The Office Party

Part 26

Sandra leans over and pats my knee again. 'Fi, stop worrying. If anyone can make herself at home in a group of complete strangers, it's Diana. And we're not even strangers.'

I sigh. 'Am I that obvious?'

Lizzie giggles. 'Pretty much, babes.' I look at Paula, and she nods too. Lizzie looks serious for a moment. 'Relax, Fi. If you're cool with everything, she will be too. If you keep worrying, she will too.'

Sandra smiles. 'Well, I think Diana wouldn't worry so much, probably just get irritated. But, yes. Lizzie's right, Fi. Just relax and enjoy yourself.'

Lizzie cocks her head and looks over at the bar reflectively. 'She looks great in those jeans.'

I have to agree. They're fitted, a dark blue denim. For the first time, I can fully appreciate quite how good Diana's figure is, instead of just getting hints through her work suits. And it's a good figure anyone would be proud of, never mind someone in her mid-forties. I catch myself staring at her tight arse in the tight denim, and try to hide my open interest by taking a mouthful of cider. I can't help looking again, though, shortly afterwards.

***

Lizzie gets up and swaps seats with me, so that Diana and I can sit together at one corner of our table. Diana does well by sitting close enough to communicate her interest in me while actually pretty much ignoring me and talking to the others – to prove that she's not going to swan in to our night off and take me away from them all, I suppose. I don't mind, because she has an easy ability to chat with everyone, to listen, to keep up with, and respond to, the flow of conversation. And when things flag, she chips in with a comment that sets someone off again, before sitting back to watch and listen. I watch her with a quickly mounting sense of admiration at how she carefully manages to give everyone a say, but keep the overall atmosphere light and convivial. Very much like the way she chairs a meeting at work, in fact, but with everything subtly adjusted to reflect the fact that it's a social setting.

I notice her glass is getting low, and rest a hand on her arm. I'm very pleased when she leans over and lets me talk quietly into her ear. 'Do you want another one? It's my round.'

She looks at me, and smiles. The others are, for the moment, all fully engaged in laughing about something Martin has said. For a split second, Diana's eyes tell me that she really wants to be somewhere with just me, just the two of us, and I hold my breath at how nice it feels to realise that. She glances over at the corner, where the band are drifting towards their instruments. 'Yes, thanks. Get me a large glass, though, if you would? Pinot Grigio.'

Lizzie tries to give me some money for hers too, but I wave her down and make my way to the bar. When I glance back as I'm waiting for the barman to finish pouring my half, I catch Diana's eye, and I have the distinct feeling she'd been checking me out. I smile, and she smiles back. I feel very happy.

***

When the band start up, we all drift away from our table and take up positions standing in various places to see and hear better. Diana and Martin (who plays guitar for fun) have started a fairly technical discussion on blues-rock (which this band promise to play), so they stay with each other, leaning side-by-side against the wall not far from our table. Paula and I shrug at each other and collect up our stuff to go and stand with them. Paula cuddles up to Martin, who slides his arm round her waist even as he keeps talking to Diana. Diana subtly moves backwards, to make room for me to apparently stand in front of her and next to Paula, without making it obvious that she and I also form a couple. Nevertheless, I feel her hand, where she's hooked it into the pocket of her jeans, rest against my bum. And she doesn't move much when I lean slightly against her.

Sometimes, she takes her hand away to wave it in the air while she's demonstrating something to Martin, but it does tend to return to her hip, where I can feel it too. Paula and I chat to each other as well, and again I feel happy, because it feels like we're just two couples at a pub gig. When I do glance back at Diana, I find it difficult but exciting to hold, all at once in my mind, everything that she is to me: not just a colleague, not quite a lover; someone who is infuriating, fascinating, fun to be with, but so difficult to understand, sometimes; someone I want to be with alone at that moment; someone who has impressed me deeply by how easily she's made herself comfortable with my friends.

***

The whole evening goes really well. Paula and Lizzie and I have a talk about it in the toilets at one point, and they both say that Diana is great fun. Much nicer and more interesting than either of them had imagined.

Sandra catches me later and strokes my arm tipsily. 'She's so different, Fi. I don't think I've ever seen her like this.' She giggles.'It's like she's an actual real person. Please get together with her. You are such a great couple.' She stumbles slightly for no reason. 'Whoops. I'm pissed. Seriously, though...'

***

The various couples start to drift away by the end of the night. Bill and Sandra get a taxi. Martin walks Paula back to his flat. Lizzie is deep in flirty conversation with the bar manager, possibly trying to negotiate a job. I check if she wants me to wait, but she shakes her head, so I leave her to it.

Diana and I make our way out of the pub and start walking. Our ears are still ringing a little from the music, so we're quite quiet. She wonders about getting a taxi, but I suggest we walk – it's not very far to hers, via mine, and I want the time to ourselves. We stand talking on our doorstep for a while, until she agrees to come in for a coffee.

There is a definite hint of sexual tension between us, but something stops us from acting on it. I'm not sure what or why, I was kind of hoping that getting her into the house would move things on a bit. But she seems in no hurry, and we sit on the sofa and talk quietly and sip coffee. We talk about the gig, about music, about the others, about work and college and life in general. We sit close enough to allow our shoulders and arms to touch, but don't go any further.

Eventually, she gets up and lets me see her out. In the doorway, she leans in, and I like the feel of her lips near my cheek, her breath in my hair. 'Thanks for tonight, Fiona. We should definitely do this again.' She nudges her nose gently up my cheek, then squeezes my arm and steps out into the night.

It's the closest we get to a kiss all night, and it leaves me gently throbbing with desire for her, as I watch her make her way down to the end of the road.