‘Hiya! Not late am I?’ Nathan thrusts a clinking carrier bag at Helen and turning, shakes himself like a dog on the doorstep before stepping into the hall.

Helen laughs at him. ‘Shall I get you a towel?’ she asks, biting her lip.

Kester puts his head around the sitting room door. ‘What the hell happened to you?’ he chuckles ‘Not raining by any chance is it?’

‘Stupid bloody taxi driver!’ Nathan curses, pulling off his trainers by pressing down on their backs with the toes of the other foot and unbuttoning his jacket at the same time. ‘I asked him to stop at the offie so I could get a couple of bottles and he bloody went! Came out and he’d gone. Who gets a cab to the sodding off licence? I ask you! It was either walk or call another cab. I didn’t want to be late. I was cutting it fine as it was. It bloody emptied down as soon as I started off. Look at me!’ he says, draping his sodden jacket on the newel post of the stairs.

‘We are!’ Helen laughs from the open kitchen door at the end of the hall, depositing the carrier bag on a worktop ‘Go on in’ She gestures to the sitting room as Kester turns back.

‘Drink?’ Kester offers.

‘Drink? I need to strip off and stick everything in the bloody tumble drier first’ he says, pulling the wet fabric of his trousers away from the front of his thighs. Feels like I’ve sodding pissed myself. What a damned idiot, eh? Wait here, I said. My own fault, I suppose. If I’d had to pay him, he would’ve realised I was coming back but I’ve got an account with Double Zee so…’ He stops dead, pushing a hand through his dripping hair. He looks at Kester and scowls, turning his back on the girl sitting on the rug in front of the fire on the other side of the room to mutter out of the corner of his mouth ‘Am I being set up here?’

Helen, catching his whispered words as she follows him into the room, smiles and shakes her head almost imperceptibly. ‘Nathan?’ she says, hesitantly taking his arm and turning him round again. ‘My sister, Blythe. Blythe?….meet a very wet Nathan. Nathan is Kester’s friend…and my friend too’

‘Hello’ Blythe replies with a warm smile.

‘Hello’ Nathan mumbles.

‘Nice to meet you. Hope you don’t expect me to get up. Alfie’s made himself very comfortable’ she adds, stroking a hand over Alfie’s curled form on her lap.

‘Blythe turned up unexpectedly this afternoon’ Helen explains.

‘Oh’ Nathan stares, tongue-tied, a deep uncomfortable flush mounting his cheeks.

‘Hmm, passing by, so she said’ Helen grimaces good-humouredly.

‘I was!’ Blythe protests. ‘The fact I needed to check out the reason for all these phone calls I’ve been getting had nothing to do with it, nothing to do with it at all!’ she gurgles.

‘Did I pass muster?’ Kester asks, sitting in an armchair, looking up and reaching out a hand to draw an embarrassed Helen onto his lap.

‘Ohhh, I think you might’ve done’ Blythe sparkles.

‘Nathan, for God’s sake sit down, you make the place look untidy!’ Kester chuckles as he circles his arms around Helen.

‘Yeah’ Nathan tries to move feet that seem glued to the floor. ‘Er…’ He looks down at himself. ‘I’ll go and see if I can’t dry off a bit first’

‘Sorry’ Blythe pulls up her knees and with one hand on Alfie, shuffles backwards. ‘I’m hogging the fire. Why don’t you stand here?’ She pats the rug.

‘No…no…it’s okay’ Nathan mumbles. ‘’scuse me. Bathroom upstairs, I take it?’ He turns and walks from the room.

‘I’d better go check how supper’s doing’ Helen says as she stands up ‘Will you sort out some drinks?’

‘Ah…that’s what I was doing, wasn’t it? Sorry, got sidetracked’ Kester stands up too. ’Blythe, another glass of wine?’

‘I’ll help myself’ Blythe smiles, carefully moving Alfie from her lap and getting to her feet ‘while I give Helen a hand in the kitchen’

‘Go give it a taste and see what you think’ Helen dawdles over adding another log to the fire until Blythe has left the room.

‘Everything okay?’ Kester asks with quiet concern as she glances to the door.

‘I think poor Nathan was a bit embarrassed in front of Blythe’ Helen whispers, laying an anxious hand on his chest and looking up at him. ‘You did bring a change of clothes didn’t you, can you lend him something of yours while I get his dry?’

‘It was a bit of an entrance, wasn’t it?’ Kester makes a face. ‘Not the best of introductions: dripping wet and swearing like a trooper. I’ll go up and sort him out, no worries’

‘I should have warned him’ Helen sighs. ‘He wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here..’

‘Damned good job he didn’t strip off in the hall!’ Kester chuckles ‘He might’ve done, knowing him. That’s something to be thankful for’

‘Is it?’ Helen grins up at him impishly.

‘Oi!’ Kester growls aiming a slap at her bottom as she darts away from him.

Pennywell, Bower Lane

Chapter Ten

Chapter summaries may be reached via the Site Directory Page

Helen's bedroom

‘Yeah great, height of fucking elegance’ Nathan scowls at himself in the mirror.

‘They’re okay’ Kester growls impatiently. ‘It’s only until these are dry’ He bundles Nathan’s discarded clothes from the floor and dumps them on the bed.

Nathan hitches the jeans and stares down unhappily at the folded cuff at his ankles. ‘Only wants a bit of bloody string tied round me gut and I’ll be well set’ He glowers at his reflection.

‘It’s just us!’ Kester says irritably. ‘Don’t spoil this for Helen, please. This is the first time she’s invited anybody in’ He nods at Nathan’s disbelieving stare. ‘Honestly…apart from people looking after Alfie…and she wasn’t here when they were, this is the first proper invite she’s given since she’s been here’

‘Yeah?’ Nathan picks up a bottle of perfume from Helen’s dressing table and checks the label before sniffing at its top.

‘Yes’ Kester scowls and snatches the bottle from him, careful to put it back exactly where it came from. ‘I know it’s only informal and just you but it’s a big step for her….You don’t realise how nervous she’s been’

‘Of me?’

‘No, not you specifically but the fact that someone else was coming. This is her space, it’s still a matter of trust, especially where blokes are concerned, and she’s comfortable with you, okay? It’s a small start but…’

‘I get you…sorry…I should’ve thought. I’m comfortable with her…just in case you hadn’t noticed’ Nathan smiles sheepishly.

‘Er…yeah…just a bit. You didn’t exactly stand on ceremony did you?’

‘Made a complete prat of myself. I’ve shown her up too haven’t I? I’ll apologise later if I get the chance’

‘You’ll probably get a slapping if you do! She’s okay…worried about you feeling awkward that’s all’ Kester zips his holdall and looks around before stowing it under the dressing table.

‘Yeah, I feel awkward’ Nathan grunts ‘I don’t bloody fit either, do I?’

Kester sighs. ‘I meant about you having to sit in wet clothes….like you said, looking like you’d pee’d yourself. Will you leave stuff alone!’ He slams a drawer shut before Nathan has it fully open.

‘Not exactly what I said, was it?  Jeeze…what a prat. ‘The Do’s and Don’ts of Behaviour in Polite Society’. I was looking for a hairdryer, where’s she keep it?’

‘Give over for Christ’s sake! I don’t know what’s got into you lately…and I don’t know where she keeps her hairdryer either, I’ve not stayed in here before’

‘You haven’t?’ Nathan looks surprised.

‘No. Not all night. Okay?’ Kester growls as he rubs a crease of annoyance from between his brows with the tips of his fingers.

‘You’ve had your big night stuffed then!’ he smirks.

‘Nobody’s night’s been stuffed!’

‘Okay, okay! You got a belt?’ Nathan asks, scrunching the spare fabric between his fingers at his waist. ‘Might as well go the whole hog and look a complete peasant’

‘They’re not that big. Keep your hands in your pockets’

‘And sit there looking as if I’m playing with myself? Very impressive’

‘If and when you stand up, you pillock! These’ll take half hour tops then you can put them back on again’ Kester gathers up the clothes and smoothes the duvet ‘They’re not going to fall down. Stop making such a bloody fuss! If it was just me and Helen, you’d probably be quite happy sitting there in a bath towel’

‘But it isn’t is it!’

‘She didn’t know her sister was going to turn up and that’s the truth. B’s all right. She won’t care one way or the other what you’re wearing. It’s you that’s put out over nothing’

‘Over nothing?’ He whistles silently and shakes his fingers as though hot.

‘So go and do your stuff!’ Kester thrusts the wet clothes under Nathan’s arm.

‘Nah’ Nathan shakes his head. Sighing, he gives his hair a final comb with his fingers. ‘Come on …too hungry to care one way or the other now’

The kitchen

‘Better?’ Helen asks as Kester and Nathan walk into the kitchen.

Blythe pauses from where she is dicing cucumber to glance over her shoulder, her eyes dropping to Nathan’s bare feet and turning back again but not before Nathan catches her amused smile. He scowls.

‘Just in time’ Helen continues, dropping her tasting spoon into the sink.

‘She’s trying to decide if we should eat in here, lay the table or pig it in there’ Bythe rolls her eyes at Kester.

‘Anything’s fine with me’ Kester rests a hand at the base of  Bythe’s back while he reaches around her to take a cube of cucumber and pop it into his mouth.

She elbows him and giggles. ‘Can’t you wait?’

‘Nope!’ he grins ‘Never could’ Grinning, he takes a few more pieces, tipping his head back and dropping them in one by one as he steps away and joins Helen standing at the hob. ‘Anything I can do?’

‘No’ Helen says, pinching a grain of rice between thumbnail and finger, her head turned away from him ‘Almost there now’

He lays a hand on one shoulder and leans forward, nudging her head with his cheek ‘Smells wonderful’

‘I-I hope it tastes as good’

He frowns slightly at the catch in her voice and delivers a kiss to her flushed cheek ‘Okay?’ he whispers.

Helen nods, blinking rapidly. ‘Shall we eat in here?’ she asks.

As Kester shrugs his response, Blythe snorts ‘Told you!’ Nathan interrupts. ‘In here, eh?’ he smiles, catching Helen’s eye. ‘Not that I’m worried about being nearer seconds or anything’ he pokes fun at himself.

Helen smiles gratefully. ‘Okay…Oh, your clothes! Got to…’

‘It’s sorted’ Nathan assures her. ‘Had a guided tour of your utility room’

‘Oh’ She flushes, remembering the pile of underwear atop the dryer waiting to be put away.

‘Lemon’s not my colour’ he whispers close to her ear, his hand on her arm. He grins and tightens his fingers a little. ‘Although the blue set fits perfectly’

Helen giggles, her face flaming nevertheless.

‘What are you two giggling at?’  Kester looks between Nathan and Helen, an unreadable expression on his face.

‘Nothing’ Helen says airily, giving Nathan a conspiratorial grin.

Nathan clears his throat. ‘Nothing at all’ he says, helping himself to a glass of wine and glowering at Kester’s reaction and the eye contact between him and Blythe as she pops the last useable piece of the cucumber into his mouth.

Helen drops her gaze, concentrating on fluffing the rice. ‘Shall I serve or will you all help yourselves?’

‘You trust me to help myself?’ Nathan laughs. ‘What are the rest of you having?’

Blythe sets the bowls of salad on the table. ‘Mmmm expect you’ve got a healthy appetite’ she says ‘Perhaps we’d better get in first’

‘Being a manual worker, you mean?’ he responds defensively as Helen hands him a plate ‘After you’ He gestures in front of him with a slight bow.

Blythe looks at Kester uncertainly and back at Nathan ‘Er…no. I meant..’

‘Well, this ‘manual worker’ is famished!’ Kester gives Nathan a warning glare and hugs Helen before pushing in front of them both. ‘Don’t think anyone’s going to starve!’ he laughs, seeing the huge pan full of chilli and an equally generous mound of rice in a dish sitting next to it. ‘Expecting a coach party?’ He grins down at Helen and winks at Blythe.                                                

Nathan sits listening to the conversation going on around him, watching Helen watching Kester as he talks easily with Blythe.

‘This is lush!’ he says appreciatively, breaking into her thoughts. ‘Thanks’

‘There’s plenty’ Helen nods towards the saucepan and spoons sour cream onto what is left on her plate ‘Not too hot?’

‘The hotter the better, I like anything that makes me sweat’

Blythe puts her hand over her mouth and sniggers. Nathan fixes her with a blank stare and she looks down at her supper, pushing rice around with her fork.

‘Can I get you some more?’ Kester offers with a smile as both he and Nathan stand up.

‘No, I’m fine, thanks, in a minute maybe. It’s really nice’ Bythe assures Helen.

‘Helen?’ Kester holds out his hand for her plate.

‘I’m almost full’ she replies without looking up. ‘I didn’t make a pudding but there’s ice cream if anyone wants any’

‘Actually, think I’ll go outside for a fag before I have another lot’ Nathan says

‘You don’t have to go outside!’ Helen protests. ‘Especially if it’s raining’

‘Nope’ Nathan opens the door and peers outside. ‘Stopped now’ He closes the door behind him.

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