Naked Hero - The Journey Away

chérie ?”
    “Nothing!” answered Marie, moving away.
    Nothing indeed! Nothing for Chantal to concern herself with, as Marie would do it for her. She was nobody’s fool! And she was not so engrossed in her new book to have missed what had transpired over dinner. She had watched Lewis during the evening, and had noted the way he had reacted towards Scott. There might be a man in Sydney, a man who was coming, and would sit in the box for all the world to see, but Lewis most certainly had two men in his life at present, she was sure of that. The way he had looked at Scott. That was more than just friendship; more than just a player looking at his coach, or whatever Scott Taylor was supposed to be.
    And Scott !
    H e hid it better, but she felt that he was also disturbed by the idea of moving on after Melbourne. Lewis couldn’t hide it at all. He didn’t want Scott to leave. She laughed to herself, thinking about the nonsense that he had said about the French Open. Clutching at a straw, and embarrassing himself in the process. Scott was blasé about it all, but too blasé in Marie’s opinion. She was pretty sure now as to the nature of his internal battle.
    Complex relationships! They were very French, but not exclusively so - that was Marie’s astute conclusion. There were complex relationships here in Australia. But how would they develop over the coming week – that was something Marie looked forward to seeing!
    ***
    Five hundred miles away and several hours later, Lee and the boys returned to their apartment with a small group of clubbers in tow. There were numerous parties happening in the area, so noise would not be an issue. It had not been on the previous weekends when similar parties had been hosted. The music kicked off, too lively for Lee’s liking. Then some weed started to circulate the room. A few lines of cocaine were also being knocked out on the coffee table. Lee decided against both, and went to the kitchen to get a beer - his first of the evening. One of the lads was there with a guy from the club. They took no notice of Lee, and continued fooling around as he collected his beer from the fridge.
    Back in the lounge he sat down on the floor, away from the main crowd who were starting to pair off... or treble off in some cases! Lee looked around, he took in the scene, and he took in the guys. There were a few that might have interested him, but not tonight! His mind just wasn’t there. Instead, his thoughts were five hundred miles away, and it surprised him that it was there that he really wanted to be, tonight in a bed, and not in a box in two days time. He picked up his beer and left the party to go to his room, alone.
    Before retiring, he checked his mobile for any messages. He never took it with him to the clubs, he had lost one that way in the past, and the inconvenience was enormous. There were no messages, but one missed call, from Lewis.
    Lee felt both please and saddened. It was the first time that Lewis had called and he wasn’t there for him.
    But then again - p erhaps for first time, he actually was.
    Complex relationships indeed!

Chapter 35
    Monday morning in Australia, and everyone in the Darlinghurst apartment was still in bed, except for Lee Porter who was making some last minute changes to his selection of clothes for his trip to Melbourne. He had given the subject of what to take a lot of thought since the ticket arrived the previous day. An open return! Exactly how long did Lewis expect him to stay? Lee decided to plan for a week whilst giving the impression he’d assumed only one night. He had gone through a variety of scenarios for the trip. Envisaging himself in different situations, and wondering what best to be wearing at the time. He needed to strike a balance, and get the image right – right for Lewis, his team, and the public at large.
    As he examined the clothes he had lain out on his bed, Lee realised that it was Lewis he was dressing for, but it was the public that he needed to impress the most. Once again he was getting distracted - losing focus on the prize. Items were discarded that he thought too ‘gay’ or too ‘tarty’. It was better to tone things down: subtlety rather than in your face ‘Look at me! Ain’t I gorgeous!’ was Lee’s revised view so that the world could see a different side of him. There would be enough of the obvious after the event, for the millions that he hoped would be logging into his website.
    New items were searched for.