‘Nonsense!’ he said hurriedly. ‘Can we leave it?’
‘Of course. I’ll just say this. I think she’s the woman for you, and you should try to win her for life.’
‘Mom, please. You just don’t understand.’
She patted his face. ‘No, my darling. It’s you that doesn’t understand.’
Life settled into a comfortable pattern. Sometimes they would go out together, always choosing a place where they would be seen and enjoying the public reaction, whether it appeared in the press or on the Internet.
‘But don’t overdo it,’ Joe, the Press Officer, had warned. ‘The public are quite sophisticated about this kind of thing these days, and if you live in each other’s pockets they suspect a PR stunt.’
With one voice they exclaimed,
Joe grinned. ‘You two scare me sometimes. It’s like the same brain working both of you!’
They shared a smile. Their instinctive mental harmony was a source of pleasure to them.
But they heeded Joe’s words, and went out separately. She enjoyed the theatre, while he preferred to spend an evening with friends. She wondered if the friends included the kind of ladies he didn’t dare be seen with, but if so he never mentioned it. When describing his evening he would finish with, ‘I was boringly virtuous. You’d have been proud of me.’
‘You could tell me if anything happened,’ she said once. ‘I wouldn’t be jealous.’
‘And I would tell you, if there was anything to tell. You’d need to be warned, for practical reasons.’
And since she had a deep belief in the trust between them, she accepted his word.
One evening Travis arrived home to find her about to leave.
‘Going somewhere interesting?’
‘To the theatre, with some of the girls from the TV studio. There’s six of us going in total. It’s an open air performance, so I’m just dressed casual.’
He noticed that by ‘just casual’ she meant the tight jeans she’d been wearing the day she sat on his lap, when he-
He shut off the thought.
From below came a beep from a horn.
‘That’s my taxi,’ she said. ‘Right, I’ll be off.’
‘Will you be late?’
‘Very late, probably.’ She added significantly, ‘And I promise to come in quietly.’
He understood. She was saying that he was free to enjoy himself with another woman-or women.
‘Charlene-’
‘Got to dash. Bye!’
She blew him a kiss, and was gone.
From the window he watched her hop merrily into the taxi. As he turned back into the room he realised how empty it was. How silent and lonely.
Suddenly it was intolerable. He ran swiftly through a list of female names, seeking one that would do. The problem was that there were so many that would ‘do’. Too many.
His choice fell on Susie. They were old friends and she liked nothing better than to have a good time, with nothing serious on either side, except a generous gift to finish the evening. He picked up the phone.
As soon as she heard his voice she cried, ‘
‘How about we put that right? Are you free this evening?’
‘I am for you. Where shall we meet?’
‘Why don’t you come over here?’
She gave a knowing laugh. ‘That sounds lovely. Who needs other people?’
They understood each other perfectly.
Charlene’s evening out was short-lived. The play was poor, the acting terrible. In the interval she and her friends poured out and headed into the nearest restaurant.
‘Hey, look who’s there!’ exclaimed a young woman. ‘Penny Danes. She’s the TV star in
‘His name’s Lee Anton,’ Charlene said. ‘He’s just started in the series.’
Cameras were flashing on the theatrically loving couple. Penny stretched out her hand, flaunting a ring, then kissed Lee, waving the ring again.
‘Looks like they’ve got engaged,’ someone observed. ‘Do you know him, Charlene?’
‘No,’ she said quietly. ‘I don’t know him.’
Soon after that she discovered that she was tired. Bidding goodnight to her companions, she slipped quietly away and went to stand outside the restaurant, looking in at Lee and his new lover.
It should have hurt, she thought wryly, but that was all over. Now she had a new life, thanks to Travis, with his gift of touching her emotions. Their relationship might only be friendly, but so few people had ever bothered with her emotions in the past that it could be dangerous if she wasn’t careful.
She turned and went to hail a taxi. Nothing appeared and after a while she thought of going back inside. But when she turned, Lee was standing there.
‘Fancy seeing you! Come in and meet my fiancee.’
‘Thank you, no. But I wish you every happiness, Lee.’
‘You don’t blame me, then?’
‘Why should I blame you? There was nothing really between us.’
She had the feeling that this didn’t please him.
‘Anyway, I hope Travis doesn’t hurt you too much when your break-up comes. And it will. He’s not known as a faithful guy. The girls love him, but he doesn’t love them. Since he linked up with you they say he’s a reformed character.’ He eyed her hilariously. ‘But I guess you’d know about that.’
‘I see a taxi,’ she said hurriedly. ‘Goodnight, Lee.’
She couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
It was dark when she reached home. She let herself in quietly, meaning to tiptoe to her room, unnoticed. But the door to Travis’s bedroom was ajar, and from behind it she could hear a woman’s voice.
‘Oh, darling, you’re so sweet. If only other people saw the real you-knew you as I do-’
Silence. Charlene was tense, waiting for his voice, wondering what he would say.
‘It’s better if they don’t,’ he said at last. ‘Let’s keep it our secret.’
‘Oh, yes, of course you’re right. This is special to us-’
Charlene flattened herself against the wall, her eyes darting frantically from side to side. There was no way to reach her own room without passing the open door, and the thought of being discovered like this made her quail.
But the alternative was to stay concealed, effectively spying on Travis.
‘I’ve really missed you,’ came the female voice again. ‘And you’ve missed me. I can tell. You have, haven’t you?’
Heart pounding, Charlene waited for his answer, but instead of words there came only a
‘Travis-’
‘Wait.’ That was his voice.
He was moving about the room. Charlene held her breath as she sensed him grow nearer. Even so, she wasn’t prepared for the moment when he came into sight. The door was open just wide enough to show the whole of him, naked except for a pair of black briefs, so tiny they were almost non-existent.
