Six Degrees Of Separation 4
And fourth, you’re gonna think that you fixed yourself
He tried on the suit quickly, hurrying to leave, and saw that it fit nicely. Without actually giving it much thought, he changed back into his clothes and left the changing room. Fortunately, the guy from before wasn’t there.
“Did it fit?” Bart asked when he saw Gerard approaching.
Gerard nodded. “It did. I’ll take it.” He handed over the suit to Bart to put it into the appropriate bag. After Bart did that, Gerard paid and went outside, desperate to get some fresh air.
He got into his car and drove around the city for a while, until late afternoon. He thought about how the guy’s words had felt and affected him, and how later he hadn’t felt anything at all. It was like his emotions had been switched off, turned out because they were bothering. He was sure now that Cassie and he were over. She was long gone and moved on. Had been since the day she’s walked out, he thought.
It was time for him to move on now, to forget about Cassie and concentrate on his future. In this past month, he’d thought a lot about Cassie, and when a girl approached him, he’d immediately compare them to her, seeing their differences and similarities. That wasn’t good. At all.
Last week, though, Gerard hadn’t thought about her as much as the previous ones. Yes, he’d had the occasional memory, but he’d just brushed it aside and continued on what he was doing at the moment. It hadn’t hurt not seeing her there, because he’d been so concentrated on training and Barcelona.
After so long he’d finally been in the starting eleven. It had been an honor and a privilege to do that for Gerard, and it had meant a big step in the right direction of his career. This week he’d arrived early to all trainings, something he’d found quite interesting because it made him have to think about that and not Cassie. He could fully concentrate on the ball and the tactics Tito instructed instead of dueling on what he was feeling.
Gerard parked his car in front of his house and got out. Once inside his house, he took a quick shower and then changed into his suit. It fit well, as it had in the store. With only half an hour to go until he had to leave for the fundraising ball, Gerard sat down on the living room table and tried to catch up on some reading.
He didn’t understand what he was reading; he was too busy thinking about what the night had in store for him. What would Cassie do when he saw him? What would Gerard do when he saw her? And when he saw Cassie’s date? Would he go mad and make a fit or would he handle the situation like an adult?
Whatever he did, he was sure he’d have to deal with a lot of emotions that night, so instead of faking reading, he closed the book and lay his head on the table, trying to calm his pounding heart. Was it possible for him to be this nervous?