“Do you come here often?” Josie asks as she looks at her menu.
“I’ve brought a few dates here.” Jake says, taking a long gulp of water. “They liked it.”
“You something of a lady’s man, Jake?” Peters dad asks.
Jake’s face shines with embarrassed pride.
“You could say that.” He admits, shrugging.
“And Peter?”
“Dad, come on. I’ve got too much work to do to try and play the kinds of games that Jake plays.” Peter complains.
“Oh yeah?” Jake challenges, “What about that broad last night?”
“Stop calling her that. Isobel… she isn’t my girlfriend and I’m not playing games with her. We’re just friends.”
“Sure. Because we’re at that age where it’s still OK to have sleep overs with your female friends.”
“Just because you can’t keep it in your pants, doesn’t mean the rest of us have that problem.”
Jake stares daggers across the table, and Peter reciprocates with just as much ferocity.
“Boys!” Peters dad calls, placatingly. “Calm down, it was just a question.”
“Sorry, sir.” Jake picks up his menu, but doesn’t even bother looking. He continues to stare Peter down over the top.
“You can call me John.” Peters dad says. “None of this ‘Sir’ nonsense.”
“Thank you, John.”
“I think I’ll have the club sandwich. It sounds lovely.”
The rest of the lunch drags slowly by as Peter and Jake give each other the silent treatment, only talking when John or Josie ask them questions.
They return home, and Peter says he really needs to get his head down and do some studying.
“That’s OK son. Me and your mother are going to go for a walk.”
“See you soon.” Peter calls as he enters his room.
He pulls a pile of books from his shelf and places them on the floor by his desk. He picks up the first one and begins to read, making annotations where necessary and writing down notes to turn into flashcards later on.
His mind drifts from the book about human anatomy and he begins to think about the date he has planned tonight.
He has a very special part of town that he visits whenever he needs a break from life. It’s an old, abandoned attic at the top of one of the older buildings in his neighbourhood. It has a skylight, and so he likes to lay beneath it and stare at the stars.
That’s where he wants to take Isobel. He has a box hidden under some of the lose floorboards where he stores a blanket and wine. It might seem weird, but there’s no shame in having a wine night to yourself.
This time, however, for the first time, he will share that place with Isobel. She probably needs the break from life more than he does, and he knows she will appreciate it.
“Oi, Peter.” Jake bangs on Peter’s door.
“What?” Peter shouts, prompting Jake to open the door.
Jake kicks off his shoes and throws himself onto the bed, spreading himself out.
“Mate, your parents are nice, but Jesus Christ.”
Peter laughs and turns his chair around.
“Sorry bro, but there’s little I can do to help you. At least you get to stay here. I have to go and sleep with mosquitoes and wasps.”
“Aw, dude. I love camping. Swap with me.”
“As much as my dad might appreciate a more enthusiastic camper, I think my ‘rents will notice if I’ve suddenly grown four inches and put on ten pounds of muscle.”
Jake shrugs.
“I don’t know how to let your mom down gently, but there’s no way that I’m hanging around here for a week and cleaning. I don’t mind playing tour guide, but I’m not built to clean toilets and stuff.”
“What’re you planning on doing? Locking yourself in your room?”
“No. I’ll make nice with one of the chicks from the bar and stay at hers for the week.”
“You’re despicable.” Peter notes, in disgust.
“Hey, man. A dude’s gotta do what a dudes gotta do.”
“You’re literally just going to be using some poor girl to your advantage.”
“She gets to have sex with me. It’s enough of a price to pay.”
Peter screws up a ball of paper and throws it at Jake’s head. Jake swats it away and grins lazily.
“Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me.”
“You talk so much crap for a dude failing his degree.”
“Ah, low blow, dude. Low. My grades’ll pick up soon.”
Jake and Peter continue to banter for a while, and Jake realises too late that the time has gone incredibly quickly.
“Dude, I’m going out. Tell my parent’s I’ll be back tomorrow.” Peter jumps up and starts to find a clean pair of jeans and a shirt.
“Going out with the girl from last night?” Jake asks, sitting up.
“Yeah.”
Jake stands and walks to the door.
“Good luck, man. See you later.”
Jake leaves and Peter changes quickly, before grabbing his jacket and wallet and running down stairs.
He jogs to the corner and slows down, not wanting to appear too eager in case it freaks her out.
As he nears the diner, he spots her looking at her watch and then looking around for him. When she spots him, she smiles and waves.
“Hey!” Peter calls as she closes the distance between them. “Sorry I’m late.”
Isobel looks down at her watch again and smiles.
“You’re actually five minutes early.” He notes.
“Well, then I’m sorry I’m later than when you got here.”
They both laugh and Isobel turns into the diner.
“We going in? Are you hungry?” Peter asks, kicking himself for not planning for food.
“No, I just want you to meet my work friends.” She tells him without looking back. “They’re excited to meet you.”
Peter follows her in, staying close to her side. He knows he probably looks like a lost puppy, but he doesn’t know what to expect from this surprise meeting.
An ageing man comes from the kitchens with a young girl in a school uniform.
“Jones.” He says, as he extends his hand for Peter to take.
“Peter.” Peter responds, shaking his hand.
“This is Jessica.” Jones says, indicating towards the young girl, and Peter takes her hand too.
She seems shy, but she smiles and then turns and walks back to the kitchens.
“Would you like a coffee or a slice of pie? On the house.” Jones offers.
“Oh, no thank you… sir. I’m ok.”
Jones nods and then looks at Isobel.
“Need anything?”
“No thank you, Jones. I’m ok. I’ll see you tomorrow, OK?”
And just like that, they leave.
“What was that about?” Peter asks, confused.
“Just thought it would be nice to introduce you all.”
Peter nods, though he doesn’t understand at all. Why would saying a quick hello constitute as meeting?
“So, where are you taking me?” Isobel asks, as they begin to cross the road.
“I’ve got a special place I’d like to share with you. It’s not far, but I thought you might like it.” Peter guides her through the streets.
“Sounds a little creepy,” Isobel admits. “I hope it’s safe.”
“It’s safe, I can guarantee that. I’ve been going since I got here and I’ve never encountered a problem.”
“How many other people go?”
“As far as I’m aware, no-one else does. It’s just me. It’s kind of my… special place. I go there to chill, you know?” Peter slows the walk down.
The sun is only just dipping on the horizon and there won’t be any stars if they rush.
“Sounds intriguing.” She laughs.
Peter spots a food vendor and his stomach growls, even though he only ate a few hours ago.
“Want to get some f
ood? I’m starving.” Peter asks, pointing at the van.
“Sure. I could eat.”
They venture over to the food truck and order some food. They sit on the wall opposite while they wait for it to cook.
“Can you drop a hint about what’s in this place?” Isobel pushes. “I’m not really one for surprises.”
Peter smiles at her mysteriously.
“I think this is one surprise that you won’t want to be ruined.”
Isobel sighs, but resigns herself to the mystery.
“It better be good.”
“I promise, it will be.”
Though, he’s not so sure now. What if she thinks its lame? What if she’s the kind of girl that likes monster trucks and theme parks? He was stupid to assume that she’d prefer a chill night over one filled with excitement.
When they get their food, they find a bench in a nearby park to eat, all the while, Peter is still worrying about whether she’s going to like it or not.
“Hey, are you ok?” She asks.
“Me?” Peter looks up from his untouched food. “Why?”
“You’re worrying about something.”
“What makes you think that?”
“You’ve not touched your food at all.” She states, pointing at his burger. “If you’re worried about the date, don’t. I’m easily entertained. I’m sure I’ll love it.”
Peter doesn’t take much comfort from this, because now he’s worried that she’ll pretend to like it just for his sake.
“I won’t pretend to like it. If I think it’s crap, I’ll tell you.” She says, as though she can read his mind.
Peter laughs and takes a large bite from his burger.
When they finish, he stands up and offers his hand. She looks at it for a second before taking it and they continue to walk, hand-in-hand, to the special attic room that Peter loves so much.
When they reach the front of the building, Isobel looks cautious.
“Don’t worry. They don’t mind.” Peter tells her, as he goes inside with her trailing behind him.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.”
They begin to the climb the steps, and Peter keeps promising that it’s perfectly fine.
“I know some of the people who live here. They know that no-one lives in the bit we’re going to, and they also know I don’t do anything untoward in there either. They’re totally cool with it.”
“If you say so.” Isobel responds, not wholly convinced.
When they reach the top, Peter opens the unlocked door and invites her inside. She cautiously steps over the threshold and peers around, as if checking to see that no-one else is there.
“What is this place?”
“It’s an abandoned attic.”
“You thought an old, grimy attic would be the perfect place for a first date?”
Peter laughs heartily and lifts the lose floorboard, producing a large, plastic box. He pulls out two blankets, some pillows and wine, along with some beer cups.
He sets it all down beneath the window and he’s relived to see that some of the stars have come out.
“Here.” He sits down on the blanket and pours them both some wine. “It’ll make sense if you sit down.”
Isobel’s mouth twists with contempt, but she seems to think better of arguing and joins him.
“It doesn’t look much better from here.” She says, sceptically.
“Then look up.”
Isobel does so, and her mouth opens in wonder, slowly turning into a smile.
She seems to forget about the bare walls and the dirty surfaces. She was right to call it grimy. Peter regrets not coming earlier to try and clean up, but he barely had the chance. Next time, he’ll scrub the place clean and make it more appropriate.
“It’s wonderful.” She says, breathlessly.
Peter leans back on the pillows and encourages her to do the same.
They stare at the sky as it darkens and more stars light up the sky. Sometimes it’s too cloudy to see anything, or the light pollution makes it impossible to see anything, but tonight they’ve gotten lucky. There isn’t a single cloud and since most of the college students have left, the pollution isn’t so bad.
Peter risks a sideward glance at Isobel, and wonders when she’ll drop the act she has on. Why won’t she admit that they know each other? Why does she think it’ll make a difference to him, if he knows who she really is or not?
Isobel shifts and she rests her head on his shoulder. They sit in the grungy attic for three hours, hardly talking, and barely needing to.
If Isobel is feeling anything like Peter right now, then she’s comfortable in the silence. She’s happy to sit there and stare at the sky, enjoying the calmness of it all. He can only imagine how hectic things are for her, with her job and her degree. It must be a nightmare.
“You’re welcome to come up here whenever you want, you know.” Peter whispers.
“Are you serious?” She asks, excitedly.
“Totally. I thought it might offer some time away from your busy schedule. It won’t always be this nice, cause of the clouds and light pollution and stuff, but I can try and clean it up so it doesn’t look so dirty anymore…”
“Peter.” She whispers, “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Peter lets himself relax into the pillows and Isobel wraps an arm over his chest. He hopes she can’t feel his heart growing rapidly quicker, because that would be embarrassing.
After an hour or so, Peter finishes his wine and sits up.
“Do you want to come back to mine? My parents might be asleep now…”
“You live with your parents?”
“No. They’ve just come to visit for a bit. Long story.”
“Maybe a story for another time?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we could always go back to mine?” She offers, standing up and pulling him up with her.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Peter sets about packing up the blankets and pillows and putting them back in the floor.
Isobel takes his hand and they leave their little nest and make their way back into the chilly streets. Peter is glad that she brought her own jacket this time, because he feels cold, now.
They take the journey with slow deliberation, enjoying each other’s presence as they walk. The streets are mostly empty, except for a few stumbling girls with exasperated boyfriends holding them upright.
Peter’s phone vibrates in his pocket.
“Sorry.” He takes his hand from Isobel’s, knowing how rude it looks. “It’s my mom and she freaks out if I don’t reply straight away.”
Isobel giggles and he feels embarrassed.
He quickly replies, telling her that he’ll be home tomorrow.
“She’s a little… overprotective.”
“Is she?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t like it when I go out alone. Before I moved here, I was rarely allowed out of the house unless she knew the people I was going with.”
“That’s kinda sweet. I’m pretty close to my mom and dad, but not insufferably so. They let me get along with my life, I just need to check in every now and then.”
“Sounds like heaven.” Peter jokes.
He actually doesn’t mind how protective his mom is. He just wishes she wouldn’t do it in front of his friends. That’s when it becomes embarrassing.
They arrive in front of what looks like a sorority house.
“This is me. Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
She pulls him up the stairs and in the front door. The first thing he notices is how clean it looks. The air is filled with the scent of flowers and everything is neatly organised.
“This is nice.” He comments.
“Yeah, well, the girls run a sorority. Technically, I’m part of it, but I’m exempt from most of the nonsense they get up to.”
“You’re in a sorority?” Peter asks, shocked.
“Well, yeah. Have you seen this house? There’s
no way I’d be able to afford rent. It’s too lavish for a lowly undergrad like me.”
Unexpected Lover: College Romance Book 1 Page 7