The Art of the Heart

Justify My Love

"Oh.....um, wow. Hi," Lindsey mumbled in the general direction of Gwen Stefani, who had just swept into the room rather more confidently than her delicate knock had suggested she might. She was wearing a mint green charmeuse version of John Galliano's famously stunning bias-cut pewter gown, from what Stevie could see. Her make-up was flawless and 1940s inspired and her hair was pulled back in an elegant chignon. Much to her chagrin, Stevie could see why the cat had got Lindsey's tongue.

"Well, hi yourself. You look, ah, I don't know how to say it? Ah.....you look....incredible. I mean, um, very handsome, I guess," she blustered, obviously regretting having brought the subject up.

Lindsey smiled shyly and Stevie was irritated to note that it was a properly coy smile, the sort that only appeared when he felt genuinely flattered and humbled by someone's attention.

To minimize his own embarrassment, perhaps, he tried to deflect the compliment by saying, "Oh, well. Trust me, when you get to my age you've got to pull out all the stops to get half as far as you did when you were thirty and putting in zero effort."

They both chuckled nervously and Lindsey, who had leaped up from his seat as soon as she had entered, suddenly recoiled. "Oh, Jesus Christ! I'm so bad at this! I'm so sorry - I haven't offered you a seat and I didn't even think to order drinks!"

Gwen, obviously sensing his agitation, closed the space between them and patted him lightly on the arm. "Lindsey, it's fine. Just relax! It doesn't matter. It's not like I'm here to have drinks anyway. Perhaps we'd both feel better if we just got straight into it?"

Karen and Stevie looked at each other wearing 'really?' expressions. They were both struggling to comprehend quite what this arrangement was all about.

"Uh, sure, sure. I guess. Well, no, I mean, yes," Lindsey stammered, looking so nervy that Stevie almost felt sorry for him, until she remembered that she was witnessing the fruits of her boyfriend propositioning a beautiful younger woman and buying her an expensive couture gown just for the occasion.

Gwen looked at him and dropped her head down so she could look up into his eyes reassuringly. "We don't, y'know, I mean, we don't have to go through with it....it's your show, remember."

Lindsey half-smiled at her and then appeared to shake himself free of some last concern playing on his mind before replying. "Thank you. That's sweet of you but I really just need, for my own sake, to let this fantasy play out. If it runs its course and then Stevie and I can just put it to one side and move on with our relationship, I'll be the happiest man on Earth."

Gwen nodded slowly, then touched him lightly on the arm again. "Well, for what it's worth, although I can't pretend to understand it, I think you're brave."

Lindsey shattered what seemed to be quite a serious tone by laughing and saying, "Uh-huh. Either that or suicidal or just totally mad. Maybe even all three at once," in response.

His seriousness returned a couple of moments later when he took Gwen by the shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "As long as you just remember, you're doing me a huge favour and this is not meant to demean you or make you feel uncomfortable or bad at any stage, so if it does, even a little, please, just stop. Okay?"

Stevie turned her head and was unsurprised to find her own huge eyes mirrored by Karen's. "What the FUCK?" she mouthed silently. Karen responded by shrugging and tapping her right temple with her index finger and then drawing tight circles in the air next to the temple with it.