Up to No Good by Unknown
Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published: 2004-04-11T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter Nine
No Longer Simple
The London sunshine dazzled me. I shifted my chair round the table so I could see Geoffâs face without being blinded. His cigarette smoke was drifting across the table, mingling with the smell of the coffee and the slightly decaying scent of a Soho street in summer, conjuring perfectly the atmosphere of energetic decadence that I loved. Geoff was watching the people passing by, his quick eyes taking in their gait, the way they walked close to their companion or kept a distance, their mannerisms. It was Geoff whoâd introduced me to this pastime; âOld Compton Street TV,â he called it. I couldnât sit at a pavement café anywhere now without observing the passers-by, or without thinking of him.
Although I often called him and arranged to meet up like this, for a coffee and a chat, there was something else in the air today. We hadnât met since the night when he and Kit had played their strange and dangerous game with me, and neither of us had referred to it on the phone. We sat drinking our cappuccinos and basking in the sun, waiting for the right moment to talk about it, each hoping the other would find an easy way to raise the subject. In the end, it was Geoff who stubbed out his cigarette and turned his eyes to me, raising his eyebrows in enquiry. âSo,â he said simply, âtell me about Kit.â
I went through the whole story from the beginning, how weâd met in the church, the instant spark, the improbable reunion and the pretended coupledom, right up to the parcel with the ropes. Geoff was possibly the only person to whom I could have told the whole story: even Jane gota slightly edited version â designed to make me look better, of course. As he listened, he said nothing, just nodding sometimes, smoking in that careful way of his and sipping his coffee from time to time. The only thing I didnât tell him about was the strange conversation in the castle, late at night, about not being afraid of life. That was too private and too freaky, but everything else was there. He let me finish, nodding again as if to accept the truth of my account, and then he asked me, âBut what about now?â
I didnât understand the question. He screwed up his face, working hard to express himself more clearly, and leant across the table towards me. âWhat we did the other night,â he said, âwhat does it mean? If Kit is another one like me, just a friend that you fuck from time to time, then it doesnât mean anything, itâs just another game. But heâs not, is he?â Geoff looked at me, his head on one side, waiting for my answer. I didnât want to have to think about this, not yet. Iâd really only known Kit for two weeks, apart from that first encounter, and we had managed very well so far without dissecting our relationship too much.
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