Her fingers gripped the edge of the table, she was too grief stricken to cope with this at the moment.
‘I would like another drink,’ she said slowly. ‘I have had one drink and I would like my glass refilling with another.’
‘With another …?’
‘What?’
He bowed his head towards the glass. ‘You would like it filling with …?’
Fliss stopped worrying about Jasper and wondered if she were in some sort of danger herself.
‘With champagne.’
‘So, you would like another glass of champagne?’
Making sure her phone was within reach and wondering just how long it actually took to press nine three times, Fliss nodded.
‘I would like another glass of champagne, please.’
A smile broke out from the acne. ‘Of course madam. And can I get you anything else?’
Was he kidding, thought Fliss? It had taken ten minutes to establish that she wanted a drink. How long was it likely to take to order a meal?
‘No thank you. Not at the moment,’ she enunciated carefully and with a satisfied smile, he disappeared, hopefully, to get Fliss another drink. As the waiter left, Jasper arrived, sinking into his seat with a gasp.
‘Shall I order you another drink?’ he asked spotting her empty glass. ‘I can go ….’
‘No!’ yelped Fliss. ‘Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. I’ve already ordered one.’
She inspected Jasper’s face. Did he look pale, she wondered, he was definitely sweaty, his forehead was damp with perspiration. In fact, rather than looking pale, he had a flush of colour on each cheek. Was he running a temperature?
‘Are you hungry?’ she asked, wondering if he had any appetite. Jasper not being hungry was a sure sign that there was something wrong.
‘Actually, I'm not very hungry,’ admitted Jasper, ignoring his champagne and filling his water glass instead.
Fliss swallowed her wail. This was serious, very serious. She could feel her eyes filling with tears. ‘Really?’ she asked, her lip trembling. ‘Not at all?’
Jasper grabbed one of the menus. ‘Well, I'm sure I could manage something. And you can have whatever you want. Don't be upset, I'm just happy to be here with you,’ he said alarmed at her reaction.
Sniffing, Fliss looked down. The light was so low it was hard to see anything on the menu. ‘Did you check the specials board?’ she asked. ‘Anything you think I might like?’
Jasper froze, menu in hand. ‘Actually,’ he began slowly, ‘it was all so boring I can't remember anything! Definitely nothing you would have liked darling, I checked it carefully.’
Fliss closed her eyes. His memory was clearly starting to go. Had it been going for a while, was this all part of the problem. Was he constantly checking his phone because he couldn't remember what he had to do next?
‘Don’t worry,’ she whispered, placing a hand gently over his. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
The waiter arrived, her glass sliding around on his tray. ‘Are you ready to order yet?’
Fliss took the glass directly from the tray, she really couldn't wait for him to lift it up, oh so carefully and slowly and set it down on the table. Placing a hand on his arm, she held on to him tightly, ignoring the alarm on his face as she lifted her glass, draining it in one long drink.
‘No food yet,’ she said, wiping her mouth and placing the glass back on the tray. ‘But I'll have another glass, please. With champagne. A glass, full of champagne and given to me.’
Releasing her grip on his arm, she watched with interest as he shot off. He had quite a turn of pace when motivated, she decided.
Jasper was staring at his wife in concern. ‘I think I should be asking you if you're alright,’ he said watching her slump back in her chair. ‘Anything wrong?’
How brave, thought Fliss. How wonderfully brave and selfless. ‘No,’ she whispered, ‘nothing at all.’
‘Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?’
‘No thank you, I’m okay.’
They sat for a few minutes, neither speaking as they fiddled with their serviettes, Fliss watching Jasper like a hawk and Jasper peering over his shoulder as though he expected someone to appear behind him any minute.
‘Is that lettuce on your tie?’
Fliss leaned forward to get a better look. ‘I think it's actually rocket. How did that get there?’
Jasper’s eyes were glassy, the beads of sweat on his forehead had become small rivulets that coursed down the side of his face and his skin had a waxy sheen. Fliss held her breath, he was clearly seriously ill. Why wouldn't