CHAPTER FOUR
As days went by, Cat found herself more drawn to Luc. They actually had gotten closer since that night on the rooftop. More than that, she didn't have to pretend to run into him somewhere. She saw a lot of him at the park where she likes to go on her free time to take pictures. The same park where she first met her mystery man. She, along with her friend Siobahn, had also decided to get that part time job at the local art supplies shop where Luc bought most of his materials from, so she saw a lot of him in there too.
Siobahn was right. Luc had a great sense of humour once you get to know him. Most of the time they spend together, he makes her laugh the whole time. She had gotten more comfortable around him. She had mostly stopped the stammering, but the occasional blushing was still there. She wasn't sure if he had noticed that she had been attracted to him for quite some time now. She wouldn't mind if he'd noticed though. But for now, she's quite content on being Luc's friend.
Siobahn warned her a few times. "Careful now, Cat! You don't want to get stuck on the 'just friends' zone! Or worse, you might get too comfortable with each other, he just might start treating you like a little sister!" said her Irish friend.
Cat didn't pay much attention to it. It was more important to her to get Luc to trust her. He was a very secretive man. He would go out sometimes and disappear for days, only to come back as if nothing happened. Or they would be in the middle of a conversation and he would get a phone call that required his immediate attention. When she asked him once what his job was, he told her that he was just a slacker. Of course, she didn't believe him. A man as talented as Luc was too good to be a slacker. She just wished that she could get him to open up to her. Luc just talks and talks, but never really tells her anything.
One day, Cat went to the park during one of her free periods. She needed to see Luc there, she wanted to ask him something. She knew he'd be there. This, after all, had become 'their' park. Their special place. Well, at least, for her it was. She did see Luc there that day. He was his usual handsome self, wearing that same leather jacket he wore the day he rescued her. Only, he wasn't there alone. He was with another woman.
Cat looked closely to at the woman. She was a tall brunette, older than Luc, and was wearing a head-turning, very sexy, red mini dress. She didn't recognize her though. Cat may not know who the woman was, but she hated her already. The woman couldn't keep her hands off Luc. She looks like a slag! she thought. That wasn't true though. The woman looked strikingly beautiful, something that made Cat even more jealous.
It didn't ease her resentment when she saw the woman kiss Luc. Not just a simple peck on the cheek, but a deep, open-mouthed kiss that seemed to last an eternity. How dare that cougar kiss MY Luc, in OUR park of all places! her brain screamed in anger. And worse, Luc didn't seem to mind. She wanted to run towards where they were and pull the woman by the hair away from him and claw her eyes out. After the kiss was over, she saw the woman give Luc a small, brown envelope, which he then put inside his breast pocket. Luc kissed the woman's hand as she walked away.
Cat was confused as to what had just happened. She decided to maintain her composure. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions, and walked over to where Luc was standing. He was looking the other way, still following that woman with his eyes.
"I know your secret, Luc Moreau!" she whispered as she sneaked up from behind him.
Luc turned around and was surprised to see her. "And which secret would that be?" he asked, one of his eyebrows arched.
"What you really do for a living. You're always so secretive about what your job is! I knew all that talk about being a slacker was sheer crap! I know what you really are!" she said, toying with him.
"And that is?" he asked, a bit nervous.
"You, Luc Moreau, are a gigolo!" she replied, trying hard to keep a straight face.
Luc started laughing quite loudly. It was quite a sight. He was even more gorgeous when he laughed. Those little crinkles on the side of his intense eyes, those beautiful pearly white teeth, and those dimples. Whatever anger she felt earlier, it was gone now. She saw Luc smiling at her, and she forgave him.
"I prefer male escort, if you don't mind!" he told her once his fit of laughter had subsided.
It was her turn to laugh. She decided to play along. "So, you only take cougars as clients, or are kittens welcome too?" she asked as she feigned a seductive smile.
"Kittens, cougars, all are welcome! I don't discriminate!" he answered with a playful smile. "So, what brings you here?" he asked her.
"Actually, I was looking for you. I need a favour." she said.
"Name it!" he replied.
"I was invited to this exhibit opening. Apparently, the Chancellor of the University fancies himself as an artist and is showcasing his work at the Galerie Chantal Crousel. I was one of the select few students to get an invite. Now, I don't know if you'd noticed, but I'm not exactly sociable. I kind of want to go, but I don't wanna go alone. Can you be my plus one? Please!" she asked, her palms pressed together.
"Oh, geez! You see, Cat, social gatherings with educators from an institute of higher learning isn't exactly my cup of tea. No matter how much art you throw into the mix. I just feel awkward around those kind of people." he declined as respectfully as he could.
"Come on , Luc! Maybe we could be awkward together!" she beseeched, as she smiled at him sheepishly. She saw that he was reluctant, but she didn't want to give up now.
"Hmmm...I don't have to wear a neck tie, do I?" he asked. "Because I'm not big fan of neck ties! It's daft that a man wakes up in the morning, thinking he'll be ruling the world one day, but he needs to start his day by tying a little noose around his neck!" he said emphatically.
"You know what? I haven' t known you for that long, but I think there might be something wrong with you!" she said jokingly, laughing at what Luc said.
"That's what all my shrinks told me!" Luc said. Cat wasn't entirely sure if he was kidding.
"Shrinks? You have shrinks? Plural?" she asked him.
"Well, not anymore! Conflict of interest." he answered.
"Why? What happened?" she asked curiously.
"I kept sleeping with them!" he said with a smile.
"What? It didn't occur to you to just hire a male shrink?" she asked, chuckling.
"Where would be the fun in that?" he asked rhetorically.
Cat laughed. "Anyway, back to the party. You don't have to wear a tie! There! Now will you go with me?" she asked him again.
"Depends. When is this party?" he asked.
"It's this Friday night." she replied, hoping he'll say yes.
"Oohhh! Sorry, I can't! I may be busy that night!" he said, with uncertainty in his voice.
"Maybe busy? Come on, Luc! What, you have a date with your cougar?" she asked, starting to sound a bit hurt.
"I'm not promising anything, alright? If I can make it, I will meet you there!" he told her, a bit hesitant. He saw that his answer made her happy. "There is one thing I need to ask you, though." he said, his face serious.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Will there, in any way, shape, or form, be any sex involved?" he asked, trying hard not to laugh.
"What?" she asked, her face red and eyes wide in shock.
"I just need to know. Cause if there is, then you may need to have this conversation with my pimp. And don't think that you'll be getting a discount just because we're friends!" he continued, amused at the facial expressions he was causing Cat to make.
"Why, you little..." she exclaimed as she playfully swatted him with her purse.
Friday night came and Cat still hasn't heard from Luc. She wasn't too worried for she believed that Luc will do nothing to let her down. She got ready for the party. She wanted to look more sophisticated for her age. She fixed her hair in an up do, sprayed on some perfume, and wore a bit more make up than she usually did. She put on her favourite little black dress and sky high heels that made her look a lot taller.
Once she was done, she looked at the time. Still no Luc. She remembered Luc saying that he might be meeting her at the venue. That must be it then! she thought, still hoping that she'll see him that night. So, she grabbed her purse and went out the door. She slipped the invitation under Luc's door, just in case he forgot when and where the party was being held. She went outside, hailed a taxi and went to the gallery.
At the party, she waited and waited for Luc, making excuses for him inside her head. Excuses such as maybe there's a lot of traffic, or maybe he went to the wrong gallery, or maybe he was lying dead on a ditch somewhere, any excuse to justify why he hasn't shown up yet. As the party drew to a close, she finally accepted the cold, hard truth. Luc stood her up. Disappointed, she headed back to her apartment.
Back at their building, she ran into Luc in the hallway. He looked like he just got back from outside as well. He smiled when he saw her. She ignored him and just started to open her door.
"Hello, stranger! Whoa! A little too heavy on the icing there, Kiisu!" he blurted, remarking about her make-up. His hand was touching her face, his thumb rubbing against her cheek.
She slapped his hand away, turned around and went inside her apartment without uttering a word to him. Once she was inside, she screamed in frustration. She was angry at him and she really didn't know how to process anger. She went to her room jumped in her bed and let her pillow absorb her angry tears.
Meanwhile, back outside, Luc was left standing, still baffled at the reaction he got from Cat. He noticed her anger, angry at him, quite obviously, but he didn't know why. He went inside his own apartment and noticed an envelope. He picked it up and opened it, and noticed who it was from.
"Damn it!" he cursed as he realized why Cat was angry. He had forgotten about the party.
The next day, Luc spent mostly following Cat around, trying to apologize. She continued to ignore him and refused to say a single word to him. He followed her at the post box, at the shop, at the cafe, then at the park. They arrived at that spot in the park where they first met, where he once again tried his best to get her to speak to him, trying to explain, but was again answered with silence.
"Okay, you know what? The whole silent treatment was cute for like ten minutes, and maybe the first 5 miles you've had me chasing after you. Now it just getting old!" he said, now getting angry.
Cat kept ignoring him and started walking away. He ran after her and went past her so they were now standing face to face. She stopped walking. She looked at him but still didn't speak.
"Look, you're most endearing quality is that you're a great listener, so I know you're not really deaf. And I know for a fact that you can talk, so don't keep pretending that you're a mute. Stop ignoring me, or I swear to God, I'm going to pry your mouth open with my tongue!" he said quite loudly, attracting a few people's attention.
"What? You really are insane!" she replied in shock.
"Got you to talk!" he said. He gently grabbed her arm when he saw her starting to walk away again. "Why are you so mad at me?" he asked her.
"Cows get mad, Luc! People get angry!" she said without answering his question.
"Okay, why are you so angry at me?" he rephrased his question.
"I waited and waited and waited for you last night. I just stood there the entire time, looking stupid!" she snarled at him.
"You're angry because you looked stupid in front of people you don't even know?" he shouted back.
"It's not about that!" she answered, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "I was really looking forward to last night, and you let me down!" she said, hurt.
"I told you that I may be busy! You weren't taking no for an answer!" he tried to explain.
"Oh, so this is my fault?" she asked, disbelievingly, as she started to walk away again.
He pulled her back gently, his hands holding on to her shoulders. "I didn't mean it like that!" he said.
Cat waited for him to continue. She waited for him to explain. She wanted to hear him ask for forgiveness. She watched him closely after he let go of her and brought both his hands to his head, his wrists touching his eyes, as he growled in frustration.
He looked at her once more. Finally, he talked. "Look, Cat! I'm sorry, I didn't show up last night! There, I apologized, are you happy now? I had other things on my mind and I forgot. I screwed up, okay! Not everyone is as perfect as you!" he said in a hushed but hard tone. "You said, you were disappointed in me? Well you better get used to that feeling! Because if you're going to continue being my friend, you'll find out that I am just one disappointment after another! You are just one in a long list of people that I have let down! Because, that's who I am! That's what I do! I fail the people in my life!" he told her, as he brushed past her and walked away.
Cat felt guilty after hearing Luc's revelation. Everything sounded so trivial now, leaving her feeling so immature. Yes, she was hurt when Luc stood her up, but she had a feeling his pain, at the moment, was much deeper. She turned around to stop Luc from leaving, and to apologise, but it was too late. He was gone. He had disappeared yet again.
~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~
Footnotes :
*Cat seemed immature and childish because this is the first time she was going through all this. All she ever did in life before Paris was study, this was the first time she fell for someone.
*You'll see more of the mystery woman in future chapters.
*Kiisu - "kitten" in Estonian