My Ten-Year Crush by Olivia Spring

Chapter Five

Sometimes I wished I could be bad. That even if I’d agreed to do something, I could cancel without feeling guilty. It just wasn’t me, though.

That was why I had to go tonight. Now that I’d told Mike I was coming, I couldn’t back out. I’d made my bed, so I just had to lie in it.

Plus, Melody had followed up Mike’s surprise call with a text, threatening to bring Mike to my flat if I didn’t turn up. So as much as I didn’t want to go, I’d rather see him in a crowded room where I could just say hello, then slip away a couple of minutes later if it became too awkward, than be left alone together in my flat.

No way.

I jumped off the sofa and went into the bathroom.

After showering, I ran some product through my curls to give them some definition, swiped on some eyeliner, mascara and clear lip gloss, then went into the bedroom and opened my underwear drawer. For a fleeting second, I considered whether I should put on my frilly bra and knickers, just in case. Then I came to my senses and reminded myself to get real. Comfortable black cotton underwear would be just fine.

Time to get dressed. I opened my wardrobe and started rifling through the hangers. I had no idea what to wear. When I’d planned my outfits for the week last Sunday, obviously I hadn’t included anything for tonight because I wasn’t supposed to be going. Dammit. I hated doing things off the cuff.

I couldn’t think about it for too long, though, if I was going to get there in time. I decided on a long pink cardigan and my favourite yellow skirt, which came just below my knees. It was bright and colourful and made me feel more confident.

Now for the shoes. I pulled out some brown leather sandals. Nice and practical. Hmm. Maybe practical wasn’t the best idea for a reunion. I was going to see a lot of people for the first time in a decade, so maybe I should put in a bit more effort. Make an impression.

I pulled out a box from the bottom of the wardrobe.

So pretty.

It was a pair of pink-and-yellow heels that Sophia had given me as a gift. She’d said she’d bought them for herself and they didn’t fit, but I knew that wasn’t true because they were in my size. I rarely wore heels, but what the hell. If I didn’t wear them tonight, when would I?

I slid my feet into the soft leather shoes, fastened the straps around my ankles, then looked myself up and down in the mirror. A cardigan and skirt with heels might not be most people’s idea of glamour, but I felt pretty good. At least it was an improvement on how I’d looked at uni.

Just as I was checking the train times, Sophia’s name flashed on my phone.

‘Hey,’ I answered.

‘So, are you ready yet?’

‘Ready for what exactly?’ I said suspiciously. Somehow it sounded like she already knew I was on my way out.

‘The reunion, of course!’

‘How did you know I was going?’

‘Come on. You’re one of the smartest women I know. So sooner or later you had to realise that grabbing the opportunity to see Mike after all these years was a much better use of your time than sitting on the sofa eating pizza.’ How did she know I was eating pizza? I considered telling her she was wrong about Mike, but then thought better of it. ‘And if you hadn’t, then I’d just come and drag you there myself.’

‘Yeah, right! You may think you know me, but I know you too, and I’m guessing that right now, you’re in the office, working at your desk, where you’ll be until at least midnight.’

‘Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I couldn’t have taken a break to take you there… and anyway, I’m almost finished. I’ve got a big pitch on Monday morning. If we get this account, it could really propel us into the super league of beauty PR.’

I believed her. Sophia was on fire. If I’d achieved as much as she had, there was no way I’d be nervous about going to a reunion. She ran her own business and was in a serious relationship with a decent guy. Sophia was such an inspiration. The rate her agency was growing, she could literally take over the world. I loved that she was doing so well. At the same time, though, sometimes I worried that she worked too hard. She’d been the same ever since we’d first met at college when we were sixteen.

‘That’s brilliant, Soph. I know you’ll smash it. You always do.’

‘Thanks, hon.’

‘Was that your exciting news?’

‘Um, no… I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. Anyway, why haven’t you left yet?’

‘I’m about to. I was just checking the train times when you called.’

‘Train? There’s a time and a place for public transport and now isn’t one of them. This is your Cinderella moment. Do you think Cinders would have got the bus and tube to go to the ball and meet her Prince Charming?’

‘Firstly, I’m not going to the reunion to meet my Prince Charming. He doesn’t exist.’ I rolled my eyes. ‘And secondly, I’m not a high-flying PR star like you. A cab to the city will cost a small fortune.’

I’d thought about driving—that way I could give Melody a lift to wherever she was staying if she got legless, which she often did on a night out—but I’d already had a couple of glasses of wine myself and I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to find parking near the venue. Getting public transport was definitely the best option.

‘Don’t worry about the money. I’ll pay. You need to arrive calm and composed, not be fretting about train times and cancellations. What’s the point of me working all these long hours if I can’t treat my best friend to a bloody taxi?’

‘But—’

‘No buts! I’m calling them now. I’ve already got the address from Melody. I’m booking it now. Have fun!’

Sophia hung up. Melody? I knew those two would be scheming. I wanted to be annoyed but couldn’t. They were good friends who were only doing what they thought was best for me. If they knew how hurt I was and the full extent of my feelings at the time, they probably wouldn’t be so eager for me to see Mike again.

It’d be fine. I wasn’t going to waste time fretting.

Minutes later, I received a text to say the cab was outside.

I was really going…

I opened the taxi door. As I slid onto the back seat, my mind wandered to the first time Mike and I had met. It was at a freshers’ event during the first week of uni. He’d accidentally stepped on my foot when we were queuing at the busy student union bar and turned around to apologise.

The attraction was instant. Well, from my side anyway. I didn’t think I had ever seen such a perfect specimen. Ever. Not in real life anyway. The man that was stood in front of me looked like he’d belonged in an edition of Cosmopolitan’s Sexiest Men or stepped out of a Hollywood romcom.

Six foot four, broad shoulders, muscular arms and chest, dark hair, chiselled jaw and a smile that made your stomach do backflips. He was everything.

I often struggled to find men that were taller than I was. But Mike was the perfect height. Like he was made just for me. And after we’d spoken for a while, I realised that he didn’t just come in pretty packaging. He was funny and smart too. Not only that, he was also studying English. What were the chances? How had I not seen him in my class? Yep. Mike was perfection personified. There was just one problem: we were both in relationships.

My boyfriend, Lance, had gone to study in Newcastle, so we’d decided to try the long-distance thing. In hindsight, I should’ve just called it quits before we’d started uni. I’d fallen out of love with him long before that, but we’d been together for almost two years and I knew ending it would break his heart. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, and cheating was definitely not an option.

In any case, as far as I was concerned, the chances of hooking up with Mike were about as likely as me winning a trillion pounds. In short, zero. I was a geek with frizzy hair, thick-rimmed glasses and a dress sense that was more shabby than chic. Plus Mike was dating Rebecca, aka the most beautiful girl in uni. I had no chance. So I accepted my fate. I pushed my feelings back where they belonged, deep below the surface, and we became best friends.

It wasn’t easy keeping those desires locked away. Especially when I eventually broke up with Lance, and Mike also became single. Ever since we’d first met, I’d told myself that guys like him didn’t go for women like me. If only I’d remembered that on that fateful night of our graduation three years later, when I’d tried to break from the friend zone, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache…

Anyway, that was then, this was now. It would be okay. It’d take at least another half an hour to get to the venue, by which point the reunion would be almost over.

I’d say my hellos to everyone, Melody would be happy I’d come, and once I’d engaged in some small talk with Mike and we’d said our goodbyes, I could finally show her and Sophia that he wasn’t some magical version of my Mr Right. They’d realise I was over him.

‘We’re here!’ the taxi driver indicated, then pulled up on the kerb.

‘Already?’

‘I took a shortcut. The lady who booked the cab said it was urgent and getting here quickly was a matter of life or death.’

Typical Sophia. She could be so dramatic sometimes.

My heart thudded as the reality hit me. I was about to come face to face with Mike for the first time in a decade.

I had no idea what I’d say. How I’d act towards him. How he’d act towards me. Whether it would be awkward or if it’d be like no time had passed.

Now that I’d finally arrived, there was only one way to find out.