'John? Is everything alright?' Anna asked for the second time not knowing why the man before her had turned grey.
Answer her, man! John's conscience shouted at the dumb struck body it resided in.
'Sorry?' John had stuttered, not sure of what his next action should be. It was sickening to know that his brother was making a mockery of Anna, as they stood there in that moment. To know he was out there, somewhere, spending time with another woman and… John had to break the chain of thought before he could no longer stomach it. I have to tell her, John agonised.
Taking a look up at Anna's face, expectant and confused as to John's behaviour, he blurted it out,
'My glasses case; I think I left it on the train,'
Is that it, Anna thought; there was no use crying over spilt milk.
'Oh, well, you seem rather upset by it,' Anna giggled, her concern now abated.
'Are you sure you don't want to look upstairs just in case?'
Nice pun, Hun, Anna jokingly thought.
'No!' John shouted as if he'd just scolded himself with boiling water. Anna was becoming ever more confused by John and his apparent distress at losing a glasses case; the contents of which were hanging from John's collar.
Yeah, silly I know. I just thought then,' he said looking as cringed as he possibly could; trying and failing to divert his true feelings from the ones he wanted to convey. 'I'll head off now, anyway. Goodnight, Anna, and thanks,'
Turning to leave, John barely clocked Anna as she said goodbye herself. Taking his leave, John inhaled the cold evening air that greeted him on the doorstep. The door shut behind him, leaving Anna on the other side, utterly bewildered at the conversation (if that's what she could call it) that she had just had with John.
Making his way back to Robert's house, a good forty five minute walk away as he had discovered on his way here, John's head was spinning at speed. Why didn't I tell her then, John thought to himself. But it's not for me to tell her. His thoughts were indefinitely conflicted.
'That was weird, Figg, wasn't it?' Anna asked, acknowledging the cat gently clawing at her pyjama leg. Picking him up, Anna walked back up to her room, turning her back to the rest of the night.
'You shouldn't phone me when you know I'm at home. Anyone could have heard us talking,' Graeme chided the woman who lay beside him, naked, save for a bracelet that lazily draped from her wrist.
'It's too tempting when you've been sending me all of those messages when you're at work,' her alluring voice replied, not at all affected by Gray's attempt to chastise her.
'Yeah, well, I don't care. Do you understand? Don't even look at me if we pass on the street. Got that?' Gray said, prodding a finger to the woman's temple as he spoke. 'Now, roll over…'
John could see Robert's house now, though how he had got there had completely escaped him. The walk back had been burdened with the news that his younger brother was cheating on Anna. Lovely Anna, John had thought, sad at knowing that she was being hurt, unbeknownst to her, however. Maybe it is a good thing she doesn't know, John thought not believing a word. He knew that Anna would eventually have to be told the truth but it was not his secret to tell.
Treading up the stairs to Rob's house, well his house too now, John took the spare key from his pocket and unlocked the front door.
'There you are!' Cora bellowed at John as soon as he stepped over the threshold. 'I was worried! Where were you?'
'Sorry, I walked back from Gray's,' John replied solemnly, not even trying to mask his feelings to his buoyant host.
'You walked?' Cora asked, astonished that someone would walk by choice.
'Yeah, I did. I…,' he trailed off not wanting Cora to know before Anna did.
Anna.
Cora had not taken much notice as Robert had come in to the living room now, clutching three glasses of beige fizz.
'Here you are, John,' Robert strode over barely noticing that his friend had been gone for almost two and a half hours. 'This is to you, John! For making me a very happy man, indeed,'
Cora beamed at her husband, fond of his usual extravagance. John forced a smile, not feeling it to be genuine one bit. Taking a glass each, Robert raised a toast,
'To John!'
Only a two way chorus rang out.
Saturday morning usually meant a hangover for Graeme Bates. And this morning was no different. He lay in a bed, in Leeds, with a woman who wasn't Anna.
'Uh,' he groaned, a smell of stale beer and sex heavy in the room.
'Shouldn't you go now?' the woman asked from the bathroom suite as she applied lipstick, rather unsympathetic to the man's plight.
'Uh, I feel rough,' Gray moaned feeling the effects of the alcohol he had consumed in excessive fashion the night before.
'Yeah, like I said, shift!' she spat.
'Alright, alright,' Gray conceded as he dragged himself from the sheets and took his clothes from the floor and hauled them over his body. Picking his phone and wallet from the bed side table, Gray made his way to the bathroom where the woman stood.
'Thanks for last night,' he said, slapping her buttocks as he did so.
'Yeah, I'll text you,' she said back through the mirror, unamused by his display of affection. Crunching his nose at her, he bid farewell and left the room.
His phone rang then.
'Hello,' Gray answered groggily, 'Anna? Yeah, I'm making my way from Ben's as we speak. I'll be home shortly, just going to get the train. Yeah, OK, bye,'
Shit. Did I say Ben? Fuck, I said I was going to be with Tom last night. Oh well, I don't think she noticed, Graeme chuckled to himself, seemingly thinking he had jumped that particular hurdle.
I'm sure Gray said he was with Tom last night, Anna thought as she hugged Figg to her. It was only 09:15 but she couldn't sleep any longer so gathered her senses and dressing gown and headed down stairs. Figg followed suit.
'Morning both of you,' John greeted Robert and Cora as they made their way in to the kitchen. Putting his glasses on his head, John stopped reading the paper now he wasn't alone. He had been down there since 06:00 that morning, not being able to sleep away his thoughts of Anna and his blasted brother, Graeme.
'Coffee, you two?' John asked standing as he did so.
'Yes, please,' Cora sang in her high American vocals. Robert nodded his thanks as he stifled a yawn. Coming round, Robert spoke up, jovial as ever,
'John, I was thinking, how about we have a bit of a gathering tonight? To celebrate you coming up here? Invite everyone along. Mother wouldn't have wanted me in a state of eternal gloom so I think if we have a bit of fun, you know,'
He trailed off then, wanting John's opinion on his suggestion while he was busying himself with making hot drinks.
'Who were you thinking of inviting?'
The dreaded question, John thought, knowing full well that Graeme was on the guest list.
'Oh, you know, the usual. You, me, Graeme, Tom. I could go on,' Rob chuckled taking a swig of coffee afterwards.
'You've forgiven him, then?' John had to ask, given the vile behaviour his brother had graced Violet's wake with.
'Water and bridge, John, water and bridge,' Robert sang out dreamily.
'Yeah, that sounds good to me,' John lied. Who knows what I'll do if I'm left alone with Gray, John thought.
'That's settled then! I'll send a message around,' and with that Robert abandoned the kitchen in search of something good to watch on the television. Cora wasn't far behind, thanking John for the drink as she left.
'I'm home, Anna,' Gray shouted as he stepped in to the house still feeling the effects of his boozy binge which had not been made easier on the train ride home.
'Hey,' she called back from the kitchen, too distracted to come and greet him.
'I'm going for a shower,' Gray told no one as he made to go upstairs. Best wash off last night before she tastes it on me, he thought, not wanting to get caught. He strode upstairs then without looking for Anna.
Anna came out of the kitchen then, drying a mug with a tea towel. She was going to ask him who he was with last night. Was it Tom or Ben, for Lord's sake, she thought not knowing if she cared that much anyway. Her phone's vibrations pulled her from her thoughts and she dug it out of her trouser pocket.
Hey Anna, having a paaaaaarty tonight. Come at 7. P.S. Tell Gray. XOXO.
Her face smiled a silly smile at Robert's comical and excited text message.
Of course I'll come. See you then. Xxx
Anna text back with her more restrained reply.
'Gray!' Anna shouted from the bottom of the stairs but he didn't hear her, the falling water from the shower drowning her out.
'Gray,' she continued, venturing in to the bathroom.
'Mm?' he replied, scrubbing his face with his shower gel. Anna hated the smell.
'Robert and Cora are having a bit of a thing tonight at theirs. Want to come?' Anna asked, not particularly enthused that she was told to ask Gray along, too.
'Count me in,' he said rinsing himself off. Her heart dropped a peg or two at his words.
Anna vacated the room, feeling instantly better now she was away from that awful smelling stuff Gray seemed so keen on.
'Figg, what're you doing in Joh-, that room?' Anna corrected, looking to the cat who had just departed the spare room. Bending to pick him up, Anna chanced a look inside. What's that? She thought looking at the red leather object on the floor next to the bed. Curious, she walked inside having coaxed Figg away and saw that it was John's glasses case. How odd. He said he had left it on the train, Anna thought to herself quite puzzled. Oh well, I'll give it to him at the party, she thought, unaware of what was coming.
