sincere. Sheâs getting better at this manipulation thing. Damn, I think I have taught her too well. Itâs going to be a long night.
I need a cigarette. I really need one. I canât smoke in front of Katerinaâs parents because the look on their faces makes me feel like I have committed the most horrific crime. I need to kill some lung cells in order to relieve the stress of the night so far. Every time I turn around heâs there. Iâm surprised he hasnât followed me into the toilet yet.
Quick check of pockets. Smokes in one, mobile phone in the other. I sneak out to the side of the house, hoping for some peace and quiet to recap on the first part of tonight. Itâs already after ten but this shindig is showing no signs of winding up any time soon.
I slide down the side of the house and park my butt on the cool concrete. The first puff is the deepest and I enjoy it. First smoke in over three hours. The night has been okay so far. Luckily, Katerina hasnât done anything obvious, like push me into Chrisâs lap. He and I were sitting opposite each other at the dinner table, which meant that I could barely manage to eat more than two bites while he happily shovelled away the food, complimenting Katerina on her culinary delights.
âHey, Katerina, this rice is superb.â Her rice? Ha!
âThanks. Desi made that.â At least she paid credit where credit was due, albeit for her own selfish reasons.
âMmm, Des, this is delicious.â And what sort of smart witty reply did I come back with?
âThanks, itâs nothing special.â Oh, yeah, my brain has definitely taken a leave of absence tonight.
Throughout dinner he kept trying to engage me in conversation. Why? Why didnât he just talk soccer or politics or footy or something with the other guys? Why was he paying me so much attention? And why wasnât he put off by my monosyllabic answers? He even kept refilling my glass. Thank God Iâm on soft drink tonight otherwise at the rate that he was going Iâd be plastered by now.
I donât understand why Iâm letting this whole thing get to me. This is ridiculous. The guy means nothing to me.
Iâm happy sitting here, away from everyone. The concrete and brick feels so cool against my skin. Katerina will probably send a search party if I donât go back inside soon. Let her. Let her think that I snuck away and abandoned her, left her to the mercy of her family. Actually, the panic thatâll cause may well bring about premature labour.
âHi.â Who? What? Shit. Dropped the bloody smoke on my jeans. I flick it away before I look up â Iâll kill whoever just scared the willyâs out of me if Iâve burnt my jeans. Oh, Jesus, itâs him. I canât believe Katerina sent Chris to look for me. Thatâs just bad form. What on earth is he doing? Heâs sliding down beside me. Why? Compose yourself, Desi. Cool, calm, collected. Hmmm, I wonder what aftershave heâs wearing? Smells delicious. I think it might be Calvin Klein. Love Calvin Klein. What the hell am I thinking?
âNice night, huh?â Just what I need, heâs doing the small talk thing again. I am going to kill Katerina. She is going to drive me to psychiatric care one day very soon.
âYeah, I guess.â I light up another cigarette to replace the one he made me lose. I inhale very deeply.
âSmoking will stunt your growth.â Okay, now heâs trying to be funny. I know that aftershave from somewhere. God it smells yummy.
âGiven that Iâm five foot ten, I donât think I need to worry about that.â Good response. Mentally pat myself on the back for that one.
âGood grief.â What is he good griefing about? âYou can actually put more than two words together.â
If looks could kill, this guy would be going through a meat grinder right about now.
âI was beginning to
I need a cigarette. I really need one. I canât smoke in front of Katerinaâs parents because the look on their faces makes me feel like I have committed the most horrific crime. I need to kill some lung cells in order to relieve the stress of the night so far. Every time I turn around heâs there. Iâm surprised he hasnât followed me into the toilet yet.
Quick check of pockets. Smokes in one, mobile phone in the other. I sneak out to the side of the house, hoping for some peace and quiet to recap on the first part of tonight. Itâs already after ten but this shindig is showing no signs of winding up any time soon.
I slide down the side of the house and park my butt on the cool concrete. The first puff is the deepest and I enjoy it. First smoke in over three hours. The night has been okay so far. Luckily, Katerina hasnât done anything obvious, like push me into Chrisâs lap. He and I were sitting opposite each other at the dinner table, which meant that I could barely manage to eat more than two bites while he happily shovelled away the food, complimenting Katerina on her culinary delights.
âHey, Katerina, this rice is superb.â Her rice? Ha!
âThanks. Desi made that.â At least she paid credit where credit was due, albeit for her own selfish reasons.
âMmm, Des, this is delicious.â And what sort of smart witty reply did I come back with?
âThanks, itâs nothing special.â Oh, yeah, my brain has definitely taken a leave of absence tonight.
Throughout dinner he kept trying to engage me in conversation. Why? Why didnât he just talk soccer or politics or footy or something with the other guys? Why was he paying me so much attention? And why wasnât he put off by my monosyllabic answers? He even kept refilling my glass. Thank God Iâm on soft drink tonight otherwise at the rate that he was going Iâd be plastered by now.
I donât understand why Iâm letting this whole thing get to me. This is ridiculous. The guy means nothing to me.
Iâm happy sitting here, away from everyone. The concrete and brick feels so cool against my skin. Katerina will probably send a search party if I donât go back inside soon. Let her. Let her think that I snuck away and abandoned her, left her to the mercy of her family. Actually, the panic thatâll cause may well bring about premature labour.
âHi.â Who? What? Shit. Dropped the bloody smoke on my jeans. I flick it away before I look up â Iâll kill whoever just scared the willyâs out of me if Iâve burnt my jeans. Oh, Jesus, itâs him. I canât believe Katerina sent Chris to look for me. Thatâs just bad form. What on earth is he doing? Heâs sliding down beside me. Why? Compose yourself, Desi. Cool, calm, collected. Hmmm, I wonder what aftershave heâs wearing? Smells delicious. I think it might be Calvin Klein. Love Calvin Klein. What the hell am I thinking?
âNice night, huh?â Just what I need, heâs doing the small talk thing again. I am going to kill Katerina. She is going to drive me to psychiatric care one day very soon.
âYeah, I guess.â I light up another cigarette to replace the one he made me lose. I inhale very deeply.
âSmoking will stunt your growth.â Okay, now heâs trying to be funny. I know that aftershave from somewhere. God it smells yummy.
âGiven that Iâm five foot ten, I donât think I need to worry about that.â Good response. Mentally pat myself on the back for that one.
âGood grief.â What is he good griefing about? âYou can actually put more than two words together.â
If looks could kill, this guy would be going through a meat grinder right about now.
âI was beginning to
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