Love-40 by Anna Cheska

‘Walked out. You know, told them, sorry, but there’s somewhere you have to be. Someone you have to be with.’
    â€˜Oh, I see.’ Suzi’s eyes narrowed. She seemed to be re-appraising the situation. ‘I had to stay there,’ she said at last. ‘Erica’s doing her best to take over the youth club and turn CG’s into something terribly exclusive and awful. We have to stop her. It’s important.’
    â€˜And I’m not.’ He knew it was childish, but the adrenalin had left him, his after-performance high ruined. He felt disappointed and yes, he felt childish.
    â€˜Of course you’re important.’ Suzi touched his arm. ‘But I knew you’d do fine without me. And you have.’
    Michael just gave her a long look and went off to get his leather jacket. That was hardly the point.
    *   *   *
    â€˜I suppose Liam was there?’ he said, when they pulled up in the yard by the riverside, which was as near as they could get to her place. What was wrong with him? Could he be jealous of her brother?
    â€˜Yep.’ Suzi had gone all tight-lipped. Their journey back to the riverbank cottage in the battered Granada had been a silent one.
    â€˜Arguing with anyone who’d listen to him, no doubt.’ Michael was aware of the sneer in his own voice. What was up with him? He didn’t want this.
    Suzi got out of the car, led the way down the path and into the cottage and petted the dogs who had come to greet them. ‘At least Liam cares,’ she said hotly. Briefly, she buried her face in Samson’s fur. ‘He believes in the future of CG’s. He wants ordinary people to benefit. Our local kids, for example.’
    Michael felt the exclusion of her words. The local kids were nothing to do with him. He didn’t even live here. ‘Up the workers,’ he scoffed.
    For a moment, he thought she was going to ask him to leave. For a moment he felt the drop of panic in his groin. He had gone too far. Then she turned away. ‘I don’t want to argue. I’m going to bed.’
    Michael followed her up the narrow staircase. It curled its way like a comma into an equally narrow landing which led to Suzi’s bedroom. He ducked to enter. This wasn’t how he’d meant it to be. It was supposed to be flushed and warm between them now – post-performance heat sparking them off into a session of sex to remember, Suzi looking up to him, wanting to please him, with, OK, just a hint of groupie adoration in her dark eyes. But it wasn’t like that, not at all. Yeah – and whose fault was that?
    She got undressed slowly – he tried not to watch, but his eyes were drawn back to her small, slim figure as she stripped off her jeans and T-shirt, as she pulled back the patchwork quilt, switched on the bedside light, shrouded within its fringed navy linen shade. He knew it didn’t matter to her that they might go to bed and not make love, that he might not hold her close, that he’d be lying beside her, staring up at her night-time ceiling, while she slept soundly on. Suzi was ace at pretending indifference.
    Michael took off his shirt. Or was she indifferent?
    â€˜The landlord reckoned I could have the spot once a month,’ he told her as she returned from the bathroom.
    â€˜Great.’ Suzi climbed into the high bed. She plumped up her pillows and settled down.
    Great. Meant nothing, did great. ‘Fact is, I’m learning some new material, really getting into it again.’ Michael stepped out of his jeans.
    Suzi’s eyes were closed. ‘Great,’ she said, more sleepily this time.
    â€˜The job’s pissing me off,’ he continued conversationally, going through to clean his teeth. The bathroom of the two-bedroomed cottage was tiny and Michael had to stoop to enter. He fixed his gaze on the multi-coloured copper unicorn Suzi had hung from a ceiling flocked with silver