Chapter 13

Giles was hosting a New Year’s Eve party at his ‘modest manor’ as he put it. Aidan was invited and Giles enquired whether ‘that incredible woman you had with you last time’ would be coming over for the celebrations. No she wouldn’t, Aidan told him, but, on a whim, invited Julie. Well, not quite a whim: he felt a little guilty about neglecting her over the Christmas period.

“Are you doing anything for New Year’s Eve?” he asked her.

“No,” she answered, her interest aroused.

“Fancy going to Giles’s bash?” he asked. “You know it’s always over the top – wonderful food and extravagant booze.”

“Are you inviting me?” she asked.

“Well, the words ‘fancy going to’ rather give it away, don’t they? D’you think Caroline and Kevin would like to go as well? Kevin hasn’t seen Giles in quite a while.”

“I’ll ask them,” she said, “but I’d love to go in any case.”

They all went. Caroline, clearly trying to make amends for her past attacks on Julie’s relationship with Aidan, volunteered to be the designated driver, much to Kevin’s relief in view of the effect drink had on her at parties.

The party, like all Giles’s bashes was superb and had a wide variety people there. Julie kept close to Aidan as they discovered friends they knew, and talked with people they didn’t, then danced some numbers in the ‘ballroom’. They got a few interested looks, as people wondered if they were together again, but no one had the courage to ask.

It was at this point that Julie and Aidan became separated. Aidan had a sense of deja vu, as he went to get her a drink. When he returned with two glasses, she was dancing with someone Aidan did not know. He watched as they danced very properly, and she saw him as they rotated, and looked unaccountably guilty. Aidan smiled at her, and her relief was obvious. After the dance he saw the man ask her for another, but she thanked him prettily and came back to Aidan.

“You didn’t mind?” she asked. “Really?”

“Not at all,” said Aidan, with a big smile, “have a good time, enjoy yourself. That’s what you’re here for.”

“I’m with you,” she said assertively.

They danced together for a few numbers, then sat it out with Caroline and Kevin, who, Aidan noticed, had danced with each other and only with each other all night. Caroline was on her best behaviour. Aidan thought wryly that the fact she had to be sober as the driver helped. It was when she had had a few drinks she tended to get wild and uncontrolled. Kevin, Julie and Aidan were not so abstemious, and Julie in particular was getting high.

So once again Aidan left the group to get drinks for them all, and when he returned Julie was on the dance floor again and this time he recognised the man she was dancing with. It was Tristram, who had tried and failed to seduce Sam away from him. Tristram was whispering in Julie’s ear, and she was alternately giggling and looking interested.

Their dancing was now not so proper. They were pressed together, his hands on her rear, pulling her against him. There was no sign of resistance. They kissed a long and steamy kiss. He was talking to her again and she was nodding. Tristram looked over to Aidan from time to time, a grin on his face, clearly thinking he was well on the way to seducing Aidan’s date for the night.

Aidan could see it was revenge pure and simple. Tristram had been trounced by Sam, now he would get his own back. Aidan smiled. It made no difference to him what Julie ended up doing with that man. Tristram fondled Julie’s breast and she closed her eyes. She rubbed herself against him. Aidan waited for Tristram’s next superior smile. It came.

Kevin and Caroline had been deep in some discussion to which Aidan had paid no attention, and they hadn’t seen her performance on the dance floor. Aidan didn’t feel any resentment against Julie, indeed the more she went with other men, he thought, the more likely it was she would feel more optimistic about life and cheer up.

“Don’t you think so Aidan?” Caroline was talking to him.

He started at his name. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’ve been in a world of my own. What was that?”

“Caroline was saying how wonderful it was to have a New Year to start things afresh,” said Kevin, “I was saying you could do that any day of the year.”

Aidan could see Caroline was angling to put more distance between them and her misdemeanour. He affected ignorance of her tactics.

“Well, we do that already,” said Aidan. “The academic year starts in September or October, the financial year starts a week into April! Lots of chances to begin again.”

He looked meaningfully at Kevin whose answering look showed he had caught the implication.

“But don’t you think this time of year is special?” Caroline persisted.

“The Christmas period?” said Aidan. “Yes, it certainly cheers us up in the darkest days of Winter – and the days are already getting longer.”

The discussion continued, and when Aidan next looked to the dance floor, there was no sign of Tristram or of Julie.

“Talking of cheer,” Aidan added, “Julie seems to have finished dancing, I wonder if she’s getting herself another drink.”

“Go find her Aidan,” urged Caroline. “She’s really had enough, you know.”

If she’s gone with Tristram, so have I, he thought.

Aidan stood and went to the kitchen, where the drinks were. He had no intention of finding Julie; if she wanted to have fun with Tristram, that would be fine with him. When he reached the kitchen, he did not find Julie, but he did find Vicky, Kathy and Brendan.

He was about to settle for a spell with them when Giles came into the room looking worried.

“There you are,” he said, addressing Aidan. “Sorry, but you need to know. Your girlfriend has gone upstairs with Tristram. They were, shall I say, behaving quite intimately.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Aidan said soothingly, knowing how responsible Giles felt about his guests. “She isn’t my girlfriend any more, just a friend.”

“But I thought?”

“Yes, we used to be an item, but that was before she fucked round on me.”

“Before Samantha?”

“Before Samantha. And I’m afraid Sam spoiled me for getting back with Julie. We just came tonight in the same car; she’s my sister-in-law.”

“Yeah, that, and not in the same class as Sam, eh?”

Aidan nodded. Giles breathed a sigh of relief and wandered off to be the perfect host somewhere else.

Aidan became conscious of the compassionate stares of the trio in front of him.

“It’s ok,” he assured them, “really. It really doesn’t matter. I agreed to take her out, but I made it clear we would be no more than friends, and that she should be looking elsewhere for a more permanent relationship. So it seems she has. Not a problem for me, in fact it gets me out of a hole.”

“But you came with her,” said Vicky.

“I came with her and my brother and his wife, her sister.”

“So you could leave here with us instead,” Kathy grinned. “She’ll have a lift with her sister or with this man she’s been ‘upstairs’ with,” and she gave a little giggle.

“I could indeed,” said Aidan, “who’s driving?”

“Vicky!” came a chorus of two.

“Ok?” he asked her.

“Ok!” she answered.

Aidan excused himself to tell Kevin and Caroline about his change of plans, the others having invited him to meet them in the front lounge where it was quiet and comfortable. He found the pair at the same table in the ‘ballroom’ they had been at all evening. Caroline was not dancing with anyone but Kevin, and earlier with Aidan.

“Find her?” asked Kevin.

“No,” said Aidan blithely. “She’s busy upstairs with a guy called Tristram.”

“What?” Caroline gasped, “are you sure?”

“On the authority of our host, Giles,” Aidan assured her. “Well, I’ve been offered a lift home by Vicky, so the field is clear if she wants to stay with Tristram.”

“But I don’t think...” said Caroline.

“I do,” interrupted Kevin. “Julie is her own worst enemy, and she’s blown it. Utterly. Completely. Hasn’t she, Aidan?”

“Not really,” said Aidan, “it was never going to happen in the first place, but at least you both now understand my position.”

They both nodded miserably, and Aidan took his leave of them.

He joined the others in the front lounge and spent a contented time chatting about everything in the universe except accounting or finance. They lost count of time and before they knew it, Giles arrived at the door.

“Nearly midnight,” he called, “we’re letting in the New Year in the ‘ballroom’, and then there’s the fireworks.”

They called at the kitchen for drinks for the toast and obediently filed into the ballroom where the last dance was drawing to a close. Then came the countdown and the cheers and yelling, “Happy New Year!” Then the hugging and kissing.

Who was next to Aidan? Kathy of course! The kiss lasted until Vicky tapped her on the shoulder.

“My turn!” she said, laughing.

Kathy grinned and stepped aside into the arms of Brendan, who seemed to enjoy her smouldering kiss.

Vicky kissed Aidan and whispered, “Brendan and I – we’re getting engaged.”

“That’s brilliant!” shouted Aidan. “Congratulations!” and kissed her again, turned to Brendan who was emerging from Kathy’s ministrations, and shook his hand vigorously. Then the fireworks started.

No: real fireworks, outside.

Aidan felt Kathy’s arm around his waist, and feeling relieved at being freed from Julie, draped his arm round her shoulder, giving her neck an occasional stroke, to which she gave an equally occasional moan of pleasure.

“Like me to come back to your place?” Kathy whispered the question in his ear.

Aidan hesitated.

“It’s a special night,” she crooned, “no strings, but I need a man tonight of all nights. I know you love someone else.”

Aidan had had enough to drink to feel mellow; he ignored her reference to his ‘love’, inferred on her part, and nodded without a qualm. She squeezed his waist and he pulled her close. She looked up and smiled, and he looked down and did the same.

It was when the fireworks finished and they had disengaged and turned to go back inside the house, that Aidan saw Julie, her arm in Tristram’s, looking annoyed, or was it upset, at him from across the room: she had to have seen Aidan and Kathy cuddling together on the terrace.

Both Julie and Tristram looked dishevelled in spite of attempts they must have made to straighten themselves up. Aidan learned later that Julie and Tristram had arrived half way through the fireworks, having missed the New Year celebration, or perhaps having one of their own.

Tristram initially had not seen Aidan with Kathy, and so had a superior grin which conveyed the message he had shagged Aidan’s girl. Then Aidan saw them and pulled Kathy to him, to which she reacted by putting her arm round his waist again.Then Tristram’s smile vanished. Aidan felt elated. He smiled a knowing smile at their appearance.