do?’
‘I’m here. I’ll stay. And promise me not to fall apart when I tell you this – I’m hoping, really, really hoping that this time you have got it wrong.’
I breathed out then laughed and caught my lip between my teeth. ‘Wouldn’t that be cool?’
He nodded and kissed me softly on my lips.
‘I’ll call home, ask my mom to make me an appointment with the doctor.’ It would make Orlando feel better and anyway what harm could it do?
‘You’re not just saying that for my sake?’ More kisses as we talked, and a falling backwards on to the pillows.
‘Yep,’ I confessed with a sad smile. I sank back on the bed and welcomed the weight of his body on top of me.
We made love, slept and woke early. Then, still snuggled under the warm quilt, we backtracked, talking through our action-filled stay in New York, discussing Jack Kane and wondering why Natalia didn’t file for divorce.
‘It’s not the money,’ Orlando said. ‘I read a feature in a magazine: she’s still up there with the top earners. Every time she makes a movie she banks millions of dollars.’
‘Maybe it’s better for the kids if she stays.’ I came up with a major reason couples stay together.
‘It didn’t look that way. How is it better to see your dad cussing and falling down drunk every day?’
‘So maybe Charlie is part of the deal. If Natalia splits from Jack, she loses Charlie too? And you saw how much she depends on him.’
‘Yeah, that complicates things.’ Orlando sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
‘We don’t know from the outside how it really is on the inside.’ I happily fell into the safety of discussing other people’s problems and avoiding our own.
Orlando agreed then switched to the practical. ‘I spoke to the insurance company about your stolen phone.’
‘You did? Thanks.’
‘The bad news is, they said we need a crime number.’
‘But I didn’t report it to the cops.’
‘We still could.’
I shook my head. ‘I missed my chance. They’ll ask why I left it so long.’
‘“Because you don’t have a snowball in hell’s chance of finding the guy,”’ Orlando quoted what he would have told the cops. ‘They’ll say, “We have killers and terrorists to pursue. Why are you wasting valuable NYPD time?”’
‘So the insurers won’t pay out. Every day you learn something useful.’ I shrugged then wriggled across the bed, put my arms around his waist and tried my hand at a none too subtle piece of emotional blackmail. ‘So last night I said yes to popping a few pills, right?’
‘Ye-es?’ he mumbled. Turning towards me, he twisted a lock of my hair round his finger and for once he didn’t see where I was going.
‘That means I’m due payback – I can ask you to do something for me.’
‘Anything!’ he sighed recklessly. ‘What do you want me to do – run through fire? It wouldn’t be the first time.’
‘Hush.’ I reached up and put my hand to his lips. ‘I’m serious. What I’m asking, it’s not huge.’
‘Ask away.’
I hesitated, pulled back and made him look me in the eyes. ‘I’m asking you: don’t shut me out. Let’s at least keep on talking about the dark angel thing – the possibility that he’s back in my life.’
Orlando closed his eyes then slowly opened them and held my gaze.
‘Say yes,’ I pleaded. ‘Right now I’m so scared, I need you to be with me every step of the way.’
He nodded slowly. ‘Go get a shower,’ he sighed. ‘We’ll talk later.’
I pushed too hard – I know it.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ I told Orlando over breakfast.
‘Uh uh.’
In the dull early morning light of a New York winter, Orlando and I were in a small kitchenette across the hallway from Mrs Waterman’s reception desk where we could help ourselves to fresh bread rolls and coffee. ‘I’ve been looking back over the last couple of days and I can definitely identify when I got my first contact.’
‘It’s seven thirty
‘I’m here. I’ll stay. And promise me not to fall apart when I tell you this – I’m hoping, really, really hoping that this time you have got it wrong.’
I breathed out then laughed and caught my lip between my teeth. ‘Wouldn’t that be cool?’
He nodded and kissed me softly on my lips.
‘I’ll call home, ask my mom to make me an appointment with the doctor.’ It would make Orlando feel better and anyway what harm could it do?
‘You’re not just saying that for my sake?’ More kisses as we talked, and a falling backwards on to the pillows.
‘Yep,’ I confessed with a sad smile. I sank back on the bed and welcomed the weight of his body on top of me.
We made love, slept and woke early. Then, still snuggled under the warm quilt, we backtracked, talking through our action-filled stay in New York, discussing Jack Kane and wondering why Natalia didn’t file for divorce.
‘It’s not the money,’ Orlando said. ‘I read a feature in a magazine: she’s still up there with the top earners. Every time she makes a movie she banks millions of dollars.’
‘Maybe it’s better for the kids if she stays.’ I came up with a major reason couples stay together.
‘It didn’t look that way. How is it better to see your dad cussing and falling down drunk every day?’
‘So maybe Charlie is part of the deal. If Natalia splits from Jack, she loses Charlie too? And you saw how much she depends on him.’
‘Yeah, that complicates things.’ Orlando sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
‘We don’t know from the outside how it really is on the inside.’ I happily fell into the safety of discussing other people’s problems and avoiding our own.
Orlando agreed then switched to the practical. ‘I spoke to the insurance company about your stolen phone.’
‘You did? Thanks.’
‘The bad news is, they said we need a crime number.’
‘But I didn’t report it to the cops.’
‘We still could.’
I shook my head. ‘I missed my chance. They’ll ask why I left it so long.’
‘“Because you don’t have a snowball in hell’s chance of finding the guy,”’ Orlando quoted what he would have told the cops. ‘They’ll say, “We have killers and terrorists to pursue. Why are you wasting valuable NYPD time?”’
‘So the insurers won’t pay out. Every day you learn something useful.’ I shrugged then wriggled across the bed, put my arms around his waist and tried my hand at a none too subtle piece of emotional blackmail. ‘So last night I said yes to popping a few pills, right?’
‘Ye-es?’ he mumbled. Turning towards me, he twisted a lock of my hair round his finger and for once he didn’t see where I was going.
‘That means I’m due payback – I can ask you to do something for me.’
‘Anything!’ he sighed recklessly. ‘What do you want me to do – run through fire? It wouldn’t be the first time.’
‘Hush.’ I reached up and put my hand to his lips. ‘I’m serious. What I’m asking, it’s not huge.’
‘Ask away.’
I hesitated, pulled back and made him look me in the eyes. ‘I’m asking you: don’t shut me out. Let’s at least keep on talking about the dark angel thing – the possibility that he’s back in my life.’
Orlando closed his eyes then slowly opened them and held my gaze.
‘Say yes,’ I pleaded. ‘Right now I’m so scared, I need you to be with me every step of the way.’
He nodded slowly. ‘Go get a shower,’ he sighed. ‘We’ll talk later.’
I pushed too hard – I know it.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ I told Orlando over breakfast.
‘Uh uh.’
In the dull early morning light of a New York winter, Orlando and I were in a small kitchenette across the hallway from Mrs Waterman’s reception desk where we could help ourselves to fresh bread rolls and coffee. ‘I’ve been looking back over the last couple of days and I can definitely identify when I got my first contact.’
‘It’s seven thirty
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