Chapter 3
Cheryl glanced at her phone on the way to the X factor studios and began to text. Kimberley was gone to support Haven and she missed her. She read what she typed once more and smirked at the content of the text and pressed send. She knew that it would get her cursed out but loved to tease her. Kimberley texted back immediately.
It's none of your business who I was with last night. It wasn't you for sure though! And stop bein' so rude! :P x
You in Haven babe? xx
No, but I'm headin there now. So stop textin and let me get there. x
Cheryl smiled and began to text anyway.
I know how much ya look forward to hearin' from us babe. I love you too. xx
She smiled and waited for a reply. She frowned when after 5 minutes she still had no response. Then her phone buzzed.
You need to behave and not throw around that L word so much. Later Chez. x
Cheryl studied the reply for a few moments. '...and not throw around that L word...' She didn't even realize that she typed it; it just seemed so natural...It always was, they told 'I love you's' to each other all the time, but the past year had been different and Cheryl never used it under a flirting context. Cheryl frowned and shoved her phone in her jeans.
"What in the hell am I thinking?" This happened a lot lately. She'd find herself thinking about her bestfriend and end up doing something like adding salt to her tea. She grumbled then pulled out her phone when it began to ring. Thinking that it was Kimberley she began to smile. The smile dimmed when the voice on the other end of the line began to speak; it wasn't her.
"Hey Cheryl," She heard. Derek. "Hi" She answered enthusiastically after recognizing the voice.
"Can I see you today for dinner?" Cheryl had just met him when she went to visit the LA to meet some American producers for a day, which was followed by a load of BS about how she abandoned her acts in the press.
"What are you doing here? You didn't tell us you were coming?"
"I just wanted to surprise you babe" She rolled her eyes at the 'babe' remark. She wasn't used to being his 'babe' yet. Sure the guy was hot and all that, but... "I have X factor today" She sighed.
"Oh yes ofcourse..We'll meet tomorrow in the diner for lunch at oneish yeah?" The 'diner' was their code word to a pap free private restaurant just outside london. "Okay then"
She spoke for a while until she reached the studios and smiled when he hung up. She had a lunch date and felt much better as she headed off to face the crazy judging panel and the contestants, well everybody was almost crazy there except Dannii.
All thoughts of Kimberley gone...for the moment.
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"Cheryl! Where are ya?"
"I'm leaving me home. You guys getting together to eat?" Cheryl asked.
"Yeah, I'm starvin' man!"
"You know what I love about ya Sarah? Your subtleness." Cheryl stepped into her car and politely smiled at her driver who returned the gesture.
"So is Kimberley coming too?" Sarah told her yes. She felt a smile forming on her lips and immediately frowned in annoyance.
"I don't know...I have a meeting at 1" She thought Derek. "I don't think that I can cancel it." She heard a scuffle then Sarah saying something that she couldn't make out.
"Hello? Chez?"
"Hey Nicola, what's up pet?" She smiled as Nicola told her to meet them or else. "I haven't seen you in ages !" She whined.
"I'm pretty sure I saw you two days ago Nic...at Sarah's place remember?" It always amazed her how a day or two can feel like forever in the media industry.
"You know what I mean. Anyway, Kimberley's coming too." Cheryl didn't miss Nicola's much too casual mention of their gorgeous friend. "Oh really? Well I was telling Sarah that I had something planned..." There was silence on the other end. Cheryl didn't like the sound of it.
"Ummm..."
"Well, no worries. You had plans so we'll jus' see you later then."
"Umm, okay?" Something was wrong and she just couldn't put her finger on it. She shrugged it off and told Sarah that she'd see her later. For a few minutes she looked at her phone wondering what was happening on the other side of that conversation. When her brain began to hurt she shrugged it off and thought about Derek instead.
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"So Cheryl, what are you doin' tonight?"
"Well that depends..."
"On what?" Cheryl was about to answer as she looked up to see Kimberley across the room, glaring at her with arms crossed, obviously annoyed. "Isn't she always?" She asked.
"What?" Derek asked and followed Cheryl's gaze. When he saw Kimberley he rolled his eyes. He remembered asking Cheryl about them and she told him determinedly that they were only friends. Friends who seemed to spend a ridiculous amount of time together...
"Cheryl I asked you something" He tried to distract her. Cheryl's attention was on the entrance of the restaurant by now.
"What?" She absently asked then moved his arm from the back of her chair as Kimberley walked over with Nicola,Sarah and Lauryn in tow.
"Looks like one intense meeting Cheryl" Kimberley looked pointedly at Derek then her eyes turned to angry slits when she placed her hand on Cheryl's arm.
"You just could have told us that you had a lunch date you know, it's not like we're starved of your company."
"Sounds like you are though," Cheryl smirked at a fuming Kimberley and watched her look at Lauryn who shrugged helplessly. They all watched as she stalked off towards the toilets. Cheryl watched her, fighting down a surge of guilt at lying about her lunch date. But it was worth it to see her come storming into the diner in all her blonde glory.
Cheryl loved to watch Kimberley when she got angry. Her eyes, a nice shade of blueish grey had sparks of gold in them, flared to life. Then a pink blush appeared on her cheeks. Her slim, little nose, would flare out for a moment then relax and her usually full lips would thin.She'd usually do something like flick her shoulder length hair over her shoulder in defiance or place her hands on her hips.
She turned feisty. And she wasn't even a red head. Cheryl followed her hips as they swayed in her tight jeans. Nicola was saying something to her but she could only hear Kimberley's words echoing in her ears and see the swell of her breasts revealed from her unzipped jacket.
God, I'm like a teenage boy!
