Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
A nna closed the door of the apartment and skipped down the stairs on her way to the airport. She was looking forward to seeing Steve. Looking forward to being special to someone. Seeing the way Jan and Michaela were with each other made her long for that feeling of being one of two.
‘Someone is in a hurry.’ Ludmila appeared in her doorway looking trim and immaculate in what Anna thought might be a Chanel suit.
‘I’m going to the airport to pick up my boyfriend.’
‘I hope he’s as handsome as the young man you’re living with. Now he is something. A good, kind, decent man. Always has a smile for me. Carried my shopping home for me the other day.’
‘Sounds like Leo,’ said Anna, with a bland smile. She really did not want to be talking about him.
‘Michaela tells me you used to be married.’
Thanks, Michaela. Anna stared at the older woman, a little nonplussed by the segue. ‘Yes, but it was a long time ago. We were very young. We’ve both changed since then.’ She definitely had. No longer young and idealistic about relationships.
Ludmila gave her a long, direct stare before she said, ‘People do change but their basic essence never does. He has good values. A kind heart. And joie de vivre, a zest for life.’
Anna nodded. She really didn’t want to discuss Leo’s virtues. She was well acquainted with them. That was why she’d married him in the first place. These days she set much greater store on steadiness and reliability. Joie de vivre was all very well but it didn’t provide much stability. In her view, you never quite knew where you were with it.
Annoyingly these thoughts continued to plague her all the way to the airport. It seemed she was never going to get Leo out of her head.
The smell of roses wafted under Anna’s nose from a gorgeous bouquet held by the man standing on her left, as they waited for people to come through the arrivals hall. It immediately reminded her of Leo. It was exactly the sort of thing he might do. When she glanced at the man and caught his eye, he flashed her a sheepish smile. She smiled back at him. Romance wasn’t dead. Anna wondered how long it had been since this man had seen the person he was waiting for. It made her heart warm a little as she watched him shift from foot to foot, unable to keep still. Pent-up excitement and anticipation were bursting out of him. For a moment she felt a touch of envy. This man must still be in the early throes of the relationship, when everything was bright and shiny. Then she told herself off. She was looking forward to seeing Steve and they’d have a nice weekend together. But it was true that theirs was a grown-up, mature relationship that had flattened out into a steady ship that weathered the ups and downs of life with calm continuity. Still, it was a good way to be.
The man suddenly tensed, his gaze fixed on a woman walking through the glass double doors, and she could almost feel the emotion fizzing out of him. It reminded her of how things had been with Leo when she’d first met him. He was like a firework bursting into her life and she’d been dazzled. Though look where that had got her. She’d been constantly uncertain, never sure if those feelings were genuine. Flashy acts of generosity or romance did not equate to solid dependability. Life with Steve was less blinding but she preferred the feeling of knowing exactly where she was with him. He loved her and if it was a quiet, undemonstrative love, it was no less worthwhile than that of someone who made extravagant gestures.
When she looked up, breaking away from her thoughts, there was Steve ambling forward towards her.
‘Hey,’ she said with a bright smile, pleased to see him at last.
‘Hey yourself.’ He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her briefly on the mouth. ‘Good to see you. Missed you. Bet you missed me, haven’t you?’ He winked at her and his hand dropped to squeeze her bottom.
‘Mmm,’ she said, smartly moving his hand to her waist. ‘What are you like?’
He nuzzled her ear. ‘You know what absence makes?’
She smiled at him just as he said, ‘Very blue balls. Can’t wait for a little me and you time.’
‘Is that all you think about?’ she teased.
‘Mostly,’ he said with a naughty smirk.
‘Come on.’ She led him towards the front of the airport building where they joined the queue at the taxi rank, which moved very quickly.
‘How was your flight?’ she asked as they slid into the back seat of the taxi.
‘The flight was okay. It was getting up at four with a hangover that was a killer, especially when we didn’t get in until after one.’
‘Poor you,’ said Anna with an unsympathetic grin. ‘That’s what you get for going to the rugby club on a Friday evening.’
‘It was a good night, though.’ He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him. ‘James, Tim and your Uncle Henry were on top form. Right laugh. Then after, we ended up the Punjab curry house and –’ he winced ‘– to be honest, it turned into a bit of a sesh.’
‘I can tell.’ Anna wrinkled her nose at the slight scent of spices on his breath.
‘You don’t mind,’ he said in the comfortable tone of someone who’d got away with it every previous time. Anna squelched the thought that perhaps for once he might have forgone the Friday night piss-up when he was travelling to see her the next morning.
‘I’ve got some great news, though. Did you know the Czech Republic are playing England tonight in a friendly?’ His face lit up in a lopsided grin.
‘No,’ said Anna with a smile before adding, dryly. ‘I hope you’re not going to suggest we watch it in a pub somewhere.’
He shook his head, his eyes alight with excitement. ‘Even better than that.’
She gave him a quizzical look.
‘I’ve managed to snag us tickets for the Letná Stadium.’ With the flourish of a magician producing a rabbit out of a hat he pulled his phone out of his pocket and waved it, looking delighted with himself. ‘Stroke of luck I got them. Literally just before the cabin crew made us switch off WiFi. I couldn’t believe it!’
‘But … I’ve booked a boat tour. Dinner.’
‘Yeah, but this is England. What are the chances? While you’re here?’ He beamed at her and then his face fell. ‘But of course we don’t have to go. Not if you really don’t want to.’
Anna swallowed, hating being a pushover. Steve did love his sport.
‘What time’s the game?’
‘Kick-off is at six-thirty.’ He beamed again, assuming her acceptance. ‘I promise you it will be great. You’ll love it.’
Loath to fall out when he’d just arrived, she simply nodded. What else could she do?
When they arrived at the flat. Leo looked up from where he was working on one of the chairs in the living room. ‘Hey Steve, how you doing?’
Steve stiffened. He’d been dismayed when Anna had explained why she hadn’t been able to move out of the flat, and now she was immediately reminded of a dog warily sussing out its territory. She felt guilty that she’d lied, saying she and Leo barely saw each her. She could tell that he wasn’t comfortable with Leo’s easy familiarity and didn’t like being the outsider. It was going to be very tedious if the two of them were going to play pissing contests all weekend. Anna couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Steve had any inkling that she and Leo had known each other, let alone been married. A little ball of fear nestled in her stomach like a spiky burr making itself felt.
* * *
‘We can’t,’ said Anna, as Steve’s hand burrowed into her bra.
‘I haven’t seen you for weeks,’ he said, kissing her again, his hand unbuttoning her shirt.
They were sitting on her bed, the beers abandoned on the side table and Steve’s overnight bag dumped by the door. He’d started making amorous overtures the minute it had closed.
‘Leo’s in,’ hissed Anna. ‘He’ll know.’
‘He’ll know what?’
Anna blushed. ‘That we’re having sex.’
Steve’s head lifted and he looked at her with a sly smile. ‘And what’s wrong with that?’
Was he doing this on purpose to make a point?
He pushed her back on the bed, kissing her more deeply. ‘God I’ve missed you.’
His low groan stirred something in her and she began to reciprocate although she was horribly conscious that Leo was about. Thankfully Steve was too busy with his hands skimming over her body to expect any response. Although she was enjoying his touch, she hadn’t been yearning for it and the sex was how it always was – nice and straightforward.
He came with a noisy shout and Anna, beneath him, winced, hoping that Leo hadn’t heard.
‘Sorry, babe, I know you didn’t get there,’ he said collapsing on top of her.
She simply stroked his back. There was nothing to say. It was nothing new. They’d been together for two years and of course the excitement and passion had died down, although occasionally she wished he would slow down and focus on her but Steve didn’t like talking about sex. Actually that wasn’t fair, he wasn’t capable of talking about it. Whenever she tried to broach what she might like in bed he reverted to schoolboy humour and became silly and childish. He was a terrible prude.
She sighed. He rolled off her and, misinterpreting her sigh, said, ‘Glad it was good for you. God, I’m knackered. You’ve worn me out.’
Within minutes he was snoring softly.
Anna lay there for a quarter of an hour listening to him, conscious of time ticking away, before she finally poked him. It was after twelve and they still had the afternoon, although she’d have to cancel the planned boat trip. Despite her prod in his ribs, he didn’t wake.
‘Steve.’ She shook him but he shrugged her off.
‘Let me sleep,’ he said and turned over to burrow deeper into bed. Irritated with him, she decided to leave him be. No point in starting an argument. Instead she decided to take a quick shower and slipped out of the bedroom and across the hall, praying that Leo wouldn’t come downstairs. From above she could hear the sound of the music playing on his Spotify account. She smiled, thinking of their gentle bickering as they’d put their combined playlist together. A wave of sadness washed over her and she couldn’t think where it had come from.
Steve was still dead to the world when Anna came back to the bedroom to dress. She glared at his sleeping form, wrinkling her nose at the pungent fart that he’d let out. She vented her fury on the bedroom door as she slammed it behind her and went upstairs to the lounge. This was nothing new. Why the hell did she put up with it? When had she started allowing this sort of behaviour? Was it because going out with Steve had made her approval ratings within her family soar and she was loath to rock the boat?
Leo looked up as she marched in. ‘Don’t say a word,’ she growled.
His mouth closed with a snap and, focusing on the sandpaper block in his hand as if it was the most important thing in the world, he went back to rubbing down one of the chairs she’d rescued from the skip.
Anna stormed into the kitchen, grabbed another beer and, passing Leo again, strode out onto the roof terrace. Leaning against the rail she stared over the rooftops. In a short while she’d come to love the area; it was so green, quiet and restful. Living with Leo was actually a lot of fun and not what she had been expecting – had she imagined how messy he used to be? She shuddered and let out a quick laugh. No, there was no way anyone could forget how untidy he was. When had that changed?
‘You okay?’ Leo’s voice came from the open door.
She turned and nodded.
‘Mind if I join you?’ Typical Leo that he’d ask – and she knew if she said yes, he would retreat without taking offence.
‘No.’ She managed to dredge up a smile for him, suddenly appreciating his quiet presence.
‘I take it back about the furniture,’ he said, his back to the rail, tilting his head back and lifting a bottle of beer to his lips. In that moment, doused in sunlight, he looked strong and handsome. She watched him swallow, stifling an urge to run a hand down the strong column of his throat.
He flashed her a smile. ‘It’s looking good.’
So was he. And what was wrong with her? She’d just got out of bed with another man. A man she loved. Didn’t she?
Flustered by the unwelcome thoughts, she answered quickly, ‘It is, isn’t it?’ She filled the quick pause. ‘When did you have your Damascene conversion to tidiness?’
‘What conversion?’
‘A biblical reference. It means a complete about-face. You’re not messy anymore.’
Leo laughed. ‘You noticed.’
‘Couldn’t fail to miss it. Back then it was like living with a human tornado. What happened?’ With a teasing smile, she prodded his arm. ‘Is this the same Leo, or a Dr Who regeneration?’
‘I’m pretty sure Dr Who was the same but looked different,’ said Leo, his brow puckering as if giving the matter serious consideration.
‘You know what I mean.’
‘Maybe I grew up,’ said Leo with a quick shrug that immediately made Anna think he was hiding something.
‘Lover boy sleeping off his hangover?’ asked Leo, his face suddenly lighting up with a grin.
She pursed her lips. ‘Unfortunately.’
‘I’m about to make some lunch. Fancy a bite? You can wake him when it’s ready.’
‘Huh! He can bloody go without,’ said Anna, grateful that their conversation had definitely moved on.
When Steve woke up, she was going to make it very clear to him that she was less than impressed.