The Other Woman

“Where have you been?” Lara asked as I sat back at the table. I smiled.
“Just popped to the loo.” I patted her hand. She wasn’t convinced. She then noticed a purple-faced Clarissa screaming as she walked out of the bathroom. In fact, the whole room noticed her. She was followed by one of her friends who scurried behind her.
“That was nothing to do with you was it?” Lara quietly asked in my ear.
“Of course not. “I busied myself filling up my glass of wine. I turned to see her laugh, knowing I was lying. She looked relatively glad to see the Duchess of Sussex purple with rage. The lights went down and we prepared for the speeches, the first few from various benefactors and patrons, before Harry took his place on the stage. It was the first time I had seen him all night. He wore a fitted navy suit and a baby blue tie, much like what Max was wearing. I watched him, not taking in much what he was saying, but I just watched him nervously make his way through his speech. Until he made eye contact with me. He seemed to suddenly turn on the charm and instead of shifting his weight from foot to foot, he stood still and puffed out his chest. I held his eye and watched his lips move, imagining how those lips once made me feel. I remembered how I would scream his name at the top of my lungs for hours on end just at the work of his lips. My chest rose and fell, quite visibly in the black gown. My eyes closed slightly, giving Harry my ‘come hither eyes’ that I knew he couldn't resist. He looked down as his notes and coughed, searching for my eyes as soon as he looked back up.
“Thank you all for tonight and I hope you all have a lovely evening.” He finished and stepped down from the stage, the lights coming back on in the room.
“Well that was a short speech.” Skippy muttered as he stood to go to the bar. I watched as Harry walked back to his table, sitting next to Clarissa who looked like a total stranger to him. It seemed like they hadn’t said a word all night, never mind looking like a couple. I heard Skippy asking me something, which snapped me out of my thoughts. He asked me if I wanted a drink. I smiled and replied.
“I’d love one.” Max decided to go to the bar with Skippy. They seemed to have been getting on swimmingly; almost as if they’d known each other for years.
“We need a plan.” Lara said, leaning over to me.
“What for?” I laughed.
“We’re going to get Harry back.”
…..
“I just want to try and sleep I think.” I said as we dumped our bags. The flight from Johannesburg was overnight but I just couldn’t sleep on the plane. I couldn’t sleep at all after my final visit to the hospital buildings. Ten of the fifteen children I had met on my first day there had survived our trip. Mercy was one of children that didn’t make it.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Harry pulled me into a cuddle and kissed my forehead. I just nodded silently. I turned to leave but Harry’s arms held me to him, not letting me move a muscle, his lips attached to my head. “You’re not fine at all.”
“It’s just…” I began but I couldn't quite put into words what I was feeling.
“It’s difficult isn't it.” I nodded into his chest. We stood for a while. “You haven’t slept in days.” I nodded. “And you haven't eaten much either.” I nodded. “You can’t do this to yourself. I know you want to help but you can’t take it out on yourself. In the morning we can do something to take your mind off it.”
“I don’t want to take my mind off it.”
….
“I think it’s time to leave.” Lara pointed out Max and Skippy who had started to stagger and slur their words. I nodded, gathering up my clutch bag. Lara excused herself to the bathroom and I went to try and catch up with our dates as they had danced and chatted their way around the room.
“Are you leaving?” I heard his voice behind me. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you yet.”
“We both know you’ve been talking to me all night.” I kept my gaze on Max the whole time, to stop myself from seeing his face.
“I could talk to you for longer.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?” Even though I had had a couple of drinks, I knew I had to keep a level head. I knew Clarissa was on my case and I knew better than to play into her hands. “Your wife won’t take her eyes off me.”
“She’s suspicious of you.” I turned to look at him, my head tilting to the side.
“She has reason to be.” Lara spotted me talking to Harry and her face lit up. “Maybe I should go.”
“You don’t have to.”
“And stay here with your wife plotting my humiliation? I think not somehow.” I turned to walk away.
“But we could-”
“I’ll talk to you in the morning.” I kissed his cheek and turned to catch up with Lara and the group they had joined.

“I thought we were leaving.” I smiled at Lara.
“Skippy wanted to introduce Max to his friends.” Lara rolled her eyes. Skippy has one arm around Max and the other around a blonde man I had seen before.
“Rebecca!” Skippy shouted when he noticed I was there. “This is George.” George stood to greet me with a kiss on each cheek.
“How have we not been introduced before?” George said, sitting back down on his seat and pulling out the chair next to him for me to sit too.
“I know! We must have met already at some point.”
“Your boyfriend was telling me all about your work in San Fransisco.”
“He isn’t my boyfriend. Just a friend.” I corrected him. He nodded, understanding.
“I saw what happened in San Fran. Their entire energy structure fell apart.”
“George owns an energy company. He’ll bore you half to death in a second.” Skippy earned a jab in the ribs from George who blushed, looking for his wine glass. Lara didn’t look happy that she had to wait around even longer.
“I think it’s quite interesting.” George’s eyes lit up. “Where would we be without energy in our homes. I know the natives tribes in the Amazon and so on can deal perfectly well but we’ve come so far in the was of technology that now we cant go backwards.” I’ve never seen a man turned on by talk of energy technology, but the look on George’s face was close to it.
“Maybe we should be getting home.” Lara said, trying to hold Skippy up. I stood to leave and say goodbye to George.
“Maybe we could talk again another time?” He offered. I smiled and wrote my number on the back of a napkin, before leaving.