Text copyright © 2014 Katie L Thompson
All Rights Reserved
Preview Extract: Glass Half Full
Natalie switched off the TV and swivelled herself around on the sofa so that she was facing Sven. He had a grin on his face stretching almost from one ear to the other. “What are you grinning about?”
“Nothing.” Sven’s expression didn’t change. There was a sparkle in his eyes that she’d never noticed before. It reminded her of the children she taught at school – they always had that glint in their eye when they were excited about something or up to no good.
“Come on, Sven, tell me. I’m your girlfriend, don’t I get to share a part of your happiness.”
“Oh alright,” Sven gave in as easily as the children in her class at school, “I wanted to wait until tonight but, since you insist, I’ll tell you now.”
Natalie waited while he fumbled around behind him.
“I got you something. Think of it as an early Christmas present.”
Natalie clapped her hands. She didn’t like surprises, but she did like presents.
He handed her something flat which looked like a piece of wrapping paper folded back on itself.
“What is it?” She carefully unstuck each piece of sticky tape and stuck them on the arm of the sofa.
“Just open it, woman.”
She continued taking the tape off carefully so as not to rip the paper and then put the discarded wrapping paper on the arm of the sofa with the sticky tape before unfolding the sheets of paper which had been inside. “What’s this?” Her eyebrows knitted together.
“I booked us a little cottage in the countryside, somewhere for us to go together to spend New Year.”
“For how long?” Natalie’s heart rate increased.
“A week.”
“A week,” she repeated, in a high pitched voice.
“Is that a problem?” Sven’s face wrinkled.
“It’s just, we’ll miss my parent’s New Years Eve party.”
“Isn’t that the party you’ve been whinging about for weeks? You’ve been complaining almost non-stop about how much you don’t want to go. I remember you saying that it’s a stupid family tradition, which you have to go to and that you really really don’t want to go.”
“Yes, but as you just said, I have to go.”
“Not if you’re on holiday you don’t. Come on Nat, it’ll be fun. Just the two of us for a whole week.”
That’s what Natalie worried about, the two of them alone together for the whole week. She and Sven had only been dating a month. A whole week away together was bound to put a strain on the relationship.
“If you don’t want to go–”
“No, I do want to go,” the words were out of her mouth before her brain had had chance to process them. The look of sadness on Sven’s face turned her stomach. She didn’t want him to be upset, especially when he was trying to do something nice for her.
“Great. You keep the details.” He turned his attention back to the TV, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t go on like nothing had happened. She hated holidays. She’d always hated holidays. Surely Sven knew that.
All Rights Reserved
Preview Extract: Glass Half Full
Natalie switched off the TV and swivelled herself around on the sofa so that she was facing Sven. He had a grin on his face stretching almost from one ear to the other. “What are you grinning about?”
“Nothing.” Sven’s expression didn’t change. There was a sparkle in his eyes that she’d never noticed before. It reminded her of the children she taught at school – they always had that glint in their eye when they were excited about something or up to no good.
“Come on, Sven, tell me. I’m your girlfriend, don’t I get to share a part of your happiness.”
“Oh alright,” Sven gave in as easily as the children in her class at school, “I wanted to wait until tonight but, since you insist, I’ll tell you now.”
Natalie waited while he fumbled around behind him.
“I got you something. Think of it as an early Christmas present.”
Natalie clapped her hands. She didn’t like surprises, but she did like presents.
He handed her something flat which looked like a piece of wrapping paper folded back on itself.
“What is it?” She carefully unstuck each piece of sticky tape and stuck them on the arm of the sofa.
“Just open it, woman.”
She continued taking the tape off carefully so as not to rip the paper and then put the discarded wrapping paper on the arm of the sofa with the sticky tape before unfolding the sheets of paper which had been inside. “What’s this?” Her eyebrows knitted together.
“I booked us a little cottage in the countryside, somewhere for us to go together to spend New Year.”
“For how long?” Natalie’s heart rate increased.
“A week.”
“A week,” she repeated, in a high pitched voice.
“Is that a problem?” Sven’s face wrinkled.
“It’s just, we’ll miss my parent’s New Years Eve party.”
“Isn’t that the party you’ve been whinging about for weeks? You’ve been complaining almost non-stop about how much you don’t want to go. I remember you saying that it’s a stupid family tradition, which you have to go to and that you really really don’t want to go.”
“Yes, but as you just said, I have to go.”
“Not if you’re on holiday you don’t. Come on Nat, it’ll be fun. Just the two of us for a whole week.”
That’s what Natalie worried about, the two of them alone together for the whole week. She and Sven had only been dating a month. A whole week away together was bound to put a strain on the relationship.
“If you don’t want to go–”
“No, I do want to go,” the words were out of her mouth before her brain had had chance to process them. The look of sadness on Sven’s face turned her stomach. She didn’t want him to be upset, especially when he was trying to do something nice for her.
“Great. You keep the details.” He turned his attention back to the TV, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t go on like nothing had happened. She hated holidays. She’d always hated holidays. Surely Sven knew that.