---

 

---

Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Editor's Note: Jenny Walker has graciously allowed me to represent her original story No Half Measures on BigCloset. Originally published on BigCloset Classic, this story segment was not migrated over to BigCloset TopShelf. This story segment first appeared on BigCloset Classic on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 02:48 pm. Due to the original story presentation format being unsuitable and unwieldy for most portable devices (each part being over 1 meg in length), the story is now being broken up into single chapters for easier reading. The original Movements will be indicated on their respective chapters. The first chapter of each Movement will retain the original comments and read hits so as to preserve them for the author.

Sephrena Lynn Miller

---

 
 
Chapter 40
 
 
I felt physically fine the next morning, but was inwardly ashamed and embarrassed. Nonetheless I dressed up nicely, made myself presentable and was about to head down for breakfast when there was a knock on my door. I looked through the peephole and saw that it was Jon. I steeled myself for another onslaught and opened the door.

"Hi Jon."

"Hey you," he said softly. "Can I come in?"

I let him in and he sat down on one of the chairs. I sat on the bed and faced him.

He took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm sorry for going off at you like I did last night. I… had no idea. Jools talked to me this morning and told me about the note. I'm sorry. The last thing you needed was me eating the head off you."

I smiled and shook my head. "No, Jon, you were completely justified in what you said. You were right. No matter what had happened, my behaviour was inexcusable."

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

I smiled ruefully. "I let you down - the guys, Jools, Simon… and all the fans."

He got up and sat down beside me on the bed. He put his arm around my shoulders. "You've had a lot to deal with these past few months. I'm astounded at how you do it. I think you're amazing."

I laughed and let my head rest on his shoulder. "I'm glad one person thinks that. I'm sure there's a few thousand Brummies who'd disagree with you today."

He squeezed my shoulder. "Stuff them. So you did a bad performance? Every artist does it from time to time. You'll bounce back tonight. C'mon, let's go and get some breakfast."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jon."

He shrugged awkwardly and we stood up to leave.
 

*          *          *
 
I felt embarrassed when I had to face the rest of the guys at breakfast, but they were polite and didn't mention anything about the previous night's fiasco. On the way down, Jon had assured me that he hadn't told them about me being drunk. I think that Jools had probably had a word with them and told them to go easy on me. I'm sure she wouldn't have told them any specific details, but they were surprisingly gracious and encouraging.

After breakfast, we checked out and Gareth drove me on to Cardiff. We were playing in St. David's Hall that evening and I felt a growing anticipation as we neared my capital city. Crossing the border between England and Wales — which is no more than a sign on the road of course — filled me with that indefinable feeling of being on home ground. There was always something comforting about it.

My thoughts inevitably turned to my father and I wondered how he was doing. I longed to see him and talk to him. I wanted to see his face and hug him, but I knew from Claire's ongoing updates that his opinion had not softened. In a foolish moment I wondered if he would come to my concert. I told myself to wise up; he probably had no idea how my career was going and most likely didn't even know I was playing in Cardiff that night.

The sound check was routine and the crews had the place in order. Jools had obviously warned Simon that he was not to say anything about the previous night that might upset me. Instead he was just encouraging and enthusiastic. When we retired to our hotel for a few hours break before the concert, Jools asked if she could rest in my room, as her room was not yet ready. I'm sure this was simply a ruse for her to keep an eye on me, but I agreed readily. It was the least I could do. We chatted, relaxed and watched a bit of TV.

"Jools, have you noticed how all the other band members have hooked up with someone and I'm the last one remaining unattached?"

Jools nodded. "So? I'm not attached either."

I grinned. "You're married to your work, big shot entrepreneur that you are."

She laughed. "Maybe so." After a pause she added, "Perhaps you should think about dating. It might help you to…"

I knew what she was going to say and I knew that she was probably right. "Yeah, I guess. It will seem a bit weird though. I mean, what do I do? Do I tell the person the truth about me?"

She wrinkled her brow. "Hmm, I don't think that would be wise."

"So I base a relationship on a false assumption?"

She frowned. "Hey, I'm not saying that you should go out and marry the first man you see. A few dates won't mean you have to tell him your deepest darkest secret."

I smiled. "Yes, you're right, but who said that I was definite about it being men that I wanted to date."

She sat up straight and looked over at me. "What are you saying?"

I laughed and shook my head. "I'm only teasing. I haven't thought about it much, but I reckon it would be a man. Anything else… is just too complicated."

She giggled. "Yes, and your life is anything but complicated.

I threw a pillow at her.
 

*          *          *
 
"Are you feeling better?" Gina asked as she helped me to get ready.

"Yes, much better, thanks."

As she did my make-up, I made sure that I was mentally ready for my performance. My head was clear and I was well rested. I had eaten properly and had drunk plenty of water that day. Although I was apprehensive after the dreadful show I had put on the previous night, I was confident that I could deliver my best that evening. The fear from the anonymous note still lurked in the back of my mind, but I was able to control it.

When we took to the stage, the roar from the crowd was deafening. I thought that the news from Birmingham must not have made it that far yet. I was determined to give them something to remember — in the good sense.

"Good evening Cardiff," I shouted, "It's wonderful to be home."

The cheers that resulted made the earlier shouting seem like background noise. I laughed and spoke again, "When I was younger, I remember coming up to Cardiff to concerts and sitting where you are now and dreaming of doing what I now do. Dreams come true, people!"

They shouted and cheered all the more. "If you want to make your dreams come true, it takes 'No Half Measures'… one… two… three… four…"

The adrenaline rush that ensued from the powerful sound that we were pumping out picked me up like a lone surfer on a killer wave. Standing on the crest of the wave, I felt as if I were singing with more energy than ever before. I was hammering out the chords on the guitar too. When it came to the solo, I walked over to Jon and we jammed away together in true rock guitarist style. I laughed as he mouthed, 'You rock,' to me.

The crowd responded well and the set went like a dream. Before the official last song, not counting the encore, I quietened the crowd down.

"This night has been awesome and has been incredibly special to me. Coming home is one of the most wonderful things in life. When you're away from that special place for a long period, you can forget how important it is to you. Being with you all tonight has reminded me to never stop coming home."

As they cheered wildly, Kevin counted us in and we started 'I'm Coming Home'.
 
 

"Same old faces,  Familiar places,  As I drive down the main street,  Corners where I  Laughed and cried  Shades of memories bitter sweet  No matter how long I've been gone  No matter how far I may roam  Wherever my sun may set and dawn  In my heart, I'm coming home."

 
 
When the last notes faded, we were deafened with the whistling, cheering and clapping. We left the stage waving and the noise continued unabated until we returned for the encore. I felt tears roll down my cheeks at the end as we waved to the crowd.

Jon gave me a bear hug in the wings of the stage. "You were awesome," he said with a smile.

I hugged him back and grinned. "We all were."
 

*          *          *
 
Some of the Sunday papers did not know what to conclude about my performances. One of them titled its article 'From the ridiculous to the sublime'. They were scathing in their account of my Birmingham performance, but effusive in praise regarding Cardiff. Most mentioned the fact that I had apparently been unwell in Birmingham and, despite some scepticism, the general conclusion was that given the great show in Cardiff, illness must have been the explanation for the earlier disaster.

Claire had been at the show the previous night and I had not had the opportunity to catch up with her at St. David's Hall. She was staying with Dad and came over the next morning to see me. She was bright-eyed and full of praise and admiration. She was obviously wondering what had happened in Birmingham and I told her the truth — all of it. I wasn't sure what concerned her more: me getting drunk or the arrival of another note. I assured her that I was fine and that I wasn't losing it or anything. I made her promise to come and stay with me in my new house the next weekend, and I gave her a complimentary ticket for the Wembley Arena show.

Inviting Claire to stay with me gave me another idea. Since the following Saturday would be the last show, I decided to throw a party in my house on the Sunday evening. It was almost Christmas and few people had been round to see my new place. I told Claire, Jools and all the guys about it and there was general enthusiasm for the idea.

Gareth drove me back to London after lunch and I was more than happy to crash out at home and relax. The weekend had been exhausting and I was in need of a good rest.
 

*          *          *
 
As I was having a party and given that Christmas was just over a week away, I decided that I needed to get some festive decorations. It was great having Gareth around. How else would I have managed to get the large real Christmas tree that I bought into the house and planted upright in a pot? He didn't complain and actually seemed to enjoy helping me to decorate the place. I had suggested getting some professional caterers in to provide food for the party, but Mrs. Pantridge nearly had an apoplectic fit when she heard. She assured me that she was more than capable of doing the job herself. I told her that I had complete faith in her abilities, but I didn't want to burden her so. She dismissed such a notion and said that she would enlist the help of her sister and niece if I didn't mind. Mind? I was delighted.

On Wednesday evening, I was in the house by myself. Gareth and Mrs. Pantridge had gone for the night. I felt lonely and my conversation with Jools about relationships came to my mind again. I realised that at the party on Sunday night Jon would be bringing Simone, Brian would have Laura, Peter would bring Rachel of course and even Kevin was planning to bring Janine along. I went digging in one of my handbags and found what I was looking for. I lifted the phone and dialled the mobile number for Jon's cousin, Charlie.

"Hello?" a voice answered.

"Charlie?" I asked tentatively.

"Speaking," he replied.

"Hi Charlie, I'm not sure if you'll remember me, this is Cara Malone. We met at a party in Kent during the summer."

I heard a chuckle. "Oh now, let me see. Gorgeous, talented, famous rock star? Have I got it right?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure if you have, but I'll assume you remember me."

"Of course I do. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was… well I was just wondering… are you in the country at the moment or have you just jetted to the other side of the world?"

"I'm in the country. I've actually given up my job to start my own business. Why do you ask?"

I felt flustered and uncomfortable. "I know this might sound very forward… I was just wondering… if you might want to get together some time… but if you're otherwise engaged, I'll understand."

I heard another chuckle. "Cara, I've been waiting for this phone call for months…"

"You're teasing me," I interrupted.

"Maybe, maybe not. No, I'd love to see you anytime. When suits you?"

I shrugged and then realised that he couldn't see that over the phone. "Oh, I don't know. What are you doing this week?"

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked.

I laughed. "Sitting at home on the phone."

"Want to go out and get a drink?"

"I'd love to," I replied. "Are you in London?"

It seemed that he was. I gave him my address and he promised to be there within the hour. After finishing the call, I flew upstairs and had the quickest bath on record and washed my hair. I slipped into a black and white checked miniskirt and fitted black body. I pulled on a pair of opaque, black stockings and my long suede boots. I didn't go overboard with the make-up, but was pleased with the overall effect.

I didn't have long to wait before the gate buzzer sounded. I checked the TV monitor and seeing that it was Charlie, I pressed the gate release. I opened the door and waited for him.

"Hi Cara," he said with a smile. "You look great."

"Thanks Charlie, you're looking pretty dashing yourself." He was too. His wavy blond hair was slicked back and he was wearing a fashionable sports jacket over a pristine white shirt and well-fitting slacks.

"Fantastic place you've got," he said with admiration.

"Thanks. Do you… want to see around before we go out?" I was dying to show off my house to anyone who was interested.

"Sure I do."

I showed him around and he made all the right comments. We headed out to a pleasant little pub nearby and found ourselves a little corner booth. There was a coal fire blazing in the grate and it really was very cosy.

"So why call me up all of a sudden?" he asked.

I grinned. "Do I need an excuse?"

He laughed. "I'm not complaining, but I'm interested to know why."

I shrugged. "I'm lonely. That's part of it. I… wanted some company."

"Is that all?" he enquired with a twinkle in his eyes.

I smiled and flushed a little. "If you must know, I've not exactly had a surplus of… male company. I'm cautious about who I see… what with the fame thing: I find it hard to know who really wants to be with me for who I really am." I realised that my words were very ironic in that no one, male-wise, wanted to be with me for who I really was, but Charlie was not to know that.

He grinned. "Why me, then?"

I sighed. "You're not going to let me off with this easily are you?"

He chuckled. "It's not every day that a beautiful girl phones me up out of the blue and asks me out."

I blushed. "That's not what I did."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh no?"

I giggled nervously. "OK, maybe I did. Is that so bad?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Was I the first person you called?"

"Yes, of course," I protested indignantly. "If you want to have me totally embarrassed then OK: I enjoyed meeting you last summer and I found you very attractive. Is that enough?"

He smiled and set his hand on top of mine. "More than enough. I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable, but I was just curious."

I nodded and smiled shyly. "Look, if you don't want to see me, or if you've got a girlfriend or something, that's fine. I'm not assuming that you'd want to… spend time with me necessarily."

He smiled at me and didn't speak. "What is it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Coming to see you tonight, I was a bit worried that you would be this big famous star with such an opinion of yourself that you expected men to drop everything when you called…"

"And?"

"You're just a shy, lonely, but let me say incredibly beautiful, girl."

I blushed and looked away. "Charlie…"

He laughed. "Cara, I'm delighted you called me. I'm not seeing anyone right now. I'm happy to spend time with you, whatever you want. We can take it as it comes. How does that sound?"

I looked up at him. "That sounds great."

We had a few drinks and chatted about what we had been up to. Not surprisingly, he was fairly familiar with the progression of my career. He had given up his pilot's job to start up his own charter flight business, focussing on UK businessmen who wanted to hire charter jets for short business flights. He was starting small and had managed to get a loan to cover the purchase of two small jets. He had employed another pilot and was hoping to expand further if things went well. This, he explained, was to both of our advantages as it meant that he would be around a lot more.

I enjoyed my evening with him and when he dropped me off back at my house, he gave me a peck on the cheek.

"Can I see you again?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

I laughed. "I'd like that." I paused and then asked, "Listen, I'm throwing a little Christmas party here on Sunday night. Would you like to come?"

"Sure," he replied. "Erm… just so I know… like where I fit in… am I coming as a friend… or a boyfriend?"

I felt my face redden and I smiled. "A boyfriend, if that's OK?"

He grinned. "I think you can safely assume that I'm happy with that. Goodnight, Cara."

I smiled and waved as he left. As I went inside, I thought to myself, 'I have a boyfriend!'
 

*          *          *
 
"What are you so chirpy about this morning?" Gareth asked.

I laughed. "Oh, maybe it's because I was out with a man last night."

He frowned. "I hope not."

"What? Are you getting all jealous on me?"

He shook his head. "Of course not, but if you were out last night, then why wasn't I with you too?"

I shrugged. "Oh, I didn't think of that. I wasn't alone though."

He sighed. "Cara, I'm not trying to spoil things for you, but if I'm going to do my job then I need to be able to protect you. If someone, God forbid, is out there waiting to harm you, then the moment I am not with you is the time they will strike."

"You're scaring me," I protested.

"I know and I don't want to. I'm sure you were with someone you could trust, but would they be able to look after you if something bad were to happen?"

I thought and frowned. "Not like you would."

He nodded. "I'm not planning to cramp your style, but if you are going out, I can go along separately and discreetly. You won't even know I'm there. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

I smiled. "Thanks Gareth, I'll remember that in future." I paused and then added, "You really do care, don't you?"

He laughed and looked a bit uncomfortable. He shrugged and replied, "Let's just say that in my line of work, there are clients that you simply do your job for, and there are others that you do care about. You definitely fall into the latter category."
 

*          *          *
 
I could tell you in great detail about the concert in Wembley Arena that Saturday night, but I would probably bore you. It was pretty similar to what had gone before — á¡ la Cardiff, not á¡ la Birmingham, thankfully. We didn't quite fill the arena, but we weren't a million miles away from doing so. I was actually astounded when Simon later confirmed that just under ten thousand people had been there to see us. The noise from the crowd certainly was the most intense that we had experienced to date; however, there was not the same feeling of intimacy that I had enjoyed in Cardiff. Whether that was real or just the way I perceived it, I wasn't sure. We had delivered a good show and everyone was satisfied.

One little difference about the London show was that I added a song to the encore just before 'Not Dancing, but Flying'. As it was the week before Christmas, I thought we should do something seasonal. It gave me the opportunity to sing one of my favourite Christmas songs: 'Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas' as sung by Judy Garland in one of my favourite old films 'Meet Me in St. Louis'. It was peculiar: as Nick I had always been embarrassed to admit that I liked the old romantic films, however as Cara it seemed so natural to have such a preference and no one thought anything of it. The song was well received.

Simon certainly was happy that, overall, the success of this mini-tour had vindicated his original decision to go for it. No one mentioned Birmingham and it was as if we all were blanking it from our memories. I wasn't complaining about that.

Claire travelled back to my house with Gareth and me. Gareth bade us goodnight and we went inside. Claire was suitably impressed with my new home.

"My goodness, Nicola, it's fabulous."

I beamed. "Isn't it?"

She smiled. "Truly fitting for a rock superstar."

I laughed and idly swatted her on the arm. "Stop your teasing, would you?"

She giggled. "Never!"

"Well, you've your choice of bedrooms, so which do you want?"

She grinned. "What if I want yours?"

I smiled. "If that's the case, you'll have to share with me."

She was serious again. "Are you sleeping OK here?"

I shrugged. "It's variable." What was I going to tell her? It varied according to whether I tried to have natural sleep or artificially induced slumber. I had been along to see Dr. Carson earlier in the week and had mentioned my trouble sleeping. She had prescribed some sleeping tablets to try and help me. They did help, but they were even more effective when chased down with a little tipple.

"Come on, Sis," Claire said taking me by the arm. "Let's bunk down and have a good natter together."

There was plenty of room in my big bed for the two of us and we talked until the early hours of the morning. I told her about my evening out with Charlie and she was very interested to get all the details. I assured her that there was nothing much more to tell, but told her she could meet him for herself the next evening. We snuggled down together and sleep eventually visited me.
 

*          *          *
 
I introduced Claire to Mrs. Pantridge the next morning and we enjoyed a cooked breakfast from the hands of my now-cherished housekeeper.

"What are you going to do for Christmas?" Claire asked.

I stopped with my fork halfway to my mouth. "Crumbs, I hadn't even thought about it." I set my fork down and frowned. "I don't know."

Claire smiled sympathetically. "Aunt Vera has asked me and Dad over for Christmas dinner. Uncle George is coming too." She paused, "Aunt Vera told me to ask you to come too."

I raised an eyebrow. "She did not."

Claire nodded. "She did. I know she wasn't exactly warm with you last year, but I think she's come round a lot. She hates the… rift between you and Dad. She really wants you to come."

I grimaced. "Dad's going to be there. Does he know that Aunt Vera has asked me?"

Claire looked away for a moment and then smiled at me. "No, she didn't tell him and she thought it would be better if he didn't know."

I nodded. "I can imagine. If he heard I was going, I reckon he'd be his usual stubborn self and refuse to go."

Claire sighed and nodded. "That's what we think."

I shook my head. "It's a recipe for disaster. I don't think I should go."

"Oh come on, what else are you going to do? Sit here by yourself all alone?"

I shrugged "I might go down to Devon with Jools."

"Nicola, you should be with your family. Look, who knows: it might help you and Dad to patch things up."

I was sceptical. "I don't know about that."

"Think about it, will you?"

"OK, I will."
 

*          *          *
 
The rest of the day was quite busy as we got the place ready for the party. Claire helped Mrs. Pantridge and her team in the kitchen while Gareth and I rearranged the furniture. By early evening, everything seemed to be ready. Except us, of course, so Claire and I took a bathroom each. I wanted to look good for several reasons. One was valid: I wanted to impress Charlie and look my best for him. The other was less noble: I wanted to make sure that this Simone model who was coming with Jon did not upstage me.

After bathing and washing my hair, I pulled on my corset. I enlisted Claire's help to tighten it. It had been some time since I had worn it and the restriction was unfamiliar. I urged her to do her worst. She asked why I was so keen to go all out. I shrugged and said that I wanted to impress Charlie. She seemed satisfied with that. I slipped into a new strappy little black dress that I had bought for the occasion. Between it and the corset, I was displaying a fair amount of cleavage. The dress came to just above my knees and I completed the outfit with sheer black stockings and high-heels on which I perched precariously.

I straightened my hair and brushed it until it shone. I swept it up on top of my head in the same way I had noted Gina doing it previously and then teased out a few strands on either side of my head so that they framed my face. I took no prisoners with the make-up but made sure I didn't cross the line between good taste and tartiness. After popping long silver pendant earrings into my lobes, I was done.

"Not bad," I murmured to my reflection.

I went downstairs to prepare to receive my guests.

Gareth turned round as I descended. "My God," he said without thinking.

I laughed. "I beg your pardon?"

He laughed and reddened. "Sorry, but you look… I know I shouldn't say it… but you look gorgeous."

I felt my face flush a little. "Thanks Gareth, but you should be used to how I look by now."

He shook his head and smiled. "You've outdone yourself tonight."

"You think so?" I asked self-consciously.

"Most definitely. He will be very impressed."

"Who will?" I asked a little sharply.

"What's his name… Charlie?"

I nodded, "Oh yes, Charlie, of course. Yes, I hope he is impressed."

I had asked Charlie to come around earlier than the others had been told. I know it was silly, but I didn't want to be welcoming all the guys with their partners and me being obviously unattached.

When Charlie arrived, he looked at me and did a double take. He gave a low whistle and came over to me. He took both of my hands in his. "You are…" He chuckled, "Words fail me, but you look incredible."

"Thanks," I murmured bashfully. I straightened his tie. "You're looking quite smashing yourself." He was dressed in a smart three-piece suit.

"Well, girlfriend of mine, I knew I would have a hard job keeping up with your style."

It felt strange to hear him call me his girlfriend and I sniggered.

"What?" he said with his eyebrow raised. "Did you forget I was to be your boyfriend for tonight?"

I winked. "Maybe not just for tonight."

He clapped a hand to his heart. "Oh, you're going to make me collapse with joy." He chuckled. "You should have seen the look on my colleague's face when I told him who I was going out with."

I laughed and waggled a finger. "I hope you aren't keeping company with me purely for the bragging rights."

He grinned. "Not at all, but it is one of the fringe benefits."
 

*          *          *
 
I welcomed my guests as they arrived. I met Kevin's girlfriend, Janine. She may not have been the prettiest girl, but she was by no means unattractive. Kevin was obviously besotted with her and I was amused to watch them together. Peter and Rachel arrived not long before Brian and Laura. They all made nice comments about my appearance and said that they loved my house. Jools and Beth arrived together and Beth and I squealed as we hugged each other tightly. Simon had arrived with a girl called Lisa.

Jon of course was late. Eventually he arrived with Simone on his arm. Sadly she was just as he had described. She was tall, statuesque and very beautiful in a classical way. She had long flowing platinum blond hair and well-defined facial bone structure.

"Simone, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," she said in a polite accent. I found it hard to warm to her, but that was no doubt partly because of the ambivalent feelings I felt towards her.

I hugged Jon and air-kissed him. "Hey Jon."

"Hey you," he said. "You look wonderful."

I shrugged modestly. "Thanks."

"There's Charlie," Jon exclaimed. "What's he doing here?"

I cleared my throat. "Erm… Charlie and I are sort of seeing each other."

"Since when?" he asked in an almost accusing voice.

"Just this last week actually."

I noticed his eyes narrowing, but he didn't say anything further. He went over to introduce Simone to Charlie and the boys indulged in some backslapping.

Charlie called me over and slipped his arm around my bare shoulders. "So Jon," he said, "What do you think of me landing such a beautiful girlfriend?"

Jon shifted awkwardly and gave a half-hearted smile. "I think she must be losing her marbles to pick you."

Charlie laughed. "In that case, I hope the marbles stay lost for a long time."
 

*          *          *
 
We enjoyed a sumptuous repast from the hands of Mrs. Pantridge and her helpers. It was nice to see the large dining table filled and everyone enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, due to Claire's industrious ministrations with my corset, I was unable to over-indulge in the tasty delicacies set before us.

After dinner, everyone mingled around and relaxed in the lounge as they helped themselves to drinks.

Jon appeared at my side later on in the evening.

"Hi, enjoying yourself?" I asked brightly.

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He took me aside. "Listen, what do you think you're doing?"

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Charlie, what do you think I mean?"

I looked at him and shook my head. "I have no idea what you mean. Why don't you enlighten me?"

He sighed. "What game are you playing with him?"

I felt my hackles rise. "I'm not playing any game with him. So we went out once. So I like him. I don't know where it's going, but I enjoy his company. What's the problem?"

He took a deep breath. "Does he know about you?"

"Does he know what about me?" I asked with an acidic tone.

"About you… you know damn well what I mean."

My eyes flashed and I said in a low voice. "No, he doesn't know, but to be honest, it's none of your damn business."

"He's my cousin," Jon protested.

"So? He's a grown man."

"You're deceiving him."

I took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. "How am I deceiving him?"

Jon wrinkled his brow. "Because he thinks you're a beautiful woman."

I paused for a moment and in a quiet voice replied. "Jon, that's exactly what I am. If you disagree, that's your problem. Look, it's nothing serious… at the moment. If that changes, I'll do the right thing. Otherwise, I want you to stay out of it."

"Fine," he growled and turned to walk away.

Charlie was looking quizzically in my direction from the other side of the room and he sauntered over to me. He slipped his arm around my shoulders and murmured, "What was that all about?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much."

"Come on," he said softly as he guided me towards a vacant sofa. "It didn't look like nothing." He paused. "Is there some… history between you and Jon that I don't know about."

"Maybe… not really… sort of… no," I replied hesitantly.

He chuckled and took my hand in his. "You're not sounding very convincing."

I thought for a moment and turned to face him. "We shared… a moment… during the summer. It really was nothing more than that."

He looked puzzled. "Then what was that all about?"

I pushed a strand of hair back from my face and chewed my lip. "I'm not entirely sure myself."

"Want me to have a word with him?"

"No!" I said more firmly than I had intended. "No," I repeated softly, "I'll handle it, but I don't see there being any more problems." I wished I were as sure of that as I sounded.

I mingled a bit and enjoyed chatting with my friends. I ended up beside Simone and tried to engage her in conversation. I found her to be cool and I don't think it was just my prejudices about her.

"So what do you do, Simone?"

"I'm a model," she said bluntly with what appeared to be mild irritation. Perhaps she expected everyone to immediately realise what it was that she did just from looking at her.

"Really?" I continued, "That must be quite interesting."

"Yes, it is."

"Erm, what do you model?"

She looked down from the several inches that she had on me. "Why, designer clothes of course."

I had to bite my tongue. Here she was treating me as if I were the bimbo in this conversation. I forced myself to be polite. "So, you and Jon are going out?"

"Yes," she replied with an appearance of boredom.

"Umm… OK, well nice talking to you."

She gave me a plastic smile. "Likewise."

I walked away. "Icy bimbo airhead," I muttered to myself. Or so I thought.

"Pardon?" asked Jools with a grin as she appeared at my shoulder.

I laughed. "I wasn't talking to you."

"I should hope not, but who were you talking about in such complimentary tones?"

I grinned ruefully. "Simone."

She raised an eyebrow and made a clawing gesture in the air with her right hand. "Meow!"

I smiled. "No, I mean it, I tried to be nice. I'm not being a bitch. She's just not that warm as a person."

Jools waggled her eyebrows. "Maybe she is when you're up close and personal between the sheets, but of course we'd have to ask Jon about that."

I grimaced and recoiled at the thought. "Ugh, don't say such things."

Jools smiled knowingly. "Methinks that someone still has issues."

"Methinks that someone is prying," I said with a wink.

She chuckled. "You know me too well."

I had a good gossip with Laura and Rachel and yes, I'm afraid to say it was real girl talk stuff: that is, it was about men. They pumped me for details on Charlie, but I didn't have much to tell them. Their relationships were going well, it seemed. Brian's parents had died a few years back and this year, he was going with Laura to spend Christmas with her Mum.

"Sounds serious to me," I said with a large grin.

Laura laughed and blushed. "You know, I think it might be."

Jools clapping her hands and calling for attention interrupted us.

"Oh no, what is she up to now?" I murmured.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I trust you have all enjoyed this little Yuletide soirée. If you look up, I'm sure you will appreciate the tasteful festive decorations that our hostess has arranged. The more observant of you will notice that a certain flower is prominent at various intervals. This flower has a certain significance that will become obvious to you when I mention its name: mistletoe. It is indeed an encouragement for a festive kiss. Let's face it though; it really gives us an excuse for a good snog! So for all you partners out there, it is a simple decision for you regarding who you will engage in said snog with. For us single girls — Claire, Beth and I — we will have to share the only single man in the room…"

There was a moment's silence as we all thought. The silence was interrupted by Gareth suddenly sitting up straight and murmuring, "Shit!"

Jools, Claire and Beth converged on him and draped themselves over him as they assaulted him. I made a note to reconsider Gareth's employment in my service. He certainly did not appear to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat given his attempts to fight off three girls. However, I doubted that he was putting in one hundred percent effort.

Everyone laughed and the partners slowly found each other. Charlie appeared at my side and grinned shyly. "Well, Miss Malone, may I have the pleasure?"

I stood and smiled. "Why certainly, kind sir."

He placed his hands on my waist and gently pulled me towards him. I slid my arms around his neck and he lowered his lips to mine. He kissed me softly but it was a slow lingering kiss.

He broke the kiss and smiled at me. "That was nice."

I grinned and flushed. "Yes, it was."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Jon casting furtive glances in my direction. I controlled my facial expression lest I cause Charlie to look round.

"Kiss me again," I murmured.

"With pleasure…"

It was another lingering kiss, but a little more forceful this time. When we broke, I smiled and made an attempt to wipe the lipstick from his lips.

"You're adorable," he said in a low voice.

I laughed. "You flatter me."

He shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

At the end of the night, Charlie waited behind until all the other guests had left, save Gareth of course. We embraced again and he gently kissed me goodnight.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," he said, "May I have the pleasure of your company again sometime soon?"

"I'd like that," I replied. "Give me a call after Christmas. Later in the week, perhaps?"

"Count on it," he said as he headed for his car.

I went back inside and Gareth was checking that all the windows were locked.

I grinned. "Did you manage to escape the clutches of my man-eating sister and friends?"

He laughed and winked. "I've been in worse fights. Some fights you're better off losing. What about you? Had a good night?"

I smiled and nodded. "I have."

As I got ready for bed, I ruminated on the evening's events. I was puzzled by Jon's behaviour and worried that his obvious hang-ups regarding me were going to be extended to complicate my friendship with Charlie. I thought about the kisses that Charlie and I had shared. I had enjoyed them, but there wasn't the same intensity of feeling that I had felt… I shook my head and didn't allow my train of thought to follow such a path.

---