Dance While You Can by Susan Lewis

this evening,’ I said.
    He stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and began to pace the room. His back was towards me as he stopped. ‘What are you doing at Christmas?’ he asked.
    I was taken back by the angry tone of his voice. ‘I told you, I’ve got plans,’ I answered steadily.
    He turned to face me. ‘You’re spending the time alone, aren’t you?’ he said, fixing my eyes with his.
    I swallowed hard. He was right. Janice had gone to the Caribbean with her parents, so I had booked myself into a small hotel in London where I was planning to read Edna O’Brien through the holiday, until I could come back to Foxton’s again. ‘No, of course I’m not. Honestly, Alexander, I don’t know what’s got into you.’
    Suddenly he was beside me. ‘If you must know, I don’t much like the idea of you being on your own over Christmas,’ he growled. ‘That’s what’s got into me!’
    ‘But it’s nothing to get angry about, and anyway, I told you, I’m not going to be on my own.’
    ‘Then who are you spending it with? I know you haven’t got any family, so who . . .’
    ‘That’s none of your business,’ I retorted. He looked hurt, and immediately I was sorry. ‘I’m going to London, I’m staying with some friends.’
    ‘What friends? You never talk about them.’
    ‘That’s because they’re not part of my life here at Foxton’s. Come on,’ I said, trying to sound bright, ‘what are you doing over Christmas?’
    ‘You know what I’m doing.’ Suddenly he leaned towards me and my heart turned over at the look in his eyes. ‘Elizabeth, let me come with you. I can tell my parents I’m staying with Henry.’
    ‘Alexander you can’t! It’s ridiculous even to think of it. Your parents will want to see you, and you’ll want to see them too.’
    ‘I don’t. I want to be with you.’
    His cheeks were red with embarrassment and anger, and I didn’t know what to say. He sat down beside me, and took my hand. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. ‘Alexander,’ I gulped. ‘Stop it, please. Look, I think you’d better go before you say something you regret.’
    ‘I won’t regret it. Damn it! Stop treating me like a child! You know how I feel about you.’
    ‘Alexander!’ I jumped up from the settee. ‘Don’t say any more. Boys – young men, young men still at school, you’re bound to have crushes, I understand that. But, Alexander, you’re taking it too far. You’re making a fool of yourself.’
    I could see I had hurt him deeply. ‘Do you know how it feels?’ he said. ‘Do you know what I’ve been going through these past months, since that night at the dance? If you didn’t care, then why?’
    ‘Oh Alexander, I do care.’ What was I saying? ‘I like you. I enjoy your company and I thought you enjoyed mine. It was no more than that Alexander, honestly, no more than that.’
    ‘You’re a liar!’ he yelled. ‘You led me on. You made me think you felt about me the same way I feel about you and all the time it was just a pretence. Now I can see you for what you really are. You’re nothing but a lonely old spinster, pampering your ego at my expense.’
    ‘Stop it! Stop it! I wasn’t leading you on, I. . .’ I started to reach out to him but wrenched myself away and went to stand behind the sofa, using it as a barrier between us.
    ‘You’ve been laughing at me all the time, haven’t you?’ he shouted. ‘I can see you now, telling Mr Ellery everything, and laughing at the way I haven’t been able to do my work, the way I haven’t been able to do anything for thinking about you. I was nothing more than a figure of fun, was I?’
    I pushed my hands up to my face. ‘You’re wrong Alexander, believe me. I wanted, you were . . . oh please, please go.’
    ‘I’m going, and don’t expect either of us back. You see, you even had Henry fooled. Even he saw the way you were with me. But that’s it from now on, Elizabeth, it’s over for all of us.’ He