Rickola

Rickola | Chapter Fourteen

Rickola | Chapter Fourteen

© Katelyn Moore

The nervous drumming sound my fingers made on my desk was all I could hear as my mind spun a million miles an hour, trying to comprehend what happened yesterday, and what could potentially happen today.

 Our cinema date started out perfectly, and it got better as our mutual comfort grew, but it ended on a seriously bad note. That’s what I thought, at least. He bailed on me. Sure, he had some important stuff to do, he wouldn’t have left me there otherwise, but every time I relived the moment we stared at each other from across the room, or the devastating moment he walked out that door, doubts about what we could establish flooded my mind.

How could I be sure he didn’t leave because he was overwhelmed, or because he didn’t want what we had, whatever it was? My insecurities were soaring and I couldn’t slow them down, not even by remembering the moments of passion we’d shared. All the kisses now seemed to be the only thing that tethered me to him. Other than those small moments of confirmation, I had no clue what he was feeling towards me. I could only hope he was just as confused as I was and that we could sort it out.

Whether he wanted me or not, it was best to find out now. It would clear up all the confusion and save me a lot of future hurt. I needed to know, and because of that, I was able to stop drumming my fingers and prepare myself to visit Rick Avery’s hotel suite.

That was another thing placing doubts in my mind. He wanted me to go to his hotel room. In the movies, men asked women to their hotels for one reason only, and those women knew what they were getting themselves into, but Rick wasn’t like that. He couldn’t be. I mean, he wore a celibacy ring for Pete’s sake. He had certain values and… and… I was just being stupid. Really stupid.

Pull it together.

I just had to strap on a pair and get over myself; I would not weasel out because of some stupid cliché that Rick would never embrace in the first place.

Rick’s hotel room, here I come.

Okay, putting it like that did not help my confidence. It was daunting.

Grow up!

Monday mornings were never quiet in my house, but today, there wasn’t a sound to be heard. It’s why I loved the holidays so much. Mum was at work by eight, and Bianca was still asleep—thank God—so as long as I was quiet and didn’t wake the Drama Queen, I had the apartment to myself.

The first thing I did when I ventured quietly out of my room was scour the kitchen for some Vegemite. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure Rick was serious about this Aussie lesson thing, but I would be prepared, just in case. There was one jar in the cupboard, but it was almost empty. Rick was going to taste vegemite today, whether he was serious about it or not. You couldn’t visit Australia and not try the most iconic spread available.

Deciding I would stop at the store on my way to Rick’s for a new jar, I went back to my room to choose an outfit. This kind of thing was something Bianca would do, not me, or so I use to think. Now I was eager to pick the right clothes, especially today. What would the desk clerk at the hotel make of a girl dressed in short, tight clothes? Nothing good, that’s for sure. Therefore, mini-shorts were definitely out of the question. I also didn’t want to be overdressed; I’d look like I was trying too hard to detract attention from myself and what I may potentially be doing in some guy’s suite.

Sweet and innocent was the way to go. But not too sweet, and not too innocent either.

How was this so difficult?