Clarie, Cathie and Nannie: Chapter Seven
Catherine smiled as she entered her dorm. She thanked the kid who brought her the luggages and closed the door.
She placed them beside the bed and collapsed.
Finally…. she thought as she stretched her arms out, taking note of the nice scent.
She closed eyes and opened them again. She pinched her arm and winced, Yes I am here….
She sat up and looked around the room, noticing that there are two more beds.
Do I have roommates? she asked herself as she stiffened when the bathroom door opened, Oh help….
She slowly turned and saw a very muscular man naked above the waist with a towel hanging around his waist. He have honey brown eyes, dark brown hair and incredibly thick, but pleasing to the eyes, eyebrows.
Seeing his state of nudity, Catherine immediately turned away as she said, "I- I'm sorry I must have entered the wrong room."
She heard the door open and close as seconds passed by and she heard laughter.
Feeling a bit silly and offended, she turned around to see a different man, who had clothes this time. He's taller than the other one, definitely muscular judging those rolled sleeves, and he's blonde. He laughed as he patted the seemed to be frozen man that didn't move a bit.
"Oh Wilkes… you never cease to amaze me. I knew it. You got yourself a girlfriend, I mean- look at her. She's on your bed. Holy shit- did I interrupt something?"
By this time, Catherine felt insulted as she said, "As a matter of fact, yes you did interrupted a very awkward moment, and I have to thank you for that. You see- I uh- I'm a new student here and I just got in. No one informed me that I have roommates nor they're boys and I am certainly not his girlfriend…" she stood up and straightened the bed as she looked at the other two, "Now which one of these two is not the occupied one?"
Both men looked at her shocked as she waited for them to answer.
The one wrapped around on a towel cleared his throat as he quickly grabbed some fabric to hide his body as he sheepishly said, "The one by the window."
Catherine smiled as she thanked him as she picked up her things and placed them on the bed.
"Oh well- I apologize for my rudeness, Ms…?" the other one said as he quickly helped his friend dressed.
"Catherine… Catherine Browns." she said as she looked at both of them.
"Gary Howard," said the dressed man as he patted the blushing one, "And this is Wilkes Wilkes."
"You've got to be kidding me…" she looked at the other man and saw that it's really his name, How rare….
Gary smiled as he sat on his bed, "I've got the same reaction when we were introduced. Anyways Catherine.. uh what will you be after college? Educator? Actress? Model? Fashionista?"
"Doctor.." she said as she started to unpack.
"Oh what a big profession for you, my dear." he said as Catherine looked at him.
"Why? Do I seem grossly incompetent to you?"
Gary looked at her with pure admiration as he smirked, "You're good at talking."
"My father said so too…" Catherine said as she tied her hair and continued unpacking.
"Well he's right. He raised a very charming and powerful lady that can knock any man down to his knees"
"You're being far too outspoken, Gary." Wilkes Wilkes said as Gary laughed.
"It's one of my greatest faults."
"Is that an another reference?" Wilkes asked as Catherine mumbled:
"The Sound of Music.."
"Finally! Someone who got me." Gary exclaimed as went to Catherine who jumped when he spoke.
He shook her hand as he mockingly cried, "Thank you very much for knowing that reference."
Catherine looked at him as if he's an idiot as she looked at Wilkes who's blushing. Clearly he slightly forgot that there's a female company when he spoke.
Either that or he doesn't know The Sound of Music… she thought as she looked at Gary who's grinning at his friend.
"You may now stop shaking my hand, ." she said as she tried to let go of her hand.
Gary looked at her and smiled, "You may call me… Gary.. Catherine."
He kissed the back of her hand and let it go.
Catherine made a face at him as she discreetly took the tissue on her pocket and rubbed the part where his lips touched her hand, looking mockingly at him.
Wilkes watch her face as he saw she's trying to stifle a laugh. He turned to his friend and burst out of laughing. Gary's been flirting with almost all the girls they met on the other dorms and so far, Catherine's the only girl who never blush or anything. And he can see that Gary's a bit taken a back.
Gary looked at Wilkes with a scandalous face, "She's not that feminine isn't she?"
"Not all women are feminine, Gary." Wilkes said as he looked at Catherine who smiled at him.
He's starting to feel comfortable with this woman already.
"Well have you met one that isn't feminine?" Gary asked as he went to his bed and started unpacking as well.
Wilkes nodded as he started doing it as well, "I have actually."
"And let me guess who's that… Catherine, Catherine, and- ooooh- Catherine."
"The first one will be Catherine Wilkes, my aunt, the second one is Catherine Wilkes, my mom. And the third one is Catherine Browns, our new friend here." he said as he looked at Catherine who finished packing.
Catherine looked at Wilkes and smiled, "Is your whole name really, Wilkes Wilkes?"
"It's William Wilkes, I'm always called Willy but one of my cousins called me Wilky… Gary got the Wilkes Wilkes as a joke. He always does that."
Catherine looked at him then to Gary and nodded, "I guess you two have known each other before college then."
"He lives near me." Wilkes said as he patted the bed.
Gary looked at Catherine and mumbled, "He's father is a knight."
"Oh.. what is he knight for?" Catherine asked as she looked at Wilkes who's blushing again.
Gary made a mocked frown as he shrugged, "I don't know, maybe for making ships or something."
"So he's knighted for being a shipbuilder?" she asked as she looked at Wilkes, "Maybe he's crafts have impressed the monarchs."
"So you don't care that he's father's a knight?"
"How would that affect my life? He's father's not mine." Catherine shrugged as she took her towel and the clothes she'll be wearing, "I'd better wash myself. I feel so bad lying on Wilke's bed, I smell like a rat."
"Take you time… And you don't really smell like that, Catherine." Wilkes said as he finished unpacking.
Gary looked at the kitchenette on the corner and smiled, "Yah. And when you get out. You can cook us dinner."
"Oh I'm sorry to disappoint you, Gary. But water burns when I hold the pan." Catherine chuckled as she opened the bathroom door and looked at Wilkes, "Tell him I don't cook if he doesn't understood what I said."
She entered the bathroom and closed the door, leaving the two men outside.
Gary blinked as he looked at Wilkes.
"Does that mean I'll make our meal?"
Wilkes shrugged, "We both know I'd prefer take out."
Gary sighed as he shook his head, "Not blushing on my moves, planning to be a Doctor, not getting bothered that you're father's have a title and doesn't cook! What type of a woman is she?"
"You know…" the sounds of shower from the bathroom silenced as Catherine's echoing voice spoke, "I can hear you from here, Gary."
"I was just wondering where on earth did a woman like you came from?"
"Montreal."
"Oohh. They have seasons there. How lovely."
"What about you two?"
"England." Wilkes said.
"Chicago." Gary said as he looked at Wilkes, "I grew up there but I lived my five recent years of existence to a small place in Yorkshire."
"Oh funny- I used to live in England as well, but that's my early years… I- I moved to America when I was five and I lived first in Boston but we moved to Montreal when I was nine." Catherine sighed as she turned on the shower again.
"What makes your family move?" Gary asked as Catherine didn't answer.
He looked at Wilkes and whispered, "You think she's dead?"
"I think she's upset. Just leave her be for a moment." the other man said as he didn't miss Catherine's shaking of voice when she said a bit of her childhood. Nor when she used 'I' on the moving part.
She must have a dreadful past… he thought as he went to the kitchenette and looked at what his friend brought.
"Beef?"
"I'll try to make that meal your cook served when I'm around." Gary said as he began taking the ingredients out of the bag, "Good thing we have utensils here. But I think I should buy my own. The pots are either too big or too small."
Catherin got out the the bathroom on her skin-toned pants and cream shirt.
Both men blinked at her as Wilkes blush.
"What?"
"For a moment, you have us thought that you're naked below waist." Gary mumbled as he began slicing the sweet potatoes.
Wilkes regained from his shock as he looked at Catherine again, "Nice shirt."
"Thanks." Catherine said as she rub the towel on her hair, "I'll just wear my coat and I'll go out."
Wilkes looked at her as she started taking her coat off her closet, "And where are you going?"
"To buy my food of course." Catherine said as she started sliding the sleeves on her arm.
Gary turned to her as he shook his head, "After I insulted you a lot of times today? No, I'm preparing a meal for three. I hope you're not vegan.."
"You sure?"
Gary nodded, "Yes I am. And I need someone unbiased and straightforward on tasting my first attempt to copy a Professional Chef's menu."
"Wilkes seems to be unbiased." Catherine said as she placed her coat back to the closet.
"Yes but he is not straightforward. I kept on telling him he needs to learn how to be that when he's trying to be a businessman." Gary said as he wash the broccoli.
"Ooh.. and what business would you be having in the future, Wilkes?" Catherine asked a she continue to dry her hair.
Wilkes blush as he said, "I'll try to help my brother. He's currently running the family business but he doesn't have a formal education. Dad thought that if I got one, the two of us can help each other."
"That's great. Sometimes I thought of ways how to help my family as well. Dad told me that I'm already helping by just reaching my dreams." Catherine said as she began combing her hair.
"And that is by being a doctor. What doctor are you going to be, Catherine?" asked Wilkes.
"Cardiologist. Pediatric Cardiologist. How about you? And you too, Gary?"
Wilkes shrugged, "I just want a normal life."
"I want to build a restaurant and make my own recipes." Gary said as he sat on his bed, "I want to surpass the professionalism of our so called 'professional chefs'."
"My mother used to say that I can be whatever I want." Catherine said, remembering those words, not from her mother on Montreal but, from the one she lost in the sea, "Oh how I miss her.."
"All of us misses our families. Do you have a big one?" Gary asked.
"It's just the three of us in Montreal." Catherine shrugged, And six of us back in England… she added on her mind.
"Well I have a big one, and so as Wilkes. Both our families share the same vibe of extended families." Gary sneered as he placed his half-packed suitcase inside his cabinet, "Our families are overly-sentimental."
"I wish I have big family like those. I don't know remember having extended families. I should ask mom and dad about that next time." Catherine thought as she wondered if her original family have extended family as well. She can't really remember much details of such thing.
Wilkes watch her wonder as Gary went back to the kitchenette and continued preparing their dinner.
He have no idea why she looks so familiar but he either have to figure out or die trying to.
A/N: haven't updated here for a while jfgrufuf. I'll try to update more next time. I hoped you enjoy and please send me your thoughts… I need to see if I'm still doing this right. Anyways, thanks for those who appreciate! (⊙-⊙)
