Cathy Hopkins - [Mates, Dates 05] by Dates Mates, Sole Survivors (Html) Page A

couldn’t get
better, I thought, after I’d put down the phone. I felt like I was floating on
air. I was home. I had a date with Daniel. And there were weeks of the holidays
left.
     
     
     
     
C h a p t e r   1 2
    Truly,
Madly, Deeply
     
    Contents - Prev / Next
     
    The following Friday, I
met Izzie and Nesta in Ruby in the Dust.
    ‘At last,’ said Izzie
when I walked into the cafe. ‘We were going to put out a missing person’s
alert.’
    I grinned back at her.
‘Not missing, just been out a lot.’ I felt chuffed to be the one who’d been too
busy to catch up, for a change.
    ‘So, how’s it going
with dreamboy?’ she asked as we took our favourite sofas in the window.
    ‘Fantastic,’ I said. ‘I’m in
lurve
… Truly, madly, deeply.’
    ‘What is this thing
called love?’ said Izzie.
    ‘What? Is this thing
called
love
? I replied, joining in one of our games - seeing how many
different ways you can say the same sentence.
    ‘What is this thing
called, luv?’ said Nesta.
    ‘What is this
thing
called love?’ I said.
    ‘But it’s great,’ said
Nesta, spooning the froth from her hot chocolate into her mouth. ‘You deserve a
decent boyfriend after my horrible brother.’
    I’d had an amazing
week with Daniel. We’d seen each other every day and decided to be like
tourists in London. We went to the IMAX cinema in Waterloo, up on the London
Eye, to the Victoria and Albert museum in Kensington to look at the costumes,
to a photography exhibition at the Portrait Gallery and we spent ages cruising
all the boutiques in Bond Street and Knightsbridge. He knew so much about
fashion and its history, and I felt I was learning loads from him as well as
having a good time. The best thing, though, was that I felt safe with Daniel.
Secure. He phoned when he said he would, he was never late and he didn’t play
games about where I stood with him.
    ‘He’s as different to
Tony as anyone ever could be,’ I said. ‘He’s
so
romantic. And when I’m
not with him, he sends me lovely text messages. Every day, sometimes five a
day. Then on Wednesday when we were in Covent Garden, he bought me a rose and a
little fluffy teddy bear. He said it reminded him of me.’
    ‘Aw, sweet,’ said
Izzie. ‘I wish Ben would do stuff like that. Knowing him, he’d probably say
that kind of thing is all a commercial rip-off and the only people that benefit
are the companies that make them for nothing.’
    ‘That’s what Steve
says about Valentine’s Day,’ I said. ‘But I think it’s mainly because he never
gets anything. I bet he’ll feel differently next year if TJ sends him
something.’
    Nesta looked sad.
‘Simon used to be all romantic with me when we first met, but lately, I don’t
know, it’s like he’s cooling off or something.’
    ‘No, he adores you,’
said Izzie.
    Nesta shook her head.
‘Nah, I know the signs. Like I phoned him yesterday and he hasn’t called back yet.
In the beginning, he always called me straight back.’
    ‘I don’t need to call
Daniel,’ I said. ‘He always calls exactly when he says he will and sometimes
even before. It’s so fantastic not having to worry or wonder. You know, does he
like me? Does he feel the same? I know he does.’
    I was about to launch
into telling them about what a great kisser he was, but Nesta looked downcast
and I thought that maybe I was being a bit insensitive.
    ‘You’re probably
imagining it,’ I said. ‘No one in their right mind would go off you.’
    ‘Well, I only saw him
once last week,’ said Nesta, then pouted. ‘It’s been awful and every time I
called to talk to you, you were out with Daniel. And even
you
didn’t
return my calls.’
    ‘Don’t be rotten,
Nesta,’ said Izzie. ‘I bet that Lucy felt like that enough times when we were
off with Ben and Simon, didn’t you, Luce?’
    ‘All in the past,’ I
said. All those times when I felt I was billy loner were ancient history. I was
so happy now. I felt bowled over by Daniel’s