Making Love

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I week later, I was feeling a little down since I thought that I might have heard something from Tom. I mean, granted, he didn’t ask for my number but then again, he was rushed. Still, he could have asked Katie for it and the fact that he didn’t… Yeah, that felt like a slap in the face.

Not a knock down punch, no way was I going to fall to pieces over a man I had only spent a little over an hour with, but I’d be lying if I said that the rejection didn’t sting a little.

Still, there was no doubt that my admiring-a-movie-star-from-a-distance crush had kicked up a gear, into… well that’s just it, I didn’t know what to call how I felt. Lust was a factor but no the overwhelming emotion. And I simply refused to believe it was love. I was not the fickle kind of person would could fall in love after an hour, even with a handsome, charismatic man such as Tom.

I wasn’t that fickle, was I?

No. Nope. No way was I in love with that… adorable man.

I groaned as I finally admitted that I was indeed in love. Maybe not life altering love. Not star-crossed lovers, soulmates, romantic or passionate love, but something real. At least, it was real for me.

Had he felt anything?

Ten days after the experiment, Katie called me.

“Don’t worry,” I assured her as I answered the phone, sounding exceptionally chipper, despite actually feeling slightly subdued at the moment. “I’ve been filling in the questionnaire faithfully,” I said, hoping to pre-empt any talk of Tom.

“Great, but I didn’t call about that.”

“Oh?” No, I hadn’t really thought that she could be so easily fooled, but I had tried.

“No, fool. I want to know how things are going with Tom?”

“Um, well, they aren’t.” I tried not to sound hurt about that.

“Aren’t what?”

“Going. Anywhere.”

“I thought you were meeting up later?”

Me too. “He didn’t take my number, and I didn’t think to get his.” Had he called Katie to get it, maybe? If so, why hadn’t I heard from him?

“Oh.” Katie sounded as surprised as I was, maybe more so, which helped my ego a little because it meant that if Katie was surprised, then I hadn’t manufactured feelings on his side. He could have been pretending, he was an actor after all, but that just didn’t seem to fit with the character of the man I knew.

The man I knew for all of an hour. What did I know about his character?

“How’s the study going?” I asked.

“What? Oh, fine…” She sounded distracted. “Look, do you want his number?”

“Isn’t that interfering with your study? You’re supposed to remain impartial.”

“As a PhD candidate, I am impartial. As your friends, I’m confused. I was sure he liked you.”

“How well do you know him?”

“Um, fairly, I guess. I met him while getting my undergraduate degree. Mum insisted that I enrol in some clubs as well as studying and I decided on drama. Tom was in his final year when I was in my first and we weren’t buddy-buddy, but we did a few plays together and we’ve stayed in touch, on and off. I was sure he liked you.”

“Well if he did, wouldn’t he have called you for my phone number?”

“I guess.” She sounded unsure, which wasn’t like Katie.