‘For how long?’ she asked suddenly.
‘How long what?’
‘How long would you like me in your bed?’
‘I don’t know, it depends how good my stamina is,’ he laughed.
Carlotta smiled ruefully. ‘You see, I don’t want to just be in your bed, I want to be in your life, Chris.’
Chris put his hands in his pockets of his pants. ‘One step at a time, Carlotta. I have to take it slowly, this is all new to me.’
Carlotta snorted at him. ‘Well, you see, I don’t have that time, so let’s just call it quits while we’re ahead, OK?’
She walked to the front door and opened it.
‘Bye Chris,’ she said, and the doors closed on her.
Downstairs she dialled Violetta's number again. ‘Hi,’ she said, crying into the phone.
‘Are you OK? Where are you?’
‘I was at Chris’s and he was giving me the shits.’
‘Why?’ asked Violetta.
‘Because he wants everything on his terms and it pissed me off,’ she said, composing herself.
‘He wants what on his terms?’
‘He wants me in his bed but not in his life. Doesn’t believe in marriage or happily ever after or anything.’
‘Do you want to marry him?’ Violetta asked.
‘Not really, but it would be nice if I got to turn him down. I don’t know, we just started this but his assumption that he can have whatever he wants whenever he wants it shits me.’
Violetta started to laugh. ‘Oh, Lotty, you are like that. The qualities you hate in him are what you hate about yourself.’
‘Shut up,’ said Carlotta good-naturedly.
‘It’s true.’
‘I know, so why am I shitty with him?’
‘Because he thinks he is right and he hasn’t asked you what you think and you think you are right,’ said Violetta.
‘Why are you so smart?’
‘I don’t know, I just am.’
‘And so modest too,’ laughed Carlotta.
‘Yes, I’m that as well.’
‘Thanks for talking to me,’ said Carlotta quietly.
‘Anytime, you know that.’
‘Say hi to Jeff for me,’ she said cheekily.
