OPPOSITES Attract

They were as different as it was possible to be, but was their relationship destined for failure?

- Leonora Francis

Don’t touch it,’ his eyes warned. ‘If you do, you’ll be in trouble, Jocelyn. I mean it!’

I wanted to touch it. I really did. I smiled and moved my hand towards it a little more. It was the sort of thing a kid overcome with excitement would do. He returned my smile knowingly, but his eyes still looked concerned. I moved my finger further towards it an inch. He raised an eyebrow and closed the lid down carefully.

I understood his pain. I would have been the same if I owned something so precious. I concentrated on something else as he showed me around the rest of his flat. Like, for instance, how his fruit bowl was in perfect health. Unlike mine, that forever had overripe bananas or bruised apples.

I had to admit I was impressed, though not entirely surprised at how tidy his flat was. There were no lingering smells of dirty socks or dishes, and when I threw open his fridge door, there was fresh, delicious-looking food in it. His bed was made up and dressed in Egyptian cotton, all white and crisp.

The truth was, I liked Earl. I liked him a lot. But as he showed me around, it became clear we were complete opposites. He was meticulously tidy. I was not. He’d turn up at a concert looking like he was going to a smart dinner at a fashionable restaurant. I’d turn up in my second-hand jeans with a shirt or blouse thrown over the top, and he’d still say, ‘You look beautiful today.’