t.

  “Get a bigger mirror, get a bigger mirror,” she chanted to herself as she jumped.

  The alarm sounded on her mobile phone. She had five minutes before Selina would arrive. Setting an alarm was essential because she knew she’d blitz away any time she had in a flurry of panic.

  And who wouldn’t? Selina Hale had asked her on a date.

  Kate still couldn’t quite believe it. She knew Carrie had something to do with it. Just a few hours after Kate had finally told her boss what she had said, Selina was at her door.

  Kate had demanded Carrie tell her what had happened. She’d refused, just saying that she’d told Selina to wake up and get her head out of her arse. Kate was happy to accept that explanation, not wanting to rock the boat too much. She was on the receiving end of good news, and that was enough for her.

  She still didn’t know how Selina felt about her, about a possibility of them. She presumed she must have some positive feeling towards the idea, though, or she wouldn’t have invited Kate on a date.

  I like you, Selina had said.

  Butterflies roamed through Kate’s stomach.

  She looked at her reflection one last time. Her make-up looked as good as she could make it, her hair was kindly behaving for once, falling in not-unflattering curls around her face.

  “It’ll do,” she said.

  A knock on the door echoed loudly through the apartment. Kate looked at her watch. She still had two minutes left, but it was just like Selina to be early. At least, she hoped it was Selina. If it was a teenager trying to get her to switch electricity suppliers, then she might just kill them.

  She took a couple of deep, calming breaths and then opened the front door. She took a moment to thank her foresight at getting a few gasps of oxygen in before she saw Selina because she looked incredible.

  Gone was the business attire, the swept-back hair, and the fearsome make-up. Kate had thought nothing could be sexier than Selina the businesswoman, but she had been wrong. Casual Date Selina was much, much sexier.

  She wore an off-the-shoulder navy dress which looked casual yet dressy enough to go anywhere. Her usually stiff hair was slightly mussed, which completely softened her look. Her make-up was lightly applied, showing her age gracefully and with pride. No more covering up, just accenting the beautiful features she naturally had.

  Selina’s eyes had instantly magnetised to Kate’s legs, which Kate realised hadn’t been on display for as long as they’d known each other. She slowly moved her gaze up Kate’s body.

  “Finished gawking?” she asked, ostensibly to pretend she hadn’t just been engaged in the same behaviour.

  “Like you can talk,” Kate replied.

  “You have legs,” Selina gestured towards them. “Who knew?”

  “And you have shoulders.” Kate stared at the luscious-looking skin.

  “I do.” Selina looked at her right shoulder. “I grew them myself. Should we get going?”

  Kate snorted a laugh at Selina’s deadpan humour. She grabbed her bag and stepped into the hallway to lock the door behind her. “Where are we going?” she asked. “And don’t say it’s a surprise. I hate surprises.”

  “You hate surprises?” Selina asked curiously.

  “Yes.” Kate put her key in her bag and gestured that they take the stairs.

  “What if it was a lovely surprise? Like I was taking you to Bermuda on my private jet? Which I’m not, by the way.”

  “It’s still a surprise. It’s not the result of the surprise I don’t like, it’s the not knowing. While we were
driving to get on the private jet which you don’t have, I’d be thinking of a hundred negative things that could happen.”

  Selina was silent for a few moments. “I suppose I can understand that,” she finally said. “Fine, no surprises. We’re going to the shopping centre.”

  Kate paused on the steps. Selina walked down a couple more before she stopped and looked back up at her.

  “I thought this was a date? If we’re going shopping, then I need to get changed.” Kate couldn’t help but feel angry and confused.

  “It’s a date, we’re eating dinner. I just wanted to give you the choice of where we ate. I’m assuming you’ve not been out to dinner for a few years, and I imagine that makes you feel a little uncomfortable. Therefore, I’m not the best person to choose where to eat. So, I thought we would go to the shopping centre where all the restaurants are. That way, you can look at the menus, examine the ambience, and pick a place you like.” Selina started to look a little uncertain. “Of course, I’ll choose a place if you don’t like that idea?”

  “No! No, that’s… that’s kinda perfect,” Kate admitted.

  A smug grin curled Selina’s lips.

  “Okay, calm down,” Kate told her. “You made one good decision. Don’t pat yourself on the back too much yet.”

  Selina laughed heartily at that. “Very well, I’ll keep trying, and you tell me when I earn a pat on the back.”

  Kate nodded, and they continued down the stairs. She kept reminding herself that this was only a first date and that she needed to not put too much pressure on it. But that was hard when she was already so completely enamoured with Selina, despite her sometimes-harsh persona. She’d always assumed there was a warm heart under all the ice, and she felt privileged that she was now the one who was allowed to see it.

  You’re My Type

  “Are you sure this is okay?” Kate asked, her eyes peeking nervously over the top of her menu.