Where I Was Before You

12. Evie let your hair hang down

*BEEEEEP!* Another car screeches at me as I riskily run another red light. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you had a time traveller at your house as well? Why else do you think I'm bloody speeding! I'm not a reckless driver, but as I very closely missed the gutter when I turned onto my street, I was starting to second guess myself. A dead man was waiting at my house, could you blame me? Thank god it was only a 3-hour shift, I started getting paranoid. What if Freddie tried to cook again and burnt down the house? It was terrifying because I can so easily see him doing that. I needed to be at home to feed him. He was like a baby. I pull into my driveway once again and park my car where I always do.

Trying to act like I wasn't just speeding in order to get home. I get out of the car normally and 'casually' walk over to my front door. I grab my keys and hear a voice from inside. Freddie. I can pick out his velvety tenor voice in a large crowd. And then another voice.. wait. I unlock my door and yank it open. I don't know what I was expecting, possibly a home invasion from the FBI, the CIA, to come and take Freddie away and erase my mind. Although those are literally both American organisations, and neither of us is American (Australia is a little too fluffy to have high profile government organisations). I don't know, but I nervously stepped inside my house, expecting to see a party of government agents. But instead see Freddie, sitting nicely on the couch, holding his trademark cup of tea, and Katie, sitting nicely beside him. Wait. sh*t, SH*T.

"Hi darling, home already?" The obviously not nervous Freddie asks me as I fully step into the house and somehow manage in my cluster of chaotic thoughts, to shut the door. I walk more into my living room and put my bag down on the table. I can't believe I did this again. I really should start having lower expectations of myself, because there seems to be a lot of things that I do that I 'can't believe'.

Katie, however, looks like she's had this happen to her a thousand times before. And not in a 'I'm f***ing over this sh*t' type of look, more of an 'it doesn't matter, I know how to handle it' type of look. What a f***ing beautiful person she is.

"Katie, I am such an idiot!" I cried, ignoring Freddies welcome home and see him smile because he knew I was going to. It was now when I looked at Freddie that I could see he was trying to tell me something. I could actually see the hint of anxiety behind his eyes at last. I saw his lips move blankly to the words 'play along'. What the f***? Play along with what?

"Oh no please don't be! I know how forgetful you can be, plus Jordan kept me company." Katie Replied. This woman really knew how to make you feel the least amount of guilt you possibly could. But wait, who's Jordan?

"Who's Jord-." I began to ask but was caught off guard by Freddie's frantic arm signals and obvious mouthed cuss words. Play along. I really was extremely slow. Katie looked at me, confused because she was anticipating what I was about to say. And gave me a signal to keep going once I paused.

"I mean, Jordan! Yes, he's so good a keeping people company like that. And socialising in general!" Can you hear the lump in my throat? I look at Freddie and I can see him smile at me with annoyance and unsatisfaction. Which I nearly laugh at. He didn't know what he was getting himself into with me! I'm a shocking liar.

"Yes, Katie is an absolute delight to talk to! Did you know she has 4 cats, Mandy?" 'Jordan' asks me, staring more intensely into my eyes than anyone ever has before. Jeez, I get it! I'll try a bit harder, but this is like Steven Spielberg relying on toddlers acting abilities.

"Oh, no I didn't!" I ask, way more cheerily than appropriate. I did still forget this girl was coming over for the second day in a row, I was supposed to be apologising. "Katie, you haven't been here long, have you?" I question, hopeful that she had only been here for 30 minutes at the max, so I didn't think myself as too much of a bad friend.