Tea for Two

A Gamble...

"Oh my goodness Ty, you're so punching above your weight!  She's beautiful!" Sarah was bowled over by the gorgeous Redhead sitting in what appeared to be Ty's apartment in New York.  She was mid thirties, with pale skin and emerald eyes and a laugh that would put a Hudson River docker to shame.  Jennie smiled and blushed as she laughed.

"And you are too cute for words.  Why don't we dump HIM and get married ourselves?" she countered with a wink. "Sorry Honey, you know I have a thing for a British accent!" 

Ty groaned and clutched his heart. "Stolen from me.  By the only woman in the world I trusted other than my Jennie. How will I ever recover?" he rolled about on the sofa moaning and Sarah punched him hard.

"Oh get up you big baby!  You know my heart belongs to Tom!" she paused and her hand covered her mouth.  Ooops!

Both Jennie and Ty stopped and looked at her.  From 3000 miles away an intrigued voice said "And who might Tom be exactly?"  Ty grabbed her and pinned her to the sofa, interrogation style.

"Right, spill.  Now." he laughed and she could hear Jennie egging him on.

"His... his name is Tom... and he's an actor... and he's... " In the nick of time, Sarah's phone rang.  Instantly Ty released her laughing and she grabbed it from her bag.  As she looked down, she almost dropped it. Tom!

"I - I should take this, sorry!" she said and Ty nodded with a big smile.

Her hands shook as she stood and walked over to the window, leaving Ty and Jennie to chat. She pressed the button to answer, "Hi?"

"Hi yourself!" he replied and there was a slight sadness in his voice she'd never noticed before. Suddenly she felt her day was about to go horribly wrong.

"Is.. is there something up Tom? how did you...?"

"Get your number?  A little cake making bird gave it to me." he paused. "Sarah, I have to - no, that's not true  - I'd LIKE to change our date.  Can you meet me tonight instead?"  

Sarah felt her stomach hit her boots.  It suddenly occurred to her who the white car had belonged to.  He thought... oh dear God he thought...

"Yes, yes I can.  Now, as soon as you want. I need to speak to you Tom. I really need to speak to you. I'm so glad you called me." she almost begged him.

"Oh! You are? Right! Ok then." he sounded taken aback and there was a relieved quality to his answer that wasn't there before. "Where are you? I could come get you." He obviously knew she wasn't at home then.  Why had he been there in the first place?

"Would - would you like to come to dinner Tom?  With me and my friend Ty from America?" she rushed it all out in a breath before she really thought it through.  What if he'd wanted to tell her he'd changed his mind? Oh crap.

"Are you SURE you want me intruding? I mean, if it's someone special..." he trailed off and her heart melted for him.  

"Tom?  Stop it.  I want you to come.  I want you to meet the only other man I've ever loved." 

Oh Shit.

Silence.

"Tom?" nothing. "Tom?" her palms started to sweat and she felt herself get emotional.

"Sarah?" Quiet, calm, collected.

"Yes Tom?"

"What time and where?"  Impeccably polite, he'd completely ignored it.  Part of her rejoiced, part was destroyed.  A slip of the tongue.  A momentary lapse.  The rock their infant relationship had perished on.  As she took a couple of breaths, she closed her eyes.  At least he still wanted to come.

"The Langham, 6.30?  We're eating early to combat someone's jetlag." she looked across to where Ty had now said goodbye to Jennie and was lounging about on the sofa, just watching her pace around.  

"The Langham?  My my, you do move in posh circles!"  a trace of the old, teasing Tom, returned.

"Well, you know the Colonies, all brash and bluster!" she winked at Ty who saluted her with a grin.  "See you at 6.30?  Just ask for Ty Goodfellow ok?" 

"Tyson Goodfellow - sounds like a cowboy!" Tom laughed, not unkindly and Sarah giggled. 

"You're not that far from the truth.  See you later. Tom, I need to..." the line went dead, he'd gone.

"Bye Tom."  she clutched the phone to her chest and burst into tears.  This was NOT how it was supposed to go. Not at all.

"Hey, hey - what's with the tears missy?" Ty stood up and walked over, putting an arm around her and sitting her back down. "No tears, come on Snorky, come get a hug."

"Snorky? Oh my GOD!" she laughed despite herself, "You remembered! Our conversation about The Banana Splits after all this time?"

"How could I forget, seeing as you said I was like Bingo in my sunglasses! " they looked at each other and smiled. "it's good to see you again... Little Snorky."

"You too... Bingo!" Sarah and Ty hugged tightly, finally closing one door and opening another. "So," she said, sniffing away the last of the tears and taking a breath, "there's something about Tom I think you need to know before you meet him...."

Tom hung up the phone before he lost control.  He was teetering on the brink of tears.  Of fear, of frustration, of longing.  So near, yet so far.  The fact she hadn't hesitated to meet him?  That was good wasn't it?  The fact she'd said she loved Ty... that was... what WAS that exactly.  In Tom's mind, the phrase "only other man" just didn't register.  All he heard were the words Ty and Love.  Was he destined to miss by a whisker?  Was he falling for yet another impossible dream?  Would he EVER stop second guessing himself? 

He got changed with care.  More care than he ever had before.  He pulled on his favourite dark blue suit trousers, buttoned up his favourite striped shirt and donned his black leather jacket.  The he took it all off again and sat dejectedly.  Where was his nagging little sister when he needed her?  He looked through his wardrobe.  His eyes settled on a blue cable knit cashmere.  Teaming it with some grey jeans and suede boots, he looked in the mirror.  Not so try-hard.  Better.  Aftershave and teeth brushing completed the preparations of the condemned man.

Slowly, he walked back down stairs.  Looking at his watch, he saw he had plenty of time.  Drive?  Taxi?  Tube?  He settled on Taxi and ordered one, sitting on the arm of his chair as he did so. He felt as unsettled as a cat on hot bricks. Bobby trotted through and sat at his feet.  Looking up at him with an eager grin, he gave a little yelp.

"Hey Bobs, you ok?  At least when YOU go out you don't have to worry that your jumper is inside out, that your socks match or that you remembered antiperspirant!" he ruffled the little dog's head. "I might be home very soon.... or I might be quite late. Wish me luck Bobs and don't play with knives or answer the door ok?"  He was rewarded with a snuffle and a lick. Velvet soft and utterly devoted.

There was the sound of a horn from outside, his taxi had arrived.  "See you later!" he left the little dog sitting in the hall, watching as his Dad went to meet his fate.  As Tom passed, he looked at the now wilting bunch of flowers on the hall table.  He left them where they were, hardly appropriate now. 

He'd gone round on a whim.  Decided to surprise her, be spontaneous, be everything he was supposed to be according to the reams of romantic fiction written about him.  Not that he read it, of course not.  But he knew.  He'd been told, mainly by his sisters in hysterics over the dinner table.  What had he to lose?  Well, now he knew.  

Everything.