Safe

The doorbell rang. Lara dragged herself off the comfy sofa and although she knew she should check who was there first, she just opened it.

"Hello Lara."

"Hello Katherine."

"I'd say you haven't changed a bit, but darling, you have."

Still a bitch, after all these years!

"You'd better come in. I'm not going to have a fight on my doorstep. Just remember my children are in bed."

Kate Stopford pushed past her through the door:

"Nice little place." There was just too much emphasis on the little.

"So Katherine, what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to say you can just fuck off, but I think you just ought to know that I know about you and Keith. Imagine my surprise when I saw the name on his emails -- my, my there were a lot weren't there? You were a busy little pair."

Lara didn't say anything.

"Look, things don't change. Remember ... oh what was his name ... at school?"

"Roger."

"Oh yes, Roger -- that's it ..."

Lara's thoughts took over and she didn't really hear what her old schoolfriend, no not friend - definitely not friend, had to say.

Roger. First love. God how it hurt when she just fluttered her eyelids and he came running. The memory was a dagger.

" ... so you see, nothing's changed. You may think something is yours, but I can take it whenever I want. Keith's mine Understand? He's good PR. Makes me look 'normal' to my fans. And beside, he's better in bed than anyone else I know. Oh, but you know that, don't you? Oh, note to self, go see the doctor and get checked."

Lara took a deep breath and caught sight of the mug her children had given her for Mothers' Day -- "Keep Calm and be awesome". She smiled, and looked her nemesis in the eye:

"Oh I understand. More and better now than I ever did. I see a lot of it at school. You're nothing but an egotistical bully. You don't want Keith -- well, you do. But only because someone else has him. The only thing I don't understand is how he can't see through you. But then again, you are one of the world's leading actresses."

"I can make life very awkward for you."

"At greater cost to yourself ... no, you don't want the bad PR. Besides, it's not up to you, or up to me. It's up to Keith. It's his decision. Now I'd like to watch Graham Norton, so would you like to leave my little house?"

Lara's heart was pounding as she shut the door. She leaned back against it -- still not sure who'd won the exchange. But she felt awesome, so that was a good sign.

Graham was just about to pull the lever on the first red chair audience member when the phone rang.

"Hi, It's me. We need to talk."