Chapter 17

Their kiss in the car was of a starchiness more befitting a first date.  Or a final one.

‘Like the tan,’ said Emily tartly.

‘Yeah, I went away, so I could – ’

‘Think.  Yes, I’ve heard it, Dom.  My dad came up with the theory you were in prison!  His sense of humour’s a killer, eh?  I’ll have to tell him it must have been a penal colony, judging by the colour of you.  Can we go now, please?  I’d rather not conduct this discussion on my driveway.’

Dominic dropped the handbrake and pulled away.  ‘I deserve prison for my transgressions against you.  How are your folks?  Don’t suppose they’re enraptured by my reappearance.’

‘They trust that I’m not falling back into your arms and am here only to hear the explanations you’ve promised.’  She gave a stern little nod to stress this.  ‘I’ve built bridges with Mom and Dad these last few weeks.  Stopped making excuses for you.  They’re delighted I’m getting on with my life and doing some more travelling.  But back to you – isn’t it about time you enlightened me as to your recent whereabouts?’

‘Ah…I’ll…tell you when we’re back at the flat.’

‘Come on, I think you owe me a little more than that, Dominic.’  Emily’s hair threshed back and forth across the edge of his vision.  ‘You sod off without a word just because my mom objects to you swearing about her.  I get one vague text from you all the time you’re away, and now – after me having deferred my own trip for your sake – you show up and insult me with a suntan!  And you still won’t tell me where you spent your birthday.’

‘You’re right, you’re right.  OK, I was in – ah –’ he cringed as he disgorged the word – ‘Singapore.’

‘Singapore?’  Emily’s voice sounded tiny and hurt.  ‘Our place.  You knew I wanted to go back, and just took yourself off there on the sly.’

‘Yes.’

‘On your own?’

‘Mmm.’

‘For your thirtieth birthday!’

‘Sad, eh?’

‘Just a bit.’

‘I’ve never set great store by birthdays, as it goes.  And I enjoy my own company.  Before you ask, I didn’t win another competition.  Well…I say “another competition,” but in fact I hadn’t won my previous holiday either.’

‘What?’

Dominic jabbered in haste to impart his adapted truth.  ‘You’re not the only one with relatives who have property out there.  My uncle and aunty – Frank and Christine – own a villa not far from the Raffles.  I go a couple of times a year actually.’
‘So why the charade about the Daily Mirror thing?’

‘It sounded more down to earth.  Folks tend to react very differently to me when they discover the family is wealthy.’

‘So you took me for a gold-digger?  Thanks Dom!’

‘Well obviously I know now that you’re nothing of the sort – but after years of encounters with the shallowest people imaginable, I’m guarded.  Then the more involved you and I became, the more inane the truth would have sounded had I admitted it.’

‘I just don’t believe this.’  Emily threw herself against the headrest, hands aloft.

‘I thought you’d caught me out, though, questioning why I seemed to be alone when it ought to be a holiday for two.  I realised then you were a smart girl.’

‘One you’d have to watch, eh?  So were you on your own out there when we met, or really with Tim and his exploding tummy?’

‘The latter.  Tim had just split up with his girlfriend, and we both needed a holiday.’
‘It’s funny, I’ve only ever seen you alone, never in the context of friends or family.  How do I even know you were with Tim and not another woman?’

‘Guess you’ll have to take my word on that one.’

‘Fat lot your word means now.’

‘If you’re interested, by the way,’ Dom pointed out after a long, taut silence, ‘that’s the Chinese I use regularly – but I’m guessing you’re not too hungry yet?’

‘Dinner isn’t uppermost on my mind, as it goes, no.’

‘Perhaps we’ll order something later then.’

They were passing a shopping courtyard.  LOGAN LANE, according to the sign in front of China Palace.  The little area was tree-fringed, with not a gaffer-taped window in sight.  ‘Whoa, your road was not like this last time I came!  It was starting to get dark, we were chatting and I wasn’t exactly paying meticulous attention to where we were, but I’m pretty positive that Logan Lane bore no resemblance to this one!’

‘Well no,’ Dom conceded, ‘it wouldn’t.’

As if by way of explanation, he indicated and turned the Lexus left into a slim driveway alongside contemporary mews apartments.  CREIGHTON COURT (PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TURNING), proclaimed gold lettering on the black sign outside.

Winter’s early darkness was never this deceptive; a lighter evening could not transform a one-room bachelor pit into this.

Emily slapped her forehead in dramatic disbelief.  ‘So it’s another deception!  What the fuck is going on here, Dominic?  Who did that other flat belong to?’

Without answering, he tapped a code into the electric gate – definitely a feature missing from his previously professed home – and the barrier lifted.  He descended a slope to the underground car park.

Dominic’s domicile was on the first floor, but he lazily took the lift which zoomed smoothly to a gallery landing. 

The vast flat had the impeccable, minimalist feel of a show home – classic furniture; paintings from art galleries rather than Ikea – and so appealed to Emily’s aesthetic senses.  ‘It’s beautiful, Dom.  You take such pride in it.  Why the hell did you imagine I’d admire you more for living in that hovel?’

He didn’t reply, but asked weakly ‘Coffee?’ while starting to spoon beans into a state of the art percolator.

Emily ditched her handbag on to the breakfast bar, and pulled up a stool.  ‘A strong one, please, to get me through your story.’

Absurdly, her mobile chose that moment to leap to life.  She snatched it out of her bag, scowling at the unrecognised number, and was about to cancel the call, but curiosity defeated her and she thumbed the answer key, murmuring ‘Probably somebody selling’ at Dom.

‘Hello.  Emily?’  The voice was hesitant, male and half familiar.

She frowned.  ‘Speaking.’

‘It’s Rowan.’

‘Oh.  Hiya.’  Emily cringed at her stilted telephone talk, while begging her face not to blend chameleon-like with Dom’s maroon kitchen tiles.  ‘How are you?’

‘Dom busied himself faffing with the percolator.  He observed Emily’s over-businesslike tone, flushed colouring and coy way of twining hair strands behind her ears – but was hardly in a position to take exception. 

‘I was, er, wondering if you’d like to go out?  In a couple of weeks, I’m off on a walk in the Peak District.  I belong to a group, see, have done nearly eight years now.  We meet once a month, take it turns to plan the route and lead.  It’s my turn this time, and I – er – wondered if you’d like to join us?  It’s beautiful up there, we do about eight or nine miles usually.  Reckon it’d be your cup of tea?  I know it’s not quite the sort of thing you’re used to.’  He finished with a rather adorable self-deprecating laugh.

Emily knew not whether to whoop or curse at Rowan’s clumsy timing.  She tried to picture herself yomping across Derbyshire in a cagoule, and the vision held surprising appeal.  She couldn’t concentrate on two men at this moment, though.  For all Dom may have done, she also felt she owed him this time, uninterrupted by invasive mobile phone use.

‘Won’t Heidi mind?’  Dom looked fleetingly up from the coffee he was pouring.  He tore off some kitchen roll to soak up the drop he’d sploshed.

‘No, course not.  She doesn’t walk.  We’re not a couple, if that’s what you mean,’ he added, as though baffled Emily could have inferred such a thing.  ‘We never were, to tell you the truth.  She’s just a friend of our Rob’s.  Nice enough girl, not my type really.  Lacking a bit upstairs, y’know.’

‘Oh.  Right.  Look, can I think about it and give you a call back?  Bit awkward at the moment.  Sorry.’

‘You at work?’

Emily wanted to hug him.  ‘Mmm,’ she lied guiltily.

‘So sorry, I’d forgotten about that.  OK, give us a call back.  Want my number?’

‘It’ll show up on my mobile, won’t it?’

Dom slid Emily’s coffee towards her.  His eyes were so irritatingly questioning, Emily repressed her intended ‘Someone from work’ excuse and put the phone away without explanation.  ‘Right then.  Let’s talk.’

‘Mom and Dad left me a fair bit of money.  They were pretty well off.  Enabled me to buy this place and go back to college.  My savings go on bills and the like.  When I graduate and qualify, I’ll obviously have a nice bit of disposable income.’

‘Bully for you.  So I’ll ask again, whose was that place you took me to the other week?’

‘A mate’s.  Well the brother of a mate, actually.  Alistair.  He was on holiday, I was looking after his place.’

‘And that was all part of the plan to make you look impoverished?’

‘I didn’t want you to see where I really lived.  I’ve had so many people – not just girlfriends, mates too – whose only interest was in my material possessions.  They all think they can get something out of you.  So I’m cautious.’

Emily howled with outraged laughter at his cheek.  ‘So you set up camp in the homes of friends who live in conveniently rough areas when they go away and happen to leave you their keys!  Does Alistair know you cook meals and shag women in his bedsit?’

‘I had to open the windows and spray airfresh,’ he cringed, ‘but I mentioned to you before that a few questions were asked.’

‘By Alistair, presumably, rather than Bruce the sex-starved landlord, who I’m guessing doesn’t exist?’

Dom shook his head sheepishly.  ‘I covered your eyes so you wouldn’t see the number of Alistair’s flat is different to mine. And bundled you out of there so you wouldn’t notice on the way out either.’

‘And kept me talking in the car so I wouldn’t clock that the road names were different.  Now presumably poor Paul and Liz – Alistair’s parents, who you unceremoniously killed off – are alive and well?’

Dom hid behind his coffee cup.  ‘I’m pitiful, aren’t I?’

They both took pensive sips of the aromatic coffee.  ‘Come to think of it, you did prickle a bit whenever job or money-related subjects arose.  Incidentally, if you were so wary of being used as a meal ticket, why did you take me out to those swish places in the beginning?’

‘Habit really.  I simply wasn’t used to eating at McDonald’s.  I hoped you might think I was sweet for making endeavours to impress you on a restricted budget.’  He tried a little puppy pout on Emily; she looked away, determined not to be melted again.  ‘I had booked a weekend in the Cotswolds that time – then the opportunity to look after Alistair’s place came up, and it seemed to fit my purpose better, so I cancelled the B and B.  Then we ended up having such a beautiful time.  You seemed to like me even better for living on the breadline and strewing my hovel with rose petals.  I guess you proved yourself that night.’

‘Don’t patronise me please, Dominic.  I’m disappointed you clearly thought so little of me that you had to set me tests.’

‘I had only past experience to judge on,’ he whined, ‘and mine made me cynical.  I admit I fell into the role of “poor little Dom” rather too easily – and I am totally sorry for misleading you.  I was looping myself up in knots, until eventually I had to just go away and clear my head.’

‘Oh that everyone could have the luxury of jetting to Singapore when their head needs clearing!’

‘I know, I know.  Well I had a lot of thinking time at the villa, and decided my only option was to come clean to you.  So now I’m trusting you with the truth.’

‘And is this the truth?’

He nodded slowly.  ‘The whole and nothing but, your honour.’  He did a little salute, and Emily was irked by the flippant allusion to her legal interests.  Her look told him he was still on too iffy ground to attempt jokes yet.

‘Well while you were having your thinking time at the villa, I was shedding a lot of tears, wondering what the hell I might have done to drive you away so dramatically.’  Emily recited this without self-pity, and when Dom reached for her hand she pulled it back, finding she did not desire his contrite compassion.  ‘I wrote some appalling poetry to try and rid my feelings from my system, talked to people – who opened my eyes to the general oddness of your behaviour, things that didn’t ring true – and generally got my life back, booking another trip and sorting myself out with a work placement.  Believe it or not, I don’t regret any of our time and experiences – it’s all life after all, and I shall write about it one day, of course – but you’ve kissed goodbye to me now.’

Dom’s eyes fell, to the final splot in his coffee cup.  He had expected this.

‘I can’t stick liars, Dom, never have.  The deception went on far too long.  I had some respect for the skint student making the best of himself – but how could things ever be the same between us, suddenly knowing you’re a rich fantasist who isn’t actually having to scrape by on a grant?’

Dom swirled his cup, studying the patterns of dregs in the bottom.  ‘You’re so right.  What was I thinking, trying to construct a relationship on the basis of an illusion?’ 

‘Bloody hell, would it have hurt even to tell me you had family in Singapore?  That was something we had in common.’

‘You did say your cousins were only renting, and implied your folks weren’t well off, so I couldn’t take the chance that the money aspect of things wouldn’t sway you.’

‘You bloody snob!’

‘I’m sorry.  I’ve acted like a childish twat.’

His oblique reference to age – or acting it – reminded Emily she had goods in her handbag.  ‘Here – you may as well have your birthday present.  Seeing as you weren’t here to receive it on the day.  It’s not use to me.’

‘A watch!’  Dom’s eyes were fogged with emotion as he unwrapped the box.  It screamed ‘Argos catalogue’ – but what a darling she was for thinking of such a gift.  ‘To replace the broken one.’

‘I suppose you’ve got a dozen watches really.  Well you’ve got another one now.’

‘Em, you’re the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met.  I got into the habit of carrying that stupid watch face around when the strap broke, as I figured that the “me” I was portraying ought not to be able to afford extravagances such as new watches.’

‘Nice touch, that.’

‘I can’t accept this, Em.’  He pushed the box back to her.  ‘I’d be a hypocrite to do so.  Please take it back.’  Argos have a refund policy, he curbed himself from saying.

‘Good job I kept the receipt then.’  Emily dropped it briskly into her bag.  Zipping it, she stood up.  ‘Now would you call me a taxi please, Dom?  I think we’ve said all we need to.’

‘I’ll give you a lift, if you really want to go so soon.’  He moved towards Emily but stopped hopelessly in front of her.

‘No,’ she held up a preventative hand, ‘I need my own company right now.’

‘He’ll be about five minutes,’ Dom said, putting down the phone.  He unfolded a sheaf of notes from his pocket and offered them to Emily.  ‘Here – for the taxi fare and all those meals you paid for.’

‘Keep your money, Dominic.  I’ve got my pride – and it was my shout those nights.’  Emily’s arms were crossed, and Dom was left clutching the cash uselessly in the air.  He pushed it into his pocket.  The silence between them was loaded with so much they both wished they could say.

‘I’ll wait downstairs then.’  Emily took a step towards the door, a split second later decided she owed him more than a cold goodbye, and did a little shuffle back towards him.  He returned her platonic hug with more zeal than she now desired, and she cleaved herself away.

‘Can we keep in touch, Em?  From time to time?  As friends?’ 

‘OK.’  Emily nodded hesitantly.  She hadn’t envisioned further association with him, but perhaps there was no harm in a friendship.  ‘I’ll be busy, though.  Doing this work placement, then flying off again for a while.’

‘Of course.  I’ll give you space.’

‘Goodbye Dom.’

Her departing steps were inaudible on the carpeted stairway, but Dom, reclining against his door jamb, listened masochistically to the soft clack of the front door followed a minute later by the roar of the taxi.