Respect (Mandasue Heller) (26 page)

‘
Really?
’ Chantelle grimaced.

‘Nah, just teasing.’ He grinned. ‘Yvette used to ask me to order for her when we first got together, but she soon stopped when she realised we’re complete opposites. I go for white wine, she prefers red; I’ll happily demolish steak with all the trimmings, she pecks at fish and salad. And don’t even get me started on dessert. She thinks she’ll get fat just
reading
the word chocolate. Please tell me you’re not on a diet?’ He gave Chantelle a pained look.

‘No.’ She smiled and shook her head. The few sips of wine she’d had were starting to kick in, and she was beginning to feel pleasantly light-headed.

‘Thank God for that.’ Rob gave a mock-relieved sigh and looked down at the menu again. ‘How does lasagne grab you?’

‘Absolutely perfect,’ Chantelle said, relaxing a little more now that she wasn’t being faced with the prospect of having to try an unfamiliar dish.

When the meal arrived, Rob kept up a steady stream of conversation as he ate. The computer-software stuff went right over Chantelle’s head, but she was fascinated to hear him talk about his relationship with his wife. They had been married for three years, she learned; and while he seemed to work every hour God sent, his wife Yvette, who was an ex-dancer, seemed to live a life of pampered luxury courtesy of his credit card. The more she heard about the woman, the more Chantelle disliked her. Yvette had a great husband, an amazing house, and unlimited cash to buy whatever she desired. But instead of thanking her generous husband, she moaned constantly about his long work hours, and then took off and left him in the lurch as soon as he asked
her
to do something for
him
. And to top it all, she’d had the audacity to use
his
money to pay a private investigator to follow him. But Chantelle was in no position to tell him about that, so she just listened, and nodded, and smiled when appropriate.

Time flew, and before they knew it they were the only two diners left in the place. When he noticed the waiters hovering by the bar, Rob glanced at his watch.

‘Wow, how did it get so late? You must think I’m terrible; I’ve been talking your ear off for hours.’

‘No, I’ve enjoyed it,’ Chantelle told him honestly.

‘So have I.’ Rob waved for the waiter to bring the bill. ‘It’s been a pleasure getting to know you better, Julia. Just hope I didn’t bore you too much?’

‘Not at all.’

‘We’ll have to do it again sometime,’ Rob said, sliding off the seat to get his wallet out. ‘If you want to, that is?’

‘I’d love to,’ she replied, hoping she didn’t sound too forward. She’d had more wine than she intended to, and was feeling very mellow.

‘Great.’ He held out his hand to help her up. ‘I’ll give you a call to arrange something soon. But, for now, I think I should get you home.’

Acutely conscious of the feel of his skin as his hand enveloped hers, and the gleam of the gold band on his third finger, Chantelle came back to earth with a bang. She slipped her hand free.

‘I’ll get a cab. You get yourself home to Yvette.’

‘She’s out, and I insist,’ Rob said. ‘It’s the least I can do after dragging you out on yet another wild-goose chase. Granted, it turned out great, but I absolutely refuse to pack you off in a cab again. We’re friends now,’ he added, peering down into her eyes.

‘Okay,’ Chantelle conceded, reaching for her handbag as butterflies began to flutter in her stomach. Now that she was on her feet, her head was spinning and she was beginning to regret the last glass of wine. She just hoped she didn’t throw up, because that really would be embarrassing.

The perfect gentleman, Rob led her out to his car and opened the passenger-side door for her. He helped her in and then went round to the driver’s side. ‘Where to?’

‘Do you know Chorlton Road?’ Chantelle asked, shivering as the heater kicked in and warm air swirled around her ankles.

‘Sure do,’ Rob said, turning on some music before easing out onto the road. ‘Which end?’

‘Um, the Whalley Range end,’ she lied, directing him a good half-mile past the estate because she didn’t want him to see where she lived. The estate was too scruffy, and that was bound to cloud his view of her. Apart from which, she couldn’t risk letting him find out that she wasn’t who he thought she was. He was a nice man, and it would upset him to think that he’d been so open with her while all she’d done was tell him a pack of lies. If he found out that his wife was behind their initial meeting, it could potentially destroy his marriage, and Chantelle really didn’t want to be responsible for that. And then there was Bill … if
she
found out what Chantelle had been up to tonight, she would probably sack her on the spot – and rightly so.

Chantelle sighed as she thought about the tangled web of lies she had woven, and gazed wistfully out of the window. It had been such a lovely night, but it wasn’t real, and it could never happen again. Rob was married, and she was a fake. End of.

‘You’re very quiet,’ Rob said as the car purred its way out of town. ‘Feeling okay?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ Chantelle lied. ‘Just a bit tired.’

‘Ah, well, at least you can have a lie-in tomorrow.
I
, on the other hand, shall be up at six.’

‘Oh, sorry. You should have said you had an early start.’

‘What, and miss out on a great night in the company of a beautiful lady?’ Rob glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and winked. ‘No chance.’

As the butterflies stirred in her stomach again, Chantelle inhaled deeply and dug her nails into her handbag on her lap. His wife was so lucky, if only she knew it.

When they reached Chorlton Road, Rob pulled over where Chantelle directed and glanced out of the window. ‘Are you sure you won’t let me take you to your door?’ he asked when he spotted two hooded youths on mountain bikes heading their way. ‘You shouldn’t be walking around on your own at this time of night; it’s not safe.’

‘It’s not far from here,’ Chantelle told him, lowering her head as if she was struggling to undo her seat belt, although she was actually hiding her face because she knew both of the lads on the bikes from school and didn’t want them to see her. ‘It’s just round the back of those shops, but it’s a one-way street so you’d only end up getting stuck. This is fine, honestly.’

The boys had passed by now and the road ahead was deserted, so Rob shrugged and said, ‘Okay, if you’re sure.’ Then, turning in his seat, he said, ‘Thanks again for tonight, Julia. I know it started out as a favour, but I’ve had a really great time, and I meant what I said about doing it again.’

Chantelle’s heart had started to race and she couldn’t look him in the eye. ‘I had a lovely time,’ she said quietly. ‘But I don’t think we should—’

Before she could finish speaking, Rob leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She was shocked. Apart from the time a few years back when Immy had persuaded her to practise kissing techniques, it was the first real kiss she’d ever had. And she liked it.

‘Sorry,’ Rob said huskily when he broke away after a while. ‘I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t resist. You’re just so beautiful.’ He reached for her hand now and, still gazing into her eyes, entwined his fingers in hers. ‘We can’t leave it like this; I need to see you again.’

‘We can’t,’ Chantelle croaked.

‘I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the first time we met, and it’s driving me crazy,’ Rob said. ‘Tell me you don’t feel the same way, and I’ll never bother you again,’ he challenged, his face still so close to hers that Chantelle could feel his breath on her cheek.

‘I do like you,’ she admitted. ‘But—’

When Rob pulled her close and kissed her again, Chantelle closed her eyes and felt herself drift away. But when his hand began to slide up her thigh, her conscience kicked in and she quickly pulled back.

‘I can’t do this,’ she gasped, fumbling for the door handle. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Julia, wait …’ Rob jumped out and gazed after her as she fled down the road. ‘I’m sorry.’

Chantelle ran past the shops and into the alleyway behind the row. She pressed her back up against a wall and held her breath as she listened to hear if he was following. When, after several moments, she heard the purr of his car engine as he gave up and drove away, she exhaled shakily and squeezed her eyes shut. Oh God, oh God, oh
God
! Why had she let him kiss her like that? It was so, so wrong.

Disgusted with herself, she lowered her head in shame and made her way home.

Anton’s party was still going strong but he’d come out onto the landing to get some air. Shotz and their mates had been caning the weed all night, but Anton had been working all day and couldn’t keep up. He’d also had too much to drink and was tugging on a straight cigarette now, trying to clear his head.

The door opened behind him and a drunken girl staggered out. ‘
There
you are,’ she said, lurching towards him. ‘I’ve been looking for you.’

‘Don’t,’ Anton groaned when she looped her arms around his neck. ‘I don’t feel too good.’

‘Let’s go to bed,’ she said, giving him a seductive smile. ‘I’ll soon make you feel better.’

Feeling sick when she pushed her hips up against his, Anton held her off. ‘Leave it out, Linz; I haven’t got the energy for this.’

‘You’ve
always
got the energy,’ she persisted, pouting at him now. ‘What’s up, don’t you like me any more?’

‘Course I like you,’ he said, trying to let her down easy. ‘We’re mates.’

‘We were more than that once,’ she reminded him. ‘And you know I’ve always wanted to get back with you.’

‘It didn’t work,’ Anton said gently. ‘We split for a reason, and it’s best just to leave it at that.’

‘You fancy someone else, don’t you?’ she demanded, her eyes filling with tears. ‘It’s that bitch Simone, isn’t it? She’s been giving you the eye all night, the slag. What’s she got that I can’t give you? I’m way better-looking than her.’

‘You’re just being stupid now,’ Anton said, losing patience. ‘I’m not looking to get with
any
one. I just want to get my head together, so go back inside and give me some space, yeah?’

‘Just give me a chance,’ she begged, clutching at his hands. ‘I love you.’

‘You’re drunk,’ Anton snapped, snatching his hands away. ‘And I’m not interested, so pack it in!’

As the girl burst into tears and fled back into the flat, Anton caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced around in time to see Chantelle opening her door. Their eyes met, and his heart sank when he saw the expression of disapproval on her face. She had obviously witnessed the end bit of his confrontation with Linz, and probably thought him a complete bastard for shouting at her and sending her away in tears.

When Chantelle went inside now, closing her door firmly behind her, Anton brought his fists down on the balcony rail. ‘
Shit!
’

Another girl came out of his flat just then and walked over to stand beside him. ‘Linz is having a shit fit in there,’ she said, resting her elbows on the rail. ‘You okay?’

‘Yeah, I’m cool.’ Anton sighed. ‘Just tired. Think I might call it a night.’

‘Want me to stay and help you clear up?’

Her voice was soft, and her perfume smelled really sweet. Figuring that if he’d ever had any chance with Chantelle, he’d totally blown it now, Anton smiled.

‘Yeah, why not.’

Chantelle leaned her back against the door to catch her breath after letting herself in. She could still hear the faint thud of music coming from Anton’s place but, apart from the soft snores coming from Leon’s room, it was deathly quiet in the flat. Irritated to see that her mum had left her bedroom light on and the door open, she walked up the hall to turn it off. She shook her head when she glanced into the room and saw the mess. Her mum had always been untidy, but it looked as if she’d met her match in Miguel because it was even more of a tip than usual. But it was their business if they wanted to live like pigs.

She flicked the light off and went to her own room, then undressed quickly and climbed into bed. The night had started off great and ended up horrible, and she just wanted to go to sleep and forget all about it.

19

Chantelle had a restless night, haunted by the shame of having responded to Rob’s kisses. Woken with a start by the sound of somebody knocking loudly on the front door the next morning, she groaned as she got up and shuffled her way into the hall. Her head was banging from all the wine she’d drunk, and she felt nauseous.

‘Delivery for Mrs Ramírez,’ the delivery man told her when she opened the door an inch and squinted out at him through the crack. ‘Needs signing for.’

Chantelle tutted when she heard that her mum was already calling herself by Miguel’s surname despite not yet being married. But she signed for the parcel and brought it in. She put it on the table and was about to go back to her bed, but hesitated when she heard a noise coming from Leon’s room. It sounded like he was crying, and she frowned. He hadn’t left his room in days apart from to go to the toilet or to get something to eat, and she’d been concerned when their paths had crossed to see that he had developed bags under his eyes. It was clear that something was bothering him, but he had flatly refused to talk to her when she had tried, so she’d been leaving him alone. But she couldn’t ignore this.

‘Leon …?’ She tapped on the door. ‘Can I come in?’

‘No,’ he croaked. ‘Go away.’

‘Please,’ she implored. ‘I know something’s wrong, and I just want to help. Are you in some kind of trouble? Is someone picking on you?’

‘Go away,’ he said again, his voice hoarse.

‘I can’t,’ Chantelle persisted. ‘I’m your sister; it’s my job to look after you.’

‘I don’t need looking after,’ he sobbed. ‘Just keep your nose out; it’s got nothing to do with you.’

Irritated when he put his music on at full blast, Chantelle said, ‘Oh, I’ve had enough of this,’ and marched into her room to get dressed. Something was obviously wrong, because he never cried. But if he wouldn’t tell her, she would just have to ask Kermit instead. Leon hadn’t been himself since their falling-out and she knew he’d been hanging around with that gang she’d caught him with. If they had been bullying him, as she suspected, then she needed to know where to find them so that she could put a stop to it.