‘OK.’ He nodded. He gave her a small smile, but it was enough.
‘OK.’ Lorelai smiled back.
All she had wanted was a chance to explain, and now she had it. She just hoped that Grayson would understand.
Twenty-One
It was almost half past ten that evening, and Lorelai was waiting for Grayson to finish work. She was standing at the back of the theatre, near its stage door. She watched the crowd leaving the theatre and envied them all, clutching their glossy souvenir brochures and reeling from the live experience they had all witnessed individually, but also together. Whatever happened in that building had happened to them as a group and it had brought them together. Occasionally, a cheer would go up as one of the cast left via the stage door, and they were met with hugs or a wave of programmes and pens. They smiled and chatted and scrawled an illegible signature that no one would be able to decipher on the way home. Life was happening all around her, and Lorelai was ready to grab some of it for herself.
Fifteen minutes went by, and still no Grayson. The crowd was thinning out, as people headed home or on to post-show drinks, and Lorelai began to worry. Each time the stage door opened, her heart leapt into her throat, but it was never the face she was waiting for. Lorelai was about to cut her losses and walk to the station, already preparing what she’d say to herself on the way. That Grayson wasn’t worth the heartache if he wasn’t willing tohear her out. That just because Grayson didn’t give her a chance didn’t mean she shouldn’t give someone else one in the future. That she shouldn’t give up on the idea of a relationship because she was now ready to open up to someone. That this wasn’t the be-all and end-all.Graysonwasn’t the be-all and end-all.
And then all of a sudden he was there, standing in front of her, and all of those thoughts disappeared into the wind. A thrill ran through her when she saw his eyes light up at the sight of her.
‘Hi,’ she whispered, smiling up at him.
‘Don’t make me smile at you. You’re still in the doghouse.’ He was grinning but there was an edge to his voice. He was still unsure.
‘I’m not doing anything!’
‘Yes, you are. You’re being you.’
‘Oof. That was a good line.’ The warmth of the compliment settled over Lorelai. Maybe it would be OK. ‘Where shall we go?’
‘There’s a place just down one of these side streets. It looks dodgy from the outside but that’s what keeps it so well hidden from tourists.’
‘That sounds perfect.’
For a moment Lorelai thought Grayson was going to take her hand. They both hesitated, and then he stuffed his hands in his pocket.
‘It’s this way,’ he said, embarrassed.
They wove their way deeper into Soho, making small talk.How was your day? How was work? What was the show like? Any good movies on at the moment?It was excruciating. Eventually they came to a stop outside a black building. It was a slim London townhouse, squeezed in amongst the other bars and shops. Whileother businesses were busy and bustling, with outdoor tables full of people, this building appeared silent and empty. Black blinds were pulled down over every window and only one singular light shone out over the front door. At first glance it looked like someone’s home.
‘Are you sure this is the right place?’ Lorelai hung back as Grayson started walking down the brick steps.
‘This is the place! The people who work on the show get free membership. I reckon a few of the cast have probably beat us here.’
Lorelai’s stomach flipped. She hadn’t realised they wouldn’t be alone tonight. The idea of meeting new people always unsettled her, but she was more concerned that she might not get to say all the things she needed to say.
‘Don’t worry, we don’t have to sit with them,’ Grayson reassured her quickly on seeing her face fall.
‘Am I dressed right for somewhere like this?’ Lorelai was wearing her cinema attire and a pair of bright-white trainers that glared obnoxiously against the inconspicuous building. Grayson walked back up a couple of steps, offering her a hand.
‘They get people coming straight from the theatres all the time, so they don’t really care as long as you spend money at the bar.’
‘That I can do.’
Lorelai curled her fingers around his and revelled in the electricity his touch sent up her arm. She hoped it wasn’t just her who could feel the spark between them and by the way he lingered before gently pulling her down the steps towards him, she suspected that he had felt it too. Although his hand didn’tfeel as clammy as hers. Nor was he breathing as heavily, and she couldn’t hear his heartbeat as loudly as she was certain he could hear hers. Lorelai couldn’t remember ever feeling like this, and she knew it wasn’t just her nerves. It was Grayson, being this close to him, holding his hand. It did something to her insides. She had always hoped she’d be cool and suave, like Margo Channing inAll About Evewho said things like, ‘Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.’ But she was behaving more like the Cowardly Lion.
Grayson knocked on the door, and Lorelai noticed the gold plaque on the wall.
‘The club is called Charlatans?’How apt. ‘And you have to knock to get in?’ Lorelai laughed but it came out in a strangled breath.
‘You have to knock because it used to be a house and you always knock at people’s houses.’
‘A club that demands manners. Can you sneak me in here more often?’
‘Depends on how good your explanation is.’
