Parking up outside Carl's flat I switched off the engine and clambered awkwardly out of the car, locking the door behind me.
Clasping the sides of my dressing down tightly together with one hand, I used the other to hold the bottom from blowing open in the wind and waited for Carl.
Leaning into the back seat, he passed me a bottle of Lucozade.
"Hold that please," he said absent-mindedly as he delved into the depths of the back seat, pulling out one thing after another and handing them to me until I stood clutching a pile of his clothing and work detritus against my chest with both hands.
Finally he seemed to have everything and he stood straight, glancing at me before slamming his door shut and smiling.
"This way," he muttered as he wandered down a gap between two buildings.
Following him, still holding all of his work stuff and cursing him under my breath as no gentleman I walked innocently into the alley. The gust of wind that hit me as I turned the corner made me shriek as it rocked me back on my feet. Looking up at him standing at the end of the passageway I saw his satisfied smirk as his eyes roamed downwards. In horror I followed his gaze, knowing what I would see, and sure enough, my dressing gown was no longer covering me, instead the two sides were flapping around behind me, leaving just my arms and shoulders unexposed.
Frantically twisting and turning under the street-light I tried to clamp the edges under my elbows whilst hanging on to the pile of stuff in my hands. Glaring at his amused face I guessed correctly that he'd had something like this in mind when he gave me everything to carry.
"Bastard!" I hissed, finally giving up on covering myself again, the wind was too strong and ripped the material from under my elbows as soon as I caught it.
Raising my chin, I decided to brazen it out, hoping that the dim lighting wouldn't show up my crimson cheeks as I tried to walk with dignity down the alley, holding his work stuff down so his jacket hung in front of me in a belated attempt to cover myself. Of course the wind blew it this way and that as I walked towards him, and I hoped to God no one else took it into their heads to investigate after hearing my scream. Knowing the area I doubted it, but still.
Looking nervously up at the windows of the flats around me I noted with relief that most of the lights were off, meaning, with luck, that everyone was asleep, but the shadows cast by the windblown trees had me seeing ghostly faces in the glass and I turned my gaze back to Carl. This was his fault entirely, if this ever got back to my mother...