Page 81 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually
The first text was from David thanking me for one I’d sent him earlier. I hadn’t spent the whole day being a complete idiot—I had actually remembered to wish my fiancé a happy Valentine’s Day.
The second was from Sean. I hesitated before opening it—did I really want to read more lies and excuses?
But, I had to know—so I pressed OPEN on the menu.
Whereru? Hav been trying 2 call. Won’t b back @ hotel till late 2night, something’s cropped up. Hope u had fun afternoon, Sean.
PSCallmewhenugetthis, worried about u.
Yeah, I bet you are, I thought, thinking about the restaurant. Then I remembered my note. Damn, he’d see it when he got back tonight. If only I could get into his room and find it before he did. At least then I wouldn’t look so stupid. Sean would rib me about this forever when he found out I’d been sitting at the top of the Eiffel Tower alone all night.
I sat up and looked around the room.
Hmm…now what did I have that was flat enough to slip underneath his door…Where was a ruler when you needed one?
I looked through my suitcase for something suitable. Shoes—too wide; comb—too short. Wait, I know…I felt at the bottom of the case underneath my bridesmaid dress carefully packed away in its protective cover and found what I was looking for.
I’d bought the L-plates to pin on Maddie on her hen night, but one of the other girls had got to her first with her own. I’d felt a bit peeved at the time—after all,Iwas the one who was chief bridesmaid. But now that the plates were needed for more important matters I was grateful she’d beaten me to it.
I crept out of my room and knocked gently on Sean’s door, just in case I hadn’t heard him come back. Then I ran back into my own room and pressed my ear to the inside of the door. The last thing I wanted was to come face to face with Sean tonight unless it was absolutely necessary.
After a minute or so, happy there was no sound from the next room, I crept out into the hall again. I checked up and down the corridor, making sure no one was about. When I was sure the coast was clear, I knelt down on the floor and tried to look into the tiny gap at the bottom of Sean’s door.
I couldn’t see a thing, let alone whether there was a note still lying there. So I tried to insert one of the L-plates into the gap, and to my surprise it fitted. Slowly I moved the plastic from side to side under the door, and then I felt it catch something—at last, my note! I tried to get my L-plate on top of the paper to pull it toward me but it was having none of it and doggedly remained on the other side.
“Canwehelp at all?” I heard a voice above me say.
I froze, then very slowly turned my face up toward it. An elderly couple were standing over me looking perplexed. They were wearing smart evening dress and were obviously on their way back from a night out.
“Have you locked yourself out of your room, dear?” the woman asked, peering at me over the top of her glasses. Her snow-white hair, which was tied up tightly on top of her head in a bun, glowed like a halo around her head with the fluorescent light of the hallway behind it.
“Er…no…” I looked down at the L-plate still clutched in my hand. “Er…they’ve just got married and…we thought it would befunny if they found some L-plates in their room in the morning. Yes, that’s it…you know, Just Married…‘learners’ on their wedding night?” I scrambled to my feet.
“Oh…” The man, who was almost bald, cleared his throat. “Oh right, of course, we understand, don’t we, Marion?”
Marion looked at me suspiciously and then leaned in toward my ear. “Thing is, dear,” she whispered. “I don’t think many of them are these days.”
“Are?”
“Learners, dear. I know I wasn’t on my wedding night.” She winked at me. “Never mind though—it’s the thought that counts.” She put her arm through her husband’s. “Come along, Gilbert, should we pretend it’s our wedding night again? It’ll be better than the usual routine, and at least we won’t need any talcum powder for the rubber suits!”
Gilbert’s face suggested he thought that was a very good idea indeed.
Marion turned to me again. “Rubber can be so chafing in the most awkward of places, don’t you know?”
I hurriedly nodded.
“Well, good night, dear. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” She winked again. “I know I will!”
I watched open-mouthed while the couple walked away arm in arm, steadying each other as they went. Shaking my head, I tried to clear my mind of the unwanted images of Marion and Gilbert that were beginning to fill it.
The L-plates weren’t getting me anywhere, so I decided to return to my own room.
How much longer do I have? I thought as I paced about thefloor. Sean and his companion had appeared to be leaving the restaurant when I saw them. Maybe they’d gone on somewhere else or were having a drink in the hotel bar? Otherwise they’d have been back by now.
I walked to the window to see if I could make out anything down below. There was a small balcony outside, so I opened the French windows and stepped out on to it. I looked toward the bistro but couldn’t see anything, only another couple wandering along the street on their way home.
When I turned to go back inside I noticed that the net curtain in Sean’s room was billowing out of his window. If the curtain was able to get out, that meant…
