CHAPTER SEVEN

       It was Wednesday evening when Simon returned.  He had rung me from Manchester before he left, so I had plenty of time to tidy the apartment, chill a bottle of champagne and nip out to buy some croissants for breakfast.  Nevertheless, I was not prepared to hear the familiar knock on my door quite so soon.

       The door was barely even open before I found myself in Simon’s arms, his mouth pressed to mine.  We didn’t bother to stop kissing while he came inside and kicked the door shut behind him.

       “God I missed you!” he said out of the corner of his mouth, then he stopped kissing me and just held me so tightly I could hardly breathe, his face and fingers in my hair.  At last he drew back and kissed me again.

       “It’s so good to see you!” I laughed.

       Simon was grinning broadly as he kissed me yet again.  Then he laughed too.

       “Jesus, Alex, we are in a bad state.”

       “Very bad,” I agreed, kissing him for the fourth time.

       It was a long time before I got around to offering him a drink.

       “A nice strong coffee would go down well,” he said as we walked into the kitchen.  “It was a long drive.”

       “So I can well believe,” I said, “in that little sardine tin.  I don’t know why you didn’t catch the train or something.”

       “Oh, the car wasn’t a problem,” he answered, standing behind me with his arms around my waist as he generally did while I made the coffee.

       “If you say so,” I said, turning around and returning the hug while I waited for the jug to boil.  “So, tell me all about it.  Is your friend better?”

       “He’s well on the way,” Simon said.  “He’s out of danger, at least.”

       I smiled.  “I’m glad.”

       He smiled back.  “I thought about you a lot while I was there.” He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a gift-wrapped box.  “I bought you something.”

       Momentarily speechless, I took the box and looked at it.

       “Simon...”

       “Just open it,” he interrupted.

       I pulled the wrapping off the box and opened it.  Inside was a delicate little bottle of perfume, the most exquisite bottle I had ever seen, and as I lifted it out of the box and raised the nozzle to my nose, the fragrance almost took my breath away.

       “It’s beautiful,” I gasped, looking up into Simon’s eyes.  “I’ve never seen or smelt anything so lovely in my life.”

       “There’s a little shop in Uttoxeter that makes it,” he said quietly.  “It’s the town’s best kept secret.  It was always my mother’s favourite.”

       “It’s enchanting,” I smiled.

       He smiled back and pulled me in close, nestling his face in my hair.  I kissed the side of his face.

       “Thankyou,” I whispered.

       At last the kettle started to whistle and I pulled away, to turn it off and pour the coffee.

       “So,” said Simon.  “Where shall we go for dinner?”

       I shrugged.  “We could stay here.”

       Simon wrinkled his nose.  “I’d rather go out,” he said, and added hastily, “No offence to your cooking or anything.”

       “Oh really?” I said, handing him his coffee with arched eyebrows.

       “Really,” he said.  “I just... feel like going out.”

       “I see.”

       “No you don’t,” he replied cryptically.  “But you will.  Come on, pick a restaurant.  The further away the better.”

       “Why?” I frowned.  “Simon, what are you up to?”

       “Nothing,” he said innocently.  “Trust me.”

       I laughed.  “That’s a joke, right?”

       Simon did his best to look offended.  “I resent that.”

       At last he managed to convince me to go and get changed for dinner, and that we would just go back to his place so he could shower and change after his long journey, and then we would go out and have a quiet evening’s celebration.  It was nearly seven o’clock when I stood in the loungeroom wearing a grey and black evening dress with some simple silver jewelry and my new perfume.

       Simon came over and kissed my neck.  “You look good enough to eat yourself,” he smiled.

       “Fine,” I said.  “You can eat me as soon as I find out what it is you’ve got up your sleeve.”

       “Up my sleeve?” he repeated.  “What a concept.  Shall we go then?”

       “Yes!” I cried impatiently.  Simon smiled and offered me his arm.  I took it and virtually dragged him out of the apartment and down to the street.

       “Where’s the Love Bug?” I asked.

       Simon shrugged.  “Dunno.”

       I looked at him.  “What.”

       “I don’t know,” he repeated.  “And I don’t care.”  He pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked over to a long, sleek, mean, red Lamborghini, and to my immense surprise, fitted a key into the front passenger door and opened it.

       “Shall we?” he said, with a very, very smug little smile.  I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me standing motionless with my mouth hanging wide open, but I couldn’t help it.

       Eventually I walked over to the car and said quietly, “Are you trying to tell me...”

       Simon grinned.  “It even came with a diamond set keyring,” he said, holding it up for me to see.

       “Show me,” I demanded, taking the keyring from him.

       I had seen diamond set keyrings before, but I had never driven a Lamborghini, and as soon as the keys were in my hand I dashed around to the other side of the car, opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat, locking the door behind me.  I fitted the key into the ignition and leant over the passenger seat to look up at Simon, who was leaning against the open passenger door, looking down at me with a wry smile touching his pursed lips.

       “Hop in,” I said brightly, giving him a cheeky smile.  He sighed and got into the car.

       “Okay,” he said resignedly.  “I can’t say I like this idea, but just go carefully, alright?  And don’t touch anything without asking me first.”

       I looked with undisguised awe at the array of buttons, switches and knobs on the dashboard in front of me.  At last I said meekly, “Can I turn the ignition now?”

       Simon laughed.  “Don’t smart-ass me,” he said as I started the car and roared out into the traffic.

       I made the most of my joy-ride and by the time I pulled up outside Simon’s apartment, he was close to tears.  I turned off the motor and we sat in silence for a moment.

       “Okay,” he said calmly.  “We’re here and the car’s safe, so I won’t say a word.  Next time, I’m driving.”  And he turned and got out of the car.

       I grinned and climbed out of the car also, closing the door behind me and slipping my hand into Simon’s as we walked up to his apartment.

       He left me sitting on his couch with the television to amuse me while he went to have his shower, but my thoughts were not with Neighbours at that stage.  I sat there biting my nails, debating whether I was going to seduce him into staying home for the night because I really didn’t feel like going out, or if I should just come straight out with the truth and admit to having locked the keys in the car.

       I made my decision quite quickly and by the time Simon got out of the shower, I had stripped down to my lingerie and was reclining across his bed, tapping my fingers lightly on a book and looking very petulant.

       When Simon came into the room, wearing only a towel around his waist, he stopped and looked at me, but he said nothing.

       I looked back at him and tilted my head slightly.  “It’s about time you got here,” I said sulkily.  “My patience was starting to wear very thin.”

       Simon did not cotton on to the game straight away.

       “Well if I’d known...” he began with a smile, but I didn’t allow him to finish.

       “Did I ask for excuses?” I snapped.  “Just keep your mouth shut and get your ass on this bed.”

       He paused only for a moment, then he began to saunter towards the bed, unwrapping the towel as he came and using it to wipe his neck and shoulders dry.  Before he had time to dry the rest of his body, I sprang to my knees, reached out and ripped the towel from his hands.

       “When I say I want you, Simon,” I hissed, pulling him roughly onto the bed, “it means now.”  I straddled his hips and pinned his wrists to the mattress and kissed him furiously, and it wasn’t long before I had him gasping for mercy.

       It was just over half an hour later when I lay under the covers with my head on Simon’s chest, listening to his breathing and feeling very pleased with the way I had handled things.  Thinking that he had fallen asleep, I was somewhat surprised to hear him speak after several minutes’ silence.

       “Well, it can certainly never be said that you’re predictable,” he said.

       I looked up at him.  “I thought you were asleep,” I said.

       “No, I can never sleep on an empty stomach,” he answered.

       Uh-oh, I thought.

       “Well, you just lie there and I’ll go get you something,” I said.  “You must be exhausted after that performance.”

       Simon smiled.  “My performance?” he repeated.  “There was one hell of a performance here tonight, but it wasn’t mine.”

       I grinned.  “Well, this performer is going to go and get some dinner.”

       Simon held me back.  “I thought we were going out to celebrate,” he said.

       Double uh-oh, I thought.

       “Simon, I really don’t feel like going out now.”

       “Come on,” he pleaded.  “There’s a sleek, mean cruise machine downstairs waiting to take us anywhere we want to go.  We can’t just stay at home.”

       I sighed resignedly.  “The Cruise Machine’s not taking us anywhere tonight.”

       Simon frowned.  “Why not?”

       I shut my eyes tightly.  “I locked the keys in the car.”

       There was a very long pause.

       “You what.”

       “Sorry,” I whispered.

       “You locked the keys in the car?”

       I nodded.

       “And that’s what this whole... charade was about?  You did all that just so I’d fall asleep and you wouldn’t have to tell me?”

       I rolled onto my stomach and looked into his face.  “Simon, come on,” I said.  “I thought you’d be flattered.”

       “Flattered?” He half sat up and pulled his arm away from me.  “I don’t appreciate being manipulated like that.”

       I stared at him.  “Oh come on!” I said.  “We both had a great time out of it.  Can’t you see the funny side?”

       Simon allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow.  “No,” he said.  Then he laid his arm across his eyes and said grudgingly, “But if you go and get something for dinner I’ll start looking.”

       I smiled and kissed him on the lips.

       “I love you,” I said as I climbed out of the bed and went to the wardrobe to pull on one of his shirts.

       The next morning Simon and I went upstairs to visit John.

       He welcomed us in with a big smile and we followed him into his kitchen-dining area, where Lara was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.  John introduced her to Simon and went over to make us both a cup of coffee as we sat down.

       “How was your trip?” Lara asked Simon.  “Alex said you went to visit a sick friend.”

       “Yes, but he’s on the mend now,” Simon answered.  “I can’t say I really enjoyed myself while I was there, but the trip home was okay.”

       “I guess you missed Alex alot,” she said.

       I noticed John glance up from the bench, but he said nothing.

       “Sure did,” Simon smiled at me.

       Lara turned to me and said, “And I suppose you were pretty lonely without Simon?”

       John picked up the coffee cups in rather a hurry, I thought, and came over to hand them to Simon and me, saying, “There you go.  So, did you get back last night, Simon?”

       We both thanked him and Simon said, “Yeah.  Well, early in the evening really.  We were going to go out to dinner, but a certain person locked a certain set of keys in a certain car.”

       I pursed my lips and said nothing.

       “Which reminds me,” Simon went on, “I must ring the garage this morning and get them to come down and open it for us.”

       “Why don’t you just break into it yourself?” said John.  “It couldn’t be too difficult with that heap.”

       I looked up with a wry smile.  “Have you seen ‘that heap’ lately?” I asked.

       John frowned.

       “Come and see,” said Simon, getting up and walking over to the window.

       “We fed it steroids,” I said as John and Lara went to look out the window.

       “Holy shit!” John breathed.

       Lara laughed.  “Very impressive.”

       “It’s certainly an improvement,” John said.

       “I couldn’t stand the complaints,” Simon replied, grinning at me.  “I knew if I bought something like that it would shut her up.”

       “Charming,” I said with a smile.

       One by one the others came back to sit at the table.

       “Well, you’ll certainly have something worth rolling up in at the party tomorrow,” said John.

       “What party?” asked Simon.

       “Oh, didn’t Alex tell you?” he said.

       “Alex doesn’t know anything about this either,” I said.

       “Oh,” said John.  “Well, there’s a huge party happening tomorrow night and everybody who’s anybody is going to be there.”

       “I guess we’d better be there then,” I said to Simon with a smile.

       “When do you leave for the tour?” Lara asked.  The question had no obvious connection to the conversation, but John was apparently used to these wandering trains of thought and answered her without batting an eyelid.

       “A week from Monday,” he said.

       I raised my eyebrows.  “You guys are going on tour?” I asked quietly.

       John glanced at me in surprise, but Simon quickly cleared his throat and got up from the table.

       “Will you excuse us for a minute?” he said to the other two.  He took my hand and pulled me up and led me out into the loungeroom.

       “I’m sorry,” he said straight away, “I should have told you sooner.  I just never found the right moment.”

       I remembered Howard saying precisely those words not three months ago, before he left on his tour, and an icy shiver ran down my spine.  I pursed my lips and fought the sudden threat of tears.

       Simon sighed.  “It’s only for a couple of weeks,” he said, reaching up to touch my cheek.  “We’re just going to whiz round the country, and I’ll be back in your arms before you even miss me.”

       “No you won’t,” I said.  “I’m coming with you.”

       Simon looked at me for a moment, then he let his hand fall back to his side and said, “Alex, there’s nothing I’d like more, but...”

       “But nothing,” I interrupted.  “There is no reason why I shouldn’t come.  Unless you think I’ll cramp your style.”

       Simon sighed again and, somewhat impatiently, said, “Think about it, Alex.  What if Jules and Tracey and Jo and Lara all wanted to come too?”

       “If any of the guys’ wives wanted to come, they’d be booked on the flight faster than I could blink!” I retorted.  “Simon, I am not going to sit at home worrying about you for weeks and I am not going to risk losing you and I am not going to take no for an answer.”

       “Losing me?” Simon said incredulously.  “Where the hell did that come from?”  And then he realised exactly where it came from.  His face softened, and he said gently but earnestly, “Alex, I’m not going to sleep with every model I meet in a hotel and I am not going to go for weeks without calling you, and I’m not going to listen to any more of this.”

       I lowered my eyes and took a deep breath.  Eventually I said, “Fine.  If that’s the way it has to be, I’ll just have to live with it, won’t I.”

       Then I stepped forward and pressed my mouth against Simon’s, kissing him with all the tenderness and passion I could muster.  Admittedly, I was a little surprised to feel the intensity of his reaction, but it served my purposes perfectly, and I broke the kiss off abruptly.

       “Provided you think you can live without that,” I added quietly, and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

       I was just outside the doorway when I became aware of John and Lara’s voices in the kitchen; they were talking in hushed tones, but the conversation sounded nothing less than hostile.

       I stopped by the doorway and listened as John was saying, “You’ve made your point, okay, now can you give it a rest?  I swear, Lara, if you start causing problems for them, I’ll never forgive you.”

       I heard Simon heading for the kitchen behind me, so I stepped through the doorway and smiled at the pair of them.

       “Sorry about that,” I said as Simon came in behind me.

       “I hope you sorted it all out,” John said, with his eyes on me.

       Simon and I sat down again and both sipped our coffees.

       “So,” I said brightly, trying to ease the strain in the atmosphere.  “What happens after the tour?  Do you get a holiday?”

       John and Simon both laughed.

       “Hardly,” said Simon.  “After this tour we’re recording a new album.”

       “Then we might get a short break before the world tour,” John added.

       I sighed, thinking, Another tour Simon neglected to tell me about.

       I noticed him shift uncomfortably in his seat beside me.

       I pushed the thought from my mind and said lightly, “You know what you guys need?  A change of image.”

       They looked at me with raised eyebrows.

       “I’m serious,” I said.  “You need people to start taking you seriously, otherwise you’ll eventually just go out of style like any other pretty-boy band.”

       “Pretty-boy?” Simon repeated incredulously.

       Okay, so I hadn’t chosen my words particularly carefully.  Luckily, Lara came to my rescue.

       “I think Alex has a point,” she said.  “Your main following at the moment are teenage girls, and you know how fickle they are.  They’ll toss you aside for the next good-looking sensation that comes along.”

       John and Simon were looking at eachother expressionlessly.

       “It’s true,” I said.  “You need to tone down your image and start attracting a wider, older audience.”

       “I think we’ve got ourselves a pair of new managers,” John said and he and Simon grinned at eachother.

       “This is just an objective viewpoint,” Lara said.  “Nobody’s forcing you to listen.  I’m sure Alex and I will revel in being able to say I told you so when it happens.”

       Simon smiled indulgently.  “It won’t happen,” he assured her.

       “I can just see it now,” I said, turning to Lara.  “All the guys up on stage in leather pants and scarves and thick eye makeup.  You and I are the only people in the audience, but Simon’s up there still proudly singing, I’ve got my owwnn waaayy...”

       Lara laughed; even John smiled, but Simon was not amused.

       “Very good,” he said dryly.  “But tell you what, why don’t you leave the singing to me, and just keep your little performances for the bedroom.”

       A horrified silence fell over the group, and John winced visibly.  I stared at Simon.

       At last I managed to breathe, “I don’t believe you just said that.”

       Simon closed his eyes for a moment.  “Neither do I,” he said quietly.

       I stared at him for a moment longer, then I muttered, “Thankyou for the coffee John,” and got up and left the apartment.

       I marched straight out into the fine mist of rain and had already hailed a cab by the time Simon caught up with me.

       “I’m sorry,” he said as I opened the door to the taxi, but I could tell from his voice that he knew how futile it was.

       “How dare you?” I hissed at him.

       Without waiting for a reply, I plonked myself in the back seat of the cab, slammed the door and issued the directions for my apartment.

       I didn’t hear from him again until the following evening, when he phoned just before dinner time to ask if I still wanted to go to the party that night.  The words Anybody who’s anybody will be there had attached themselves to my brain, so I told him I did, and he came to pick me up at around 9pm.

       In keeping with my mood, I dressed in a fairly conservative outfit which was not one of my own designs, but I did wear Simon’s bracelet and his perfume.

       I picked up my shoulder bag before I answered the door, and didn’t invite him in.

       “Hi,” I said simply.  “I’m ready.”

       He looked at me for a moment, then leant forward to touch a featherweight kiss to my cheek.  “Okay, let’s go,” he said.

       After only a few minutes’ driving, I began to wish we were not in a Lamborghini, but back in the rattly old Love Bug, because the silence of the engine made the silence inside the car even more oppressive.  I wished Simon would say something, but I was not going to be the first to speak.

       At last he said lightly, “It should be a good party tonight.  You’ll like the house, it’s a classic sort of place built on top of a hill, and it’s absolutely  huge.”

       I managed a smile.  “Sounds good.”

       The awkward silence resumed.

       By the time we pulled up at the front of the mansion and handed the keys to the parking attendant, I was dreading the party and a night spent with this sort of company.

       The party was fairly spectacular; there were a lot of famous people there and Simon introduced me to several of his acquaintances, but neither of us was able to get into the mood of the party.

       It was past midnight when I decided I couldn’t bear any more and went out into the extensive gardens for some fresh air and time alone.  I wished I could find just one friend, someone I could talk to and relax with; but John was my only real friend in the whole damn country and I had no idea where he was.  I missed Australia like crazy.

       I strolled out along the stone paved path, looking up at the burning stars as I walked, my mind as far away as the dimmest of them.  I almost walked into the solitary figure before I noticed him.

       I realised instantly that it was Howard.  He was leaning against the railing which fenced off the property and bordered the top of a steep drop down the hillside.  He was staring silently out over the valley below.

       He turned and saw me before I could turn away.

       “Hi,” he said quietly.

       I smiled back at him but said nothing.

       “I’ve seen you around the party,” he told me.  “I thought it best to avoid you, but it looks like you found me.”

       I was silent for a moment, then I leant against the railing beside him.  “What are you doing out here by yourself?” I asked.

       “Oh, just getting some breathing space,” he said, looking back out over the view.

       “You too huh?” I replied.

       “Where’s Simon?” he asked.

       “Inside,” I answered.

       He nodded, and neither of us said anything for a long time.  Then he said, “You’ve looked unhappy all night.  Are you okay?”

       “Oh, I guess so,” I replied with a lame smile.  “I just... I could use a friend right now.  But unfortunately they’re in short supply at the moment.”

       “Is it about Simon?” he asked and I nodded.  Howard shrugged.  “I guess that rules me out then.”

       He turned to look at me.  “If you... I dunno; if you just want some company, I’m here.”

       I smiled again.  “Thanks.”

       “Anything,” he said after a pause.  “If there’s anything you want...”

       Suddenly I found that a tear had escaped my eye and was rolling down my cheek.  I wiped it away quickly, but another appeared, to take its place.

       Howard looked at me helplessly for a moment, then he looked away, then looked back again.  At last he put a tentative arm around my shoulders.

       Before I knew what I was doing, I turned and threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder.  I felt his arms encircle me slowly, and then slowly hold me tighter.  I remembered the feel of his hands moving up and down my back, and it was so comforting.

       Eventually I looked up at him. 

       And without thinking, I touched my lips against his.  It was a moment before he responded, but when he did it was so easy to slip into a warm, deep kiss.

       It lasted only a few seconds before I pulled away.

       “Oh God, I’m sorry,” I said, looking at the ground.

       “No, I’m sorry,” he returned.  “I... took advantage...”

       We looked away from eachother in shame, and as Howard’s eyes were drawn back to the view of the valley, mine fell on the doorway, and my heart skipped a beat.

       John was standing there, with a drink in his hand, and he was staring straight at me.

       Our eyes locked for a fraction of a second, then he turned and walked out into another part of the garden.

       I took a deep breath and turned back to the problem at hand.

       “Howard,” I said softly.  “You know...”

       “I know that you love Simon,” he interrupted.  “And I know that what just happened was because of something that has gone wrong between you and nothing to do with your feelings for me.  Let’s... just forget it happened.”

       “I’m sorry,” I whispered again.

       We looked at eachother for a long time, until finally he stepped past me and walked back into the house.

       I stood alone for quite a while, before I noticed someone come and lean against the rail beside me.  It was John, but he didn’t speak to me, or even look at me.  He stared out across the valley and said nothing.  After a while he took a sip of his drink.

       Almost a minute passed before I spoke.

       “How could I do that to Simon?” I said quietly.

       “You tell me,” he answered, still without looking at me.

       I sighed.  At last I said, “He really hurt me yesterday John.”

       “So you go back to an ex-lover for revenge?” John said, looking sideways at me.

       Surprised at the absence of sympathy which I knew I didn’t deserve but expected nonetheless, I said indignantly, “Howard was never my lover and I have not gone back to him, nor has the concept of revenge so much as crossed my mind.”

       John looked into his drink.  “He loves you Alex,” he said quietly.  “He might say the wrong things sometimes, but he does love you.”

       “He wouldn’t have said what he did if he really respected me,” I argued.

       “You’re forgetting that you made fun of him too,” John answered.

       “That was different!” I cried.  “I was just teasing him, I didn’t mean it!”

       John looked at me again, but his voice remained as soft as it had been since his first words.  “You ridiculed his music and his image,” he said.  “His music is his life.  You made fun of everything he’s based his life on, don’t you think that would hurt him?  Especially considering the way he feels about you.”

       I closed my eyes.

       “You know,” he went on, after a long pause, “Simon told me about that day when Howard came to your apartment and he left the two of you alone to talk.  I don’t think you realise how hard that was for him.  He said the whole time he was in the bathroom he was terrified that he was going to walk out and find you and Howard in eachother’s arms.  And I think he’s only just starting not to see Howard as a threat anymore.”

       I opened my eyes at last and stared at the horizon.

       “I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.  “I feel... so...”

       I couldn’t think of an appropriate word to describe my mortification, but John saved me the effort by pushing away from the rail and pulling me into his arms.  We held eachother tightly for a long time.

       “Just remember that he loves you,” he said gently.  Then he let go and put his hands on my shoulders.  “This whole business never happened, okay?” he said, looking into my eyes.

       I smiled my gratitude, and then I reached up to cover his hand with mine as he was about to turn back towards the house.

       “John,” I said.

       He looked at me again.

       “I made fun of you too,” I murmured.  “I’m sorry.”

       He graced me with one of those deeply affectionate smiles that I loved so much, and it was answer enough.  Then he lifted his glass to his lips and swallowed the rest of his drink.  “What say we go and rejoin the party.”

       He kept hold of my hand as we walked back into the house.

       “Where’s Lara?” I asked as we walked.

       “She went to the ladies’ room,” he answered.  “She’s probably back by now and wondering where the hell I’ve got to.”

       I wanted to ask what their rather hostile exchange of words the previous morning had been about and if anything was wrong between them, but we had re-entered the building and the crowd closed in around us.  He released my hand as we approached Simon.

       Lara was with him, as well as a few other friends, and everyone smiled and greeted us, except Lara.  But I didn’t pin any significance to that.  I went straight to Simon and linked my arm with his.

       “Come and dance,” I said brightly, and began dragging him away from the little group.  He was obviously surprised.

       “Hey!” called John just before we disappeared.  I turned around.  “Save the last dance for me,” he grinned, slipping his arm around Lara as he spoke.

       I grinned back.

       That was the last I saw of John that night; by 3am Simon and I were exhausted and John and Lara had long since left the party.

       We stood on the front porch waiting for the car to be brought round, and I was still full of energy, though exhausted at the same time.

       “Can I drive?” I asked, as we walked down the steps to the driveway.

       “Be serious,” Simon said, his hand in mine.  “How much have you had to drink?”

       “Less than you, I’ll bet.”  I hugged his arm.  “Please?” I begged.

       “No,” he said firmly, taking the keys from the valet.  “Alex, what’s going on?”

       “What do you mean?” I replied.  “Simon, I’d really like to drive.”

       “Suddenly you’re acting as though yesterday morning never happened,” he persisted.  “What’s it all about?”

       “Let me drive,” I insisted.

       “Tell me what’s going on.”

       “Only if you let me drive.”

       Simon sighed exasperatedly and handed me the keys.  I snatched them and leant up to kiss him on the lips before running around to the driver’s side, giggling with glee.

       We spent the journey home chattering and laughing about people we had met and things that had happened at the party, and it was not until we were inside his apartment, flopped onto his couch with our shoes off and arms around eachother, that he said, “Okay Alex, talk to me.”

       I looked up at him.  “I love you,” I said.  “And I really admire you.  I realise I didn’t come across that way yesterday, but I honestly have so much respect for what you do, and how you do it.  I know I hurt you, with the things I said, and I suppose it was just a reflex reaction for you to throw something back at me like you did.”

       Simon looked at me for a long time.  At last he said simply, “I love you like crazy.”

       I smiled at him and moved forward to kiss him, but at the last moment I curled my fingers firmly around his chin and forced him to look me in the face as I added penetratingly, “But if you ever say anything like that in front of our friends again, we are over.”

       I suppose I just expected him to submit happily to my kiss of forgiveness, but I was startled to feel his hand clamp solidly around my wrist, his jaw set squarely beneath my fingertips.  His unblinking eyes imprisoned mine as he growled, “Likewise, if you ever ridicule the way I sing again.”

       And then he planted a ferocious kiss of forgiveness on my lips.

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