Tea & Biscuits

'Cut! Thank you everyone, that’s a wrap for today'.

Alan sighed with relief. He was tired, it had been a long day filming and he needed a shower and a day off.

Tomorrow was Sunday and he wasn't needed again until Tuesday but while he was looking forward to the break, he knew it would mean seeing Beth in the flat.

Being out of her company had helped him cope with the distance between them when they were together and whilst they still spoke to each other in friendly terms, it wasn't enough, it was killing him.

She cried at night. He could hear her through the wall separating their rooms. He lost count of the number of times he stood with his hand on her door handle, wanting to comfort her and stopping himself.

Occasionally they ate together but it would be brief, functional and one of them would make an excuse to go off and do something on their own.

'Thank God I'm busy' he thought to himself.

As he lay in his own bed, he would catch a whiff of her perfume from the bedclothes, his mind forcing images of her on top of him, her face in ecstacy. He would get up and pace the room when it got too much for him. But mostly all he could feel was her pain and the helplessness at her not letting him in.

In his dressing room, Alan removed his wig and unbuttoned his black robes, hanging them carefully. He removed the thick makeup from his face and stepped into the shower cubicle, the warm water running down his lean length, his face upturned, eyes closed.

He heard his mobile phone ringing and stepped dripping from the shower. He lifted it and saw it was Beth.

'Hey...' He said into the phone, he was starting to shiver now.

'Hey...' Beth started tentatively. ' Erm... do you have any plans for tonight?'

'Not really... I will be in though, why, is everything OK?' Alan was worried. She rarely called him, it was usually the other way around.

'Yes, everything is fine, I was going to cook dinner... if you want to join me?' Her voice was small, unsure. She was still feeling delicate after her session with Sally but had made her mind up to take her advice.

Alan smiled into the 'phone, his heart a little lighter.

'That would be nice. Thank you, Beth. See you later, then?'

'See you later...' Beth's heart skipped a beat as he said her name.

In the flat, Beth set the dining table. They didn't eat in there often, usually the kitchen table was enough, but she wanted tonight to be different.

She was nervous, she didn't know how things would go. She hoped deep down that she wouldn't have to spend tonght in the spare room, but she didn't let her mind dwell on it.

She needed Alan to decide for himself what he wanted to do and she needed to be completely honest with him.

Beth checked the oven. The lasagne was almost ready, the salad was in a bowl ready to be dressed. She had bought a very expensive bottle of wine and uncorked it, letting it breath. The chocolate mousse was in the 'fridge. She just needed to sort herself out.

Beth went quickly into the bedroom. Although she was a tomboy at heart, Beth had gone out and bought a dress. She didn't know what made her buy it but when she saw it, she knew she had to have it. It was scarlet red, halter-necked, stopping at her knee. The front was highlighted with a silver ribbon-shaped bow which accentuated her small cleavage.

Beth slipped the dress over her head. She hoped it wasn't too much. To temper the look, she decided to go shoeless. She was in the flat after all.

Beth brought her hair up into a loose ponytail, tied it with a red ribbon and slicked red lipstick over her mouth.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror.

'Oh my god, I look like I want to seduce him.' She thought. She rubbed the lipstick off her lips and put down her hair. This was a more casual look and happy with it, she sprayed a hint of perfume and went back to the lasagne.

Alan walked along the hallway to his front door and opened it quietly. Immediately his sense of smell was bombarded, food....and Beth's intoxicating perfume.
He walked slowly along the hallway and his breath caught as he saw her. She was in the dining room, leaning over to light two candles. He had never seen her in a dress before and she looked stunning. She turned and smiled at him and he was lost.

Beth had seen him out of the corner of her eye. He looked so handsome, leaning against the doorframe. She could see the uncertainty in his eyes and her heart leapt into her mouth.

They moved at the same time, meeting in the middle and wrapping their arms around each other, their lips meeting in a deep and passionate kiss.

'Oh my beautiful Beth...I have missed you so much' He murmured into her neck, holding her tightly to him.

'I have missed you too.' She hugged him back. 'But the reason for this is that I need to talk to you.... so lets eat and talk, and see where we go from there.'

She smiled, her confidence was coming back.