This particular Monday morning found Tiger apprehensive. He’d been unable to settle to anything over the weekend, with the events of the previous Thursday evening playing over and over in his mind. He tried to rationalize. It had been a kiss, for God’s sake, a simple, single kiss. It might never happen again. But then his mind went into that peculiar self-destruct overdrive: did he want it to be that simple? Had he enjoyed it? Yes. Would he like to do it again? Yes. No! But yes. Would he like it to go further? Yes. No! Definitely not. But if it did, what would it be like? And wasn’t it good to feel like this? Like what? At sixes and sevens. But excited. Alive. There was something of the fairground ride about it–the highs, the lows, all mixed together and leaving him confused but somehow elevated from the humdrum of daily life. It was, he knew, a dangerous brew.

He checked in at the helicopter base at Southampton airport and found himself scheduled for a flight to Leeds Bradford Airport with Sam in the left-hand seat.

He hadn’t felt so nervous in years, but there were two city executives in the back so the conversation was strictly business. The flight was uneventful and the two gents were dropped off midmorning.

It was a wait and return job. Tiger and Sam had three hours to kill. They refuelled then went to the waiting room. He wondered how they would pass the time. He did not have long to wait.

‘Let’s hire a taxi,’ said Sam.

‘What?’

‘We could run up to the moors. Take in the view. Have a cup of tea.’

Tiger laughed. ‘Nice thought. There’s only one problem.’

‘What’s that?’

‘If they finish their meeting early and get back here to find we’re up on the moors or off having a cup of tea I can’t see they’ll be best pleased.’

‘No. I suppose not.’

He wondered what she was thinking. Wondered even if she had forgotten that it happened. Maybe he was making too much of it. Then she broke the tension.

‘The other night…’ she said.

So there it was; she had mentioned it. ‘Yes.’

‘I’m sorry if what I did upset you. I didn’t mean to.’

‘Didn’t mean to do it?’

‘No. Didn’t mean to upset you.’

‘Well you didn’t upset me.’

‘So you don’t mind?’

‘No.’

She turned to him and smiled. ‘That’s all right then.’

When Sarah arrived at work that morning she found Gary sitting behind his desk looking particularly smug.

‘Hello. You look pleased with yourself. Something you’d like to share?’

‘I thought we’d already done that,’ he said.

‘Oh, very clever. So is that look the sort of look I’m going to get every morning from now on?’

‘Probably not.’