Holiday dangers

Chapter 10. Andrew

Chapter 10. Andrew

'She was engaged to someone else', that thought didn't give him peace. He had constantly repeated those words over and over inside his head. She had someone else in her life, he had lost her. But he just couldn't let it go. He needed to ask her himself. He needed some kind of confirmation.

He excused himself to Jon and David and went to look for Kate. David's knowing smirk sent him off on his quest.

He searched the crowd, looking for her, but she was no longer where he had seen her before. He walked over to the group of older ladies Kate had been talking to earlier. Now those ladies, among whom he recognized their neighbor Molly, were standing and talking alone. Kate was nowhere to be seen. He looked left and right until he saw a glimpse of a green dress moving towards the door that led to the backyard. He followed her there without a second thought.

He opened the sliding door that led to the backyard, and the change in temperature hit him. Outside, it was frizzing cold, but she was sitting on the wooden swing, in that thin dress with bare shoulders, as if it were summer. It pissed him off for some reason. She didn't think about her health at all. Does she behave like that in another city or does her fiancé take care of her well?

Thinking about her fiancé almost made him turn around and leave without speaking to her. But he approached anyway.

"Hey," he called out, keeping his trembling hands in his pockets.

He waited for her to answer before she just lazily turned around to look at him. But when their eyes met, her face lit up.

"Hey stranger." She slurred a little bit. She was drunk as he had suspected. "Did you run away from there too?"

"Yes." He admitted. But the words 'you too' passed through his mind. She came here to escape the crowd. Maybe he bothered her, maybe she wanted to be alone. He suddenly felt very insecure. "Am I bothering you?" He asked.

"No, you are not bothering me. We didn't get to talk earlier. Come sit here with me." She ushered. As much as he could tell, she seemed happy to see him. But his brain felt foggy since he had seen her earlier, and he wasn't sure about anything anymore.

"Okay." He agreed. "But on one condition. You have to take my jacket to warm up."

"No, no. Then you will be cold." She refused his offer, pushing her hands in front of her as if she was pushing an imaginary jacket.

"Kate. You are almost naked in that thin dress. I have a sweater, I will be fine." His tone was such that it surprised even him. He was never stern with her. Not even when he was giving her math lessons.

After a few seconds of debating whether to rebel or not, she accepted his jacket. And he didn't sit down until he draped his leather jacket over her shoulders.

"Better?" He then asked.

"Yes, thank you." She said, pulling his jacket closer to her. And his heart skipped a beat again. He wanted his arms around her instead of that jacket.

"So how is life in the big city? Is it what you were hoping for it to be?" Andrew asked finally.

"For a while it was a dream come true, but for some time lately I have not been so sure." She told him, sounding kinda sad.

He debated whether he should ask her about the engagement or not. But he decided to ask anyway. "David told me that you are engaged. What about your fiancé? Is he treating you well?" He finally said what he wanted to ask her ever since he heard those words from David. And he didn't like her sad tone from before either. Where is that fiancé of hers if she is having a hard time there in the city? Thoughts about someone mistreating Kate made him furious.

But he didn't expect a reply she had given him. She laughed straight into his face. There must have been something stuck there when she found it that funny.

"First of all, I was never engaged. David likes to exaggerate everything." She said after calming down. "And second, we broke up."

The stone fell from his heart. David got it wrong, or he just wanted to mess with him. She is not engaged to another man and she is single. His heart felt so light again that he almost thought that he could fly.

But why did they break up and why was she so sad. It pissed him of. What kind of man can make this gorgeous and intelligent woman so sad. He wanted to know what was bothering her.

"Can I ask why?" Andrew asked carefully.

At first, she seemed reluctant to reply, but she soon gave in. "Well, at first he seemed to be part of that dream life, but he turned out to be an arshole. He cheated on me with one of my friends," She told him shortly.

After her words, he felt such immanent hatred toward that guy he didn't even know. He was furious that someone hurter his little Kate in such a manner. "Do you want someone to teach him a lesson?" He asked, suddenly too serious.

He tried to keep his facial expressions neutral, but he must have failed because she flinched seeing the look on his face. But she decided to let it go and tourn everything on the joking side.

"No, that thing is in the past now. And who would do it? You and David? Two nerds against a jym instructor? I don't like your odds."

"Don't underestimate us nerds, Kate." He said silently. But then he added a joke, not wanting to scare her. "We know how to be nasty too. We could send him a Trojan virus that could do all sorts of stuff to his computer."

She was not ready for his dark side. It was better that he stayed quiet, nerdy Andrew for her. His new way of life would probably scare her.

It looked like she wanted to continue their joking conversation when they were interrupted by a branch that fell on the bench, right between the two of them. Kate curiously picked up the twig and glanced up to see where it had fallen from. The expression on her face was curious.

Andrew didn't care where the branch came from, he'd rather look at Kate all night long. Ever since she was little, she rarely showed emotions. She mostly wore a calm expression, but now, under the influence of alcohol, every emotion was visible and Andrew couldn't get enough of her. Her face, the look in her eyes, small wrinkles around her eyes when she was deep in thoughts. Everything about her was absolutely stunning.

"Look! A mistletoe!" She chuckled, pointing above. "You know what that means..." She slowly moved closer to him.

His heart threatened to jump out of his chest because of how loud it was beating. She shouldn't joke with him like that. She didn't know how much he loved and wanted her, but he couldn't get his hopes up. She must have been just teasing him.

"You will have to remind me..." He dragged, wanting to tease her too.

And before he figured out what was happening, she pressed her soft lips against his. At first, he thought he died and go to the haven, but he did not. She was real and the relationship between the two of them was real. Her lips felt perfect against his own and he deepened the kiss. He wanted to pour all those years of longing into this single moment.

He hoped that maybe, just maybe, she felt for him what he felt for her all those years. But his hopes shattered mercilessly when they broke from the kiss. He expected a confession but instead got a denial.

"Oh. Wow. I am sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It must be alcohol." She stuttered, backing away slowly.

She was running away from him again. "Kate calmed down. It's okey. I am not seeing anyone right now, and we are both adults." He offered a friendly smile. Maybe she just acted on mutual attraction and now she regrets doing it. So he wanted to calm down the situation, to put it like it was not a big deal, when it was the biggest deal for him.

But his efforts only pushed her away more. The calm mask was again attached to her face.

"Still, I am sorry.I didn't think straight." She moved back and took off his jacket. "I should go back in there." She said while giving him back the jacket he lent her earlier.

His heart sank to the bottom again as he took the jacket from her hands. He watched her back, leaving him once again.

But just as she was about to enter the crowded room, she stopped and turned around to face him. "I'm glad I was able to see you again, Andrew. And I hope that we can catch up some other time. I want to hear what you have been doing all this time. I will be here for a few days, so call me." Her face softened when she told him that she would like to see him again.

That was a friendly invite. Not quite what he was hoping for after that kiss, but right now he would take anything.

"Bye, little Kate!" He called after her with a smile. After all, she was always someone special to him.