Our lunchtime phone calls are becoming more regular than we’d ever planned, but recently they are also becoming more and more intense and, if Lesley’s obsessed with weddings, I fear that David and I are becoming obsessed too – with each other.
‘Stop calling me every day then,’ I say, closing my eyes as I await his response.
‘OK then, I won’t!’ he retorts. ‘You call me a lot too, Kate, so don’t pretend this is all one sided!’
I stand up.
‘I never said it was,’ I reply. ‘I’m just trying to stop you from ruining your relationship with your fiancée without really thinking this through. We’re on a very slippery slope here, David, and we both know it. We have to stop.’
He goes silent.
‘You’re right,’ he whispers. ‘I need to think this through. I need to—’
‘You need to forget about me, and I need to forget about you,’ I say, finishing his sentence for him.
‘You don’t mean that,’ he tells me. I feel my lip wobble at the very thought. There’s no way I could ever just forget about him.
‘Just try not to call so often,’ I whisper. ‘Let’s just scale it way back and see how it goes. I care about you and I really don’t want you to get into any trouble at home.’
And so we don’t call each other for three whole days and every second of every minute, and every minute of every hour is agonizing as I toss and turn, feeling my skin crawl with anxiety as I long to hear from him. If anything, the silence just makes me want him even more.
So it’s a great surprise when my phone rings just as I’m just getting into bed one night.
‘Hey, Kate Foley,’ he says to me, addressing me by my full title in what has become quite a term of endearment. ‘Guesswhat? Last-minute decision, but I’m coming home tomorrow for Mum’s birthday. Flying visit, but I’m landing into Dublin if you fancy a quick bite to eat tomorrow night before I head north? Would be nice to catch up with my good buddy in person again.’
My stomach gives a leap. Me and David at dinner together? I pause. I let this sink in. I close my eyes and I breathe. This could be dangerous, there’s no denying it, though I can tell by his jaunty tone that he is trying to set boundaries, just as he should be.
It’s been six months since I saw him last in the flesh and, although I feel we know each other very well by now, the thought of meeting up in person gives me butterflies.
There’s no mention of Lesley. I take it he is making this last-minute journey alone. I can’t pretend I’m not excited about having proper time with him all to myself, and I can hardly wait until tomorrow. We will catch up, just like friends do. We are simply friends.
‘Will Lesley be coming with you?’ I ask, even though I’ve already guessed the answer.
‘No, no she won’t,’ he says quickly. ‘Not this time. Look, I know what you’re thinking and it has crossed my mind too, but don’t worry that Lesley won’t be joining us. I’m well aware how careful we need to be. We’re just friends.’
I pause as a weight of doubt settles in the pit of my stomach.
‘I’m not sure, David – look, you know I really want tosee you again but this is crazy. I don’t think it’s a good idea.’
I can almost sense the disappointment as he tries to answer.
‘OK,’ he whispers eventually. ‘If that’s how you feel, I respect that. I totally understand and you’re probably right, it is crazy. I just hoped we could catch up, you know as—’
‘Friends,’ we both say at the same time.
I fidget a little. I push back my hair. I close my eyes.
‘I do want to see you.’
I can hear him breathing.
‘Yeah, but you’re right. It’s probably not a good idea in case it would—’
‘On the other hand, we are both adults and we know what’s at stake if we ruined everything,’ I say, sounding like a runaway train as my mind has an argument with itself. ‘So, actually yes, I do want to see you, and there’s no harm in dinner with a friend, is there?’
‘Absolutely no harm in that whatsoever,’ he says quickly. ‘I totally agree.’
‘It’s a date then,’ I say, squeezing my eyes closed. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
