My Ten-Year Crush by Olivia Spring
Chapter Seventeen
The doorbell rang. I quickly checked myself in the mirror, then pressed the buzzer.
‘Hi, it’s me.’
‘Hi!’ I replied, my heart pounding. ‘Come up to the first floor.’
Mike was here and in a few seconds he’d be in my flat. I’d texted him last night to see if he’d be free to help me with my CV this evening after our lesson. He said he had to work late but could come to my place straight after.
On the one hand, of course I wanted to see him. It had been a week and a half since we’d spent time alone together during our walk, and even though I saw him in class every day, it felt like forever. But on the other, I’d hoped that because of the short notice he’d be too busy to come.
Part of me was still holding back. For so long my memories of Mike had been tainted with the rejection and embarrassment of that night. But since the course had started, thinking of him had made me happy. I was enjoying having him back in my life and I was scared that if we spent more time together, something might happen to ruin that.
‘Welcome!’ I said as he stepped through the door. As always, he looked so good. He’d taken off his tie and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, giving a glorious glimpse of his magnificent chest. His sleeves were also rolled up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms. Concentrating in class was hard, but something told me that focusing tonight would be even more of a challenge.
‘Wow, this is nice.’ He slid off his shoes and walked down the hallway, peeking in the rooms. ‘And so tidy. You haven’t changed. I think your room was always the neatest.’
‘That wasn’t difficult, if you think about who we lived with,’ I laughed.
During the first year of university, we’d stayed in student halls, and then Mike and I had shared a house with Melody and Jim. Mike’s room was hit and miss. Sometimes decent, sometimes a bomb site. But the others always looked like they’d been ransacked by burglars.
‘True. So do I get the grand tour?’
‘Of course! Follow me.’ I was glad I’d got up extra early to give the place the once-over. ‘So this is the living room, which is also my dining room and study.’ The design was pretty simple. Cream walls, purple sofa, wooden flooring and a plain white dining table. I had a tiny desk in the corner with a computer, printer, bookcase and blue chair. That was my little office.
‘Nice. Good size too.’
‘Thanks. And here is the kitchen.’ It had light grey cupboard doors and a yellow feature wall. The bathroom is here…’
‘And the bedroom?’ Mike asked. What was it about him saying the word bedroom that sent shivers down my spine and tingles between my legs?
‘Um, that’s down the hall on the left.’ I walked towards it and opened the door. The king-sized bed, which was covered with a white floral duvet and several cushions, was in the centre, with white bedside tables on either side. The walls were painted a pretty peach, which made it look nice and bright.
Mike stepped inside, smiled, sat on the edge of the bed and bounced up and down.
Oh God.
Didn’t he realise what that did to me? Thoughts of him climbing on top of me and how great it would be for us to be bouncing on it for real flashed through my mind.
‘Cool bed. Firm, but with some movement and not squeaky.’
‘Unlike your old one, you mean?’
Remembering that immediately poured cold water all over my fantasies. Now all I could think about was the days that Rebecca or his girlfriend of the moment stayed over and I’d have to listen to that bed squeaking all night. And when I said all night, I really meant all night.It was like he was powered by everlasting batteries. Then there were the endless moans of pleasure: “Oh, Mike, don’t stop. You are a sex god!” That sent my jealousy off the scale.
When we’d moved into the house, I’d thought being in the bedroom next to Mike was a good idea because it would make it easier for us to study together. Big mistake.
‘I remember that bed. It was pretty noisy.’
‘Tell me about it… so, Goldilocks, now you’ve tested my mattress, shall I get three bowls of porridge for you to try too?’
‘Very funny. I just appreciate a good bed, that’s all…’ Mike’s eyes darkened, just like they had on our walk, and a frisson ran through me.
‘So… ready to take a look at my CV?’ I swiftly left the room before I misinterpreted his intense staring as some sort of attraction and ended up doing something stupid like trying to kiss him again.
‘Okay.’ He followed me down the hallway. I went to my desk in the living room and picked up a copy of the CV I’d printed off, handing it to Mike, who’d already made himself comfortable on my sofa.
‘Here you go. Drink?’
‘Please.’
I went to the kitchen, took a beer out of the fridge, poured myself a glass of wine and pulled an empty bowl out of the cupboard. After putting everything down on the coffee table, I reached into my bag and grabbed the snacks I’d bought especially.
‘I thought you might like these…’ I held the packet up and smiled.
‘No way!’ Mike grinned. ‘Cheese balls! I haven’t had those in years!’
Whenever we were pulling an all-nighter, Mike and I had always binged on these crisps. They were the perfect snack, crunchy and full of cheesy flavour. We could easily go through a couple of packets in one sitting.
‘Me neither.’ I tipped them into a bowl, then sat down beside him. ‘Did we ever eat anything healthy whilst we were at uni? When I think back to my diet, all I can remember is having pizza, burgers, crisps and Haribos.’
‘And Pot Noodles.’
‘Yes! Pot Noodles.’
‘Well, you were the healthiest one. You always had salads or home-made sandwiches for lunch and used to tell us all to make sure we had vegetables with our dinner.’
‘Oh God.’ I winced. ‘Really? I’d forgotten about that. It is true, though…’ No wonder they called me Grandma. I guessed that growing up with all the little kids Mum used to look after caused me to fuss over people more than most. Having a helicopter dad probably played a part too.
‘Yeah. I’m sorry, Bells, but I’m not going to be able to look over your CV…’
‘What?’
‘Not whilst there are cheese balls right in front of me. Unless you don’t mind me getting orange dust fingerprints all over these pages?’
‘Don’t worry about that! That’s just a rough draft I printed for you. I’m sure there’s going to be loads of amends, so feel free to get stuck in and put your fingers all over it.’
Mike smirked. ‘Well, if you’re giving me permission to do that, I’m not going to say no…’
My face flushed. He was still talking about the CV, but I couldn’t help thinking about other places I’d like his fingers to go…
This was getting ridiculous. All of these naughty thoughts. I hadn’t had sex for ages and it was really beginning to show. It seemed to be the only thing I could think about lately.
‘Permission is most definitely granted…’ I smiled and held his gaze whilst reaching for the bowl. Mike went for it at the same time and our hands brushed against each other. Feeling the heat from him was like being struck by lightning. He held his hand there for a few more seconds, then broke eye contact.
‘Where are my manners? The lady should always go first.’
Mmmm…
He said go first, Bella, not come first, my brain shouted at me.
Stop it. Stop it. Stop!
When overheating around Mike, which used to happen frequently, I always found it best to remove myself from the situation to either splash cold water over my face or count to a hundred to calm down. Seemed like something I should do right now.
‘Thanks. I think I’ll take my handful into the kitchen and think about what we can have for dinner. It’s a bit weird me sitting here watching you read through my CV in front of me. I’ll get nervous.’ Which was exactly how I was feeling right now.
‘Okay. I’ll give you a shout once I’m done.’
After shovelling the crisps into my mouth and washing my hands, I went to get my phone. I’d heard it vibrating earlier.
Melody
How’s it going, luv? Have you two done the naked dance yet?
I rolled my eyes. She must be feeling a bit better today. That kind of comment was so Melody.
Me
There will be no ‘naked dancing’! He’s here to help with my CV. That’s it.
Melody
If you say so…
When I’d filled her in on the evenings Mike and I had spent together during the first week of the course, she’d got so excited.
I’d texted her last night after Mike had replied to let her know that he’d be coming round, because I thought it might cheer her up. Should’ve known it would result in her sending multiple texts to egg me on. But if it made her happy, it was worth it.
Melody
I keep meaning to ask. Have you been to the opticians lately?
Me
No. Why?
Melody
Because you clearly need to get your eyes tested if you can’t see that MIKE LIKES YOU!
I paused. I couldn’t deny that even though he’d only been here a few minutes, I had already picked up a vibe again. When you combined that with the long stares I sometimes caught him giving me and the innuendoes, then maybe there was something. But that was what I’d thought before, the night we’d kissed all those years ago, and look how that had turned out.
Me
Anyway, how you feeling today?
I deliberately ignored her comment.
Melody
Bit better. Went for a walk in town with Andrea earlier.
Melody
Found a gorgeous bracelet in the market for only a pound! Bargain!! It’s so bright and sparkly. Cheered me right up.
Me
That’s good! You are single-handedly keeping the bracelet industry alive. You must have so many!
Melody
I am the queen of bracelets! I know a good’un when I see one.
Me
No doubt. Maybe you could start making your own?
‘I’ve finished!’ Mike called out.
Me
Gotta go.
Melody
Okay, luv. Happy humping!!!
Honestly.
‘That was quick.’
‘I was powered by cheese balls. You know I always do my best work when I have snacks.’
‘So hit me with it.’ I held my breath. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s a good start. But you need to change the angle. Link everything to your extensive communication skills. I’d talk up the teaching methods you use a lot more. Give examples of how engaging your lessons are. Once we have more practice sessions in the course, you’ll get some feedback from the learners, so maybe ask if you can use a couple of short quotes as testimonials.’
‘That’s a good idea.’
‘You mentioned the other day that you liked the sound of teaching business English, right?’
‘Yes!’ I said enthusiastically. When Mike was telling me about the opportunities there were to teach adults who needed to improve their language skills, particularly for use in a work setting, it seemed super interesting.
I liked the fact that they’d be really motivated to learn, which wasn’t always the case with my pupils at school. Plus, they’d have specific, career-orientated goals that I could help them achieve, like how to speak with clients, phone etiquette, writing emails, building relationships with colleagues or giving presentations. Sounded really exciting.
‘Well, if you’re keen on teaching that at some point, it would also help if you could get some experience to put on here. Even if it’s voluntary stuff. I know it’ll be hard to do that right now because you’ve got a lot on, but maybe you could look into lining something up for when it’s over. There are websites that list companies who are looking for volunteers. I can find some for you. Also, do you know anyone who runs a business who might deal with people who need to learn English for work?’
I started to think about it. Oh yeah…
‘Actually, yes. Remember Sophia?’
‘Your friend that used to study French at UCL?’
‘That’s her. Well, she’s running her own PR agency now and I think some of the companies she works with might be French or Italian. So I could ask her.’
‘Great! What would also help your CV stand out is if you can demonstrate some understanding of the business world. So if you’ve ever helped Sophia out with any elements of her company, adding that would be ideal.’
I thought I’d done my research, but I hadn’t even considered half of the things Mike had just mentioned. He really was a fount of knowledge.
‘Wow. Sounds like I’ve got a lot of work to do. Looks like I’ll definitely need to wait until I’ve got some more experience.’
‘Sometimes there’s no perfect time. But if we hammer this out over the weekend and get the main parts done, it’ll be much easier to slot in any additional things later on. You’re already halfway through the course, and having PEFLITC on your CV and all your teaching experience will already give you an edge. The rest will come. Don’t worry, Bells. You’ve got this. You’re going to be starting your new career in no time.’
For the first time in ages, I really felt positive about my professional prospects. I was so used to hearing why I wasn’t ready, but I was beginning to feel more confident about pursuing this path in the future.
I exhaled. I’d always hoped this career would be my calling, but I’d never really had the chance to speak to someone with Mike’s level of experience in that field about it. So hearing him say those words and knowing that he believed in me meant a lot.
Not only was he helping me today, he’d also said that we could work on it this weekend too, implying he would be around to help me for more than just a few hours.
My stomach flipped.
I’d had my doubts before, but now I was excited. I’d be spending another afternoon or evening with Mike. We’d be alone. Together, side-by-side, working, eating, laughing and joking. And if Melody’s instincts and the feeling growing in my gut were anything to go by, maybe there was a small chance it could lead to more…