Chapter 12:
Rachel shook her head with amusement. "I'll be going now. See you tomorrow."
"I might as well go too." Jasmine said. She looked at Rob, smiling gently, as Rachel left. "Do you want a ride home?"
Rob looked startled. "Erm…no, I'll stay for a bit."
"Ok, I'll stay with you." she sat down again. Rob caught Matt watching them both in the mirror over the bar, and cringed silently.
"No, it's ok…"
"I insist."
He cursed silently. He wanted to talk to Matt, not to her. He didn't want her there.
"No, look, I'm…I'm meeting someone."
She blinked, and he felt a great rush of regret at the lie he had just told when he saw the pain in her eyes.
"Oh. Ok then." She left without a backwards glance, but Rob didn't breath with relief until the door had closed with a soft thud behind her. There was silence for a bit, and Rob listened to the engine start up, and gradually get fainter.
"You know, you should just tell her."
He turned to face Matt, who was now watching him, piercing him with his brilliantly blue eyes. He cleared his throat. "Tell her what?"
Matt sighed, before reaching out and taking the two drinks the bartender had just brought him. He stood up from his stool, and walked towards where Rob was sitting. Rob felt his hear hammer loudly as Matt sat down and pushed one of the pints towards him. He played back in his head the conversation he had heard from Aleesha and Danielle earlier that day. Was what they had said true? He wasn't sure.
"You should just tell her that you don't feel for her."
Rob looked down as his drink. "Is it that obvious." His heart was hammering in his chest, as he replayed the conversation that had been stuck in his head all day.
"God, isn't he gorgeous!" Aleesha sighed as she stood at the far end of the netball court. Rob stood near to them, trying to ignore their words and concentrate on his teaching. And failing.
"Totally. I'd do him." Danielle agreed.
"Yeah, either him or Mr Wilding." Aleesha said. Rob turned slightly and saw Matt walking across the field in the distance, with Janeece, Chlo and Maxine.
Danielle turned to her, tutting. "Wilding's gay, if you hadn't forgotten."
Aleesha grinned at her, Rob saw out of the corner of his eye, as he managed to stop himself turning to face them. "I know, but if he wasn't…" she trailed off, and there was silence, before they both burst into a fit of giggles.
Rob turned back to the rest of his class, his heart thumping madly, and oddly seeming to be in his throat. Was it true?
"Rob? Rob? Earth to Rob, come in Rob?"
Rob shook his head violently, coming back to the present. Matt was looking at him curiously. "You alright, mate? You kinda spaced off there."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Er…what were you saying?"
"That you should tell her."
Rob looked down at the table, taking a gulp from his pint. "Oh yeah."
"It's not fair on her, if you keep leading her on."
Rob looked up at him quickly. "I'm not leading her on!"
"Not intentionally, maybe, but you are."
There was silence, as Rob mulled over the blonde haired mans words. "But…but then I'd have to tell her why."
"Why what?"
"Why I don't like her. You know Jasmine, she will want to know why!"
"Well, why don't you?"
"I…um…I like someone else."
Matt sighed. "Just tell her that, then. It won't hurt her anymore than what you're doing at the moment."
There was more silence. Matt was watching him, Rob could feel his gaze. It was true, what Matt had said. He was hurting Jasmine. Unintentionally, maybe, but he was. It was fair on her. He had to stop this now. All of this.
He didn't know what made him do it. Maybe it was the alcohol rushing around in his bloodstream making him uncontrollable of his actions. Or maybe it was the sight of him, sat there, so close. He shouldn't of done it. He had spent so long building himself up, hiding himself that he should have thought about it. He didn't think though. He didn't know that because of his small action, in twelve hours he would be sat in a hospital room. How was he to know? After he wished he hadn't done it. He wished it with all his heart.
But he didn't think. He didn't think at all. He just did it. He leant across the table, and gently kissed Matt on the lips.