I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Fifty-Two

As the summer break began and Alex and I started packing for my tour of Ireland she cooked a special 'last meal at home for a month' dinner and toasted me, 'To a beautiful trip and a beautiful young woman.'

I looked around, 'To whom are you referring?'

She smiled, 'Very funny.' She sipped her wine, 'Are you excited to see where you were born?'

I shrugged, 'I suppose. Not really. I don't remember it at all.'

'Have you packed all the books you're going to take or are you going to purchase them whilst we're there?'

She was referring to the usual four or five books I carried along with me on trips. I blew her a raspberry, 'I'm taking two on the plane and I'll buy anything else I want when I'm there, though from the way you've been going on about it I most likely won't have time for reading. I'll be too busy rambling all over the countryside.'

She chuckled, 'It is breathtaking there, just wait.' As she cut into her chicken cordon bleu she asked casually, 'Shall I bring The Pearl along?'

I stopped chewing and felt myself going red. Had she just said what I thought she'd said? No, she was referring to a necklace or something. When I didn't respond she said in the same off-hand way, 'I really don't mind that you've read it.' I couldn't look up; in fact I would never be able to look her in the eye again. 'Catherine?' Her voice was gentle, but I was too consumed with dying from embarrassment to say anything. 'Are you all right, sweetheart?'

I managed to grunt, 'Uh huh.'

Though I wasn't looking directly at her I could sense her body language relax, as though she felt sorry for me. 'It's really all right, there's nothing to be ashamed of.'

I nodded, as if I understood that, but I didn't understand and I was ashamed.

'We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,' her fork clicked on her plate and then she said, 'I would like you to know that it's not how it is in those stories, though. What I mean is that it's obvious men wrote them because the men in those stories are superhuman. A real man would be dead from exhaustion within one page of that book.'

I laughed despite myself and nodded. I hadn't known that, but it was rather reassuring. The men in that book only ever seemed to sleep when they were about to keel over from over-exertion. Just reading about it made me tired. I worried my chicken for a bit then asked quietly, 'How did you know?'

'It took some time to realise; I'll admit that. There was a print of a bottom on my bed.' I still wasn't looking at her, but I could feel her smile. She continued, 'At first I thought you were watching television in there, then I noticed my books had been rearranged.' I looked up and to my curious expression she explained, 'Delta of Venus was on top the last time I noticed.'

'Oh.' I looked away from her again, still blushing horribly.

She chuckled, 'Darling, really, it's nothing to be so shy over. They're written much better than contemporary erotica.'

Oh, Lord, did she have to use that word? I had no idea how to respond so went with, 'Okey doke', and resumed paying astute attention to my plate.

I could feel her watching me for a while before she asked quietly, 'Did you like it?' She waited until all of the blood in my body had relocated to my face before saying, 'I was going to say there are other books like that one, if you enjoyed it, though if it makes you uncomfortable we certainly may talk about something else if you'd like.'

'I'd like very much.'

She nodded, 'All right. Are you ready for your Irish tour?'

I had a jolly great mouthful of wine before replying, 'I suppose so. I think I've recovered from the last part so I'm ready for round two.'