A Strange Attraction

2

I sat in bed next to Mary thinking about the young lady I had spoken to the other night. Ever since that night, I couldn't quite get her out of my head. she had been so shy and wonderfully bubbly once we began talking. I smiled at the thought of her wide-eyed expression when I told her about the films that had been banned in the UK. Emily' I thought. I couldn't quite understand why she was stuck in my head. She wasn't that unique compared to the other women I had spoken to on the tour. Though compared to many of them, when we spoke to each other, it was like speaking to an equal. I didn't feel like she saw me as the one and only 'Robert Smith', with her it felt like she saw me as just Robert. She reminded me of Mary in that way.

I looked down at my side to see Mary fast asleep. I smiled, she looked like Snow White after being poisoned by the Evil Queen. I wondered why she couldn't be my one and only, why I always thought of other people. I brought my guilt to her once, a few years ago, and she consoled me smiling, "It's because you have a big heart. You can hold so many people at once, and that's what I love about you. Not many people can do that Bob. It's alright to do so as long as you're mature with how you go about it." After that night we spoke about how we would go about it and we, or...well Mary, came up with the agreement. 

That night Mary had admitted she felt the same. I knew she loved me, she had tried finding out what the feeling was, why she had felt close with other people in a similar way she had with me. At first, she had thought it was because she missed me on tour, but the feeling would come up after I had returned. She found that other people felt the same as her and me, they would usually come up with an arrangement, which is was what we did.  

I smiled looking down at Mary again. I was truly a lucky man to have her by my side, it was why I had asked her to marry me. Which brought another worry to mind when I thought of Emily.  I sighed, how could I tell Emily about Mary, the arrangement we had, and the engagement? I could see her face, the disappointment, and anger towards me. I felt as though I had led her on. I suppose I did... but then again maybe not...I wasn't sure. For all I knew she thought we could become friends and saw it as just that nothing more. 

I sighed as I crawled out of bed and headed to my room. I sat before the computer, and after turning it on, I saw that I had an email from the birthday girl already. It read; " Dear Robert, I had so much fun tonight! Talking with you about horror movies music! I haven't had that much fun in a while. Tonight was one of the best birthdays I've had in years. Thank you for making my night spectacular. I hope you remember me, 'cause I'm sure you talk to many people. If you don't that's alright, just know you made my birthday the best one ever. If you do remember me, I hope you write back, I'm going to sleep now since it's really late." I chuckled, I could imagine her sitting down at the computer that night and sending the email.  I decided since there was nothing really between us beyond a lighthearted evening that I shouldn't worry myself or overthink this. Anyway, I didn't want to scare her if she wanted to be just friends and in all honesty, I didn't know anything about her beyond liking horror movies and the Cure. 

I decided to write back, deciding not to overthink this too much since she probably would just want to know I truly did remember her and that I was open to any sort of relationship with her-friendship or otherwise. "Hello Emily, I'm sorry I wasn't able to message you. I'm glad you had a fun birthday. I had a lot of fun that night as well. I've been thinking of you for the last few days on the way home. I hope you slept well since I haven't been able to sleep and you mentioned going to bed in your email." 

I was pulled back into the world when I felt a pair of warm arms creep around my chest. I smiled as the figure behind me gave my cheek a peak. "Whatcha doing up this late love?" Mary's tired quiet voice asked me. "I couldn't sleep...thought I'd answer that girl's email" Mary laid her head on my shoulder and gave me a questioning hum. "The one I told you about, the American girl from the smaller show." She nodded, "I remember now. Do you mind if I read it?" I smiled and nodded getting it up on the screen, "Go ahead, love." 

Quietly she read both the email that was sent to me and what I had started to write to her. "She sounds sweet." I looked up to see her smiling at the screen. That's when she asks me the long-awaited question since I told her about Emily. "Do you fancy her?" I looked down shamefully, as I felt the anxiety of telling her the truth crush me as I quietly answered her. "Yes, a little."

I could hear her sigh, but instead of a sad response, she kissed my cheek, smiling. "I had a feeling you did the other night when you were talking about her, you seemed excited to tell me about her, Emily was her name right?" I nodded. "I'd be alright if you two became more than friends. By the sounds of things, if she were to come round here, we would have a slasher marathon." I laughed at that, picturing Mary between the two of us, with the only light coming from the telly. Emily and I being Mary's protection from the film's villains.  But that brought to mind an issue I hadn't even thought about-I hadn't yet told Emily of my fiance. 

Mary picked up on my silence, knowing full well what that meant. "What's wrong love?"

"I er, forgot to tell her about you..."

She hummed, "I see."

"I'm sorry love." I felt like an ass, how could I have not even thought to mention Mary? "Don't be Bob, I understand how things like this can happen, I've done it too." She chuckled, "Remember Daniel? God, he was so shocked when I told him about you. He said 'how the bloody hell do you not remember a detail like that?' I had to remind him he barely let me get a word in edge-wise the first time we met." I nodded. 

I remembered Daniel, a bloke Mary had met while I had gone on tour. He had turned out to be one of those types of partners who liked to compete. He never saw me as an equal but as competition, needless to say, Mary had picked up on that and left him rather quickly. Though I would always wonder why, why she would pick me over her other partners. Only recently had the music paid off, we had been struggling for years, and at that time we barely ever saw one another, so logically any other partner was better than me. Even now with the fame, it brought its own hardships, and it didn't seem like it would be letting up any time soon.

"You're quiet again Bob." She said pulling me back into reality. She yawned and kissed my cheek again. "I'm going back to bed, love. When you're finished sending Emily the email come to bed." I kissed her and nodded, "Alright M. I shouldn't be long." As she turned to leave she stopped. "Oh um, just don't forget to tell her of our situation, the longer you put it off the harder it'll become." I nodded and watched her leave. 

Returning to my screen I reread my email to Emily, and while I knew Mary was right that it would be harder to explain in the long run, I just couldn't find a way to do so in a way that felt natural. So instead I chose to hit the send button without telling her about Mary or our arrangement. 'Let future Robert figure it out,' I thought to myself as I padded back to bed.