Jump Start

8. Eight

Eight

Thomas

N o seafood , she said. That wouldn’t be a problem, since I didn’t like it either. I decided to get Chinese from the best takeaway place I knew in Harper’s suburb. Sometimes, I wished I didn’t have this monstrous ute. These skinny inner-city streets could not handle my big girl.

The smell of the orange chicken and Mongolian lamb filled my nostrils and started to make my mouth water. I also tried not to think about the grease leaking onto my black leather seats.

As I shut the door to my car, juggling the bag of food, I realised the number of her apartment had slipped my mind. That meant I didn’t know how to get into her building. The front door had a silver number pad and a speaker, so naturally, I called her mobile. “How do I get into this bloody building?” I asked, without a hint of sarcasm.

She laughed on the other end. “Press two-two-three. Level twenty-two.”

I had been thinking about her all day, picturing her face looking up at me, those eyes piercing through my brain. I wanted her, bad. I knew that already, but I had been fighting it, arguing inside my mind that she wasn’t the right one for me.

It’s always been you, Harper , I thought.

Suddenly, I was quickening my pace through the foyer of the building, keen to see that smiling face again. After a short lift ride, I was there, knocking on her door, chomping at the bit to get inside and see her.

There was the smile I’d been waiting for.

***

Harper

There were three harsh raps at the door. I turned the doorknob in anticipation, knowing who was on the other side. I couldn’t help but smile at Thomas, and his face lit up in response. He seemed happy, and I wondered if seeing me made him feel that way. If so, it was a feeling I could get used to.

“Hello, Thomas,” I said cheerfully, opening the door wider as he walked into my apartment.

“Harper,” he said as his smile fell into a smirk. He placed the plastic bag of Chinese takeaway on my kitchen bench and laid his wallet, keys, and phone beside the bag. He then proceeded to check out my apartment.

Next thing I knew, he walked over to me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and pinned me to his side in a half hug, like he’d done on testing day. I noticed he was dressed nicer than usual in navy blue chinos, a white linen shirt, and white Vans.

“Have you just come from somewhere?” I asked, looking his outfit up and down, thoroughly enjoying what I saw.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been at Echidna. We had a team bonding thing today,” he responded, looking me up and down in return, making my face feel hot.

“Oh yeah? Tunnel ball, trust falls, a get in touch with your feelings type thing?” My questions made him laugh as he found a seat on my couch.

“Yes, Echidna are really into trust falls in particular.” Without warning, he reached over, grabbed my hand, and pulled me onto the couch beside him.

“How was the rest of your day?” he asked softly in my ear as I huddled closer to him.

My heart was beating a million miles an hour, and my brain couldn’t concentrate. I knew we’d had a few moments together over the last few days at Echidna, but sitting next to him without anyone else around was jarring and exciting.

“Well, I just had the long drive back, but it was nice to see my family. We’re not all together very often.”

Thomas cleared his throat suddenly, causing a vibration on the side of my face.

“I know what you mean. I don’t really remember when my family and I were last together.” He didn’t expand any further. I tested the waters and nestled my head against the space between his shoulder and neck, which was met with his arm wrapping tighter around my waist.

This felt right. Why hadn’t we been doing this the whole time?

“I’m sorry, everyone should be able to spend time with their loved ones.” I felt his chest breathe in and out more deeply.

“It’s okay, Echidna are my family, really. And my brother. I have everyone I need.”

Hopefully not everyone .

That momentarily snapped me out of my Thomas-filled daydream. I stood up quickly and headed over to busy myself in the kitchen, eventually finding two bowls.

“Chopsticks?” I asked, not waiting for his response and getting two pairs out anyway. He nodded and pulled out the containers. I had to admit, this was exactly the type of food I felt like eating. We sat on the bar stools at my kitchen bench and dove into our food.

“So, are you a GT racing fan yet?” Thomas asked as he took a large bite out of a piece of broccoli.

I chewed my mouthful before replying, “Well, I must admit, it’s very exciting. I think I am!” His face lit up as I spoke, which caused my heart to skip a beat. His warmth towards me felt so welcome after only getting sarcasm and surly behaviour since we met. I much preferred this version of him.

“That’s what I like to hear! Another one for the books, and we’ll slowly convert more. I know all the sexy F1 drivers are really popular right now, but I love the heart and soul of GT. Some of the drivers in the GT sport have regular full-time jobs and they get to race with full-time drivers in the PRO-AM class. I learnt a lot from those guys when I was in that category.”

I always noticed such a light in Thomas when he spoke about his profession. He was genuinely so proud to be in GT racing and I knew it meant a lot to him. He was good at it too.

“Sexy?” I questioned as he raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, you know, all those Italian stallions in Ferrari. They’re sexy, right?” he asked, resting his chopsticks on the corner of his bowl.

I laughed and accidentally snorted. “You’re telling the story. I think you’re pretty sexy actually…and you drive a Ferrari.” I took a gamble. It would be a flirty comment that would either land or create an awkward silence.

“Do you now?” he replied, his eyes focusing on me made me blush.

“I suppose so. When you’re not talking.” I winked back at him. He smiled and reached out, placing his hand on top of mine, which was resting on my thigh.

“Lucky there’s plenty we could do without talking,” he said with a wink, causing us both to laugh out loud.

“Holy shit, that was cringey! Yet somehow, it still worked on me,” I said, laughing as I took another bite of food. I enjoyed this feeling of joking around with Thomas, being light-hearted and friendly. It felt nice and I hoped it would continue.

Feeling confident in our exchange, I decided to ask him something I had been thinking about for a while.

“If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?”

He looked at me apprehensively but nodded. “I’ll give it a go.”

I took a breath. “Why are you calling me? And asking to come over? The article’s done. I sort of thought you would want nothing to do with me after that.” I ended my questioning with another bite of food.

Thomas took a moment to answer, putting down his chopsticks again before speaking. “If it’s not clear to you, then I need to reevaluate my tactics.” He chuckled.

I looked at him quizzically.

“Harper, I like you. I think I always have. I have no idea why I was such a prick to you, and I will never stop being sorry about that. I feel calm when I’m around you. And you challenge me. I can’t get you out of my head. That’s why I’m calling you and bringing you food. I’m here because I’ve missed seeing you every day.” He looked me in the eyes and patiently waited for me to speak, a smile in the corner of his mouth.

I smiled. Not just a little grin, but a face-splitting smile. Hearing him say that confirmed a few things for me. First, I wasn’t imagining the little moments I thought we had shared, and second, my feelings for him were definitely growing. I stood up and walked over to where he was sitting with his hands placed on each thigh.

“I think I like you, too,” I spoke softly as I pulled him off the chair and wrapped my arms around him for the second time in one night.

We stood in silence for a few moments, holding each other, silently getting to know one another like we hadn’t before.

I’m not sure how much time had passed when Thomas pulled away first.

“I better get going.” His voice was low and soft in my ear.

It was better than listening to music or hearing him on the radio.

‘Yeah, okay. Thanks for coming around,” I replied as I watched him start to clean up our small mess.

I placed my hand on his bicep as he started to clean the dishes. “Don’t worry about that.” Smiling, he turned me around to face him, placing a hand on the side of my face and kissed me softly on the cheek.

“Okay, well I’ll see you soon, hopefully,” he said, letting me go and opening the door to leave.

I watched him walk out, the feeling of his hands on me, and his lips on my cheek, lingering long after.

I was in trouble .

After Thomas left, I laughed out loud in my apartment. What a whirlwind the last few weeks had been. I did, however, feel grateful that he was finally being open and honest with me. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I was attracted to him, but initially, it was greatly overshadowed by his attitude and hostility towards me.

I guess in his own Thomas way, he was trying to show me that he was both sorry and that he cared. While we may have had a rough start, even as friends, I was starting to see fragments of his real personality; the dry humour, wit, and a calm nature that I was envious of.

Now that I had learnt more about who he was, I knew he was much more capable of being soft and caring. I was willing to put myself on the line and see if he truly meant it about making things up to me. What did I have to lose?

I decided then and there that the only way I could really make my mind up about Thomas was to let him take me on a proper date. I dialled his number, and he answered in two rings. “Harper.”

“Thomas, I’ve decided that you can take me on a date if you would like. Your choice of place, just make it good.”

He laughed on the other end, and I could tell he was already in his car.

“Sure. Thursday night too soon?” he asked while an indicator clicked on and off in the background.

“I might have to go straight from work, but yes, Thursday is perfect.”

“Great! I’ll think of something and let you know.”

We hung up the phone and I threw it on my bed, feeling an odd sensation of excitement at the thought of spending more time with Thomas. This had been an unexpected turn of events, but I didn’t mind. I hoped that letting him in wouldn’t be a mistake. He hadn’t exactly filled me with confidence. He was often unapproachable, cold and distant, which didn’t scream dating material to me. I had seen flickers of the real Thomas, though, and I looked forward to seeing more of him. Preferably the softly spoken, gentle guy that was just in my apartment.