The Dating Game (18 page)

Monday 19th September

The driving rain battered against the office windows.

‘How can you be so chirpy on a day like this?’ Janice asked,
curious.  ‘And it’s Monday as well.’

‘Just in a good mood, I guess,’ Gill replied, then resumed
humming the ditty she’d been subjecting Janice to all morning.

‘Someone’s been having their nookie by the sounds of it,’
Janice had, as usual, hit the nail on the head.

‘
Moi
?’ Gill acted surprised.

‘Yes,
toi
!’

‘I’m just in a great mood because Angus has accepted our job
offer.’

‘Yes, that is great news, but you wouldn’t be looking as if
you were meeting George Clooney later, if that was all there was to it.’

Gill said nothing.

‘Am I going to have to prise this out of you?’ Janice rose
from her seat, brandishing a stapler in a threatening manner.

‘OK, OK.  Yes, I had a great weekend and yes,
things…progressed a fair bit with Anton.’

‘Progressed, progressed?’

‘Yes, progressed.’

‘Look, I’m too old for this code nonsense.  Did you shag
him?’

‘Janice!’

‘Well, did you?’

‘We slept together, if that’s what you’re asking.’

‘Ha!  Bet you there wasn’t much sleep going on!’

Thinking back to Saturday night, Gill could only smile.

‘I saw that!  I’m right!  Well, good for you.  It wasn’t
before time.’

‘Thanks, Janice,’ Gill tried to be dry with her, but
couldn’t.  She was too happy.

Everything was finally coming together.  She had Anton, she
had a new recruitment consultant, and she was off to the
Mercè
festival
in Barcelona with the girls in a few days. Thank God – she really needed a holiday. 
Also, going away with the girls would take her mind off Anton in his absence. 
On second thoughts, who was she kidding?

‘Janice, have you lost weight?’

‘Not since Friday, no.’

‘There’s something different about you.’

‘Do you think it could be the fact that my hair used to be
brown and now it’s blonde?’

‘Bloody hell, Janice, so it is!  It looks fantastic.’

‘So fantastic, it has taken you three hours to notice,’
Janice feigned offence.

‘Never mind me.  My head’s in the clouds at the moment.’

‘That’s what happens when you’re in love.’

Gill pulled up short, ‘I never said I was in love.’

‘You didn’t need to.  Look at you.  You’re positively gaga.’

‘I am not!’

‘Yes you are, but I suppose it beats gagging for it.’

‘Janice!  There are limits you know.’

‘Yes, I’ve never really paid much attention to limits, me.’

‘So, wait a minute, I tell you how great you look and then
you offend me,’ Gill tried and failed to appear outraged.

‘Something like that.’

‘Anyway, I’m not in love.  I just like him.’

‘A lot?’

Gill’s silence lasted over a minute, before she said, ‘OK, a
lot.’

‘I’m telling you, lady, you’re in love.’

‘Haven’t you got some filing you could be doing?’ Gill
looked around hopefully.

‘No, all up-to-date.’

‘Right.  Right.  Oh, I just remembered I need to call Mr
Farquharson.’  And with that, Gill disappeared into her office, until Janice
popped her head around to say she was heading home.

She couldn’t be in love, could she?  Surely it took longer
than that?  It had only been a few dates.  Gill opened up her e-mail to see if
she had by any chance received an e-mail from Anton.  Nothing, but she knew not
to expect anything.  He was probably en route to Minsk by now.  She did,
however, have a message from Caroline Morgan.  Caroline had dutifully checked
in with Gill following each of her first dates to see how things had gone and
to request feedback.  Even after the Sean fiasco, Gill had simply said it was
satisfactory.  When Sean had contacted her again, she hadn’t bothered updating
Caroline to say they were seeing each other again.  Gill gathered Sean would be
quizzed, too.  If he fancied telling Caroline, great, but Gill had too much
else going on.

Chez Molinières
was unusually busy for a Monday
night.  With such an excellent menu, the four girls had decided to make that
their pit stop for their summit meeting, prior to their jaunt to Barcelona on
Thursday. 

The girls kissed and hugged.  Lisa was her usual
uncontrollably happy self, the bags under Debbie’s eyes gave away how she was
feeling, and Angela, well, Angela was just Angela – unflappable.

Lisa had printed off a list of trendy bars she wanted to go
to, and the details for the wine and cava festival.  Angela had similar
printouts for the events for the Mercè festival and Debbie showed them
restaurant recommendations from various people who had been there before.

But first off, they wanted the lowdown on Gill’s evening
with Anton.  As Gill narrated the events of Saturday night, Lisa and Angela sat
riveted.  Debbie had already heard this by phone from Gill, and listened
distractedly.  Lisa wanted to know every detail and she really did mean every. 
Angela sat, listened and nodded in the right places, then finally said, ‘I’m
happy for you, hon.  This one seems like a keeper.’

Gill’s face lit up.  ‘I know.  I’m just so glad we’re going
away and I have something to take my mind off Anton for a few days.  It would
be no fun just sitting here, waiting for him to come back from Belarus.’

‘Well, you’re not exactly sitting around,’ said Debbie. 
‘Don’t you have a date with Sean tomorrow?

‘Yes, we’re going to the pics.  Romcom.  Men hate romcoms.’

‘You’re evil, do you know that?’ tutted Debbie.

‘He made a complete fool of me last time.  It’s only fair I
get a little bit of revenge.’

‘From what I heard he made a fool of himself,’ butted in
Lisa.

‘Yes, well, that too, but he was so gassed, he probably
doesn’t remember.’

The girls ran through the itinerary for meeting up on
Thursday.  They were taking a no-frills flight from Prestwick directly to
El
Prat de Llobregat
airport.  The flight would land just before two, so the
girls expected to be in the city around three thirty.  Debbie had found out
that the train ran directly from the airport into the city centre.  The nearest
stop to their hotel was
Passeig de Gràcia
, no more than a ten minute
walk.

They planned to meet in town and take the train down to
Prestwick.  That way no one needed to drive and besides, who knew what state
they would be in, on the way back.  The likelihood that they’d be sporting
hangovers was strong – potent
sangría
and a wine and cava festival,
too.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist…

The girls discussed what they wanted to see.  Lisa wanted to
go shopping.

‘They have a huge shopping centre there,
L’Illa
.  It
has Zara and loads of other great shops. Of course I’m going.’

‘I can probably get most of what I want in
El Corte
Inglés
,’ Debbie put in.

‘Well, I don’t mind if you want to go and do a bit of
cultural stuff, whilst I shop, but I definitely want to go to the
Museu de
la Xocolat
,’ Lisa said magnanimously.

‘Mmm, me too,’ piped up Debbie, as Angela also nodded her
head.

‘OK, I think we’ve all decided to go to the museum.  What
else is a must see for all of us?’

‘Well, I definitely want to see
Casa Gaudí
and
Parc
Güell
,’ Angela said straightaway.

‘The forecast’s good.  I’m for the beach,’ piped up Lisa, as
she crossed her long legs one over the other, causing a middle-aged man at a
nearby table to choke on his steak.  ‘Have you lot been waxed?’ she asked.

Gill didn’t go in for waxing.  She simply shaved her
underarms and legs.  Waxing was too painful.  Angela and Debbie looked at Lisa
as if she had horns.

‘I’ll take that as a no, then.  Get yourselves waxed before
Thursday.  You don’t want to look like Germans on the beach, do you now?’

‘To be truthful, I hadn’t thought about the beach,’ Angela
said.  ‘I’m not that fussed.’

‘Not that fussed?  Not that fussed!  When did we last see
sun here?’

Debbie and Gill studied their shoes, as Angela said, ‘Well,
not everyone’s a sun worshipper.  You can go lie on the beach and I’ll just do
a city bus tour or something.’

After much discussion, the girls decided on what activities
they would do together, and which they would do either in twos or on their
own.  They were so excited about the trip, that they barely tasted the
delicious food in front of them. 

As they left the restaurant, Lisa wished Gill luck for her
date with Sean.  Debbie mouthed a
Call Me
and Angela gave Gill a wry
smile.

At least she wouldn’t have to make such an effort tomorrow. 
It was just the cinema.

Tuesday 20th September

The prospect of watching a romcom on the big screen was a
welcome one, Gill decided next morning.  She’d got through a lot of work, and
just as well, since she had to clear her desk before she set off for
Barcelona.  She’d already arranged a temp to help Janice during her absence.  A
few replies to the student advert had also come in, but those would have to
await her return from northern Spain.  Overall, it had been a good day.

In a strange sort of way, she was looking forward to seeing
Sean, mainly because she wanted to see him squirm, to see how much he would
apologise, the lengths he would go to for forgiveness.  OK, maybe she was
getting carried away, but she wanted to see how well he stomached going to a
romcom.  They wouldn’t be able to talk in there and she’d limit their coffee
time to an hour or so afterwards.  He was cute and she had liked him.  But
seriously, she didn’t see him being the big love of her life.  She almost felt
responsible for his well-being, ensuring his liver didn’t give out on him.  As
a mate he promised to be fun, but Gill just felt any prospect of passion
between them had been eradicated by his previous behaviour.  And of course, her
heart was finely tuned to Anton’s frequency now.

Gill dressed in jeans, heels and a floaty top, nothing too
dressy this time. She was just going to sit in a dark cinema after all.  She
left her hair down and doused herself with her favourite perfume.

At precisely ten to seven, Gill entered the cinema and
looked around for Sean.  His face lit up when he saw her.

‘Hi,’ he pecked her on the cheek.  ‘Love that top.  It
really suits you.’

‘Thanks.  So, how are you doing?’

‘Yes, I’m good, busy at work, you know how it is.’

Gill did know.  ‘Should we go and get the tickets?’ she
pointed over to the ticket desk.

‘No need.  I’ve already taken care of it.  Hope the leather
seats are OK for you.’

‘I’m sure they’ll be fine.’

‘Have you eaten anything?’

Gill had grabbed a toastie before she left.  ‘Well…’

‘Say no more.  We’ll get some nachos and a couple of
hotdogs.’  With that, Sean led them to the bustling queue.

It seemed to take an age to serve them, but at least they
had arrived early, and they entered the cinema laden with cheese nachos, a
small drink each and no change from fifteen pounds. Sean had waved away Gill’s
offer of money.

The trailers yielded another romcom, an action movie
predicting the end of the world, and the latest animated feature film.  Gill
sat back, careful not to get cheese sauce down her top, and relaxed.  She was
looking forward to this.

She could sense Sean looking at her occasionally, but didn’t
turn towards him.  Every so often, his hand strayed onto her armrest and she
could feel the heat from his body.  The film was pretty funny and there were a
few parts at which they both laughed out loud.  At one particular scene, Gill
thought she was going to wet herself.  Turning towards Sean, she saw that he
was doubled over, with tears running down his face.

‘A lot better than I expected,’ Sean admitted, as they rode
the escalators back down to the ground floor.

‘Thought you enjoyed it.  And it a
girls’
film, too.’

‘Well, it wasn’t exactly a girls’ film,’ Sean started to lay
his defence.

‘So, you’d be happy to tell all your rugby mates, would you,
that you enjoyed a romcom?’

‘Maybe not,’ he grinned and his eyes twinkled, ‘but then
they’re all liars if they say they don’t find them funny.’

Sean suggested they go to the bar in Buchan’s Hotel, to grab
a coffee.

‘No,’ said Gill a little vehemently.  The last thing she
wanted was for the bar staff to cast an enquiring glance at her, wondering
where they’d seen her before.  She could just imagine the twitching of the lips
when they realised it was only three days since  they’d seen her go upstairs
with another man.

‘I’ve heard bad reports about it,’ Gill recovered quickly. 
‘Apparently their coffee is like dishwater.’

‘Oh, OK then.’

‘Why don’t we go to
Le Pays
?’ Gill suggested the
hotel directly opposite the cinema.

They waited for the lights to change and then crossed the
road to
Le Pays
.

‘Do you fancy something to eat?’ Sean inclined his head
towards the restaurant section.

‘No, I’m fine with coffee, thanks.  Why, you hungry?’

‘I’m always hungry,’ Sean patted his non-existent stomach. 
He was very fit-looking, well, not just fit
looking
, fit, she reminded
herself.  He did do a lot of sport.

‘Well, don’t hold back on my account.’

‘I might see if they have some olives or bruschetta,
something light.’

When Sean returned from the bar, he wore a huge grin, 
‘Olives on the way.  So, what have you been up to?’

Deciding dating half of Glasgow was probably not the best
explanation of how her week had gone, Gill limited herself to, ‘Pretty busy
with work, but I met up with some friends last night at
Chez Molinières
.’ 
Taking a sip of her coffee, then wishing she hadn’t, as it had scalded her
tongue, she said, ‘We were meeting up because we’re going to Barcelona on
Thursday.’

‘Barcelona.  I’ve never been.  That’s where the big ugly
church is, isn’t it?’

‘If you mean the
Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s
unfinished
masterpiece, then yes,’ Gill smiled at him.

‘It always seems to have loads of cats around it, when you
see it up close on TV.’

‘I hadn’t noticed.  Did you know they’ve decided to finish
it?’

‘What’s the point of that?  It’s like someone trying to
write the end of Dickens’ unfinished novel.  It’s not Dickens.’

‘I guess they thought it would be better for the city if
such a huge building was actually finished.’

‘Hmm,’ Sean rubbed his chin, unconvinced.  ‘So why Barcelona?’

‘Well, only one of us has been before, and the other three
have always wanted to go, for various reasons.  Plus the festival’s on.’

‘Festival?’

‘Yeah, there’s a traditional festival, the
Mercè
,
with lots of events, open-air concerts, even ballet in the park.’

‘I’d like the open air concerts.  Any room in your
suitcase?’ Sean shot her an imploring glance.

‘Fraid not – girls only.’

Despite the disastrous finale to their last date, Gill
realised that they got on well together.  She didn’t feel the need to try to be
someone she wasn’t.  She hadn’t particularly dolled up for tonight, and yet she
felt confident in Sean’s company.

As Gill sneaked a peek at Sean, whilst he watched a group of
people coming in to the hotel, she thought how he looked like a more handsome
version of the errant boyfriend from
Sliding Doors
.  It wasn’t just the
accent. Sean made her feel as if they’d been friends for a long time, and he
didn’t bore her by talking constantly about sport, which he could have done,
given his huge interest in it.  It was, however, clear that music animated him
and was the key influence in his life.

When Gill next looked at her watch, she couldn’t believe it. 
It was already eleven thirty. They’d been here for nearly three hours.

‘Sean, I didn’t realise the time.  I need to go.  I have to
be up early for work tomorrow, as it’s my last day before I go on holiday.’

‘Oh, of course, I understand.  Are you getting a taxi home?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, let me wait with you at the taxi rank.  There’s one
at the bus station.’

‘Thanks.’  It was a far cry from last time when he had
stayed on at the pub drinking. Dismissing this thought, Gill focused on the
lovely evening they had spent together.

They walked round to the back of the bus station, Sean
steering Gill clear of the rowdies making a fuss outside the bus station
entrance

‘You never know who’s hanging about here.  Bloody junkies.’

Gill couldn’t agree more.  She hated drugs, and although she
knew some people had had very harrowing upbringings, she would never understand
how any human being could do that to themselves. They scooted past as quickly
as possible, trying not to attract attention.

The taxi rank was empty.  A Tuesday night and not a taxi in
sight.

‘One’ll be along soon,’ Sean assured her.  It was a clear night
and the stars lit up the sky. Unfortunately, that meant it was also pretty
cold.  With the heat of the day long gone, Gill shivered.  She hadn’t even
brought a jacket, and the floaty top she was wearing did nothing to warm her. 
Self-consciously she folded her arms across her chest.  She could feel her
nipples standing out in the cold.

‘Here, take my jacket.  You must be freezing,’

‘No, I couldn’t possibly.’

‘Seriously, I’m baking and this is a thick shirt I have on.’

‘Oh, OK then.  Thanks.’  Gill accepted his light jacket and
threw him a smile of gratitude.  He was quite cute and he did have beautiful
eyes, laughing eyes, most people would say. Cheeky, sexy, fun.

She started, but it was only Sean putting an arm around her.

‘Sorry I didn’t mean to make you jump.  I just thought a bit
of contact might heat you up.’

Well that was certainly a new line.  You had to give the guy
his due for trying.  Gill hid a smile and turned fully towards him.

‘What sort of contact?’ she played along with him.

Emboldened by her question, Sean placed his hand lightly on
her waist, ‘Maybe, this sort of contact?’

‘OK,’ Gill waited to see what he would do next.

‘Or perhaps like this?’ he wrapped his arms loosely around
her, pulling her towards him.

Now she really was startled.  She hadn’t expected to feel
such a surge of lust.  She had just been teasing him a little, she liked him,
but really didn’t think anything would happen, or surely there would have been
signs earlier in the evening?

As they were the same height, Sean didn’t have much to do to
bring his lips to within inches of Gill’s.  He hesitated briefly and seeing no
disapproval, brought his mouth to hers and kissed her.  He kept kissing her and
she responded, her eagerness all too evident.

‘Get a room you two,’ said a passing group of boys in white
tracksuits.

Gill and Sean looked at each other, saying nothing. The
sound of the diesel engine finally broke into their thoughts.  When they didn’t
move, the surly taxi-driver, shouted, ‘Do you two want a taxi or not?’

‘We’ll take it,’ Sean pacified him.

‘Do you mind if we go past mine on the way?  It’s just there
aren’t many taxis at this time of night, as you can see.’ Sean asked Gill.

‘No, that’s fine.  Where are you?’

‘Top of Rose St.  Just off Sauchiehall St, up the wee hill.’

‘The one that’s as steep as the hills you see in San
Francisco on TV?’ asked Gill, as she adjusted herself on the seat.  Her jeans
were digging into her.

‘That’s it.  It was handy for the RSAMD.  I bought it from
the landlord when I moved here.’

Less than five minutes after leaving the bus station, the
taxi drew to a stop in Rose St.

‘Gill, I had a great time tonight.  You’re very easy to get
on with,’ Sean whispered out of earshot of the driver. ‘Would you like to come
in for a coffee?’

At this Gill giggled, ‘Sean, we’ve had three coffees.  I’ll
be lucky to sleep a wink tonight!’

‘Good point,’ he opened the door of the taxi, ‘nightcap?’

‘I can’t.  I have an early start.  Truly – maybe another
time?’  Gill didn’t mean to commit herself by saying this, but immediately Sean
pounced,

‘Good, because I’d like to see you again.’

‘I’ll be in touch when I get back from Barcelona,’ she said,
trying to read his expression.

‘Are you getting out or what?’ the driver barked.

‘Give us a second,’ Sean replied over his shoulder.  Turning
to Gill, he leant across her and said, ‘Until next time,’ and he bent his head
to hers and kissed her.

As Sean closed the door, then waved, Gill touched her
fingers to her lips where Sean’s had met hers a moment before and wondered what
the hell was going on with her.