Page 50 of The Girlfriend

C HERRY SAT ON THE SEAT ON THE PLATFORM AT NOTTING HILL TUBE station and waited for her watch to reach seven minutes past four.

Then she stood. It was time to start heading up to the street.

Daniel, she knew, was prompt, so it was just late enough to make him hope she was still coming.

She bounded up the steps, so as to get just a little out of breath, and then ran out of the entrance.

There he was, standing outside an upmarket sandwich establishment, trying not to look as if he might have been stood up.

“Sorry I’m a bit late,” she said, “tube was held up at South Ken,” and he smiled, all doubts melting away.

“No problem.” They stood self-consciously, both smiling awkwardly at each other, feeling like they were on a first date.

Strangely, it seemed a bit premature for kisses—even though just over a year ago, they were sleeping together.

This afternoon was a movie date, a mutual appreciation for Steven Soderbergh.

Once they’d both admitted they were still single, the next most natural thing was to arrange to go out.

Cherry had had to think of something low-key to ease them in, something that wouldn’t feel too strange, something innocuous that wouldn’t make him question whether he was doing the right thing.

The film was about to leave the theaters and she’d said how it would be a shame to miss it; he agreed, and she said she was thinking of going that afternoon, so if he needed a break from his studies?

He didn’t think about it long and they made a plan to meet later.

Cherry went home to shower and change. She wanted to look her absolute best, as she had big intentions for the afternoon.

They walked along the street toward the Gate cinema; at the curb, he put his hand out protectively as a car came flying around a left turn.

Cherry felt a rush of warmth, a fuzzy sense of attachment.

They crossed the road safely and headed toward the front of the building. Outside, the poster brought bad news.

“It looks like it’s already gone,” cried Cherry, even though she’d known this when he suggested the venue. Sitting silently in a cinema would persuade him to come out, but it was not going to resurrect their relationship.

He stepped closer. “What? It can’t have.”

But it had. Something new about aliens had taken its place.

“What about the Electric cinema just down the road?”

“Good idea,” said Cherry.

They walked the couple of blocks to the Electric, but that was just as bereft of Steven Soderbergh’s genius, something else that Cherry had already known. Daniel looked sheepish and thumped his fist on his forehead. “I’m so sorry. I’ve dragged you all the way up here for nothing.”

“Outrageous! How are you going to make it up to me?”

He smiled. “We could find another cinema?”

“Or the zoo?” she jumped in quickly. “I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Really?”

She noted his hesitation. “You’re not keen.”

“If you’d like to . . .”

But neither of them moved. Cherry could feel the afternoon slipping from her control. Whatever they did, she had to decide now.

“Tell you what, why don’t we just walk toward the park?

It’s such a lovely day.” She turned, not giving him a chance to refuse, and they set off toward Kensington.

It wasn’t the most promising of starts, and in quiet desperation, she knew she was going to have to work harder.

She suddenly thought a walk wasn’t such a good idea, after all—they were awkward around each other and needed something to distract them, something to talk about. She turned excitedly to him.

“Jazz.”

“What?”

“They do a bit of R and B too. And great fish and chips.”

“Shouldn’t that be shrimp Creole?”

“We could make a request.”

She held her breath and sent a silent thank-you to her memory.

The aloof and elite Abigail and Emily to thank.

She’d never penetrated their joint wall of friendship, but listening carefully to every conversation they’d had at the agency had been useful, after all.

More than once, they’d raved about a bar with “the best” live music, but never thought to ask her along.

She’d wistfully checked it online one night when they’d gone along after work and she was further put out by the fact it did look good, not too up itself or pretentious.

She knew it opened at four; in fact, they’d probably even get a table this early on.

She looked at him excitedly. “Fancy it?”

Her enthusiasm was infectious. “Where is it?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Walk?”

“Cab.”

He hailed one and they climbed in. Cherry gave directions and a few minutes later they were driving down a little back alley. Nestled between a wine shop and a jewelers was the bar.

Once they were inside, Cherry knew immediately it had been a good idea. They had a table to themselves and there were just enough people already there to make it feel like a gathering of friends, people who through luck or skill had managed to skive off work early.

Daniel was looking at the menu. “Is it too early for cocktails?”

Cherry grinned and shook her head.

“This place is great, how did you find it?”

“It’s one of my favorites,” said Cherry casually, as if she spent numerous nights hanging out there and was now sharing it with him.

They were drawn in by the singers, a young white guy with a prominent Adam’s apple and a statuesque black woman in a purple sequined dress.

She was in her late fifties, but her voice was strong and defiant.

The young guy would occasionally flirt with her on stage and she’d treat him with dignified disdain.

This amused him and between them they had an electrifying presence together.

Cherry glanced at Daniel and looked for signs that his mother had been in touch since she’d seen him that morning.

Laura would’ve found out about the nonexistent ITV meeting hours ago, and no doubt she’d be extremely suspicious of who’d actually sent her there, and had probably worked it out.

She’d likely panicked, wanting to talk to Daniel, but so far he’d not mentioned anything.

He was still behaving as if he hadn’t spoken to his mother, which meant he didn’t know about how she’d threatened Laura the day before.

In fact, Cherry wasn’t all that worried: If Laura did bring it up, she would just deny it.

It was all rather melodramatic and far-fetched and Laura was the one with the record of grotesque lies.

In fact, instead of being a worry, Cherry felt sure she could make it look as if Laura was behaving worse than ever and this would push Daniel to her even quicker.

She’d wasted enough time and was sick of being down and out.

Thankfully, Daniel had paid the cab and put his card behind the bar for the drinks.

The band changed songs and the woman started up something feisty and proud and her voice filled the belly.

Murmurs of appreciation went around the room and Daniel impulsively stood.

He held out his hand and led Cherry to the other couples in the small dance area.

She smiled. The ice was well and truly broken. There was no going back.

* * *

As he held her hand and spun her around the floor, Daniel thought again how lucky he was that Cherry had decided to make an unplanned visit to his parents’ house that morning.

And how lucky his shifts had worked out so he’d been in at the time.

He’d been given something back from all that had been taken away from him after the accident.

He got a stab of hurt when he thought about his mum and how quickly he’d moved out, but he quickly quashed it.

The flat had smelled musty. He immediately opened all the windows and ran all the taps, which gurgled with air locks.

His old electronic travel card was lying on the coffee table, put there after he’d returned from work the day he and Cherry took the trip to Wales.

It had been lined up neatly with his work ID and all his old mail.

He checked through the postmarks. They stopped sometime around early November, probably when his mother had managed to get hold of most people to tell them he was in a coma.

He quickly looked through, but they were all junk mail, bills, and so on.

He chucked them all in the trash. Then he opened the fridge.

It was empty. He had a sudden urge to fill it and make the place feel more like home, so he left his rucksack lying in the hall and headed out.

When he came back, he turned up the music and made himself some lunch.

The place felt better already, but what he couldn’t get rid of was the ache in his chest. And for the first time he felt angry.

He’d been cheated out of something he cared about.

All those months when he could have been with Cherry, the girl he loved.

Why? Why had his mother gone to such lengths?

* * *

The vibrant music and powerful singing released something in him and made him feel free. The singer finished on a heartfelt note and a small outbreak of applause rippled around the room. Daniel led Cherry back to their table.

“Quite a mover.”

She blushed. “No . . .”

“Did we ever go dancing?”

Her face clouded over. “Don’t think we had time.”

“What else didn’t we do?”

“Swim with dolphins.”

“Which couples swim with dolphins?”

“It’s an option. Have our portrait painted.”

He smiled. “Buy matching T-shirts. ”

“Throw a dinner party.”

“Have ‘our’ song.”

“Argue.”

He considered. “No, we didn’t, did we?” In fact, he realized, they’d never had more than a healthy debate. It was a nice thought.

“I’ve moved back to the flat.”

She stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“It was left empty. Ever since the accident.”

“What did Laura say?”

“I haven’t spoken to her yet. I left her a note back at the house. It just seemed like it was never going to be an easy conversation and I needed some time to think.”

Cherry nodded. “Was that today? After we met up?”

“Yes.”

She could tell he was still hurting. She put a hand on his, then raised her glass. “Happy new home,” she said warmly, and clinked.

By the end of the night, he knew what he wanted to do. They left the bar, and before it became too big a thing, he asked her, “Do you want to come back?”

She stared at him a moment and he wondered if he’d gone too far.

“It’s okay if you don’t—”

“No, I’d like to.”

They were silent in the cab on the way back, each content with the other’s company and his or her own thoughts.

Daniel opened his front door and she stepped inside.

As it closed behind them, they moved together into a kiss.

Cherry pulled urgently at his shirt and they were naked before they reached the bedroom.

Afterward, as they lay in bed, both were happier than they’d been for a long time.

The missing months had melted away and they felt as attached to each other as they had a year ago, only more so because of what they’d been through.

Cherry’s leg was looped over his and Daniel looked at her beautiful, lightly tanned skin, luminous in the semidark.

“Cherry?”

She snuggled into his side. “Yes? ”

“Move in.”

Her heart beat rapidly against his arm. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him, wide-eyed.

“Here?”

“Of course, here. I don’t want to waste any more time. My accident taught me that. And I don’t know about you, but this”—he indicated the two of them—“feels as good as it was, better even. I just want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you too.”

“So, will you?”

She paused. “What about your mum?”

“She’s not coming.”

“No, I mean—”

“I know what you mean. She’ll just have to get used to it. It’s my life and I want you in it. If you’d like to be.”

She kissed him. “I would.”