Chapter 1 - Ted

It was instant, that heart-thumping moment when Danni first set eyes on Nikki’s new boyfriend. She’d heard about the guy several times from her housemate, alongside a detailed run-through of each of their dates so far. Hell, she’d even seen a couple of pictures on Nikki’s cell phone, but nothing could have prepared her for that feeling when she first opened the door to him that one evening after work.

“You must be Danni?” the handsome man asked, standing at the door, waiting to come in. “I’m Ted; Nikki’s…”

“Yes!” Danni shot back, needing no explanation and immediately stepping back from the threshold to allow the man inside. So breathtakingly tall and naturally broad, Ted breezed by; the scent of his aftershave causing butterflies to flutter in Danni’s stomach. “You know that Nikki won’t be back from work for another half an hour or so?” she asked the impossibly good-looking man standing in the hallway with her.

Ted shrugged. “I know,” he nodded. “Nikki told me to come over anyway. She said you’d be here to let me in. I usually go to the gym after work but, half an hour isn’t really enough time to get stuck in.”

Danni made the man feel welcome, sitting him down in their lounge area and pouring him some coffee. Like her mother before her, Danni knew how to be hospitable to guests and soon had Ted talking all about himself. She heard about his family and education, his career and even his ex-girlfriends, of which there were surprisingly few. The boy had such kind eyes, Danni thought to herself, getting lost within them. Despite his imposing, giant, muscular build, he spoke so calmly and softly, like the genuinely nice guy he appeared to be.

“Sorry,” Ted chuckled, realising the time as Nikki began unlocking the front door behind him. “I’ve just talked at you for the last thirty minutes. I’m not usually this chatty.”

It was obvious that he felt quite relaxed in Danni’s company and, perhaps, even a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get the chance to have a second mug of her special coffee.

For Danni, she sighed, realising that Nikki would soon do what she did with all her boyfriends and sweep Ted away to her bedroom. She felt a pang of jealousy as she saw Nikki embrace him and kiss him gently on the mouth. Nikki was as pretty as they came, but it was obvious that Ted was far too sweet for her. There was an innocence and wholesomeness about the man that Danni had fallen for straight away. It broke her heart to imagine him getting mixed up with a girl like Nikki.

“What did you think?” Nikki asked a few hours later, after Ted had gone home. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? A proper hunk! He played football in college, y’know.”

Danni nodded. Ted’s impeccable physique had not evaded her attention. “He’s a really great guy,” she conceded.

Nikki smirked as she imagined a future already mapped out in her head. “And, best of all..." she began, "he’ll fatten up a treat!”