Jane Actually

I am truly worried. Should I call someone? Tamara?”
    Now Melody groaned and said, “If you must know, things have been difficult between me and Tamara.”
    “Oh, I am so sorry. I had no idea.”
    “No, and neither did I. That’s the problem. Don’t worry; we’re sorting it out. Nothing irrevocable happened, it’s just a misunderstanding that wouldn’t … shouldn’t have happened …”
    “Oh Melody, what … do you want to … how can I help?”
    Melody left the bed to get some tissues from the bedside table. She blew her nose and came back to sit on the edge of the bed again.
    “She told me after I finally got home from our Chawton trip. Someone at her office made a move on her.”
    “Pardon? What does that mean?”
    “Another woman … uh, took a liberty with her, when they were working late at night. Nothing happened, of course, but Tamara told me … she said the woman thought … she’s new in the office … she thought Tamara wasn’t with anyone. They’d already had a lot of late nights and because of the time difference, she never heard Tamara talking to me on the phone. So she thought Tamara was available.”
    “I see. But you said that Tamara … that nothing happened.”
    “I’ve become so … tangential to Tamara’s life that a co-worker had no idea that I existed.”
    “That is an exaggeration, Melody. It was just an innocent mistake.”
    “It gets worse. Tamara told me … she thought maybe she sent signals.” And before Jane could ask what signals meant, Melody amended: “That she invited this person’s attentions.” She looked away from where she thought Jane might be.
    “Yes, I understand the concept well enough,” Jane said. “But you said that nothing happened.”
    “That’s not the point. I’ve neglected my relationship so much that …”
    “No, it is the point. Tamara’s love for you is strong enough to weather any temptation.”
    Suddenly Melody smiled and said, “She said I pierce her soul. I didn’t think she’d ever read you.”
    Jane scrambled for what to say. “Oh … and I am sure she knows the reverse.”
    “It’s just … ever since …”—and here Melody was about to say “you”—“… ever since I became successful, things have been awkward. She doesn’t begrudge the success, but now she thinks … it feels one-sided to her.”
    “Adjustments have to be made is all,” Jane said. “You have taken on too much.”
    “I used to be the one who complained that she was always at work … and it was really just guilt … or envy … that she made a lot more money than me. Now it’s the other way round.” A spasm of guilt swept Melody’s face. “And when I did cut back, this fiasco with Dr Davis happened.” She lapsed into silence then, a little exhausted by emotion but also relieved to have confided to Jane. Finally she remembered that Jane was also suffering.
    She composed herself and said, “And then I find out you’ve got a boyfriend … and you kept that information … from your best friend.”
    Jane had also been silent, wondering what other comfort she could offer her friend. The worry caused by Melody’s revelation had driven from Jane all thoughts of her own problems.
    “Well you’ve been so busy,” Jane replied without pause … or thinking.
    The look of shock on Melody’s face and then laughter reassured Jane that her friend was not offended. “Oh you little … I’ll get you for that someday. Right, back to you. Has my tale of woe made you appreciate how precious love is … yadda, yadda, yadda?” 1
    Jane wondered at the terminal’s translation but thought she understood the gist.
    “I may accept Albert’s apology. And Mary’s.”
    “Actually, I think
you
owe them an apology. You really told him you were a junior editor at Random House?”
    “Yes, I’m afraid I did.”
    “That could make for an interesting story … which I guess we’ll have to talk about another time. But right now, you and Mary need to get ready. The two of you have a ball to attend.”
    1 An expression meaning and so on and on, etcetera or und so weiter

Three words
‘Oh for God’s sake, just tell him you love him’
    S tephen looked at himself in the mirror and brushed back his hair, which was getting long, far longer than he actually enjoyed wearing it. He could pretend it was work and school that was to blame, but he had to admit he’d actually encouraged his last hairstylist to leave his top looking kind of floppy. When the