“No reason, I just think we should go. It’s late and you didn’t want to get drunk.”
I frowned as I studied her carefully. She looked panic stricken. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
The fact that her eyes flashed behind me didn’t escape my notice. It was quick, but I’d been friends with her for years, I knew her every move.
“Polly?” She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. “Polly, tell me now.”
“Charlie’s over there.”
I felt the colour drain from my face and sobriety sweep over me. “I feel sick.”
“Let’s go,” Polly said. “We don’t have to stay and speak to him, unless you want to.”
I remained silent and shook my head.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
“How does he look?” I asked and pushed a hand against my stomach.
Her eyes flashed again, and I knew that there was something wrong. I had no idea why, what evil being possessed me, but I slowly turned around to see him, the man who I missed more than I ever would imagine.
As soon as my gaze landed on him, the gasp was out of my mouth and the tears ran down my cheeks. The nausea rose again only this time I got the awful watery feeling in my mouth.
“I need to go.” I ran for the toilet and just about got there in time to empty my stomach into it.
I had known it would be hard to see him for the first time, but I hadn’t expected it to be that hard and have that much of an effect on me; but then again, I hadn’t expected him to have a pretty blonde draped all over him.
Being exposed to 15 minutes of sunlight will release the feel-good chemical, serotonin, making it easier to orgasm - when you’re on the beach go and have a quickie, tell the kids there are sharks in the sea to stop them going into the water while you’re gone.
* * *
Charlie
I moaned and put a hand to my head, trying to remember what I’d had to drink the night before and when a warm body shifted next to me and threw an arm over my stomach, I knew whatever it had been had been far too much. I wondered what the time was as I reached for my phone, where it usually was, but it wasn’t there, so God knew where I’d left it. I’d have to find it later but at that moment I needed to get out of the bedroom.
Full of regret, I picked the arm up, slipped from under it and then placed it back on the bed. I snagged up a pair of sweatpants to pull on over my jockeys and sneaked out.
When I got into the kitchen Johnny was already there, with a huge grin on his face that was asking to be knocked off.
“What?” I asked as I scratched at my bare chest.
“You and your friend didn’t half make some noise last night. You had a fair bit to drink.”
“Ugh, don’t. The thought makes me want to puke.” I sat down at the table and pulled the teapot toward me and filled up a mug and added more than my usual one sugar. “Where’s Simon?”
“Gone home,” Johnny replied. “Said he needed some sleep because you two woke him up last night with your noise. He also said Teresa’s old bed is shit.”
His jaw tightened as he mentioned Teresa. I knew Johnny felt uncomfortable about what had happened that night, but deep down he also knew it was the right thing to do. Unbelievably, we hadn’t heard from Teresa in the week since we’d thrown her out. Johnny had got word from the son of a cousin of my Grandma’s that she was currently staying with the guy she’d been seeing, but how long that would last was anyone’s guess. We had no idea who the guy was, it may well have been the one who fainted on our living room floor but knowing Teresa there’d probably been another couple since him.
“We should probably get that room cleaned up and decorated.” I took a big gulp of tea and already started to feel a little better as the warm liquid washed down. “Maybe get a new bed, what do you think?”
Johnny nodded and wheeled his chair over to the toaster. “Yeah, let’s do it next pay day. Get it done and then we can think about the night carer as well.”
I noticed his back stiffen as he said the words and felt bad for him. He really didn’t want a carer of any kind, but a night carer to Johnny was nothing more than a babysitter. We had to sort something out though, because after everything that had gone on with Willow, I knew I couldn’t keep on taking all the responsibility. Tom Davies, one of my bosses, had asked me if I’d like to go and do some music production courses alongside learning on the job. It’d mean being away for a week or more and I didn’t want to let the opportunity pass me by, so we needed to put plans in place and if that meant a night carer then that’s what it would be.
“Did you have a good night then?” Johnny asked as he turned back to me with a plate full of toast.
“What do you think?” I grimaced and took the plate from Johnny as he manoeuvred himself up to the table.
“You’re being a fucking idiot. You should call her and tell her you’re sorry you were a prick and have hated every damn minute without her.”
“It’s not that simple, and like I told you she deserves better. It won’t be long before Teresa is back and the shit hits the fan again, or you piss the new carer off and I have look after you more.” I grinned as I made the last sentence which earned me a pinch to the nipple. “Oww, that fucking hurt.”
“Good, you deserved it.” Johnny grinned back and then winked at me. “So, what are you going to do about your guest?”
I groaned and dropped my head. “Fuck knows.”
“Well you better think about it because I hear some dainty footsteps coming this way.”
Right on cue a figure appeared in the doorway.
“You got a cup of tea for me?” Bomber asked as he walked to the table while he scratched his balls. “Your brother hogs the fucking duvet by the way.”
“You could have slept on the sofa,” I replied and pushed a mug of tea toward him.
“You were the one who said we could share a bed.” Bomber eyed me warily. “There wasn’t a reason for that was there?”
I rolled my eyes while Johnny burst out laughing.
“No fucking way. I was pissed and felt sorry for you without any blankets.”
Bomber took a piece of toast and then grabbed the butter. “What happened to the blonde? The one all over you in Zar Bar?”
I shuddered, as I remembered how she’d draped herself around me and then tried to put her hand down my jeans. I’d had to really fight her off and, in the end, had been pretty nasty and told her to fuck off. I didn’t want anyone’s hands other than Willow’s down there. Not now and the way I was currently feeling, not ever. She was gorgeous and funny and was going to be hard to get over.
“I finally got rid of her,” I replied. “If that had been the other way around, I’d be on a charge for sexual harassment this morning.”
“When the only person you really want to sexually harass is Pretty Girl.” Johnny said as he lightly tapped on the wooden table three times with his knuckle as if to force the point home.
“She was in Zar Bar last night,” Bomber said as he poured himself a cup of tea.
My stomach flipped and my heart sank as I thought about her being there and not seeing her. Shit, I’d missed her and even a glance of her last night might have helped ease the continuous pain in my chest.
“Who was she with?” I asked as I swallowed to get some moisture back in my mouth.
“Her mate, the fit one, Polly.”
“No one else?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer, but I needed to know. I needed to know if my pretty girl had moved on already.
“Nope. Just Polly. Anymore toast?”
Bomber pushed away from the table and moved to the bread bin taking out two more slices and putting them in the toaster. Johnny looked at me and frowned before he scratched his ear.
“Christ, fucking call her,” he hissed.
I really wanted to say I would, that I’d call her right away, but I knew it wasn’t fair to her. I loved my brother, I really did, and would never
tell him, but he was a big responsibility and I needed to be there for him whether he liked it or not. How could I expect Willow to put up with that; broken dates, me being late or us not being able to go out at all, never mind not being able to decide to go away for a weekend without weeks of planning. Not to mention the shame of having Teresa hanging around and causing problems.
“Charlie, you’re a fucking prick. I’m doing what you asked, I’m getting a carer, I’ve even said I’ll get one for the night too, even though it’s nothing more than a fucking babysitter. Teresa isn’t coming back, so stop worrying about it, and anyway, even if she does it won’t change how Willow thinks about you.”
“Johnny, I’m not having this conversation again. I’m not calling her.”
“Well more fucking fool you,” he hissed. “You love her and you’re punishing yourself for something that wasn’t your damn fault.”
“I never said I loved her,” I cried and then looked over to Bomber who had finished making his toast and had his eyes on me and my brother with as much interest as if he was watching the latest Avengers film.
“And?” I asked him.
“Just listening and waiting to give you my point of view.”
“Did I ask you for it?” I shook my head and ripped at my toast with my teeth.
“Nope, but I agree with Johnny, if you did want to know.”
“That I should call her? Because like I said, I’m not.”
“No,” Bomber said with a mouthful of toast. “At the risk of sounding like a fucking pussy; that you love her.”
“Shit,” Johnny groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “We’re going to be plaiting each other’s hair and waxing Bombers nads while talking about Real Housewives next.”
“But he does love her, and he should call her.”
I slammed my mug down and threw the remainder of my toast back onto the plate before I pushed my chair back and scraped it along the tiled floor.
“I’m not fucking calling her, and I don’t fucking lo…ah fuck this, I’m going for a shower and then back to bed for the rest of the day. You two fuckers can...fuck off.”
I stormed out and as I paced through the lounge heard my brother and my idiot best friend laughing like a pair of imbeciles.
To add some excitement to your relationship, consider having sex in the car. A good position is facing him with your knees pushed against your chest and your feet on the seat or hooked over the neck rest - one tip, this isn’t recommended when you’re in a traffic jam as other drivers may get distracted.
* * *
Willow
I looked at my mobile again, wanting to make sure I’d read it correctly.
Charlie: Can we talk? Over at my house at 7?
When it had arrived earlier in the day, I’d swallowed down the butterflies that were trying to fly out of my mouth, and quickly responded with a simple ‘Yes. OK’. A huge part of me had wanted to say no, ask your new blonde bint instead, but at that moment I hadn’t been able to say anything else but yes.
I’d told Polly I thought I was in love with him, but there was no doubt about it, I knew after only one month I was in love with Charlie Monroe. My thoughts had been constantly on him, every single one being a wish and a hope that he’d change his mind. Admittedly, seeing him with the blonde had literally made me sick, that and the booze, but I still wanted to believe it had been nothing and that they weren’t together. The thought of her hanging off his arm was bad enough, but to think he might have kissed her or even had sex with her gave me heartburn and I was far too bloody young for that.
Throughout the afternoon, I’d contemplated calling Polly and telling her about the text message, but I was afraid that she might insist I tell him to piss off. She’d been gutted for me when we’d seen him in Zar Bar, and I think if I’d asked her to, she’d have gone over and given him a mouthful on my behalf. Not that he really deserved it. We weren’t together any longer, so he was entitled to have whomever he wanted draped over him.
So, instead of telling anyone, I’d kept the text all to myself and was at Charlie’s house worried that I was doing the right thing. Once I knocked on the door, I knew I couldn’t turn back and if it all turned to shit, well at least I wouldn’t have to explain it to anyone else.
It felt as though the wait had been ages, but it might only have been seconds, when the door swung open and I was faced with Charlie. Beautiful, sweet, Charlie who looked as though he’d just woken up with his messy bed hair and tired eyes. He did not look like a man who had expected a visitor at – I glanced at the phone still in my hand – six, fifty-eight, precisely.
“Willow?” he gasped as he ran a hand down his chest.
“Well, yeah.” Then a thought struck me. “I’ve not disturbed you, have I? You don’t have a visitor or anything?”
He frowned and shook his head. “No, I was having a kip. Catching up on some sleep.”
Oh my God, she’d stayed with him last night and they’d had lots of sex and now he was exhausted.
I felt myself pouting and ready to run but decided to wait and see what he had to say first. Find out why he’d wanted to see me.
“Come in anyway.”
He stood aside for me to pass and when I did, I almost moaned with appreciation. He smelled gorgeous and I could have stayed there all night sniffing him.
“Go through, I’m not sure where Johnny is but he might be in there.”
I gave him a small smile and moved down the hallway to the lounge where I expected to see Johnny grinning at me from his wheelchair, but the room was empty. As I walked in, I noticed the faint smell of smoke and spotted black scorch marks on the floor. The leather armchair that had once been there was gone and in its place was a wing back chair covered in a grey and black checked fabric.
“I like the new chair,” I said as I looked over my shoulder to Charlie, who’d followed me in.
“Yeah the leather one was a bit of a mess; you know with the fire.” He dropped his gaze and I noticed his cheeks were tinged with pink and could only guess he was thinking how one small fire had sent a lot of things to shit.
“Not too much damage though?”
“No,” he replied his gaze back on mine. “We were lucky that we have a fire extinguisher and that Johnny was home, otherwise who knows what would have happened. Although to be honest, we’d all be a lot better off if Teresa had gone up in smoke.”
“Charlie,” I gasped.
He shrugged and walked past me toward the kitchen and stopped at the doorway. “I can’t help the way I feel, Willow. I know I sound harsh saying it, but I have nothing to thank that woman for, but everything to hate her for.”
He looked into the kitchen and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I moved to him.
“I have no idea where Johnny is, he wasn’t in his room when I came to let you in, but he didn’t say he was going out.”
He then looked a little surprised and took a couple of steps into the kitchen and picked up a note which was propped up on the table. I wasn’t sure what I should do, hang back or follow him in, so while he read the note I stayed where I was and watched him carefully as his back stiffened and he let out a series of curses.
“Charlie?”
He turned to me and crumpled the paper into his fist. “Did you get a text or a call asking you to come here?”
My heart dropped as instantly I knew what he was going to say.
“Yeah, a text, but it wasn’t from you, was it?” I took a deep breath and tried to hold back the tears as realisation kicked in that he hadn’t asked me here to beg for forgiveness. “I can go, it’s fine.”
Charlie lunged forward and grabbed my elbow and dropped the screwed-up piece of paper in the process.
“No, stay. I’d like to talk, I’ve…well, I’ve missed you.”
My heart gave a tiny little jump. Simply because he’d missed me though didn’t mean that he wanted to get back together. As far as I was aware, he still had the same issue
s in his life that he’d had a week ago.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “But who sent me the text if you didn’t? Was it Johnny?”
“I’m guessing so by the note he left.” He stooped down, picked it up and smoothed it out before passing it to me.
‘You should be getting a visitor at 7, don’t be a dick and talk to her. Bomber has taken me to his for the night, where his mother THE NURSE lives, so guess what dick head, I’ll be fine. There’s a cottage pie in the fridge – no I didn’t make it, I sent Bomber out earlier while you were sleeping your mood off, although I’m hoping you’ll be too busy to eat. DON’T call me and have fucking fun.
Johnny
p.s. your phone is back in the bread bin where you left it last night when you and Bomber were throwing darts at pictures of Teresa.
I smiled and looked up at Charlie, who was staring at me warily, his arms folded across his chest and his hands tucked under his armpits.
“You brought Bomber back here last night?” I asked, unable to stop the grin which enveloped my face.
Charlie’s eyebrows almost met in the middle. “Yeah, why?”
“I just thought…”
God, I felt stupid.
“What, Will? What did you think?” He took a step closer to me and gently took the note from my hand. “I know you saw me in Zar Bar last night and from what you’ve said I’m guessing you saw me with that blonde hanging off my arm.”
“H-how did you know? Why didn’t you come and speak to me?”
“Bomber told me this morning that he’d seen you and why didn’t you come and speak to me?”
“Because of the blonde,” I cried. “I wasn’t going to come over while you were with someone. Apart from which, I hated it, seeing you with her. There was no way I was going to come over.”
He smiled shyly and looked at me through his lashes.
“You hated seeing me with someone else?”
“Of course I did, you bloody idiot. I didn’t want us to split up, it was your sodding idea.”
The Big Ohhh Page 27