***
Alice didn’t tell on him, because the only text Charles receives from Milton the next day is a reminder that it’s Clifford’s birthday. But Clifford is out of the office, and when Charles asks if there’s a pool he can contribute to, Gareth fleers, ‘Arse licking much?’ Charles bites his tongue and dives into the account that their boss privately assigned him yesterday.
The best present he can give Clifford – who’s always treated him with respect and sympathy – is to honour his trust. The best way to get back at Gareth for his constant belittlement is to eclipse him. And the best work conduct Charles can adopt is to fulfil his duties whilehe figures out what to do.
He won’t tackle his ticking-clock-bully until he wins his ongoing wars, and the main battle he has to prepare for today is his imminent reunion with Loris.
Charles’ paranoia is loud when fed with a new topic to dramatise. Whenever he dissociates from his computer screen and thinks about their upcoming conversation, Loris grows more resentful. Every time, Charles needs to reread their latest exchange to get a grip.
12:18Can I come to the pub later? I have your keys.
12:36 WITH ONE LI don’t need them back tonight but I’d love for you to come to the pub
Luckily, Charles gets busy enough in the afternoon to keep his inner voices at bay. He manages to leave the office before turning Loris into a sadistic mastermind who would cruelly make him pay for the way he acted in December.
Charles slips into the North Haven behind a group of smokers sent back inside by the sleet, which allows him to look around without being spotted. Loris is behind the counter, fixing a beer badge to a lager tap. He’s wearing a tight low-neck jumper that instantly erases every scenario not ending with Charles’ lips on his skin.
Does Loris get more attractive by the day? Or is Charles becoming more sensitive to it now that he’s at peace with the idea? In any case, he takes off his coat, boiling in a way the pub temperature doesn’t justify.
‘Charles!’ Patty materialises in front of him. ‘How are you, boy?’
‘I’m very good and you?’
‘My gem of an employee is back, I’m overjoyed.’
Shetousles Charles’ hair with an overjoyed expression similar to the one he saw earlier on commuters waiting for a delayed bus. When she shuffles away, she reveals a bewildered Loris, who drops his arm. The beer badge he was holding against the tap falls onto the floor, startling Jack the illustrator.
‘I leave for two weeks and Patty is now petting you?’
‘Jealous?’
‘No.’ Loris shrugs. ‘She pets me too.’
‘What do you think of my price board?’
‘You did that? When? How? What’s going on?’
‘Long story… for another day.’ Charles picks up the badge, puts his clothes onto a stool and rests his forearms on the counter. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m back at work, I left my sketchbook in Kent, and these stupid sticky things are meant to stick but never stick.’
Charles smiles, amused and relaxed. Loris isn’t truly irritated. He’s barely fighting a grin and his eyes are sparkling. When he takes the badge, his fingers caress Charles’ wrist, blurring the setting around them.
‘What about you?’
‘I’m not wrestling with non-sticky things, I haven’t misplaced my sketchbook, but I’m back at work too.’
‘What do you do?’ Loris asks, stepping aside to serve an old man.
Charles blinks to readjust to the reality that they’re not alone in the room. ‘What do I do?’
‘You never said. You wear suits, but maybe you’re a banker, maybe you’re an MI6 agent.’
Charles coughs, feeling his cheeks turn scarlet. Loris knows how he reacts to an orgasm, but not what he does for a living.
‘I work for a firm whose sole purpose is to help the richget richer.’
‘I hope you do it Robin Hood style.’
