New Australian Stories 2 Read Free Page B

stay seated and calm, we should have you landed within the next twenty minutes.’
    â€˜It’s worth trying to believe him.’ I kept my voice level in an attempt to convince both myself and Robert. ‘Doubting won’t help any of us.’ My hand gripped the armrest, and I could taste the acid fear at the back of my mouth.
    Robert was white, and his pupils had flooded, black, into the darkness of his eyes.
    I asked him if he lived in Canberra or Sydney, and he told me neither.
    â€˜Melbourne,’ he eventually said, voice soft.
    Behind us, in the dim glow of the cabin, I could hear other passengers talking. We were all trying to convince each other there was no need for alarm.
    â€˜Were you working in Canberra?’
    Robert nodded. He was a lobbyist, for the music industry. He was there often.
    â€˜I usually drive,’ he confessed, trying to smile at his own panic.
    â€˜And Sydney?’ I asked.
    It was where most of his clients were based. ‘And my son. He lives there with my first wife.’
    The plane lurched again and whatever calm had begun to still him dissipated. ‘Are we going to be okay?’ he asked, clutching the armrest between us.
    â€˜Of course we are.’ I spoke quickly, not wanting to let my own fear in, but it was there, searing and raw as I laid my hand on top of his and held it tight.
    Robert’s apartment was like a cheap hotel room. He opened the front door and stepped back to let me in.
    â€˜Drink?’
    I shook my head.
    The plastic vertical blinds were drawn across the only window, but I could just make out a small two-seater couch, a glass coffee table, and in the corner a large television. To our left was a galley kitchen and on our right, a closed door that led, I presumed, to Robert’s bedroom.
    â€˜I can’t do this,’ I suddenly said.
    In the distance I could hear the faint rumble of traffic and, from somewhere along the corridor outside, the thud of a door as it closed.
    â€˜Of course you can.’ Robert stepped close, the smell of his aftershave sweet as he kissed me, his lips soft on mine.
    Of course I could, I told myself.
    As he began to undress me, the thickness of his fingers fumbling with my bra strap, I said I needed to go to the bathroom first.
    Under the brightness of the fluorescent light, I undressed myself, avoiding my reflection in the mirror. I gathered my clothes in a small pile and then walked to where he waited in the bedroom. He pulled back the cover, and I got into the bed with him, the sheets cold beneath me.
    â€˜Wait,’ I told him as he moved towards me.
    Unbuckling my watchstrap I took that off as well, leaving it not on top of my pile of clothes, but on the small bedside table next to me.
    Later, when I realised I had left it behind, I wondered why I had taken it off in the first place. I had no intention of spending the night there, and could have just kept it on my wrist. Habit, I suppose.
    â€˜You’re not leaving?’ Robert reached for me as I sat up only moments after we had sex. My legs were cold, and I almost relented.
    â€˜Tell me more about yourself,’ he asked.
    â€˜There’s not much to tell,’ I replied.
    â€˜Your family?’
    â€˜They are very religious.’
    â€˜And you are the black sheep?’
    It wasn’t that simple. I didn’t follow their faith, but I was not an outcast.
    I pulled my top on and tied my hair back as I told him I was going to head home.
    â€˜At least let me drive you,’ he offered, but I declined.
    â€˜You know’ — and he touched my arm — ‘if you relaxed with me you might get to like me.’
    In the darkness, it was hard to read his expression, but there was a momentary plea in his eyes.
    â€˜Can I call you?’
    I explained I’d rather he didn’t.
    â€˜I don’t understand.’
    I was surprised, thinking he must have been aware I had no desire or attraction for him. I was