Twenty-five. Jude

Cara phoned me on my mobile and asked me to meet her outside Chamber Lane station at seven o'clock this evening. I'm not keen on going into town too often. There are CCTV cameras everywhere so you never know who's watching you but Cara cajoled me into doing it. And I couldn't say no.

After all, how could she understand my reluctance? I couldn't exactly tell her that I was still a marked man – one of those wanted for the abduction of Persephone Hadley. So I did as Cara asked. My uniform for the day was an ordinary pair of jeans, an ordinary T-shirt, an ordinary jacket and a cap pulled down low over my forehead. I kept my head down as I came up the escalator from the underground platform. Something in my gut told me that this was madness. If I ever got caught it would be in a place like this, in town with lots of people around where I could be easily surrounded and it would be hard to take cover. So what was I doing here? I still didn't know – apart from the fact that Cara had asked me.

Cara was already waiting for me. I put my ticket through the machine and then stood against the wall out of everyone's way as I watched her scan left and right as she looked for me. She was wearing navy-blue, tight-fitting trousers and a white, sleeveless T-shirt. Her arms were so sleek and well defined, they looked like they'd been expertly carved out of dark wood. For once she wore her braids loose and they hung down past her shoulders, framing her face when it was in profile.

I just stood and watched.

And watched.

But then she spotted me.

'Steve! Hello, Steve.' There it was again. That smile on her face which was brighter and warmer than summer sunshine.

'Hello, Cara.' I moved towards her.

'I'm glad you could make it. I've got a surprise for you,' she told me.

'I don't like surprises.'

'You'll like this one.'

We walked for a couple of minutes before Cara unexpectedly linked her arm with mine. At my nonplussed look, she just smiled and carried on leading me. We finally stopped outside one of the most prestigious, not to mention luxurious cinema complexes in town.

'What're we doing here?' I frowned.

'I got us two tickets to Strange Days, Strange Ways,' Cara beamed at me.

'But it only opened a couple of days ago.'

'I know.'

'And you hate science fiction films,' I said with suspicion.

'But you love them,' Cara told me. 'So this is for you.'

My stomach flipped. Then, for just a moment, it flashed through my head that maybe this was a trap. That maybe the police were watching and waiting. But one look at the expression on Cara's face and I knew it wasn't. It couldn't be. Cara's face was like an open picture book. I genuinely didn't know what to say. And the smile of pleasure on Cara's face just seemed to make the hollow feeling inside of me grow rather than diminish.

'Won't you be bored?' I said at last.

'Not with you,' said Cara. 'OK?'

I nodded. My stomach flipped again as we went inside. We were half an hour early so we had to wait in the bar. I bought us a couple of drinks and we sat down.

'After our talk the other day about this film in particular, I was worried you might guess what I had in mind,' Cara admitted after a sip of her mineral water.

I shook my head. 'Didn't have a clue.'

'Good.'

'Cara . . ?'

Cara smiled at me expectantly. I looked around but the nearest other people were at the bar several metres away. I wanted to ask her about her day, her parents, her friends, her hobbies, her last holiday, anything and everything except what came out of my mouth.

'Why're you with me?'

Cara looked puzzled. "Cause you wanted to see this film and I thought we could go for a meal or maybe for a walk around the park afterwards.'

That wasn't what I meant. 'Why don't you mind being seen with a nought?'

Cara sat back in her chair and regarded me, a strange look on her face. I'd probably blown my chances by asking that question. I mean, if she could pretend to be colour-blind then why couldn't I?

'Does it bother you that people look at us then?' said Cara at last.

'Sometimes.'

'Steve, when you look at someone, what's the first thing you notice, the first thing you latch on to?'

I shrugged, unsure how to answer.

'I always notice a person's eyes. Not just the colour but the shape and the thoughts and feelings behind them. Does that make sense?'

I nodded.

'And then I focus on that person's mouth – whether or not it smiles a lot,' Cara continued. 'I like mouths that know how to smile. You know how to smile, you just don't do it very often.'

Where was she going with this? More people were beginning to arrive and some sat down close to us. I began to feel uncomfortable, sorry I'd broached the subject in the first place.

'Then I see if they have anything to say for themselves, anything going on upstairs,' Cara continued. 'Anything else is irrelevant.'

'Fair enough,' I said. 'They're taking the tickets now.'

Cara tilted her head to one side. 'Steve, would you rather we left?'

'No. Of course not.'

'I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with,' said Cara seriously.

'I'm not uncomfortable with you,' I told her.

'D'you promise?'

'I promise.'

'And just so you'll know,' Cara began seriously, 'I'm with you because I like being with you.'

'That's because you have excellent taste,' I joked to lighten the mood, not to mention our conversation.

'I'm glad you approve!' Cara smiled, then stood up. 'Ready?'

I finished my lager and joined her. 'Ready.'

We went in to see the film.