we wanted to do away with it; surely we should just get rid of Vaughn so that we could fuck? That was what she wanted as much as I did.
The moment the thought crossed my mind, I knew I had to do something about it.
I cleared my throat and stood up. She looked up at me in surprise.
‘I – er – may I use your bathroom?’
She smiled, relaxed. ‘Of course. It’s at the top of the stairs. I’m afraid the downstairs one is temporarily out of action.’
I climbed the stairs awkwardly. At the top, I glanced to the left and saw inside Vaughn’s bedroom – something I would prefer not to have seen, to be honest – pale grey walls, the far one decorated with dramatic monochrome wallpaper. A ‘feature wall’, they call it, don’t they? It would give me a headache if I had to sleep in there.
And the bathroom. I had no desire to use it, of course. I was waiting for her.
I half-closed the door and stood inside, looking at the neat beige tiles and wondering how long it had been since Vaughn had grouted them – not long at all, judging by the faint smell of putty – and at the shiny chrome taps that had no doubt cost a small fortune. Audrey, Audrey, I thought, as though I could summon her up the stairs by thinking her name like a spell.
I looked at the toiletries lined up neatly on the windowsill. They were, without exception, male: shampoo, shower gel, a razor and some kind of hideous supermarket own-brand gel shaving foam with oxidation around the base. No expensive hairstylist-only shampoo, no perfume, no cosmetics.
I opened the door again and crossed the hallway into Vaughn’s bedroom. Again, it was a resolutely masculine room. There was even a multi-gym in the corner, which made me laugh out loud. I had a mental image of Vaughn working out here, sweating as he rowed his way to a muscular stomach. Not likely. I doubted it had ever been used.
So, the delectable Audrey had yet to move in. She didn’t stay, often, either, or she would have started moving in some items of her own. There was nothing here of hers. I wondered if there were panties in Vaughn’s drawer, maybe a spare pair, maybe a special pair… something she would only wear for him, would only wear if she were planning to fuck him.
‘Everything alright?’
Audrey was behind me. I hadn’t heard her coming up the stairs. I turned and gave her a smile. ‘Fine,’ I said.
‘What are you doing?’ Her question was direct.
‘I was looking to see if you’ve moved in,’ I said, preferring the truth. If it had been Vaughn who had come upstairs I would have made some comment on the feature wallpaper. But it was Audrey, and there was no point in pissing about. She had come up here because I had summoned her, I had told her what it was I wanted her to do. And here she was, standing next to me, standing close to me in fact, closer than she needed to.
‘You could have just asked. Anyway, I haven’t,’ she said, her voice low. Her chest was heaving with her breathlessness.
‘Why’s that?’ I asked, taking a small step towards her.
She stepped back. Ah, too soon, then? Too much, too soon? I would have to be careful. I would need to take it gently, so as not to startle her. She was worth the effort. She was worth the chase.
Her expression was odd. ‘I have my own place,’ she said.
That was no answer. What did she join a dating site for, if she didn’t want a serious relationship? Surely that’s what all women want, really: a partner with a house they can move into, marriage, children? Unless she wanted something else. Unless she just wanted sex.
I had her eyes again. I maintained contact, direct eye contact.
She didn’t move.
Ah, resistance! I liked that. I liked that she was a challenge. I smiled at her, a little smile of encouragement.
‘Audrey? Where do you want this coffee?’
‘Coming!’ she shouted, without taking her eyes away from mine. Her voice was automatic, toneless. Her expression was difficult to read. Was she attracted to me? Did she want me to kiss her? What would she do if I did?
‘You’re…’
‘What?’ I whispered, moistening my lips with the tip of my tongue. ‘What am I?’
‘You’re fucking strange, Colin,’ she said. And turned around and went back downstairs, without looking back at me.