A Break In The Dance.
Daniel looked around the tasteful theatre bar. He smiled at a pretty waitress and was gratified to see her blush. Harry ordered the drinks and tipped the barman generously. He found himself smiling at the thought of a younger Harry.
"What?" said Harry.
"The first time I took you to the ballet, you called the interval half-time." he said.
"You would remember that." said Harry, embarrassed.
"It was very hard to forget." he said, "But it was quite a struggle getting you there at all. You kept saying, "Ballet is for poofs!"
Harry grinned. "To tell you the truth, I was just repeating what others had said about it. I only had a vague idea what it was like and the men in tights thing was a bit of a problem for me."
"I probably should have mentioned the scantily clad ladies." said Daniel.
"It would have helped."
"Speaking of ladies, where does she think you are tonight?"
"She, Daniel?"
"She who must be obeyed, or at least evaded."
"Do you refer to the talented Miss Holt?" said Harry.
"Are any other women keeping tabs on you?"
"One hardly knows where to begin." said Harry airily, as if Daniel wouldn't notice he was not answering the question.
"At your apartment, with some kind of illness again? Working late at the office?"
"At the ballet. I saw no reason to conceal it."
"She knows I'm in town?" said Daniel, highly doubting it.
"That, I saw no reason to reveal. Your presence has a most disconcerting effect on her."
"She is a possessive little thing, isn't she? So she thinks you're here alone?"
"No, I told her I'm with a lady called Vicky. I find it best to let her know that I'm in demand."
Daniel smiled. "Hoping she'll get jealous and try harder?"
"Well, something has to work." said Harry, "She's quite an agile dancer herself. Just when I think I'm getting somewhere, she leaps off into the distance and I'm stood there with a daft look on my face, although, thankfully, not wearing tights."
Daniel smiled. "We must all be grateful for that, Harry."
"There are over a million women in Los Angeles, Daniel. Why am I stuck with the one who plays hard to get?"
"You're not. You see that exquisite creature over there with legs right up to ... expectations? One smile, a few friendly words and before you know it, you're telling me to make myself scarce. The question is, why aren't you heading over there?"
"Partly because I don't want to miss the chance to spend an evening with an old friend."
"Mature, please."
Harry laughed. "My oldest and best friend."
"And partly?"
"She's not like the others."
Daniel nodded. "That's what worries me."
"Am I making a fool of myself, Daniel?"
Daniel peered into his glass and pondered that. Finally, he shook his head. "You'll be fine, Harry. Just don't go falling in love."
Harry grinned. "I'm not the type, Daniel, any more than you are."
The End
