Chapter Eighteen

Lisa didn’t have the heart to tell Felicity and Melissa that they had picked the wrong person to live vicariously through. The truth was she still didn’t know what to say to Nathan. That and the fact the feel of the hug they had shared had kept her awake, causing her to question her feelings towards him, made her think it was best to avoid seeing him in the flesh again. To mark this decision, she sent Nathan a message cancelling their drink, saying she had a client meeting to arrange looking after three cats for a week – a financial opportunity she couldn’t miss. It wasn’t true, but she thought it sounded convincing. A chat with Mr Chung, and chicken chow mien in the company of The X Factor and Strictly wasn’t the same as the prospect of a night out with Nathan Baker but it was the easier option.

Having parked behind a Ford Fiesta, Lisa wandered over to the restaurant door, but as she glanced back to press her key and check her van had locked she saw a car pull up behind it. Oh God! Oh no, it can’t be! Lisa couldn’t believe it. He was there. At the Chinese restaurant. Nathan Baker had pulled up behind her van. She didn’t know what to do. She was only a few steps away from the door. Going back to the van would mean she would definitely be seen, but, perhaps, she thought, if she was lucky he wouldn’t be going into the takeaway. Her name wasn’t on the back of her van, he could go wherever it was he was going and the panic would be over! With that in mind, Lisa darted into the Chinese. It felt like a safe haven. In there, she could pretend Nathan just wasn’t there. Ignore him, he might go away! It was a childish tactic, but one she hoped might work. She didn’t dare look out of the window in case he was still there. With every fibre of her mind, she was willing him to disappear.

Lisa no longer felt hungry. Unsure what to do with herself once she was in the confines of the small takeaway, she grabbed a newspaper from the counter and sat in the corner. Opening it wide she obscured herself from view of the window and attempted to steady her nerves. Aware that Nathan hadn’t followed her and the door hadn’t opened since she entered, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. After what felt like several minutes had passed she decided to venture a peek from behind the paper, only to see Mr Chung staring at her with a raised eyebrow. She attempted to smile. Feeling foolish she hurriedly closed the paper and stood up. ‘I … I … um …’

‘Ah, Miss Lisa, you want usual, no?’ His eyes flicked expectantly from Lisa to the small pad in front of him as he scribbled down numbers, grinning widely.

As Lisa went to speak she was aware the door had opened. ‘Yes … please,’ she responded on autopilot. Without even looking she knew Nathan was standing just a few feet behind her.

‘Prawn crackers?’ Mr Chung nodded.

Lisa didn’t actually want anything, not the chicken chow mien, not the special fried rice and certainly not the prawn crackers. ‘No, thanks,’ she replied too sharply. She felt terrible as Mr Chung’s generally ever present smile faded, but, really, unless he had a Mission Impossible zip wire form of exit on the menu, or maybe even a time machine, there was nothing she actually wanted. Her van was trapped outside the takeaway restaurant, and now she felt well and truly trapped inside. Having received confirmation of Lisa’s order Mr Chung disappeared.

‘Hello, Lisa.’

Lisa could hear the grin in Nathan’s voice and took a breath. A couple sat in the chairs next to the fruit machine, while another man read a newspaper at the end of the counter. A large ominous-looking fish stared from an enormous tank in the wall, while a colourful, grinning cat, sitting next to a can of Coke and a can of Fanta, waved from a shelf above the counter. Slowly, Lisa turned to face Nathan. The woman in the chair nearest the fruit machine nudged her husband and coughed dipping her head in their direction. Oblivious, the man looked up blankly. ‘What?’ Still attempting to be subtle the woman gave him a death stare; her glaring eyes urging him to look at the two people standing in front of them. Lisa wondered if she could feel the tension between them, the attraction she could feel, or was she imagining it based on their past?

Finally, Lisa spoke. ‘Nathan, I didn’t … I mean … how very unexpected … to see you, here. The client, with the dogs—’

‘Dogs?’

‘Cats, I mean cats. They cancelled.’

‘I see. So you thought …’ Nathan looked at her expectantly, with a glint in his eye.

‘Well, I thought you must have other plans by now so I’d—’

‘Ah, Miss Lisa, you have boyfriend.’

Both Lisa and Nathan turned, eyes wide at Mr Chung as he beckoned his family from their stations in the kitchen. One by one they appeared at the door. Mr Chung pointed at Lisa and all eyes turned to her. ‘Miss Lisa, she has boyfriend! We so happy for you.’ He beamed and his family began to clap.

Lisa blushed. ‘No, this …’ she motioned between herself and Nathan ‘… this is not my boyfriend.’

Having stopped clapping, the now unsure smiles on the four people of varying ages, staring at Lisa from the kitchen door, faded. Lisa wasn’t sure if they had understood what she said, but they must have got the gist as they each apologetically slipped back into the kitchen.

Mr Chung looked dumbfounded at Lisa. ‘Oh yes, yes, you need boyfriend.’ Before Lisa could protest again he raised a hand. ‘Hold on, please.’

As he disappeared back into the kitchen, both Nathan and Lisa stared in his wake.

Lisa couldn’t believe it. Why the man she had spent so long talking at had decided now was the time to reveal a greater command of the English language than she had ever given him credit for, she had no idea. But it was all getting very embarrassing. Not only did he seem to have the wrong end of the stick, thinking Nathan was her boyfriend, but he was also making her sound like a complete hopeless case, in front of Nathan Baker for goodness’ sake. To add to her mortification, the other three customers, presumably still awaiting their orders, were now staring, waiting with anticipation for the next act in this strange pantomime to unfold before them. He’s your boyfriend! Oh, no, he isn’t! Oh, yes, he is! Lisa was sure she would never be able to return to the Chinese after this.

While the room remained silent, Nathan leaned round the counter to see what Mr Chung was doing, only to jump back as the old man appeared holding a bulging takeaway bag.

Mr Chung held out the bag to Lisa. ‘Here, you take this. I put in extra for Miss Lisa boyfriend.’

Nathan looked bemused adding to Lisa’s embarrassment and frustration.

‘No, weeee … weeee wooon’t be sharrrring this.’ Lisa was trying to make herself as clear as possible, and had started talking and gesticulating like a 1970s Englishman abroad.

‘Oh yessssss, yessssss, Miss Lisa,’ Mr Chung mimicked. ‘Take this. You have this on house.’ As he spoke Mr Chung lifted the hatch in the counter and stepped through. Stepping between Lisa and Nathan, he pressed the warm plastic takeaway bag into Lisa’s hands and gestured for Nathan to come closer.

Lisa wanted to run. ‘No, really, you have it all wrong.’

But Mr Chung was having none of it. ‘Wrong? I not think so.’ He beckoned Nathan in closer still and lowered his voice achieving a whisper that everybody could still hear. ‘You want to be Miss Lisa boyfriend?’

It was all too awful; poor Nathan could not possibly be made to make a public declaration about Lisa again. Lisa pictured them standing in the middle of the dance floor at their prom and suddenly they were eighteen again, hearts pounding – his with anticipation and hers with panic. The whole situation was mortifying and it had to be bringing back too many hurtful memories for him. Lisa knew she had to do something.

The couple in the seats were staring, waiting; the man no longer even pretending to read the newspaper peered above his glasses. All sounds from the kitchen stopped. Lisa felt the weight of the expectant atmosphere in the room pressing down upon them.

She had to save him. She couldn’t let the humiliation continue to unfold. ‘Stop, please, we’ll take it. I mean, yes, there you go, he’s my boyfriend.’ With that she leaned up and kissed Nathan firmly on the lips, the warm, soft, pink lips she had kissed so many times before, as she reluctantly pulled herself away she had to steady herself.

Mr Chung clapped his hands and the other customers followed suit. Noticing the shock that swept across Nathan’s face Lisa suddenly felt a fool. ‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ Desperate to be gone she turned and ran out of the door – Chinese still in hand. Thankfully, the Ford Fiesta had moved. She turned the key and cursed as her van spluttered before actually starting, and sped off.