~*~
I was looking forward to going to the cinema with Adam. We'd had four lectures together during the week and I'd discovered he was in two of my tutorials as well. It was so fun to have someone to be stupid with during the long tedious hours and we amused ourselves by making fun of the lecturers and our obnoxious fellow students.
At home on Friday night I dug around in my wardrobe until I found my pretty, red, Chinese silk top, one of my favourite items of clothing. Considering I was going to a Chinese movie marathon I thought it quite appropriate. Still, considering I was technically only going to the pictures, I dressed it down with a pair of jeans and my black flip flops. I know it was only a few days into spring so my footwear wasn't entirely appropriate, but I liked to wear thongs to the cinema because it was easy to slip them off and tuck your feet onto the chair.
I was just doing my hair in the mirror near Matt's door when Jack walked in.
"You look nice," he commented, throwing his keys and wallet down onto the table. "I take it I'm studying on my own tonight. Are you going anywhere good?"
I whirled to face him, my hair half up, pins falling from my hands. "Oh damn, didn't I tell you?" I asked in disbelief. "I should have told you, I'm going to the pictures. I said I'd go before the whole scholarship thing came up. Do you think you'll be alright revising without me?"
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I think I'll manage," he said dryly. "And you've got to promise me that you won't turn down something you want to go to just because of this scholarship thing."
"I won't," I said while, behind my back, I crossed my fingers.
Jack's eyes lit up with laughter. "Tally," he said, his voice shaking with repressed mirth, “you do realise you’re standing in front of a mirror, right? I can see your crossed fingers in the reflection."
"Whoops." I shrugged, then joined in his laughter. He seemed to be smiling and laughing a lot more these days and I flattered myself to think it had something to do with me.
There was a loud knock at the door and I started in surprise. "Oh man, you're kidding me." I turned back to the mirror and attempted to finish the elaborate knotty thing in my hair which I'd started before Jack came in. "He's early? Who comes early? Could you let him in, Jack?" I began yanking the pins out and my hair unravelled and fell to its usual height of just below my shoulders.
I watched in the mirror as Jack shot me an indecipherable look then yanked open the door. Adam looked slightly surprised at the force with which the door had been flung open and I could tell that he hadn't expected Jack to be answering his knock.
As I twisted my hair up into a bun I saw him and Jack doing the typical guy sizing up thing which included the narrowed eyes, the straightened shoulders and the handshake which looked more like a battle of wills than a simple greeting.
"Hey," Adam said coolly to Jack.
"Hey," Jack replied, just as unenthusiastically.
At that moment Matt emerged out of his room, "Talia have you seen my-" he caught sight of Adam and stopped short. "Hey," he said coldly.
"Hey," Adam replied.
"Oh for God’s sake," I laughed. "Enough already!" I grabbed the two short black chopsticks I'd had ready and jammed them through my bun to keep it in place. Some bits fell out, but the majority held so I was satisfied. "Let's go."
I grabbed my bag and headed over to where Adam was standing. As I sailed past Jack I whispered, "It's not a date," and I could tell by the lessening of the rigidity of his stature that he'd heard me and understood. "Bye guys," I called out cheerily before I shut the door firmly behind me.
"Wow, I bet the pair of them are really good fun for your dates to meet," Adam said as we made our way down the stairs. "Regular laugh a minute, those two."
"Yeah, there are plans for them to take their two man puffing peacock show on the road. You should count yourself lucky, you're not my date and yet you got treated to a free performance," I said with a wry smile.
"Oh, I’m fully sensible to the honour I've been bestowed," he laughed, opening the passenger side door on his car for me. "Don't you worry about that."
I returned home a bit after 5 staggering slightly after having watched hour upon hour of kicking and wheeling and fancy moves involving any convenient object lying around. It had been a great audience and participation was encouraged with laughing, booing and re-enactments all common occurrences.
Adam and I were fast becoming firm friends, he had entered the hallowed halls of those who had made me laugh so hard my tummy hurt. I felt great, revitalised even, as I put the key in the lock and entered the flat.
I had expected it to be all dark, but the light was on in the kitchen and, as I looked across, I saw that Jack was at the table his books spread out all around him. When I moved closer, however, I saw that he wasn't getting much studying done as he was fast asleep, his head resting on his folded arms.
I felt my heart give a little skip at the sight of him looking so vulnerable. He was so often clammed up during the day that it was fascinating to see his face when it was at rest. His dark eyelashes fluttered slightly on his cheek as he dreamed and I was loathe to wake him up, but he'd probably already given himself a permanent back crick sleeping like that and I didn't want it to get worse so I touched his shoulder lightly.
"Jack," I said quietly, trying not to startle him. "Jack, wake up."
He grunted slightly and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw me sitting beside him he smiled sleepily. "Did you have a good time?" He asked and I rolled my eyes.
"Jack Morgan Whitby, it's basically morning. Did you wait up all night for me? You did, didn't you?" I accused him.
He yawned and then unfolded himself from the table and stretched. "Of course I didn't," he said, without much conviction. "I was just trying to cram as much studying in as I could."
"Sure," I said disbelievingly, "and I'm a flamingo."
He looked at me for a long moment, almost as if he was checking to see if I actually had turned into a pink bird, and then said, "What are you doing tomorrow night? Actually," he glanced at the window where the first rays of dawn were turning the clouds a light orange, "make that what are you doing tonight?"
I thought for a second and then shrugged, "Nothing."
"So how about you come out with me?" He said and, unlike the Friday before, I knew he did mean it as a date.
I smiled brilliantly at him and nodded. "I'd like that." I said truthfully.
Jack smiled just as widely and then stood up. "Good," he said simply. "See you in the morning."
"You already have," I called after him and I heard his chuckle before he closed his door.
And that, I thought as I made my way over to my own room, was a very satisfactory end to a very good night.
So Much to Learn Page 15