Chapter 35
Robyn opened the front door. Gayle had given her a key, but the door was unlocked, so she guessed Gayle was still up, even though it was nearly one in the morning on New Year’s Day.
She heard footsteps behind her as she walked in, and guessed David had followed her into the house. She didn’t bother to look round to acknowledge him. Instead she called softly, ‘Gayle?’
Gayle appeared in the lounge doorway, holding a glass of wine. ‘Hey there! I didn’t expect you back until much later … um, I mean earlier. Did you have a nice time?’
Robyn didn’t want to answer that question. She wished David hadn’t followed her into the house.
Gayle’s gaze shifted to David. ‘Oh, what happened?’
Robyn followed her gaze, glancing over her shoulder.
David stood forlornly in the hallway, dabbing at his forehead, which had started to bleed again. Robyn sighed, trying not to feel sorry for him. ‘David needs a first aid kit,’ she said matter-of-factly as she pulled off her coat. She threw her coat on the coat rack and headed for the kitchen. ‘I’m going to make myself a cup of tea.’ She caught Gayle’s eye as she passed her, and the quizzical expression on her face. Robyn wouldn’t have been surprised if Gayle had guessed something was up; the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife.
She promptly went into the kitchen and put the kettle on, leaving Gayle to sort David out. With any luck, he would get the message and leave.
‘Come into the kitchen and sit down,’ she heard Gayle say in the hallway. ‘I’ll go and fetch the first aid kit.’
‘No,’ David said. ‘Not in there.’
Robyn thought good . She walked over and shut the kitchen door, just to be sure he didn’t change his mind and come in.
A moment later, the kitchen door opened.
Robyn whirled around, saying, ‘David, I don’t want to speak to … you.’ It wasn’t David but Gayle.
‘I just came in to fetch the first aid box.’
Robyn dropped her gaze and busied herself putting a tea bag, milk and sugar in her mug while she waited for the kettle to boil.
Gayle swept into the room and rummaged in a cupboard, where she found a large green box with a big red cross on the front.
She headed for the door. She paused and turned around. ‘I take it the evening didn’t go quite as expected?’
Robyn turned and eyed Gayle. She really didn’t want to talk about it.
‘Ok, have it your way. But sometimes it is better to talk about things. You know what they say – a problem aired is a problem shared.’
Despite everything, Robyn managed a wisp of a smile at another one of Gayle’s quotes from the self-help books she so loved.
‘There, you see.’ Gayle smiled broadly. ‘You’re feeling better already, just at the thought of sharing.’
Gayle walked out of the door, but did a swift about-turn. ‘David needs a nice cup of sweet tea while I deal with the gash on his head. He might need stitches.’
‘I’m not making David a cup of tea!’ Robyn said moodily. ‘That gash on his head has got nothing to do with me.’ Despite what she’d said after the fight, she’d changed her mind. David’s relationship with his father had nothing to do with her.
‘Is that a fact?’ Gayle said flatly. ‘Looks to me like someone’s had their first lovers’ spat.’
Robyn stared after her. ‘I did not touch David!’
Gayle said, ‘If you say so,’ as she walked back to the lounge.
‘Urrgh!’ Robyn stamped her foot and picked up the kettle, which had just boiled. She wondered what David had been saying about her. She reluctantly made three mugs of tea, put them on a tea tray and walked into the lounge.
David looked up as she entered the room.
‘Keep still!’ Gayle grumbled as she placed two thin steri-strips over David’s cut – the same sort of adhesive strips the hospital had used to dress Robyn’s wound. She remembered what Gayle had said when she’d asked her what they were – for use on certain types of shallow wounds instead of stitches. She sighed in relief. It meant he wouldn’t need a trip to A try and smooth things over before she went to bed. Whose fault was it, anyway? She’d only asked a question about the comment Joe had made – which he hadn’t answered. Then he’d got all shirty when she’d asked him what he’d been doing on that road when they’d run into each other. But then she hadn’t exactly been happy about David asking her the same question.
Secrets; that was what she realised their relationship was built on – secrets and, in her case, lies. Wasn’t it about time she told David what was really going on with her before their relationship got serious?
Serious? Robyn thought. She looked at him. After the terrible way their first date had ended, there was no fear of that.
Unsurprisingly, David said nothing. She imagined he didn’t want to start another argument.
Well, neither did she.
Robyn turned on her heel and handed Gayle her tea.
‘Thank you, Robyn. Now, remember what I said, in the kitchen.’
A problem aired is a problem shared. Robyn nodded, but she didn’t want to share; not with David there. That was why she was taking herself off to bed.
‘Goodnight, Gayle.’
Robyn avoided David’s gaze as she left the room, wishing she hadn’t made him that cup of tea. She’d even dawdled for a bit, slowly spooning some more sugar into her tea from the sugar bowl she’d brought in on the tray, even though she didn’t need more sugar; she just wanted to see if David said something, anything, to her before she left.
She thought that there was probably nothing worse that parting on bad terms – with anybody. What if something happened and you never saw that person again? How would it feel?
Despite those thoughts, Robyn had no intention of backing down and apologising first. She picked up her tea, glared at David, and walked out. She had the impulse to slam the door behind her, but she didn’t. She would have, though, if Gayle hadn’t been sitting in the lounge too.
She stopped for a moment outside the door, wishing that David would just go home. She expected he’d leave in a short time; perhaps when Gayle was satisfied he was okay and could drive.
Robyn was just moving away from the door when she heard Gayle say, ‘David, you know, there’s a rather lovely saying – a problem aired is a problem shared.’
Robyn turned around and stared at the door, her eyes narrowing. She knew Gayle’s game. Gayle hadn’t been able to get Robyn to tell her what was going on, so she was going to try and get it out of David instead.
She heard David say, ‘Is that a fact?’
‘Oh, yes. Now, would you like a biscuit with your tea?’
‘Yes, I would, Gayle. Thank you.’
‘Let me just go and get some.’
Robyn scooted off, up the stairs, being careful not to spill her tea. She was hoping that David did tell Gayle all about the evening – especially the fight with his father. Then at least Gayle would know she hadn’t touched David. Well, she had. The colour rose in Robyn’s cheeks when she thought about their kiss. Would he tell Gayle about that? Would he tell her about the row afterwards when Robyn wouldn’t tell him what she was doing out late on her own on that country road on Christmas Day?
Would Gayle tell him why she couldn’t answer that question?
Robyn walked into her bedroom and closed the door. She guessed she’d find out in the morning. At least by that time David would be gone.