Chapter 2
Nora stood in front of the full length mirror in her old bedroom. It used to look much bigger when she used to live there, and even her bedroom used to seem more spacious. Her dad hadn’t changed or moved anything; the walls were still pink, her old posters covered the ceiling and her collection of dolls and CD’s were neatly arranged on tables and racks around her single bed.
As she stared at herself in the mirror, she wondered if her younger self could ever have predicted how her life would turn out. As a teenager, she was rebellious and in love with someone she knew she couldn’t have. Back then she was convinced that she could never be happy. And now, at just twenty-five, she was already a sub-editor of a major women’s magazine in New York. Making enough to afford the down payment for a two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. She wished she could meet her younger self and reassure her that everything would be all right.
She tried not to think about what her father had meant by “everyone” earlier, but at the back of her mind, she knew exactly what that would mean. How could it not? What could have changed in seven years?
She had changed into a sleek navy bodycon cocktail dress, which she knew accentuated her waist and her breasts. She styled her blond shoulder length straight hair into a loose bun, held together with a few hairpins. Black stilettos and a smoky makeup completed the look and she smacked her lips together to make sure that her deep plum colored lipstick was in place. When she heard the doorbell ring, she dabbed a few drops of perfume on her pulse points and smoothening the front of her dress, she stepped out of her room.
As she gently shut the door behind her, she heard his voice downstairs. He was the first to arrive, and she would have recognized that voice anywhere. She descended the stairs, with her heart thudding against her chest, her throat drying as she got closer and closer to his voice.
Nora tried to remind herself that she was an adult now, that things were different; that she hadn’t seen him in seven years and there was no reason to be nervous anymore. But as she drew closer to the living room, she was back to being a giddy teenager with a massive crush.
She stopped at the door, watching her father huddled with his best friend at the bar in the corner of the living room. The two men had their backs turned to her, so they hadn’t noticed her come in. She took in a deep breath to compose herself, noticing that Theo looked the same, at least from the back. He was just as tall, with a wide muscular straight back and a narrow-toned waist. They were catching up over the bottle of Scotch he had brought as a gift for her dad, and in mid conversation, her dad caught sight of her.
“Nora’s here! Come in, honey,” her father greeted her excitedly. Theo turned and she could have sworn that the floor had turned to jelly. She thought she was prepared, that she was ready to see him again, but the truth was that nothing could have prepared her for this moment. All those feelings of being a lovesick silly teenager came flooding back when he turned to look at her. The same chocolate brown shining hair, green dangerously sparkling eyes and the one-day old stubble.
“Nora,” he said, with that deep grin forming on his face. He had a habit of smiling with just the corners of his lips stretching, forming deep dimples around his mouth. His jaw was square and sharp, and his face had always given her the impression that he was carved out of marble. His voice was deep and smooth like velvet, and he thrust his hands casually into the pockets of his tailor-made pants.
“Hello Theo, it’s good to see you again,” she said, forgetting that her father was even in the room. She was surprised that she had even found the voice to speak to him and hadn’t stuttered yet.
“There goes the doorbell again!” her father exclaimed, and rushed out of the room to get the door. Nora hadn’t even heard the bell ringing - instead she felt like she was being sucked in by Theo’s burning gaze. She wondered if he looked at everyone like that, with searching eyes and that casual grin on his face at all time, or was it just her imagination?
“You look well,” she said, gulping rapidly to moisten her throat a little. Theo remained standing where he was, and she took a few steps towards him to close the distance between them, although she didn’t want to get too close to him.
“You mean, I look old!” he joked. A small laugh escaped his lips that sent shudders down Nora’s spine. Old? He hadn’t aged a day, she thought to herself. She knew he had just turned forty-five. Subconsciously she kept track of his birthdays even though she hadn’t kept in touch enough to wish him a happy birthday.
“No, I mean you look well,” she said in a low voice. Theo smiled some more.
“You look beautiful, Nora, although I wouldn’t have recognized you if I passed you on the street,” he said. She felt like her legs were wobbling. How many times, as a teenager, had she fantasized that he would actually say those words to her?
“And here’s Nora,” her father had come back into the living room, herding a bunch of friends of his who had just arrived. Nora pasted a nervous smile on her face and she turned to greet them, exchanging hugs and pleasantries with people she had grown up around. A barrage of questions and compliments overwhelmed her, and she was instantly surrounded by even more who kept arriving to the house.
The next hour was spent by her making sure that she hadn’t left anyone out. It was when her father handed her a second glass of wine that she took a sip and looked around the packed living room to find that she had done her bit; she had personally spoken to everyone. Standing by the unused fireplace, she searched the room to see if she could catch a glimpse of Theo again. Chances were that he was where her dad was. Those two were pretty much joined at the hip.
“Is it strange being back after so long?” she heard him say and nearly gasped but caught herself just in time. Gripping the wine glass tightly in her hand, she turned to find him standing beside her, swirling his glass of whisky. He took a large sip and pursed his lips, gazing at her from under his heavy eyelids.
“Has it really been long?” she said, and Theo stepped closer to her.
“Seven years,” he said.
“You’ve been keeping track.”
“Your father can’t stop talking about you,” he said and Nora got a whiff of the musky masculine cologne he was wearing. Goosebumps covered her arms instantly because she recognized that cologne; it was the same one he always wore. A few years ago, during her first year in New York, one of her new colleagues was wearing that same cologne. It was a scent she could never forget. She’d brought him back to her shared apartment that night and the next morning, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to work with him very long. Luckily, he quit his job in three months. She couldn’t stand being around a man who wore the same cologne that Theo did. And here it was again.
“I’ve been busy,” she said as she took a sip of her wine.
“I hear that you’ve been doing very well. Andy subscribes to the magazine of course. It’s very impressive,” Theo continued and she watched him as he spoke. His eyes looked like they were on fire as he held her gaze and she wondered if he ever knew how deep her crush on him was, how it had crippled her all of her teenage years. Nora licked her lips and smiled.
“Thanks, we work hard,” she said. His shoulders heaved as he stood with one hand in his pocket and the other gripping the glass of whisky.
“I can’t believe how much you’ve changed, Nora,” he said. She took in a deep breath and tried to smile.
“It’s not much of a compliment, is it?” she said and the grin on Theo’s face grew.
“It’s not an insult either. It’s just that I never imagined you as a grown up. Just like Andy still doesn’t,” he said and he looked to the side where her father was standing, laughing loudly at one of his friend’s jokes. Nora felt her cheeks flush.
“I can assure you, I’ve grown up,” she said, meeting his eyes again.
“I know,” he replied and a few moments of silence hung between them. “What kept you away for so long, Nora?” he said and she looked away from him to avoid his eyes. There was no way that she could tell him the truth, that was out of the question of course. I stayed away so I could avoid you. I wanted to avoid you because I’ve had a silly teenage crush on you for years.
“I’ve been busy. College and then work and this job is very demanding. I work most weekends,” she knew she was rambling, just trying to fill the blank space in her mind with words so that he wouldn’t probe her too much. “Besides, Dad visits me in New York every couple of months, so I’ve never felt the need to come back here,” she added.
“Of course. There isn’t much back here for you is there,” he said with a deep sigh. Nora tried to think of something to say that would change the subject.
“How is business? I saw your face on the cover of Forbes recently,” she said. Theo rolled his eyes and took another sip of his whisky.
“I really hate all that fuss. It was because I hit my first billion and they made a big show of it,” Theo said. She knew exactly what that article was about; she’d read it at least twenty times and stared at the cover photograph of him for hours before she was convinced that she was going insane and finally buried it under her mattress for good.
“So the company’s doing well then,” she said. Theo shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s doing well enough for me to keep my people employed and manufacture products that are hopefully helpful to the public,” he said. Nora smiled at him, arching an eyebrow.
“Helpful? You invented a medical engineering breakthrough. You’re being modest,” she said and a smile flickered on Theo’s face before he looked over at her father again. She sensed that he was about to walk away, that he had done his part of mingling with her and was now about to stray away to talk to someone else. Or it could have been because she felt that she had embarrassed him with praises. She remembered that he never liked talking about his success. It was why he was such good friends with her dad, because he treated Theo the same way he had done before his major international success. With her dad, he felt like they were just two ordinary guys hanging out.
“Anyway…” she heard him say, and she panicked. She didn’t want him to leave; she wanted to hear his voice for a little longer.
“How’s your wife?” she asked, the words rushing out of her. Theo looked up at her, the grin on his face dropping and Nora noticed how his gaze had hardened a little. Theo took in a deep breath and then smiled. “Violet is well,” he said.