*Blue Cheeze* Chantelle - Just Wanted to Tell You

Chapter 9
'Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes'
Oscar Wilde (Anglo-Irish playwright), 1892

'What do you want to drink, Jenna?' Duncan offered as they all sat down at
the bar.
'Oh, I'll just have a vodka & orange thanks' Jenna smiled gratefully, feeling
a bit self-conscious at the prospect of being left alone with Simon, as Gwen
and Lee were of out of sight on the dance floor. Duncan passed Jenna her
juice and downed his beer in surprisingly little time.
Ant sauntered past, his eyes firmly fixed on a pretty, but rather
unapproachable looking dark haired girl who was sitting not far away. He
rubbed his hands together, grinning at Jenna and the two boys, 'Watch me
work my magic, my friends, watch and learn' he announced, full of
determination.
Sure enough, 5 minutes later, Ant had the girl in paroxysms of laughter and
was leading her onto the dance floor. Looking over his shoulder, he gave the
group a conspiratorial wink.
'Unbelievable' Simon muttered affectionately, forgetting his bad mood for
the moment.
'Wow!' Jenna seconded, rather in awe of Ant's pulling skills.
'He is good�for a guy' she added cheekily, cheering up at Simon's slight
mood change.
'I could do better' Duncan said offhandedly, as he finished off his second
beer and ordered another.
'Come off it Dunc' Simon provoked 'you may be good at the flirty
groundwork but Ant's the one that gets the girl in the end. They all go for
those puppy dog eyes of his' adding rather sheepishly 'or so I've heard'.
Jenna chuckled at the indignant look on Duncan's face.
'OK Duncan' she replied, 'try your skills on me then, go on! Lets see how
good you are'
Duncan gave an unsure look at Simon, but Simon appeared to be rather
interested in his beer glass.
'OK' he said cautiously, still unsure of whether Simon's silence was
equivalent to permission.
Grinning, he put one arm around Jenna's waist and pulling her towards him
whispered in her ear. As Simon watched, somewhat resentfully, Jenna's
eyes widened as Duncan whispered, his hand stroking her bare midriff.
'Duncan!' she exclaimed, suddenly rather giggly.
'Well' Duncan grinned slyly, 'would I have pulled or what'
'Probably' Jenna admitted chuckling, 'that or she would have slapped you!'
Jenna stayed in Duncan's arms, consciously or unconsciously attempting to
make Simon jealous. It worked, Simon's eyes starting to flash with anger.
Duncan, after countless beers was by now, too drunk to notice. Fortunately,
a familiar old song came blaring from the dance floor.
Jenna groaned 'Ohh, not Peter Andr�, that guy could never keep his shirt
on'
Duncan however, in his slightly inebriated state seemed to like 'Funky
Junky' and made his way onto the dance floor singing (happily still in tune)
where he proceeded in true Andr� style, to take off his shirt.
'Do the funky junky!' Duncan sang silkily, amid much winking at the ladies
that had gathered around, much to their delight.
Simon and Jenna's eyes met as they groaned in unison. There was a moment
of silence as neither knew what to do, their eyes locked together.
A particularly energetic bout of singing in which Duncan had appropriately
changed 'funky junky' to 'funky dunky' decided the matter.
As Duncan's voice singing 'Do the funky dunky, baby!' floated across the
floor, the sides of Jenna's mouth began to curl up. Seeing this, Simon began
to grin happily before the two of the burst into hysterics.
'So what if she likes Lee' Simon thought as he laughed uncontrollably,
'she's still fun just to be friends with'
'Who cares if he likes Gwen' thought Jenna as she giggled, tears of laughter
running down her face, 'I could live with us just being like this.'
With Jenna groaning about a stitch in her side, the two finally stopped
laughing and just sat grinning at each other.
'That's the best laugh I've had in ages' Simon confessed, grinning from ear
to ear.
Jenna gave a final giggle, brushing the tears away from her eyes. As she did
so, a single black eyelash landed on her cheek. Without thinking, Simon
reached forward and cupping her cheek in his hand, gently brushed it off
with his thumb. Jenna froze at the feel of Simon's warm hand on her face
and looking up at him, brought her small hand up to lay on his.
Simon, realising what he had done was about to take away his hand when he
felt Jenna's hand on his. His stomach seemed to do a flip as she looked up at
him with those piercing eyes which held their contact and appeared to see
right through him. Slowly, almost without thinking, Simon brought his other
hand up to caress Jenna's face, absentmindedly smoothing her silky hair
away from her face.
Jenna, all doubt gone, moved closer until she could feel the heat of his body
wherever it touched hers. Completely trusting, she gazed into Simon's
shining brown eyes which were gazing just as intently back at her. Hearts
thumping, they moved closer until their lips were centimetres apart. Jenna
closed her eyes in anticipation but opened them rather quickly when
someone giggled drunkenly in her ear. Reluctantly she pulled away from
Simon, her eyes falling upon Duncan who was now turning an interesting
shade of green.
'Ooohh, Idunfeelsogood' Duncan managed to say, wobbling on his feet.
Jenna looked back with a small smile at Simon, but stopped when she saw
his face. Not open any more, his eyes were now cold and steely and his jaw
set. Her face fell, perceptible even to the approaching Antony, who while he
had been drinking, was a lot more sober than Duncan.
'C'mon mate' Ant encouraged, putting one shoulder under Duncan's arm
and steadying him, 'Sy can you give as a hand?'
Simon silently went to the other side and placed an arm around Duncan who
was giggling happily again. Somehow still minus his shirt he was winking
at the ladies who were still gazing adoringly at him.
With his free hand, Ant touched Jenna gently on the arm, redirecting her
gaze from Simon, who she was staring at unhappily. Sympathetically, he
looked at her and said softly, 'We'll see you next time OK?' then trudged
off half carrying Duncan.

Simon lay in bed later that night and stared at the ceiling.
'How could I have let it get to that' he groaned unhappily, 'she likes Lee,
I've got to remember that or I'm going to get hurt'
In his mind's eye however, Simon could see Jenna's vivid blue eyes gazing
into his as her soft warm hands stroked his covered chest, sending a shiver
down him. Turning over and burying his face in his pillow, Simon
whispered sadly, 'she looked like she wanted me as much as I wanted
her�'
Snapping out of his self-pity, Simon spoke to himself firmly.
'It may have looked like it but she didn't' he said doggedly, 'she likes Lee
and there's nothing you can do about it.'
Firm as his words may have sounded, Simon's eyes were sad and his mouth
down-turned as he fell asleep.

Chapter 10
'Love comes from blindness, friendship from knowledge.'
Comte de Bussy-Rabutin (French soldier and poet), 1665

Slowly Jenna opened one eye as if testing the light in her bedroom. As the
knocking on the door continued she gingerly opened the other eye and
drowsily got out of bed.
'Well, there's my first day of holiday sleep-in ruined' she thought sleepily
as she answered the door. Mariette was going on a weeks holiday and so
had given Jenna a week off too.
''lo Jen' greeted Lee cheerfully, standing at the door.
''lo' replied Jenna with a half smile, standing aside to let him in.
'Sorry, I s'pose I woke you did I?' Lee said with an apologetic grin, taking
in Jenna's still pyjama'd state and tousled hair.
'Mmm' Jenna managed, still half asleep as she made her way to the kitchen,
Lee following behind.
'You're as bad as Simon you are, it takes like 20 minutes after he's woken
up before he'll even talk to you!'
Jenna grimaced sardonically.
'Oooh, touchy subject I see' realised Lee quickly, '�you like him don't
you?'
'No!' Jenna announced emphatically, 'No! Definitely Not!'
Lee looked at Jenna and raised an eyebrow.
'Not even if he was the last man on earth!' she finished weakly, running out
of negative statements, 'He's stubborn and stand-offish and irritating and I
don't like him!'
'The lady doth protesteth too much, methinks' Lee replied with a knowing
smile.
Jenna gave him a quizzical look.
'Drama school' he explained in response, 'Drama teachers love
Shakespeare'
'Anyway' asked Jenna, quickly grasping the opportunity to change the
subject, 'what are you doing here, Gwen's at work'
'Oh thanks!' Lee was indignant, 'love you too!'
Jenna chuckled, 'You know I adore you, but seriously, what are you doing
here?'
Lee smiled, a dreamy look passing over his face.
'I'm planning a romantic dinner for Gwen' he confided, 'I'm going to
surprise her by serenading her with the help of the lads, and I need you to
get her to the place where I'll be waiting. One of the boys can drive you
home afterwards.'
Lee looked at Jenna and smiled sweetly, 'Can you help me out?'
'It sounds gorgeous Lee, off course I'll help.' Jenna replied smiling and
looking affectionately at the tall blonde haired boy standing in front of her,
who she'd come to like for his unaffected honesty and boisterous ways.
Since the nightclub incident, and also due to the lucky fact that the boys
were busy most nights in the studio she'd managed to avoid Simon, only
seeing Lee because of his determination to see Gwen all the time. They'd
now been in England for 4 months, Gwen and Lee having been together for
3 of them.
'Wicked!' Lee responded grinning happily. With his eyes sparkling, he
launched into the details with such excitement that Jenna was instantly
reminded of Gwen.
'They're exactly alike those two' she pondered thoughtfully, 'which is why
they get along so well I guess.'
'Unlike me and Simon' she added, 'chalk and cheese.'
Times organized and planning finished, Lee said goodbye to Jenna at the
door. Something in the way she gave him a warm smile of encouragement,
wishing him luck, and then calmly walked back inside, reminded Lee of
Simon.
'Cool as cucumbers on the outside' he thought to himself, getting into the
taxi, 'talking everything in, but passionate and high-spirited on the inside.'
'They'll either love each other 'till the day they die, or hate each other to
death' Lee said to himself quietly as the car sped away.

Chapter 11
'What outcries pluck me from my naked bed?'
Thomas Kyd (English playwright), 1592

Eager to see her friend's response, Jenna quickly untied Gwen's blindfold.
'Ohhh' Gwen exhaled in wonder as she took in the dimmed lights, the rose
decorated table and the shining candles which were casting warm flickering
shadows around the walls.
Out of the darkness, Lee appeared, flanked by Duncan, Simon and Antony
as they smoothly launched into a seamless performance of Best In Me.
Trying to keep her eyes off Simon who looked rather nice in his suit, Jenna
quickly changed her focus to Gwen, completely unaware of the exchanged
winks between Antony and Duncan who had seen her look.
By now, Gwen was overcome, happy tears running down her face leaving
shimmering trails that glinted in the candlelight. Jenna glanced at Lee, the
intent adoring look on his face as he sang to Gwen seeming to deny the
presence of anyone else in the room.
She smiled at the couple, for the moment unaware of Simon's eyes upon
her, and Ant and Duncan's eyes upon the both of them.

Simon'll take you home, won't you Sy' said Ant innocently as they tactfully
left the dinner meant for two. Simon gave his friend a sharp look but was
met by Ant's seemingly innocent smile.
'That's a good idea' agreed Duncan, knowing Antony so well that he
quickly caught on, 'bye Jenna baby' he grinned, kissing her on the cheek
and quickly disappearing leaving Simon and Jenna standing speechless on
the pavement.
Out of sight around the corner, Ant and Duncan stood watching the two
head towards the car.
'Hope the car breaks down' Ant said grinning, 'then they'd have to talk.'
Duncan nodded in agreement, chuckling wickedly.

'I'll wait until you're inside' Simon said sullenly, having driven all the way
in complete silence.
'Oh no, don't put yourself out for my sake' replied Jenna politely but with
an icy edge to her voice. Upon reaching the door however, she groaned
loudly and reluctantly turned back around to face Simon.
'Gwen's got the key' she explained, 'and I can't interrupt her now!'
Simon sat silent for a moment, his face unreadable.
'You'll have to stay over at out place then' he said, voice expressionless,
'Gwen probably will and you can get the keys off her tomorrow before she
goes to work'
Unable to speak, Jenna mumbled her thanks and attempted to smile politely,
privately wishing she was in her nice safe bedroom, as far away from the
boy sitting next to her as possible.

'Here you go' offered Simon, quietly handing Jenna one of his shirts, 'this'll
have to do as pyjamas. I'm afraid me and Lee don't keep a ready supply of
ladies sleepwear in our house despite what the papers may say.'
He joked weakly, uncomfortable at the tension that hung in the air.
Jenna took the shirt and Simon started to leave the spare bedroom.
'Simon�' Jenna started to speak.
Simon turned around hopefully.
'Thanks' Jenna replied, avoiding his eyes.
Simon gave a rueful smile. 'That's OK' he replied softly, leaving the room.
Jenna sighed, running her fingers through her unruly hair and slipping the t-
shirt over her head. Simon's scent had clung to the fabric, permeating the
fibres and radiating off to remind Jenna of the nightclub where they had
stood so close together. Sighing again, she slipped into bed.

Later that night, Jenna was woken by something furry crawling across her
arm. Giving a loud scream at the possibility of a huge hairy spider, she
hurriedly switched on the light, discovering that the spider was in fact a
small fluffy white feather that had escaped from the duvet.

Simon burst into the room 'What's wrong' he said worriedly.
Jenna could only stare, mouth agape, at the figure standing in her doorway.
'I thought there was a spider but err�um�Simon�' Jenna broke off,
unable to finish.
'So, you're OK then?' Simon asked, genuinely concerned.
'Oh, I'm fine' replied Jenna still staring.
Finally tearing her eyes away from Simon and blushing hotly she added
bravely 'But�um�Simon�'
'Yeah' Simon said puzzled.
'um�I think you've forgotten your clothes..'

Chapter 12
'A Joke's a very serious thing.'
Charles Churchill (English Poet), 1763

A look of shock came over Simon's face as he realized that he was indeed
standing completely naked in front of Jenna, prompting a quick retreat from
the room. As Simon hurriedly left, the absurdity of the scene struck Jenna as
funny. Giggling, with tears of laughter running down her face, she buried
her face into her pillow to muffle the sound, gathering that it could be rather
uncomfortable for Simon to hear her giggling.

In the room next door, Simon was mortified. Flinging himself on the bed
and putting his pillow over his head, Simon gave a long painful groan.

'You saw him naked?!' Gwen repeated incredulously at breakfast the next
morning, 'Simon? Naked?!'
Jenna nodded and gave an embarrassed giggle, sipping her mug of tea.
'It's no big deal' she added lamely, sounding very unconvincing.
'He was naked!' Gwen re-iterated, 'That is a big deal!'
'What's big?' Lee asked entering the room with Simon reluctantly in tow.
'Nothing's big!' Jenna replied hurriedly, then catching the look on Simon's
face, continued, 'Not that it wasn't big�I mean�it was big�I mean it was
OK, I mean good, no it was fine�oooh.'
Jenna clamped a hand over her mouth, turning scarlet and shaking her head
as if she couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth.
'Eh?' replied Lee puzzled, 'wassamatter?'
Gwen attempted to keep a straight face, 'Jenna and Simon had an�um�
late night rendez-vous where Simon forgot his clothes.
'Oooh you little minx!' Lee gave a cheeky grin to Jenna and then slapped
Simon heartily on the back, 'I was wondering when you'd see that you two
would make a good...'
Interrupting quickly, Gwen gave a stifled giggle, 'No Lee, sweetheart, Jenna
screamed at a feather', she gestured at Simon, 'and Sir Galahad here came
to save her, forgetting his unclothedness in the process.'
Lee looked at Simon who was avoiding everyone's eyes and pretending to
be very interested in the contents of the fridge. He looked at Jenna who was
intently studying her mug of tea. He looked at Gwen who had a hand
clamped over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles.
Lee sniggered.
Gwen giggled.
Lee and Gwen burst out laughing simultaneously, cackling loudly for a full
10 minutes.
'Blimey Sy!' Lee giggled, wiping the tears away from his face, 'I would
have loved to see your face!'
Gwen giggled louder 'That's not all you would have seen', sending them
both into more fits of uncontrollable laughter.
Finally the two stopped laughing and Lee looked thoughtful.
'Jenna�' he said, slowly turning his green eyes to look at the cup-of-tea-
studying brunette, 'Jenna�you screamed at a feather?'