Captivation

Captivation Part 40

The following Saturday Caitlin arrived at the Cinema with more than a trace of nerves and a great deal of anticipation. She was going to flatten them when she saw them, that was her first thought when she spotted Jared lounging idly by a parked car a few metres from the entrance to the cinema, and there was no sign of Candy or Nigel. The closer she got to Jared the harder her heart pounded.

Pinning on a confident look she kept walking toward him. "Hi. Are we early?" Caitlin asked as she reached his side. She thought she was running late. It was a deliberate ploy. She did not want to arrive early and have to deal with a conversation about her running away from that dinner. For they all knew that is what she had done. She certainly did not want to get there early and find herself with just Jared for company.

"I got a message." Jared began somewhat cryptically. Caitlin narrowed her eyes sensing what he had to say was not going to be what she wanted to hear. Panic registered. "Text message from our pair of matchmakers." He told her with a broad grin. Caitlin groaned silently. It looked like this cinema outing was going to involve just her and Jared. "Apparently they can't make it." He quirked a brow as he noted Caitlin's reaction. Ok, so she, unlike him, was not looking forward to being together, and unlike him, wasn't pleased to find that it would be just the two of them on this date. "But we aren't to let that stop us from going."

Caitlin shook her head and huffed out a sigh, wondering how she was going to get out of this situation. Caitlin far from pleased to learn that Jared was here on his own. This was not good. She had counted on Candy and Nigel being here as buffers. Knowing they would be here was the only reason she had shown up herself! She was not ready to face Jared on his known. Not yet. She was usually a confident woman. She intended to develop some sort of mechanism to help her when she did meet Jared. But as yet she hadn't figured out what that mechanism could be. This man was dangerous to her heart and soul.

"So." He looked pointedly at the cinema, and said, "What do you want to do?" Keep it light he told himself, having seen the sheer panic in her eyes when she'd heard Nigel and Candy were not going to be there. He was hoping she would not take the coward's way out but her body language did not look positive.

"Why are you asking me?" She asked with little graciousness which she regretted instantly.

Jared was tempted to laugh. She really knew how to dent a man's ego. Worse still she didn't know she was doing it! Jared stepped closer, "Because I know what I want to do. I thought it polite to find out what you want." He was still frustrated about last night. She'd bolted. They needed to talk and she'd bolted at the first opportunity. But after sleeping on it, he thought her reaction last night was a good sign. She was rattled. That's why she'd run!

Caitlin folded her arms, huffed out another sigh and felt as if everything was about to go belly up. "This is ridiculous." She looked at him and threw him a frosty scowl as she accused, "I guess you have the vouchers."

He smiled, and just the sight of that small gesture had her pulse racing. This is exactly why she shouldn't be here! He didn't have to do anything, he just had to be, and her brain scrambled, her heart thundered, her pulse raced.

"I mysteriously have two. I should have questioned why they gave me two of the tickets." Jared at the time Nigel handed him the envelope last night was still pondering on why Caitlin had bolted. His mind was only half on listening to Nigel, so Jared accepted the tickets without thinking about why he needed to have two. Candy could have kept them until the met up today.

"Yes, you should." Caitlin chastised.

"So I take it you don't want to go on a date." Jared stated quietly.