Gravitate by Jo Duchemin Read Free Book Online Page A

wall?” He pointed to the wall that edged our front garden.
    “That’s the one – watch out for it, it’s evil and will tr y to jump out and hit your car! My mum hit it once, too.” I giggled at the memory of my dad jumping up and down as my mum had told him the car was only metal and it could be repaired.
    “Evil wall. Got it. And what exactly don’t you like about turning right?” Ben started the engine and reversed, very carefully, out of the driveway.
    “Righ t is so much harder than left. You have two l ots of traffic to look out for. With a left turn, you only have to watch out for one lot of traffic.”
    “So, if you pass your test, you’re only going to go places if you can turn left all the way there and not have to do any right turns?” He smiled as he signalled right onto the main road.
    “Sounds perfect.”
    “Or you could get a willing slave to drive you around?”
    “I could do.”
    “I’d do that for you.” He glanced over at me. I could feel a heat burning on my cheeks that was nothing to do with passion, or attraction, and everyt hing to do with embarrassment. It was time to be honest.
    “I wouldn’t want you to. I mean, I don’t like to take advantage of friends.” I hoped he’d get the message from that.
    “I don’t think you’d be taking advantage.” Clearly, the message was not received.
    “Did you have any lectures today?” I tried changing the subject.
    “Oh, yeah, I did, it was quite funny actually; we were doing an exploration of the roles of women in the American sitcoms of the 1950s, looking at Lucille Ball…” Ben happily rattled off the amusing facts he’d absorbed in his lecture for several minutes, requiring as little input as possible from me. By the time he’d moved on to talking about the subservient role of Jeannie in ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ we were at the cinema. “Of course, what Des, our lecturer, failed to take into account was that Jeannie isn’t a typical woman of the 1960s being forced into working for Captain Nelson, because she is, in actual fact, a genie, and the refore she isn’t really human. She isn’t a woman trapped by the social expectations of her generation, she’s trapped by the rules of being a genie. I’m boring you, are n’t I? ”
    “No, not at all, your cou rse sounds really interesting. If being trapped by social expectations is your thing, then you’ll love Pride and Prejudice.”
    “Great, I already bought our tickets this afternoon, so we’ll have more time to talk before the film.” He smiled, and I was sure he was about to try to hold my hand, so I quickly shoved it into my pocket. “Can I buy you a red wine, my fair lady?”
    “I should pay for the drinks, seeing as you bought the tickets.”
    “Don’t be silly, a gentleman always pays.”
    “Well, at least let me buy the popcorn in the cinema.” In my head I was screaming at myself to just tell him I didn’t see this as a date, but the longer I left it, the harder it got. In the bar, I had a few moments of peace as he went to get the drinks . I had only one person on my mind. I’d had Marty’s mobile phone number from when he moved in, but I’d never had to use it before. I quickly pulled out my mobile phone and began texting:
    How’s the studying going?
    I willed him to respond before Ben came back. Seeing something from him migh t give me the courage I needed. Luckily for me, there was a big queue at the bar.
    Thrilling. How’s your date going?
    My heart gave an excited leap, just to see words on a screen typed by him. I looked up, and saw Ben had just started ordering. I typed my reply feverishly.
    It’s not a date. I don’t like him like that. I’m just about to tell him.
    That was all I could manage to type out before Ben headed back to the table with our drinks.
    “A Merlot for the fair lady. ” He placed the glass down in front of me, and I inwardly cringed twice; once for the ‘fair lady’ comment and again for the awkwardness of the