A Healing Love
Copyright© 2025 by Marc Nobbs
Chapter 25: Business Planning
Coming of Age Sex Story: Chapter 25: Business Planning - Paul Robertson's journey continues as his past and present collide at a star-studded movie premiere, where a connection that once terrified him reignites with passion that threatens to consume them both. Fighting to forge a new future for himself and stop drifting, Paul must finally become the man he’s always been afraid to be. A beautiful, bittersweet exploration of grief, social responsibility, the healing power of love, and learning that sometimes loving someone means letting them go.
Caution: This Coming of Age Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Romantic Heterosexual Fiction
It was after half past eleven when I finally left the Economics building, clutching a bundle of Doctor Bennett’s flyers. I headed for the library to review my notes from her lecture before meeting some of my friends for lunch in The Union at half-twelve. As I walked, I had a chance to read the flyer she’d given me properly. It displayed the date, time, and venue at the top, and then the lecture details took up the rest of the glossy A5 handout.
The Westmouth Union
presents
Doctor Alexandra Bennett
discussing
Altruistic Capitalism and the impending NEET crisis:
Exploring a different kind of capitalism to prevent a disaffected generation from opting out of the social contract
Well, it sounded impressive, even if I didn’t really have any idea what she was getting at. I didn’t know what Neets were or what ‘Altruistic Capitalism’ was. I had heard people on the television talk about the ‘Social Contract’ before, usually on those Sunday morning political programs, but I didn’t really know what that was either. I suppose that’s why you attended the talk—to understand whatever point she wanted to make.
As I read the leaflet, I thought of Alannah and the passionate defence of the NHS she’d given me a few days ago. And how she’d been so adamant that I needed to vote—that all people our age needed to vote. I’d bet this kind of talk would be right up her alley. She was one of the people I was meeting for lunch—along with Lily, supposedly, although with how she’d been avoiding me, I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t show up—so I made a mental note to tell her about it.
Imogen was waiting for me when I finally got to the library. She was also planning to join me for lunch because we had a lecture together straight after.
“You’re late,” she said, grinning slightly. “Very late. Not like you.”
“I got waylaid.”
“Let me guess—someone from this economics module you’re taking. I’m guessing blonde, blue eyes—”
“Cut it out,” I said, smiling. “It wasn’t like that. Although she was blonde, with blue eyes. But she was also twenty-six—”
“Bit old for you—”
“And the course tutor. She knew who I was and wanted to speak to me about some stuff.”
“What sort of stuff?”
I shrugged. “Just ... Stuff. I didn’t even do much talking, actually. It was odd. Then she invited me to this...” I held out one of the flyers to Imogen.
She read it and then looked at me. “Altruistic Capitalism?”
I nodded.
“And you’re going?”
“I said I would.”
“More fool you.”
I shrugged again. “You’re probably right.” I sat down, got out my notes and settled down to work.
Lana and Lily were waiting in the foyer of The Union when Imogen and I arrived. Lana smiled and stepped forward to give me a chaste hug in greeting, then moved on to do the same to Imogen, who shot me a look that clearly said she hadn’t been expecting it.
Lily hugged me immediately after Lana had, and also moved on to Imogen.
I fell into step with Lily as we walked up the stairs to the canteen and said quietly, “I didn’t know if you were going to come or not?”
“Why? Of course, I’m going to come! I love having lunch with you.” She grinned. “And besides, you’re paying. Never turn down a free lunch, right?”
“Well, I mean, you’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?”
“What? No! Why would you think I’ve been avoiding you?”
“Because I haven’t spoken to you since Lana’s concert. I’ve only seen you once, at dinner after badminton club one week, but we didn’t speak. You barely even looked at me that night.”
She looked thoughtful for a second before saying, “Damn, you’re right. I hadn’t realised. I guess we’ve just both been busy, what with exams and everything. How did your exams go, by the way?”
I stared at her for just a little longer than I ordinarily would when she changed topics so quickly, then said, “Fine. Absolutely fine. You?”
She shrugged. “Harder than I expected, but fine, I guess.”
And just like that, I knew I’d been worrying about nothing. I still didn’t understand why she’d been ‘off’ with me at the concert, but did it matter? She was her old self. Same old Lily—happy and bubbly. Maybe she’d been feeling unwell or something. I should ask, but I knew better than to push it.
We got our food from the self-service counter and found a table by one of the windows looking out over the town in the distance and the sea beyond. It really was a hell of a view, and I again reminded myself how lucky I was to live here.
And how lucky I was to be surrounded by so many good friends all the time.
As we ate, I remembered Doctor Bennett’s lecture and dug into my bag to find a flyer to give to Lana.
“What’s this?” She took the flyer from me and examined it. “Oh, Lexi Bennett’s lecture next week. I’m already planning to go. It doesn’t start until seven, so I should still be able to make it to badminton—might have to skip gym, that’s all.” She smiled that stunning smile of hers at me. “Are you planning to go too?”
I nodded. “She’s asked me to go. Wants me to hear what she has to say and then wants to talk to me about something afterwards.”
“She asked you to go?” Her eyebrows shot up so quickly that they seemed to fly off her face, and if her voice had risen in pitch any higher, only dogs would have been able to hear her. “When? Why?”
“After my lecture with her this morning. It’s my elective this year.”
In a much calmer tone, she said, “Oh, you’re taking her elective. Makes sense. I did the same in the first semester. I was so excited when I saw she’d moved here and was teaching a first-year elective. She’s brilliant, isn’t she?”
“Wait, so ... You know who she is?”
“Yeah! She’s, like, a rock star or something.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Rock star?”
“In the student politics world, for sure. She should have been president of the National Union of Students, but there was, like, a coup or something at the national conference. Like a plot to stop her or something. It was a big story—even made it onto the BBC website.”
I grinned. She sounded like a giddy schoolgirl. Very ‘Un-Lana-like.’
“What’s so special about her?” Imogen asked.
“She’s brilliant, that’s what!” Lana replied. “She’s got this blog, right? And it just explains everything—all the politics of everything.” She looked at me. “You know my dad got me into politics, right? I told you that. How I went delivering leaflets with him and talking to people in the street at the last election? Yeah, well, Dad got me into politics, but Lexi Bennett’s blog helped me understand politics. Understand all the issues—what’s important and what’s a distraction. She’s brilliant. And this lecture ... I swear, I’ve been following her for a few years now, and her ideas are so ... Different. But they make so much sense. If there’s any justice in the world—which there isn’t but should be—then she’ll be Prime Minister one day and solve all this country’s problems and just make it a better place for everyone. She’s brilliant. And she wants to speak to you after her lecture. I bet I know why.”
“Why?”
“Oh, it’ll take too long to explain, and you won’t get it unless you’ve read her blog or until you’ve been to her lecture. I’ll send you a link to the blog, and then maybe I’ll tell you what I think she wants to talk to you about after you’ve read some of it. It won’t make sense until you do. Honestly.”
Imogen’s phone beeped with her group chat ringtone, then beeped twice more before she could unlock it and read the messages.
“Chloë’s got two Oscar nominations,” she said. Both Lily and Alannah knew we were friends with Chloë by now, so Imogen felt more than comfortable saying this.
“Two?” Lily said.
Imogen nodded. “Best supporting actress for that film that came out before Christmas. The depressing one.”
“‘Of Mars and Men,’” I said. “Did Sam get a Best Director nomination for that, too? Chloë had hoped he would.”
“No idea. She hasn’t said.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ask her then.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“The other one?” Lily asked.
“Best Actress for ‘Never Send a Woman.’” She looked at me. “Carly’s been nominated, too. For—”
“‘A Woman’s Work.’ Yeah. That was expected, too. Although I think the songwriters, not the singer, get the award, and Carly didn’t write that one.”
“Still good to be nominated, though.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
I expected life to settle into a routine now that the new semester was underway, but life is never that easy, is it? Marie called me as I was walking home from my last lecture on Monday to tell me she’d set up a lunchtime meeting on Wednesday with two junior lawyers who worked for Sarah Ward, and who she’d recommended would be able to negotiate any deals with Glenn. The idea was that I would speak to both and decide which one to work with. They were travelling down from London together and, no doubt, would be eager to impress and win the rich new client.
I suggested that it might be fun to put them off their guard and have lunch in the Students’ Union rather than a nice pub or restaurant. They really needed to understand who I was and where I was in life, and that would be one way to do it.
Marie thought that was hilarious and asked if she could tag along, which I happily agreed to.
That meant I needed to talk to Carly before then, though. I wanted to support her in making the album, but I didn’t want it to cause a problem between us if I did, so I felt like I needed to ask permission. ‘A Woman’s Work’ being nominated for an Oscar gave me an excuse to take her out for a nice meal that evening to ‘celebrate,’ and I thought that would be a good time to bring it up.
I took her to Capello’s, the lovely Italian restaurant just off the seafront that Will had taken me to several times. We dressed nicely, although not as nicely as we did when we went to Belle Vue, and arrived in good time for our booking at seven-thirty.
After ordering, I reached across the table to take Carly’s hand. She smiled at me and squeezed my hand, but I didn’t smile back. Not yet.
“Carly, I need to ask you something.”
Still smiling, she said, “Sounds serious.”
“It is. And it isn’t. But mostly it is.”
She raised her eyebrows, and her smile widened, but she didn’t say anything.
I stoked my chin with my free hand, then said, “Carly ... Did you tell Glenn about my money?”
Her eyes widened, and she said, “No! Paul, no, I’d never ... That’s private. I wouldn’t tell Glenn or anyone.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say. But do you have any idea how he’d know about it then?”
“How do you know he knows? And why does it matter if he does?”
“Because he told me he knows. And I’ll tell you why it matters in a sec.”
Carly shook her head. “No, I ... Well, I suppose...”
“You let it slip accidentally?”
She shook her head again. “Not in so many words. But ... I mean, I did tell him about you. About us.” She took her hand away from me and clasped both of her hands together in front of her, gently rubbing them together. Her shoulders were tense. Stiff. Looking at the table, she said, “It’s like ... When the first album started to do well and I had to do interviews on the radio and for magazines and stuff, they’d always ask what the inspiration for the album was, and I’d always say ... Well, I’d say it was this guy I fell in love with who just up and left me one night without saying goodbye. Sorry, I know that’s not a nice thing to say, but it’s what happened, so ... And I never expected to see you again, remember?”
She looked up at me with sad eyes.
I nodded. “I get that.”
She nodded back. “Anyway, Glenn wanted the whole story, so I told him. Including the part where you were in the middle of spending a year travelling around the country, so, I guess ... I mean ... It’d be fair to assume you had money if you were doing something like that, wouldn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess it would.”
She visibly relaxed. “So ... why is it important that he knows?”
“Because ... Well ... because he tapped me up for some investments.”
Her brow furrowed. “Tapped you up?”
“I mean, he told me he knew people with projects I could invest in.” I took a deep breath. “Starting with your album.”
Her brow furrowed even more. “My album?”
I nodded. “He said that because it’s so ... different and not the kind of thing you’ve done before, it’s making the label nervous.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve already told you that they keep asking how I’m getting on and putting pressure on me to finish it quickly. I guess it’s cheaper if I do it quickly, right? But I want to get it right, you know? And that takes time.”
“They’re money men. They want to make a profit. And they are looking to spread the risk, so to speak.”
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