“What the hell, man?” Will said drawing his eyebrows together. I couldn’t read the look on his face. Was it disgust at his assumption or annoyance that he was showing me zero respect?
“I slept on the sofa bed,” I replied. “Although, it’s none of your business.”
“Alright,” he sniffed. “Calm down. Just a joke. Ready to go, mate?”
“Yeah. Two steps behind.”
We watched as Gav disappeared through the front door.
“Dick,” I said as Will nodded in agreement. I pushed my arms behind my head and started a weird rocking on my heels motion. “I’ll head back to Brighton, then. Start planning the next steps.”
“OK,” he replied as he grabbed his leather laptop bag. “Just…message me when I’m needed.”
“You’re still on board?” I asked, hopeful and a tiny bit anxious. “You’ll do this with me? For the clinic, for Elliott?”
“No, Skye,” he replied as he threw me his keys. “I’ll do it for you.”
9
Will
“What are you doing? This is madness. She’ll question your sanity and tell you to fuck off,” I mumbled to myself. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I’d travelled from London to Brighton on a late-night train, spent an hour eating dinner by myself, still weighing up what I was doing here when I knew I’d have to be back in London for work the next morning. But the truth was, I hadn’t seen Skye all week and I was missing her. I had an ache in my chest that nothing seemed to ease. A portion of myself that felt…lost.
“Will. What are you doing here?” Skye asked as she opened the door. She looked pissed, and shocked, and…green.
“What’s that…stuff on your face,” I asked as I walked through to where Stacey was lying on the sofa, also green.
“Avocado facemask. Fancy a lick?” Stacey asked.
“Not hungry,” I muttered as Skye dropped herself next to Stacey.
“Can I interest you in some wine?” Stacey asked.
I glanced at Skye but she ignored me.
“Yep. Wine. Alcohol is always good.” I sat down on the other sofa, putting my feet up on the coffee table. What was I doing here? What would I say if they asked? I missed the girl with the bubblegum hair. I’ve thought about her ass grinding into my cock for the past few days and needed to see that ass again. “Is this what women do when they’re heartbroken?” Stacey and Matt had ended whatever it was that was going on between them and the conversation was dominated by her heartbreak. My attempts to bring clarity to the situation were not appreciated and I decided to give it up as a bad job.
“Can I crash tonight?”
“The sofa has your name on it,” Stacey said.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I was doodling,” I replied. “Can I have a shower?” I’d already started making my way down to the bathroom.
I shouldn’t be here. I’m making the ache worse. The only relief would be if Skye agreed to be mine.
“Sure, help yourself, don’t you worry about it.” I heard Stacey shout. I curled my hands around the silver doorknob and lightly bashed my head on the door.
“I don’t need a shower, I just need her,” I mumbled to myself. You had a shower after the gym because you were trying to forget about the ache and that didn’t work either, did it? I needed to see her, speak to her, be in her company. Just being beside her was enough. Who the fuck are you kidding? It’s not enough, not anymore. I could hear low conversations and I panicked, wondering if Skye had told Stacey about my inability to stop touching her the night of the porn shoot. Did she notice the boob graze? The erection to her ass?
“Skye, do you have any spare towels?” I shouted from the bathroom, my head still resting on the door. She appeared like a vision and I closed my eyes for a second wondering what I was going to say next.
“Why are you slumped against my door?” Skye asked. I opened one eye and she was smiling, the green slop missing from her face. I closed it again before I groaned. “Have you been drinking?”
“I had a whiskey with my dinner.” I opened one eye again and whispered, “Maybe two.” She laughed. Bloody laughed and the sound didn’t do anything to help my obsession.
“Drunk Will is my favourite,” she said, and I wanted to take her by the hands and ask her why.
“Just drunk Will?”
She ignored me. “Towels are here, shower is there.”
“Thanks.” I sat down on the edge of the bath.
“Do you think you can sober up a bit?” she asked. “I need you tonight.”
A rush of blood leapt from my heart right down to my groin. “You do?”
“I started a storyboard for the film, but it’s not coming together very well. Fancy brainstorming?” It wasn’t at all what I had in mind, but we could be burying a body and I’d still be by her side.
“Come here,” I said, pulling her to me. She giggled and I smiled, and life felt good again. I wasn’t suffering the exhaustion of chasing something, I’d been caught. Caught by her, by her spell, her magic. “I know we’re not usually nice to each other, but I want you to know I think you’re amazing. This idea, this goal.” I sighed and I felt like a winner when she held my head in her hands.
“Why are we horrible to each other?” she whispered as she watched my mouth.
“It’s well-meaning banter.”
She laughed, a light chuckle. The sound I imagined I’d hear when I reached the pearly gates. “Is that what it is?” When was the last time I felt this happy? I was searching but came up with nothing apart from all the times I’d been happy with Skye. She featured in all of my moments, the good, the bad, the everything.
“Have a shower,” she said, trailing her fingers down my scruff. “Meet me downstairs in ten.”
“Pass me the cake,”
