The Awakening

“Oh my god, who is that with Steve?” I said, nudging Sophie and spilling her drink.

“That’s Gavin. Don’t you remember me telling you?” Sophie said grinning.

“No I don’t. Give me the details quick.”

“Well, Steve and Gavin were in the same sixth form and play Sunday league football together. Gavin has only been back in Northampton a few months, so Steve asked if he could come along.”

“Where’s he been then? And is he single?” I asked, wanting all the information I could get on the very good-looking new addition to our gang.

“I’m not sure, he went to University somewhere up north after sixth form. Um…York or Newcastle, can’t remember what Steve said and I think he’s single. Steve never mentioned a girlfriend.” Sophie said, waving as she caught Steve’s attention. “I take you like what you see.” She said with a cheeky smile. “Lauren you are blushing!” Sophie said laughing and squeezing my hand. Sophie wanted nothing more than for me to meet a new boyfriend, as I’d been single for the past year following a rather disastrous relationship with a guy called Tim and had strictly been off all men.

At that point, Steve and Gavin reached us carrying a crate of beer and a packet of burgers. We were all round Sophie’s for a BBQ; as it was a brilliant and rare perfectly sunny day, we were making the most of it. It was actually only May, but we’d had a mini heat wave, which had fallen perfectly on the spring bank holiday weekend. All the usual people were there, including my other best mates Charlotte and Vicky. We’d known Steve since Primary school and, although we went to separate secondary schools, we’d always remained close. Still, I’d never met Gavin before and I couldn’t help grinning as I took in his good looks from behind my sunglasses. Gavin was tall - probably just under 6 foot and medium build with broad shoulders, fair hair, and piercing blue eyes. I instantly felt a spark and decided that the day had just got a little better. We all drank and talked for hours and Gavin seemed to fit into the group like he’d always hung out with us. We managed not to burn the sausages or ourselves. Eventually the evening drew to a close and everyone made their separate ways home. Disappointingly, Gavin hadn’t asked for my number and no plans had been made for when we were all going to meet again. As I walked home, I hoped I would see him again soon. When I got in, I decided to have a quick browse on Facebook before going to bed and there was a friend request from none other than Gavin. I grinned as I quickly accepted and started looking through his profile. He was just a year older than me at 21 and had been at university for three years studying a law degree. He was currently doing a work placement and conversion course, which explained why I’d never really met him before; especially as he’d been at a university in Manchester. This made me laugh, as I recalled Sophie’s useless guesses at York and Newcastle. Most importantly, he was listed as single. I was just browsing through his photo’s, which seemed to mainly consist of nights out with his university friends. I found some particularly nice holiday snaps of Gavin, in nothing but some swim shorts, when the chat box opened and to my delight it was Gavin.

Gavin: Hiya, was great to meet you tonight.

Me: Was really nice to meet you too, you known Steve long?

Gavin: Yeah for years, but only recently got back in touch through the wonders of Facebook!!! We went to Northampton Boys School together and hung out a lot during sixth form. I went to university at Manchester and we lost touch for a bit, but I’m back now and it’s cool to hook up with some old classmates.

Me: Isn’t Manchester far more exciting? Got a fab nightlife and shops

Gavin: Yeah but university is over and time to get into the real world of work ha ha!!! I decided I’d move back in with the parents whilst I did a work placement at a Northampton law firm. It’s cheaper than the rent in some dodgy flat in Manchester. Plus, you get to meet new people.

Me: Well that’s always a bonus. I bet your mum does your washing and cooking.

Gavin: Yep she’s missed having someone to tidy up after.

Me: So, you glad you moved back then?

Gavin: Definitely and glad I came to the BBQ tonight. I know we have just met, but fancy going for a drink sometime?

Me: I would love too.

We made plans to meet up in the week and I logged off and happily went to bed feeling excited.

I woke the next morning to a text on my phone from Sophie asking about Gavin. I called her, we had a long girly gossip about the BBQ. We decided Gavin was definitely a good addition to our gang and most definitely a good catch. I told her about our plans to go out for a drink, we joked that Charlotte and Vicky would be jealous. In truth, I was a bit nervous about meeting him for a drink. I hadn’t been on a date for a while, and I really liked Gavin and hoped we would have a really good time. The next few days went by as normal - work, home, telly, and gossip with my friends - and then Thursday came around and it was date night. As I got ready, I felt a bit nervous and excited about meeting Gavin and I wondered if I would feel the same connection I’d felt at the BBQ or whether it had just been the alcohol. I changed my outfit about three times before settling on some skinny jeans, my favourite vest top, some gorgeous beaded sandals, and silver jewellery. I hoped it looked a bit glam, but not over the top. We met at Wetherspoon’s in town at 7.30 and to my relief we got on brilliantly. The conversation flowed, we were very flirty and I felt like I’d known him for ages. We chatted about people we knew, our families, and his university lifestyle and move back to Northampton. In what seemed like five minutes, the barman was ringing the bell and it was time to leave. Gavin walked me home and as we shared a brief kiss, my head buzzed and I felt a strange tingle through my body. We said we’d speak at the weekend, as I let myself into the flat. I felt exhausted and happy. Just after midnight, I slipped into bed. That night I had a strange dream, with shadowy shapes and whispers. There were lots of red and dark colours and there appeared to be a female figure, but I couldn’t make out who it was. The whispering seemed to contain my name, but it was so faint I could hardly make anything out. I got a distinct feeling that it was a warning or bad message. I awoke with a strange feeling of worry, but just put it down to an odd night’s sleep and got ready for work. At work, I kept yawning and my colleague Kerry asked if I was ok. I told her about my date with Gavin and about my weird dream and we joked that I’d been watching too many spooky episodes of '
Doctor Who
'
.

I talked to Gavin loads over the next few days. I was amazed that each time we had so much to say and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face as I contentedly chatted away. As our conversations grew, we discovered we had loads in common from music to film to food. We both loved The Killers, our favourite song was Mr Brightside. By sheer coincidence, we’d been at the same gig two years previously. We didn’t actually meet however, until the following week. We decided on the cinema and something to eat. Once again, I nervously deliberated about my outfit and ended up calling Sophie for her opinion. I met Gavin at the cinema. We watched a horror movie about how vampires had taken over the world and humans were now in the minority, which meant the vampire food source was running out. It was a different take on the subject and made me jump on several occasions, much to Gavin’s amusement. We went to the Italian restaurant across the road from the cinema and Gavin surprised me by having already been in touch with the restaurant. On the table was a beautiful bunch of flowers. I felt my heart thump and cheeks blush and instantly reached over and gave Gavin a kiss. I couldn’t believe how thoughtful he was, although my cynical side kept screaming at me that there must be a hidden problem as no one could be so perfect. However, I mentally told myself off and enjoyed the moment. We had an amazing night and the food was brilliant. Coincidentally, we liked the same items on the menu and had selected the same meal, before ultimately deciding on ordering two separate dishes in order to share. On the way home, we bumped into one of Gavin’s cousins, Nathaniel, who was about our age. We had a quick chat and as we parted, he shook my hand. I had an odd buzzing feeling similar to the feeling when Gavin and I had kissed on our last date. I felt momentarily lightheaded and took my hand away abruptly and Gavin and his cousin exchanged an odd glance. “Sorry,” I said blushing. “For some reason I got pins and needles in my hand.” I laughed and shook my hand as if to demonstrate. However, inside I felt a bit concerned about the weird feeling and decided if it happened again I might have to visit the doctor for a check-up. As on our last date, Gavin walked me home and we had a quick kiss before I let myself in and got ready for bed. That night I had strange dreams again, I could see shapes, fire, and hear whispering voices. The dream was very similar to the one before, but some of the voices seemed clearer. I could make out my name, but not what they were saying. I woke with a start as a voice close to my ear whispered, “Lauren, beware.” With great surprise I realised it was daylight and I had slept the whole night. I yawned and swung my legs out of bed, feeling like I hadn’t slept a wink. I hoped a shower and some breakfast would wake me up. I got ready for work and managed to make it through the day. Finally, it was time to go home and I feel asleep on the sofa. I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing and realised I had fallen asleep on the sofa and it was now late in the evening. I answered the phone stifling a yawn. “Hiya. You ok?” Gavin asked.

“Yeah I’m fine. I was actually asleep I had a rubbish night’s sleep and needed a nap. God I sound like an old lady,” I joked. We chatted for a while and arranged for Gavin to come round on Friday for a take away as he was busy for the rest of the weekend. I was so happy with how things were going with Gavin and couldn’t believe how connected I felt to him in such a short space of time.

During the week, I visited my mum and told her I’d met someone new and filled her in on some of the details. She told me I wasn’t eating well enough since I’d moved out and made me stay for a lovely home cooked meal. Friday finally crept around, Gavin came round, and we ordered a Chinese take away and opened a bottle of wine. I felt really happy and relaxed in Gavin’s company and we had a really good evening until much later when Gavin reached over and kissed me. My head started to throb, I felt dizzy, and then quite unexpectedly my nose started to bleed. “Well this is romantic!” I joked whilst tipping my head back and walking into the bathroom. “My head is throbbing,” I continued in a muffled voice as I grabbed a handful of tissue and held my nose. Gavin appeared with some paracetamol and a glass of water.

“Are you ok?” he asked, handing me the tablets.

“Yeah I’m ok, my nose has stopped bleeding.” I replied, wiping my freshly washed face on a clean towel. “I think I should perhaps go to the doctors for a check-up. I’ve had a few weird headaches recently, perhaps I’m having migraines or something.” Gavin gave me a hug and agreed it was probably a good idea and I apologised for ruining the moment. We both laughed and Gavin said he’d go home and let me get an early night. Over the rest of the weekend I felt fine but had a general feeling of tiredness I couldn’t quite shift, so I decided to have a quiet few days. I called my mum and told her about my nosebleed and headache. She insisted on coming over with a gorgeous homemade lasagne and took care of some of my housework whilst I caught up on some recorded episodes of '
Don’t Tell the Bride'
and '
The Only Way is Essex.'

On Monday, I called the doctors and made an appointment for after work to put my mind at rest. The weird dreams and tiredness were worrying me, although I was trying not to think about it too much. It didn’t help that I’d seen part of a documentary on the Sky Living channel about a young girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumour and she’d experienced vivid dreams and dizziness. The doctor took some details, I explained how I had been having terrible headaches, a couple of dizzy spells, and the latest episode had resulted in a nosebleed. He checked my blood pressure, did a blood test, and explained that it sounded like it could be a severe migraine and if it continued I should start to keep a diary stating what I was doing when the pain happened and what I had eaten and drank as it may be a reaction to something. The doctor said the results would be back in a few days and gave me a prescription for some painkillers. The next few days were normal and the results came back saying I was a bit anaemic but nothing to worry about. He gave me another prescription for some iron tablets. I hadn’t seen Gavin since Friday as he’d been busy at his work placement and had been sent to London on a course for a couple of days. I called him to let him know my doctor’s results were normal and he said he’d pop round and visit on his way home from football practice Thursday evening to say hi and check I was definitely ok. It was strange as we’d only known each a few weeks, but it felt like much longer. I had felt an instant connection to him at the BBQ and I wondered if the notion of soul mates was true. I’d never considered it before, being a naturally cynical person, but my feelings for Gavin had become so strong so quick I did think there might be more to it than the fairy tale I’d always thought. I couldn’t wait to see him and he was fast becoming the most important person in my life.