Read Online From The Moment I Saw Him .... by Catherine MacDonald - Free Book Online

about boys and relationships than I did before, I’ll be better
prepared for the next one.”
    The landlord was calling “time”.  I think we were
both sorry to leave, there had been a sense of tying up loose ends, an
end-of-an-era feeling about our meeting.
    “Let’s keep in touch.  I’ll write to you at St
Hugh’s when I’ve got my hall place settled,” Peter said, as we stood on the
pavement.
    “Yes, that would be good.”
    He suddenly bent forwards, and kissed me on the
cheek.
    “For what it’s worth, Eithne - I don’t think Nick’s
been very happy since he stopped seeing you,” he said.
    My heart broke all over again.
    “Oh Peter - don’t!” I gulped.  I stood on tiptoe (he
was miles taller than Nick), returned his kiss, and rushed off before the tears
flowed.  I should have been pleased, but I wasn’t.
     
    The second incident was equally unexpected, if not
so pleasant. 
    The weekend before I went up to Oxford, my cousin
Sandy came to stay for a night, before beginning his third year as a medic in
Cambridge.  He needed some shopping, and for once, I felt brave enough to go
into town with him. 
    As we approached the old market square, I saw him -
Nick - sitting on a wall, talking to Dave Jackson.  I wondered for a split
second whether to make a quick detour, then thought of Deidre, and decided I
needed to get it over with.
    Nick recognised me as we got closer.  I saw him do a
quick double take - he hadn’t seen me with my new haircut before - and he
glanced at Sandy, appraising the situation, was this a new boyfriend?  I was
glad that Sandy was tall and nice looking.  Dave turned his head, saw me, and
fell silent.
    I felt completely in control.
    “Hullo Nick, hullo Dave,” I said clearly and coolly
as I drew level with them.
    Nick’s bright, dark eyes couldn’t conceal his
surprise, and I thought how seldom I had seen that expression in them before.
    “Uh - hullo Eithne.  How are you?” Nick said, always
polite. 
    For a long moment, Nick and I exchanged glances.  I
twisted my mouth into a tight smile, my eyes were saying “you bastard!”  I
wanted to read remorse in his.  But to my surprise, his gaze was tender,
amused, complicit, almost as if we were still together and nothing had
happened.  I gave myself a mental shake.
    “I’m fine.  Bye, then.”
    I took Sandy’s arm, and strutted off, tossing the
tendrils of my hair, not waiting to hear if he responded.
    Sandy and I walked on.  I felt breathless.  I
couldn’t decide whether I wanted to run back and hit Nick, or run back and fall
into his arms.  With a supreme effort of will, I managed to stop myself from
doing either.
    After we had gone a hundred yards or so, Sandy
suddenly stopped.
    “I’ve just realised - that was the famous Nick,
wasn’t it?”
    “Yes.”
    I was feeling tearful now.  It had been both
horrible and wonderful to see him.  Sandy swore under his breath.
    “Would you like me to go back and punch him on the
nose?” he demanded.
    “No - no,” I laughed through the mist of tears. 
“What good would that do now?”
    “I’d feel better if I took that smirk off his face.”
     Sandy was clearly itching to be a hero.
    “To be fair, I don’t think he was smirking.”
      Sandy said,
    “It’s good that you’re getting away, Eithne.  You’ll
soon meet someone else, and forget him.”
    “Yes.  Thanks, Sandy.”
    How little people know, I thought.  I would never
forget Nick - we had shared too much of importance, at a special point in our
lives.  He was a part of the person I had become.  Despite all the heartache, I
didn’t want to forget him.
    I recalled the look in Nick’s eyes as we walked on.
It seemed to hint at unfinished business.  I hoped that the remembrance of it
wouldn’t stop me beginning again.

Chapter 8
     
     
    The long, black and white photo shows
several tiered rows of girls in their black and white subfusc university
dress.  This is the costume worn for all