My Kind of Woman

6. Hips

After the date ended, I felt like something changed in me. Something was louder, more demanding, and I couldn't quite explain the nagging of my heart. We talked on the phone the day after, Giana and I, and the night after that, I went to visit Jackie. I missed her bugging questions about romance, and I realised I wanted her comfort in the face of it all.

In her driveway was a car. I stared at it. It was sleek and black like a metallic panther posed on the paving; a fancy Mercedes model. It wasn't the kind of car you'd see driving around our town, it was far too robust for around here. It looked as if it would shatter under my clumsy touch so I ignored it, walking up to the front door and knocking gently as I would. With the car in the drive, I wondered whether I'd meet the mysterious Mr. Reed, the man married to Mio, the man who was Jackie's father.

The door opened and I was faced with the man himself. Something clenched in dread within me at the sight of him. He was tall, the top of his head an inch or two away from brushing the door frame, and extremely handsome - Americanly handsome. He had the classically sharp-jawed look with a greying, stubbly chin and rough cheeks. His eyes were almond-shaped, the hue of them tan like honey. He was undeniably a handsome older man.

"Hello?" He said, smiling and looking exactly like Jackie as he did.

"Hello, I'm here to see Jackie." I told him, standing straight and polite.

"Are you... Nicole?" He guessed.

"Norah, sir."

"Sir! How polite, Norah. Come in, Jack is upstairs." He stepped aside and I nodded, walking past him.

He didn't have the same warm feel to him that Mio had. He didn't seem very suited to her either, but it wasn't any of my business to say so. Perhaps in secret he was extremely romantic and kind; I hadn't seen much of him. To be judgy wasn't like me.

As I walked through, I glanced over at the couch (where I assumed he'd been sat by the switched on television) and noticed Mio wasn't sat downstairs. I listened and heard no commotion in the kitchen, only quiet in the lower half of the house. Mr. Reed patted my shoulder politely as he moved around me to get to the living room area. He sat down on the couch with a groan, as adults did when they sat, and looked back over her shoulder at me.

"Are you alright?" He asked, eyeing how I was stood still in the walkway.

I told him I was fine and made a move for the stairs, after taking off my shoes. I would've come with Jackie straight from school but I decided on later due to my urge to shower. All day I'd felt icky in my uniform like I'd bathed in something foul. I couldn't tell whether it was all in my head. At the top of the stairs, I saw most of the doors were closed except for the second after the bathroom. So, nosily, I took a look in as I went to pass. My heart rose up into my throat, swelling like a balloon as I peered through the crack.

Mio was lay on the bed, on her side, reading. But she was completely in casual clothing, something I'd rarely seen on her. Her legs were covered by loose grey sweatpants that highlighted her motherly hips and on her torso she was wearing a fitting black t-shirt that had ridden up against her stomach, exposing the curve of it and her bellybutton. Her dark hair was tied back away from her heart-shaped face as she read, lips parted as to sometimes mouth the words silently. The sight of her so casual had shocked me so, even though she was in her own home. It even flustered me a little.

Her eyelashes flitted as she looked towards the door and I could stand there silently no longer. I popped my head in and smiled,

"Hey."

"Norah, hi. Are you alright?"

I nodded awkwardly. "Are you?"

"I'm fine. Oh!" She exclaimed, "you went on that date the other day, didn't you?"