As I was about to reply, a neighbour who lived further down the hall, recently divorced and, let’s say, enjoying her new-found freedom, often quite loudly, sashayed past on five-inch platform-heeled sandals. She gave Charlie a slow look up and down as she passed. Her glance slid to me. One perfectly shaped and shaded eyebrow rose at the sight that greeted her – and, of course, that had greeted Charlie. I’d been in such a hurry to stop his banging on the door, it hadn’t occurred to me to give a cursory check in the mirror before opening the door. By the look on her face, I guessed it was worse than I thought.
‘I’m assuming this look isn’t going on the blog?’ She smiled and gave me a wink.
‘Not sure anyone is quite ready for this look just yet,’ I replied through an assortment of squeaks and croaks.
My neighbour winced at me. ‘You sound awful. Do you need anything?’
I smiled and shook my head, and mouthed thank you.
‘Let me know if you do.’
She turned her attention back to Charlie.
‘And if she doesn’t let you in, come two doors down. I’ll definitely not keep you standing at the door. In fact…’ she lowered a voice that was already a whole octave beneath mine ‘… standing at all might be off the agenda for the rest of the weekend.’ She flashed her eyes at him, a wide smile breaking out as his blush began to show.
She turned to me. ‘He blushes? How cute is that?’
I smiled and she began to move off, hips swaying, dress fabric clinging tight across her bum. As she walked, she tossed her hair back and called over her shoulder to Charlie, ‘Don’t forget, now. I’m just down the hallway.’
Charlie did a kind of nod, and half-smile. This seemed to amuse her even more and a throaty laugh travelled back towards us. Charlie looked back at me, some desperation now in his expression.
‘Please, for the love of God, let me in,’ he whispered.
I wasn’t about to feed Charlie to the cougars so I heaved a sigh and stood back from the door, removing the chain and opening it wide enough for his bulk to pass through. Just as I began to close it, we heard a voice drift down the corridor.
‘Shame. You don’t know what you’re missing.’
Charlie took the door from me and closed it quickly. He stood with his back against it for a moment.
‘Thank you.’ The desperate tone had now been replaced with one of gratitude.
‘She’s actually very nice,’ I rasped out.
‘I’m sure. I’m just not certain I have the stamina apparently required.’
‘One way to find out.’
‘I’m pretty sure curiosity would definitely kill the cat in the search to answer that particular question.’
‘No adventure.’
‘I have plenty of adventure in my life, thank you. And I’d like to live to see more of it. Which, if I go two doors down, I don’t think will be the case.’
‘At least you’d go out with a bang.’
Charlie looked down at me, quirked an eyebrow and shook his head. His gaze dropped to my outfit. ‘Nice PJs.’
I saved my voice and went with the sophisticated reply of poking out my tongue.
He laughed and placed his hands on my shoulders. They didn’t exactly fit and his little fingers sort of rested on the top of my arm each side.
‘Get back in that duvet, you.’ Charlie turned me around and steered me towards the sofa, leaning in front of me, and whipping up the rogue corner that had been my undoing earlier, ensuring I couldn’t trip again. I flopped into the softness with little protest and he folded it back on top of me, then tucked it under so that I felt like the filling in a well-wrapped burrito. I wiggled and forced my arms to the gap at the top and popped them out.
‘Put your arms back in and keep warm,’ Charlie instructed the moment I’d done so.
I shook my head and then frowned. It felt as if my brain were loose in there.
‘Too hot.’
