Page 88 of Never
See you tonight? Early start tomorrow.
She had to decide what to do. She could not go on a holiday, even a short one, with a man whom she suspected of cheating. She had to confront him about Léonie. Why was she hesitating? She had nothing to fear, did she?
Of course she did. She feared rejection, humiliation, and the dreadful sense of having made a stupid misjudgement.
But it could all be a misunderstanding of some kind. That seemed unlikely, but she had to ask.
She sent a reply:
Where are you now?
He replied immediately:
At home, packing.
She sent:
On my way.
After that she had to go.
She felt shaky as she walked up the stairs to his apartment and knocked on the door. In a moment of nightmarish fantasy she imagined that the door would be opened by Léonie, wearing perfectly pressed lounging pyjamas.
But it was Tab and, much as she hated him for deceiving her, she could not help noticing how alluring he looked in a white T-shirt and faded jeans, with his feet bare.
‘My darling!’ he said. ‘Come in – it’s time I gave you a key. But where’s your bag?’
‘I haven’t packed,’ she said. ‘I’m not going.’ She walked in.
He went pale. ‘What on earth is wrong?’
‘Sit down and I’ll tell you.’
‘Of course. Do you want some water, a coffee, wine?’
‘Nothing.’
He sat opposite her. ‘What’s happened?’
‘I looked in at the International Bar today at about midday.’
‘I was there! I didn’t see you – ah. But you saw me, with Léonie.’
‘She’s attractive and single, and you’re clearly intimate with her. I could tell, anyone could tell just by looking at the two of you together. She even held your hand at one moment.’
He nodded, saying nothing. Any second now, she thought, he will break out into indignant denials.
But he did not.
She went on: ‘I happened to be with someone who told me who she is and explained that you’ve been having an affair with her for months.’
He gave a deep sigh. ‘This is my fault. I should have told you about her.’
‘Told me what, exactly?’
‘I had an affair with Léonie for six months. I’m not ashamed of it. She’s intelligent and charming and I still like her. But the affair ended a month before you and I took that trip to Lake Chad.’
‘A whole month! My goodness. What made you wait so long?’
