Strangers (41 page)

He didn’t say anything.

“You bite your nails like your mum.”

“I don’t anymore.
Look.”

He showed Kate his hands.
The ragged edges had gone.

“Why don’t you go and see your mum, and take her some Stopit?
Tell her about Janet.”

Charlie slumped onto his back.

“And tell her what?
That she was right?”

Kate put her chin on his chest.
“Life’s too short to fall out with your family.
They love you, Charlie.
They’re your parents.
Let them show you how much they care.”

He pulled her up so that she lay on top of him.

“How about I show you?” he said.

“In the middle of Richmond Park?
I don’t think so.”

“But you’ve got those special panties on.”

“No I haven’t.”

He gave her a puzzled look and then his eyes widened.
“Move closer.”

“Why?”

He gave an exasperated sigh and yanked her into his arms.
A moment later, his hand was between her legs and he was moaning in her ear.
Kate forgot about the fact that they lay in a park, forgot everything but what Charlie was doing.
He had one arm over her shoulder, pulling her tight as he kissed her, the other hand sliding in her wet folds, teasing her clit out of its little nest and then circling it with his fingertip.

Kate gasped into his mouth and he swallowed her cry as she melted against him.
Charlie kissed her back to earth, nibbling her lips until her breathing eased.

“Now we have a big problem.
I was going to take you to see the special area of conservation for the stag beetle, but I’m no longer in a fit state.”

“Another day,” Kate said.

She jumped up, hauled him to his feet and thrust the bag that had carried the food in front of the ridge in his pants.

* * * * *

Kate yawned.
It was nine at night.
They’d spent the evening entwined naked on the couch and she’d been thinking about bed when Charlie told her they were going out.
He drove her back to her apartment for her to change into jeans.
He also grabbed one of her woolen sweaters despite the fact that it was still warm outside.
When he pulled into a parking space and switched off the engine, Kate had no idea where they were.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“You know I do.”

“I want to blindfold you.”

Kate’s heart thumped.
He held a dark blue tie.
He looked so excited, she couldn’t say no.
But she didn’t like it.

“All right.”

She felt the slight pressure from the tie as he wrapped it around her eyes.
Once she was out of the car, she clung to his arm and kept her body close to his.

“Up five steps,” he said.

Kate knew they’d gone into a building.
She heard an echoing sound and shivered in the chill of air-conditioning, but could sense nothing more than that.
They moved through several doors and then Charlie stood behind her.

“I’m going to take the blindfold off now,” he said.

As it fell from her eyes, Kate blinked.
She saw a group of people in front of her, heard them yell “Surprise” and jolted back into Charlie’s arms.
From there, she took in everything.
Rachel, Lucy, Dan, Fax and a whole load of other people she didn’t know.
And an ice rink.

“Happy Birthday.” Lucy rushed up and hugged her.

Kate was overwhelmed.
Beautifully wrapped presents were thrust into her arms.
Champagne corks popped.
Music blared from speakers.
She leaned harder into Charlie.
If he hadn’t been behind her, she’d have fallen.

“Open mine first,” Rachel said.

Kate unwrapped gloves.
Lucy had bought her a hat.
Kate had never had so many gifts to open.
She was filled with a rush of love for Charlie.

“This is my mate, Ben, from my first band.
This is Jed who can’t sing in tune,” Charlie said.

“That’s you, you wanker,” Jed said.
He turned to Kate.
“That’s why we had to play so loud, because he kept losing the key.”

“You kept changing the key,” Charlie retorted.

Ben slung his arm over Charlie’s shoulder.
“Do you fancy coming and having a session with us, Charlie?
We’re looking for a guy to play the tambourine.”

“Very funny.”

Kate was thrilled with the banter, delighted to see a different Charlie, a normal guy, joking and laughing.
He introduced her to everyone.
Although mainly musicians, there were also friends from university—a lawyer, an architect, a teacher.
And Charlie stayed with her, his arm always around her and Kate knew he was saying—she’s with me, we’re together, and her heart sang with love for him.
He was still a star, still the light everyone buzzed around, but this was a different world and what she saw made Kate believe they could have a future.

Once Charlie knew Kate wouldn’t freak out and run away, he moved back and watched.
It hadn’t been too difficult to organize, though he hadn’t had to do much other than ring a few people and tell them what he wanted.
He’d contacted Rachel at the gallery, asked her about Kate’s friends and realized it wouldn’t be much of a party if he only invited people Kate knew.
So he called his friends and they’d all brought her presents and she sat there with a silly grin on her face, surrounded by wrapping paper and Charlie didn’t think he’d ever felt so happy.

“Can we eat?” someone called.

“Go ahead,” he said.

Charlie noticed that it was his mates who descended like vultures.
He put his arm over Kate’s shoulders and walked her to the table.

“What do you think?” he asked.

On top of a plastic tablecloth emblazoned with flying superheroes, were matching paper plates holding party fare suitable for seven year olds—cocktail sausages, bowls of bright curly grub-shaped chips, Twiglets, red jelly rabbits, green jelly fish, cookies, sandwiches piled up in crooked pyramids, tiny iced cup cakes covered with hundreds and thousands and in the center of it all, an enormous chocolate cake, smothered in swirls of brown icing and topped with twelve candles.

Kate pulled Charlie into her arms, pressed her mouth close to his ear.

“I love you so much,” she whispered and the air whooshed out of him.

Charlie’s mouth swooped on hers and they were on their own, everything around them a blur.
This was it, he thought, this was what he’d been looking for, who he’d been waiting for—Kate at the center of his world.

“Ready for the cake?” someone shouted.

Lucy lit the candles.

“Charlie’s going to sing,” someone shouted.

No, he fucking wasn’t but then he looked at Kate’s face and he wanted to.
He took hold of her hands and looking straight into her eyes, sang “Happy Birthday to you”.
The others joined in but Kate smiled just for him.
As he finished, he was about to pull her into his arms for another kiss when Rachel cried, “Quick, blow out the candles before the smoke alarm goes off.”

Kate stepped up, took a deep breath and Charlie saw the excited child she’d never had chance to be.
He pushed back a surge of fury that it had been denied her.
She beamed as all the candles puffed out and everyone applauded.
How could he be so lucky?

“You didn’t spit on it,” Charlie complained.

Kate laughed.
“I still could.”

“Did you make a wish?”

“I’ve got everything I want.”

“Well, I’d like a yacht and a house by the sea,” he said.

“Really?”

“No, not really.” Charlie hesitated.
He thought about telling her that he wanted her and a houseful of kids.

“Thank you for singing, Charlie.
I know you don’t—”

He put his finger on her lips.
“I’d do anything for you.
Anything.”

* * * * *

“Don’t make me do this,” Kate pleaded.

“You’ll like it once you’ve tried it,” Charlie said.

“If you knew how many times I’ve heard that.” She stood up on the ice skates and wobbled.
“Ouch,” she whimpered.
“Do you think I need a bigger size?”

Charlie looked at her feet and laughed.
“No, you just need them on the right feet.”

Kate slumped back onto the bench and let Charlie lever them off.
Around her everyone chattered and laughed, tottering over the rubber matting before they poured onto the ice.
Charlie bent to help Kate with the clip fastenings.

“Thank you, Charlie,” she said and cupped his head with her hands.
“This is a goodbye kiss.”

She pressed her lips against his and he pulled away, looking worried.

“Goodbye?” he asked.

“I’m going to die out there and I didn’t want to go without a last kiss.”

“You’ve never been ice skating before?”

Kate shook her head.

“It’s not difficult.”

She laughed.
“There speaks someone who’s already an expert.”

“You can hold on to me,” he said.
“I won’t let you fall.”

Kate wobbled over the matting to get to the opening.
Fax stood quivering just ahead of her.
He was on the ice but both hands were glued to the wooden barrier that ran round the rink.
Lucy skated backward in a circle in front of him.

“You go around and let me get the feel of it,” Kate told Charlie and watched as he skated straight to the middle.

Well, of course he could skate.
The guy was perfect at everything.

But not everyone was as competent as Lucy and Charlie.
Dan and Rachel were slogging their way around, hand in hand.
Charlie’s friends were messing around, falling over and laughing, arms and legs flailing.
Kate put on the hat and gloves she’d been given, stepped onto the ice and at once her feet moved faster than the rest of her.
She grabbed the side, wrapped her arms over the top and pulled herself upright.

A few yards away, Fax had progressed to shuffling.
He’d let go of the side and his arms and legs shot out and then retracted, making him look like a confused starfish.
Kate kept a tight grip on the wood and moved an inch at a time.

She was okay until Charlie ground to a halt in front of her, showering her with ice crystals.

“Bastard,” she hissed.

He laughed.
“Let go of the side and hold my hand.”

“I’ll fall.”

“I’ll catch you.”

He held out his hand and Kate sighed.

“They’re playing one of my songs,” he said.
“It’s a sign.”

“You and your bloody signs.” But she took his hand and with great reluctance, let go of the side.

“Don’t try to walk.
Slide your feet out in a V shape.
It’s like roller skating,” Charlie said.
“Lean forward not back.”

“I’ve never roller skated either.”

But when she copied what he was doing, she felt a little more confident and they began to move round the rink.
As they skated, Charlie sang to her, accompanying his own voice pouring out of the loudspeakers.
Oh God, he sounded great.

“Well done.
That’s one circuit,” Charlie said, as Kate slid into the side, embracing the top of the wood like a long lost friend.
She almost kissed it.

“And it only took two hours.”

He laughed.
“Well, if you insist on stopping every couple of feet.”

Kate pulled herself upright.

“Thanks, Charlie, for today, for tonight.
It’s been wonderful.”

“It’s not over yet.
I haven’t given you my special present, and you don’t get it until you’ve gone round all on your own.”

While Kate made tentative independent forays of a few feet, her friends and Charlie’s skated over to say good night and in the end the pair were the only ones left.

“Ten minutes and it melts, Cinderella,” Charlie warned.

Kate launched out, her arms flapping.
She knew she looked stupid, like a fat bird, too heavy to take off but she was determined to complete a circuit on her own.
She was aware of Charlie nearby shouting encouragement and she was doing well, the skates gliding, rather than slipping.
Kate sensed the curve coming up, panicked at her excessive speed—almost walking pace—caught an edge and went down like a stone.
She never hit the ice.
Charlie did, underneath her.

“Told you I’d catch you.” He groaned.

“My hero.
Are you in pain?”

“A ten-ton mermaid just flattened me.
Of course I’m in pain.”

Kate rolled off and then leaned over to press her lips against his.
Charlie put his arms around her, sliding his tongue into her mouth.
Moments later, the music went off, the lights came on and there was the sound of male coughing from the edge.
Kate pulled away.

“See, I took your mind off the pain,” she said.

“Only because you’re a bigger pain.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

It was almost midnight when they got back to Charlie’s house.

“Two more surprises,” he said as they walked up from the garage.

“Are they big ones?” Kate grinned, her arms full of presents.

“One should be waiting outside, but we’re a little later than I thought.
Go and have a look.”

Kate thought he looked too pleased with himself and wondered what she was going to find, hopefully not a puppy.
She put the presents in the hall and opened the door.
Her heart lurched.

“Oh Charlie, what have you done?” she whispered.

“Hello, Kate.”

Her father stood on the doorstep holding a bouquet of flowers.
Charlie came up behind her.

“Rachel gave me his number.
I rang him this afternoon.
You need to talk to him, Kate.
Listen to what he has to say.
I feel better now I’ve spoken to Janet.
You need to sort this out.” He reached for her hand and she pulled away.

“You had no right to do this,” she said.

Everything blurred.
Spots danced in front of her eyes as though the world had turned into a Seurat painting.
Before Kate knew it, the three of them stood in the living room.
Charlie held her arm, pulling her down onto the couch.
Her mind raced through a maze, slamming into dead ends, turning round, looking for another way out, all the time knowing there
was
no way out.
Her father sat on the couch opposite.

“Charlie was kind enough to give me the chance to see you tonight, Kate.
All I ask is that you hear me out.”

Kate retreated inside her shell, a scared hermit crab backing into the tightest curve, knowing she was trapping herself but with nowhere else to go.
She managed to wrench her hand free of Charlie’s grip and wrapped her arms around her body.
When Charlie tried to put his arm around her, she shrugged him off.
She knew he’d be hurt, but Kate didn’t care.
He’d turned the best day of her life into the second worst.