The Tears Of A Clown

Chapter Nine

"Is it all gone?"

George just stared at her blankly for a moment

"The makeup?"

"Oh yes, it's all gone," he assured her, now shoving his bandana back in his trouser pocket

Good, then we can get on with what we are suppose to be doing," Jelena replied smiling, stepping back from him, and not daring to analyse or think about the way she had felt yet, Especially in front of him, it didn't seem appropriate.

She heading towards the trapeze, trying to focus her mind back on the reason why they were there.

Both of them seemed determined to act as normal as possible around each other, as if nothing of great significance had occurred between them.

But things were never really quite the same, as Jelena discovered a few evenings later when she and George were training together again.

During her training sessions she usually thought of Maria and George's bodies, as just an extension of the trapeze whilst she practiced her moves, whether it was tumbling from the swinging trapeze bar and being caught by her hands and feet by them, or just finding her whole body being held in graceful balance by one of their arms or feet, as they dangled from the trapeze.

It was all about timing, balance and concentration, as well as totally trusting yourself and the other person completely depending on each other

Jelena found she had great confidence and trust in both Maria and George. She would happily put her life in their hands, without giving it much of a second thought.

But tonight for some reason, as she was training with George, she found her focus seemed to have gone of track a little, and she wasn't sure how it happened

They were in the middle of their latest training session, she was dangling from George's arms as he hung upside down from the trapeze, then swinging herself so that she preformed a tumble. After which with another swinging movment she stretched her legs so that they wrapped firmly around George's torso.

Then they released each others hold they had on each others hand, and then outstretched their arms in unison.

It was a move she had practised with both him and Maria several times now, and one that now came easy to her. But as she hauled herself back onto the trapeze with the help of George's for their next move, she found herself becoming very aware of the heat of his hands on her waist, as he hauled himself up also, finding herself eye level with his muscular chest, as she sat straddling him on the trapeze bar

For some reason it was having this peculiar affect on he, which had never happened before,

It was as if she had now separated George from the trapeze, becoming suddenly aware of the physical nearness and heat of his body and his touch. It momentarily crept into her thoughts in a what seemed to be very inappropriate manner..

She tried to shake it off as she now stood up on the trapeze, realising she wasn't being very professional. But whatever happened she must not let it show.

It would be just too embarrassing if George realised the betraying thoughts flitting through her head.

He was dangling upside down again, from the trapeze awaiting her to do her next move where she would flip of the trapeze, and he would catch her.

Jelena forced herself to concentrate, not wanting to appear that anything was wrong. She called out to George that she was ready to do the flip, so he would be prepared for catching her.

But as she leapt of the trapeze, it was just a little sooner than she should have. Losing her concentration, her body flipped awkwardly, and instead of being caught by George, her grasp just missed his, and she found herself tumbling then landing on the thick blue mat below them, with the breath getting knocked out of her a little. But managing not to hurt herself.