Dark And Light

The phone was ringing, for how long I didn’t know. Stretching my arm across to reach for it I could hear his voice before I even put it to my ear.

“Hi Mia, its Mike.”

No, its Maddy actually Mike and I do so want to tell you that its really me and not my sister.

“Oh hi Mike, my goodness I must have slept in, what on earth is the time?” I said, my heart fluttering slightly upon hearing his voice.

“Actually Mia, its only 9.30 but I just…I just wanted to call you up to see if…if we could spend the day together.” He said quite hesitantly.

I couldn’t believe that this was happening, was I still asleep and dreaming?

I rubbed the tiredness from my eyes.

“Of course Mike I’d love to spend the day with you, what would you like to do?” I said.

“Well…me and the guys have got a free day, all day and I just thought may be you and I could hang out here at the hotel, watch a few movies, may be have a meal in the restaurant here…its only a suggestion.” Again he was hesitant.

“Mike that would be lovely. What time shall I come over to you?” I said sitting up now feeling slightly light headed.

“Head over here as soon as you can, whenever you’re ready. Get a taxi over and when you’re approaching the hotel, call me and I’ll come and meet you at the entrance.” He said sounding quite pleased that I had said yes to him.

“That sounds good to me, I shall see you later on then,” I said.

I flung myself back onto the bed but then felt slightly worried about the situation. I’d decided that I’d have to make this the last day that I spent with Mike Dirnt, things were going way too fast but I knew that it would end up nowhere and wouldn’t do either of us any good.

So I’d just have to make the most of it.

In one week’s time it would all end.

**

“So did you get to meet up with Mia?” said Jed who was sitting in the exact same seat as yesterday, his feet resting up on the coffee table in the exact same way and wearing the exact same jeans…

“Sorry Jed what was that?” I said, my eyes pulling away from Jed and those jeans of his.

“Did you get to see that selfish sister of yours?”

Was I selfish?

“Yes she came here?” I said noticing how gorgeous his teeth were.

“Came here? You mean your selfish sister left wonderful London and came out here to see you?” He said spinning round to look at me, shocked.

“Yes and everything was fine, we had a great time.”

“So, was she as false as she always used to be?”

“She…she didn’t seem false at all,” I said. I hadn’t realised that was what everyone thought of me but he was right I had been false and selfish but I knew I wasn’t now, just how could I convince Jed and Maddy of this?

“I bet she had those false nails and false hair extensions,” said Jed glancing across at me.

“She didn’t have long nails and I don’t think she’s ever had those extension things,” I said shocked that I was holding a conversation with Jed, pretending to be Maddy and talking about myself. I felt so awkward and didn’t like the way the conversation was going. I didn’t want Jed to think those things about me. I wanted him to like me. But then of course he liked me at this moment because I was pretending to be Maddy and he liked Maddy, they were best friends. Suddenly I wanted to be myself but if I let it slip now then Jed would just hate me even more and then I would never get to know him properly.

“How would you know? I bet she’s had them at some time. So…what’s she been up to? She still on the lookout for some rich and famous guy to rescue her” he said quite nastily.

“I don’t think so, she didn’t seem like that at all,” I said trying to make excuses for myself. I had wanted to find someone rich. I had found someone rich but he was a bastard and I’d realised too late.

“Are you OK Maddy?” Jed said looking suddenly concerned at me.

“Yeah, why?” I asked.

“Because you haven’t once moaned about your selfish sister, usually I’m the one that has to interrupt you once you get on the Mia subject.”

“She’s not that bad, she seems like she’s changed a little. I think she’s been through some pain in the past.” I said thinking shit, what was I saying here?

“What? Are we talking the same Mia here? And anyway, what sort of pain?” he said, frowning at me.

Shit. I’d gone too far.

“Yes Jed we are talking about the same Mia here and I believe Mia has changed and well…forget I said about the pain. I thought she was worried about something but she didn’t really tell me what.”

“I don’t believe she could have changed that much; I’d like to see it first. Anyway, you promised you’d cook me my favourite meal when I got back.” He said standing up and going over to the TV to turn it on.

“Did I?” I said. What the fuck was his favourite dinner? I was hopeless at cooking.

“Yes your lasagne, you know it’s my favourite. What’s wrong with you today?” He said sighing at me.

Did I. Did I make the best lasagne? Well actually Jed I’m not Maddy, I’m Mia, I can’t cook, I’m not selfish and…

I had to leave the room then as tears welled up in my eyes hating that Jed thought those things about me. I hadn’t changed my mind about Jed; I’d woken up a couple of times during the night thinking about him. Was he always here visiting Maddy? What on earth did he do for a living? I didn’t know anything about Jed, all I knew was that he spent loads of time with my sister, he hated me and now I had to cook a lasagne for him and I didn’t know how.

He was going to find out, kick me out or something but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to stay here, near to Jed and find out more about him.

**

As I pulled up in the taxi I closed my phone up after telling Mike that I’d arrived. The hotel looked like it was one of the most expensive ones in London and I didn’t doubt it.

“Hey,” he said, he was at the taxi door already and he took my hand and helped me out. This gesture immediately made me tingle. He paid the driver and then ushered me into the hotel and as we walked I could feel his hand resting in the small of my back.

“Look, its almost lunchtime, shall we have some lunch together and share a bottle of wine?” He said smiling over at me. I loved his smile.

“Why not?” I shrugged looking up at his familiar face.

The face that used to be a poster in my room.

The face that was the wallpaper on my computer.

The face that was my avatar on many of the websites I visited.

The face that was a million times better in real life.

**

We’d had a great lunch and the wine had gone to my head so I was glad of the walk Mike suggested along the river Thames.

We were giggling about something or other when Mike suddenly stopped and grabbed my arm causing me to turn and look up at him. Suddenly he put his hand up to my face and cupped the side of it, his hand warm and firm against my cheek.

Then he drew me to him and my heart started pounding as he leant down and kissed me on the lips, and it was like a lightning bolt shooting through me.

This was the first person I’d ever kissed and it was Mike Dirnt.

I was definitely dreaming, I had to be but this was better than any dream I’d ever had of him I thought as his tongue toyed with mine and I put my hand up and around his neck feeling his hair between my fingers.

This was real all right and I realised then that I wanted to spend more time with him but to him I was Mia, my sister, somebody else.

If I told him now what would he think?

So for now, I’d still have to keep it up.

I had about a week left to stay as Mia then I’d become boring old Maddy again and I didn’t want to be.

I wanted to be Maddy but not boring Maddy and I wanted Mike to myself; I didn’t want Mia to have him as she’d indicated in her earlier texts.

I want Mike to be mine.