Water Under the Bridge ›› n.h. mature

Seven

Kate Marshall

"I thought you meant go to a restaurant," I said between bites of our takeaway pizza.

"I didn't want to deal with the paps."

"Oh right." I don't have that problem. I'm not at that level yet. Honestly, I won't mind if I never am.

"It's madness," he said. God he's arrogant. He probably loves the attention.

"I know, Niall. You can't possibly handle how much all these people worship you. It must be so hard dealing with the pressures," I said sarcastically.

"Whoa, I'm not that big of an ass." He laughed from behind his slice of pizza. I just raised my eyebrows at him. "Well I get around, that's no secret. But I'm not obsessed with myself."

"Oh my god." I didn't even know what to say. He knows he has the reputation of sleeping around and if anything he's proud of it.

"I always have liked your humor. You've never sugarcoated things. That's why I always trusted you when we were younger."

"That's nicer than what most people think of my sarcasm but thank you. Most of the time people just think I'm bitchy." I shrugged as I said it. I honestly don't care what people think.

"You've got killer instincts. Sometimes you treat people as lesser because of it but it's not intentional. It's just cause you basically are above most people around you, myself included."

"I haven't felt like that's been true for awhile now," I said. I'm starting to dwell and I can't do that. Remember, new leaf. "Why are you being so complimentary? You're treating me like I'm fragile or something."

He quit eating and his eyes went wide because he didn't know how to respond.

"You don't have to tiptoe around it and try and pump me up," I said. "I'm a mess but I can handle it."

"You just weren't yourself when I saw you last."

We keep mentioning that last time we saw each other without really mentioning it. It's the elephant in the room.

"I just couldn't," he explained. "I mean I could, I didn't mean it like that." He paused. "Just to clarify, I have no difficulties performing, if you know what I mean."

"Oh my god, yes, I know what you mean!"

I tried to fight the redness on my cheeks. He's such a cocky ass.

"But anyway... I couldn't with you seeming so sad. It felt wrong. It felt like you would regret it."

"Okay. We don't have to keep talking about it." I don't want to relive the hurt I felt when he left me that night.

I got up to take my plate to the sink because I can't keep looking him in the eye while he talks about our almost-sex so casually.

"I need to head home," I said.

"Okay." He joined me at the sink with his plate. "You sure you don't want to finish where we left off last time?"

He's joking. "Hilarious. Seriously, I've got to go. Thanks for the pizza." I started to leave.

"Uh, Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's do this more often. I've missed you."

"Yeah, okay. I've missed you too."

...

"Mum?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

She sounded concerned on the other end of the line.