‘Why would some random guy follow us?’ Nick sounded dubious. ‘Anyway, he’s gone now. My bet is we won’t see him again.’
But I wasn’t convinced. I was sure he wasn’t just some random guy. His creepy stares in the market earlier could have been a coincidence, but what were the chances of seeing him again here?
‘Should we get back to it?’ Nick suggested.
I nodded wearily as he paid the bill. The nightclubs were already pumping, and we had to start searching them for Ford. I knew there was next to no chance a fugitive would be out clubbing, but whenever I imagined myself trying to sleep within a metre of Nick, I perked up immediately. No matter how remote the possibility, I had to find Ford tonight so we could go back to the city.
For the next three hours, we scoured the nightclubs of Monte Testaccio until my ears were ringing and my whole body was thrumming from the thumping music. After a while every venue was so clouded with sweet-smelling dry ice that I could barely see, the crowd so liquid it was near impossible to keep track of one figure at a time. Nick was getting more irritable by the second as we were buffeted left and right by sweat-slicked topless men, drag queens in impossibly high stilettos and beefy blokes in studded leather.
‘I can’t do any more of this tonight,’ he said as we walked out of yet another club.
‘Just one more?’ I pleaded.
‘I’m done,’ he said firmly. ‘You’re not going to find him tonight, and even if you do, I’m not going to be able to get any photos anyway. You can stay out if you want, but I’m going to bed.’
As Nick strode past me, over his shoulder I caught a glimpse of the man in the cap through the crowd. A jolt of fear gripped me. Without thinking, I started after him, but he’d already melted into the crowd. I stood for a second, irresolute, then turned to follow Nick. I couldn’t help feeling both disturbed and relieved to be walking away.
When we got back to our room I went straight into the bathroom to get ready for bed. The floor was still covered in water and the dust on my shoes turned to mud. ‘Shit!’
‘What’s wrong?’ Nick asked from outside.
‘Nothing,’ I muttered. ‘The floor’s still wet.’
‘Are you almost done? I need to take a slash.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Just a second.’
I changed into a long T-shirt that hung below my hips, but left my jeans on. I stepped out into the room, then stopped abruptly. Nick was wearing nothing but boxer shorts. For a second I stared at his lithe, hard body before I managed to collect my thoughts and look away. ‘It’s all yours,’ I said, blushing furiously.
Nick chuckled as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
I swung into bed and removed my jeans before pulling the covers up to my chin. I felt ridiculous lying there, waiting with trepidation for him to come out of the bathroom, like some eighteenth-century bride on her wedding night. I reached out and switched off the lamp on my side just as the bathroom door opened. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Nick’s footsteps paused and I opened my eyes just a crack so he wouldn’t notice. He was looking down at me, an amused expression on his face. Through the veil of my eyelashes, I observed the long muscles of his thighs, his lean torso and broad shoulders. The last time I’d seen this view, he’d been about to get into my bed. He’d been in good shape back then, and that sure hadn’t changed.
Then he moved out of my line of sight and I pushed aside my disappointment, reminding myself that he might be an Adonis on the outside, but on the inside he was a scumbag. The other bed creaked as he lowered his weight onto it, then the room was plunged into darkness as he turned off his light.
For a long time I couldn’t relax, just knowing Nick was lying so close to me, and I could tell he was having the same problem. While I was frozen to the bed, trapped in the pretence of sleep, he tossed and turned restlessly. Somehow this felt far more intimate than the night we’d shared.
But eventually exhaustion took over and he stopped moving around. As his breathing became deeper and more regular, I felt my own body relax and sink towards sleep. As I lay still, I could almost imagine the breathing was James’s, and if I reached out my hand I’d touch the soft warmth of his back. It was with these comforting thoughts that I finally drifted into sleep.
The sudden, loud trilling of my phone jolted me from my dreams. I snatched it up from the bedside table and looked at the screen. James.
‘Hello,’ I croaked.
‘Hey baby,’ he said. ‘It’s so good to hear your voice.’
‘It’s the middle of the night here,’ I said. ‘Can I call you back in the morning?’
‘Is that James?’ came Nick’s voice from beside me. I almost jumped out of my skin. I’d forgotten he was there.
‘Who was that?’ James’s voice rose. ‘Who the fuck is that with you?’
‘James, calm down,’ I said. ‘It’s just Nick.’
‘It’s Nick?’ He sounded hysterical.
Oh shit. I had to speak fast. ‘We’re doing this story together and it’s the middle of a big festival and all the hotels were booked out. This was the only room we could find, so—’
‘So you decided to sleep with him? Just like that?’
‘There are two beds—’
‘I should’ve known this would happen,’ he broke in again. ‘I knew you still had a thing for him. Here I was thinking about how great it was going to be to move back in with you, and meanwhile you’re in bed with my best mate!’
‘James—’
‘I
