you do me a favour?’
The nurse looked at Ray-Ray in surprise, slightly put out she hadn’t finished her story.
‘Yes, of course.’
‘I want you to go and see somebody for me …’
Tasha Thompson stretched, forgetting where she was for a moment. Imagining being back in Soho in her absurdly expensive handmade bed with Freddie lying next to her, and Ray-Ray sleeping safely in the next bedroom. But as the summer sun forced its way through the gap in the curtains, reality seized hold of her.
She turned her head and saw she was alone in the bed. Sitting up, she quickly rubbed her eyes. There, in the corner of the room, perched on the edge of the cream embroidered chair was Arnold. In the dimness Tasha couldn’t make out his face properly, only the stillness of his body and the stillness of his stare. A chill ran down her.
‘Arnold?’ There was no answer; merely the murmur of voices outside in the distance. ‘Arnold, you’re frightening me.’
Arnold’s tone was as still and unmoving as his physical presence. ‘I’ve been watching you sleep. So still, so very still.’
He got up, walking slowly towards Tasha. Crouching down in front of her he smiled. ‘You’re perfect. Just perfect.’
Tasha laughed, her cockney accent cutting through the air. ‘Stop being a soft git; you must be bleeding on something. I’m hardly God’s gift.’
Arnold tilted his head to one side, catching a beam of sunshine on his cheek. ‘Oh but you are to me, you really are.’
She stared at him, always surprised at how beautiful he really was. She could stare at him all day. For a start, he certainly didn’t realise how good-looking he was and how many heads he turned when he walked down the street. He was tall, almost six foot five. Wavy blonde and honey-brown hair. Big green eyes with a mesmerising stare. His face was square and chiselled with a wind-tanned complexion. His body was naturally muscular yet he showed no vanity, wearing clothes befitting of a man twenty years his senior. Bleeding hell, her granddad, God bless his soul, wouldn’t even have been seen dead in the shirts she’d seen Arnold in. Though perhaps that was what she liked and trusted about him. Quite why he would choose her, when he could quite frankly have the pick of any woman, she didn’t know. Stroking Arnold’s face without saying anything, Tasha got up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. He was sweet, but compliments made her feel uncomfortable. What she really wanted to do was get showered then go straight to the hospital.
She picked up her phone. It was on silent. There were eighteen missed calls. One from her sister Linda. Seventeen from Freddie.
‘Why did you say I’m frightening you?’
Tasha turned round, her thoughts preoccupied with not having answered Freddie’s calls. ‘Come again?’
‘Why did you say a minute ago I’m frightening you? You’re not scared of me are you?’
‘Scared of you? Christ almighty, I’m more likely to be scared of me own shadow. You’re the gentlest man I know Arnie, and I appreciate that.’
‘You called me Arnie.’
‘Don’t you like being called that?’
Arnold smirked. ‘You know I do.’
A flash of puzzlement crossed Tasha’s face for a second before disappearing into a frown. ‘I said it, because when I saw you sitting there, I thought you’d changed your mind about us. You know, perhaps you thought better of getting involved with the likes of me. I don’t know what impression I’ve given you, but I don’t do this all the time; in fact, it’s the first time I’ve done anything like this before. I ain’t ever cheated on Freddie before.’
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