Up on the Roof

by A. L. Brooks

  “Well, I’m totally awake now,” Megan said, rubbing her hands over her cheeks. “How about you?”

  Lena nodded. “Coffee? Breakfast?”

  Megan grinned. “Oh, yes.”

  They sat on the sofa and happily munched on scrambled eggs, hash browns, and grilled tomatoes, sipping at big mugs of hot coffee, all the while serenaded by Christmas songs and carols by such stellar artistes as Boney M, Dean Martin, and Andrea Bocelli.

  “How do you know all the names?” Lena asked after Megan identified the version of “Ave Maria” as the one belonging to Michael Bublé.

  Megan laughed. “Blame my mum. She loves all the crooners like Frank Sinatra, and anything from the eighties and nineties. I grew up listening to loads of this stuff.”

  “Do you think we should go and ask her to turn it down?” Lena asked, wincing as a particularly loud track started.

  Megan looked aghast. “Argue with Dorothy on Christmas Day? Are you mad?”

  Lena sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. I’d like to survive the morning to see your family.”

  “Great choice.” Megan grinned. “So, are you finished eating?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Before Lena could say more, Megan stood and swept up their plates and cutlery, quickly returning them to the kitchen area. When she came back to the sofa, she stood in front of Lena, her feet shuffling, her hands tucked into the pockets of her shorts. Lena tried very hard not to stare at the thighs that now presented themselves at precisely her eye level and used all her willpower to raise her head and meet Megan’s embarrassed-looking gaze.

  “Now, don’t be mad at me,” Megan began, and Lena immediately went on alert. “But I … Well, it’s Christmas, and that always means presents in my family, and I couldn’t not get you anything. So I did. So is it okay if I give it to you now?”

  Megan got her a gift? Lena didn’t know what to make of that. She knew she resembled a goldfish as she gaped up at Megan, but no words would come.

  “Er, well, I’ll just give it to you anyway,” Megan said, blushing deeply but scooting off towards her room before Lena could attempt to say anything. This was so embarrassing; she hadn’t for one minute thought to get Megan anything. What kind of a friend was she?

  Megan was back in less than a minute with a fairly large wrapped box in her hands. She placed it gingerly on the coffee table and stepped back, looking fearful.

  Lena stood up, her mind now finally engaged.

  “Megan, this is so lovely of you. I…I’m so embarrassed, I didn’t even think to get you anything.”

  Megan shrugged, and smiled. “It’s okay. It’s not like we talked about it or—”

  “It’s not okay. You’re…you’re my friend, and we share a flat. I should have got you something.” She felt terrible, and the next words tumbled out of her unfiltered as a result. “It’s not much of an excuse, but I’ve got out of the habit of thinking of others.” She swallowed back a lump that appeared in her throat. “Chris and I swapped gifts last year, obviously, but since she left I’ve… Well, I’ve been wallowing in a dark hole of self-pity, to be honest, and been very selfish as a result. So, I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, Lena,” Megan said, stepping forward then halting abruptly. “It’s okay, I understand. I really do. Look, what I’ve got you isn’t anything spectacular, okay? It’s just something I wanted you to have.” She smiled and blushed again. “And at the risk of sounding very cheesy, it’ll make me just as happy to have you with my family this afternoon than it would as if you’d got me a present.”

  Lena’s own face flamed red and a warmth of a different kind swept over her body, starting from somewhere in the middle of her chest. She had to clear her throat before speaking. “That’s a very nice thing to say. Thank you.”

  They stared at each other for a few moments. There was something there, in the air between them, that had Lena’s toes tingling and her heart rate increasing.

  “Well.” Megan pulled her gaze away and gestured at the box. “Open it.” Her voice was husky, and it caused those tingles to move from Lena’s toes to every inch of her skin. She took a moment to compose herself before stepping forward and picking up the box. It didn’t weigh much, and it wasn’t particularly wrapped well, which made her smile. Ripping off the tape, then the paper, she gasped when she opened the flaps of the box.

  Nestled in red tissue paper, their pristine white ears squished down on either side of their ‘bodies’, was a brand-new pair of floppy-eared bunny slippers.

  “Oh, you didn’t!” Lena squeaked, looking up at Megan, who was grinning widely.

  “Yep. I did,” Megan said. “I snuck up to the flat when the guys were clearing up all the debris and rescued the old pair. Then I worked out what size they were and got on the internet and—”

  Lena’s arms flinging around Megan’s body cut off whatever else Megan was going to say. It was impulsive, and totally out of character, but in that moment Lena could not have done anything other than give Megan a great big hug. Dimly, lost in the heat of Megan’s body, and the firmness of all that flesh pressed against her, she was aware of Megan’s soft “oh”, then Megan’s arms wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her a little closer.

  They fit.

  Perfectly.

  Lena’s head was directly under Megan’s chin, which rested gently on Lena’s hair. Megan’s arms could entirely circle Lena’s shoulders, giving her a sense of safety she’d never quite known. Her own arms wrapped around Megan’s waist, and the feel of the solid body encased in that circle had her head spinning. Where her ear pressed against Megan’s chest, she could hear the rapid thump of Megan’s heartbeat, and was sure her own was outpacing it by some measure.

  Slowly, reluctantly, but knowing she had to before she did or said anything stupid, Lena started to pull back.

  Megan’s grip loosened slightly but not completely. She was staring at Lena, her face slightly flushed, her chest rising and falling rather rapidly.

  “Thank you,” Lena whispered. “That’s the best present ever.”

  Megan nodded slowly, looking dazed, then said, “Lena, can I—”

  The sound of Lena’s phone trilling on the table beside them broke the trance. Lena stepped back as if she was suddenly electrified and moved quickly to retrieve the noisy instrument.

  Madhu’s name was on the caller display, and Lena didn’t know whether to thank her sister or curse her.

  Chapter 16

  “Lena, are you nearly ready? Jimmy texted to say he’s ten minutes away.” Megan raised her voice so that it would carry through the door to Lena’s room. It was funny, already she didn’t think of it as the spare room anymore; it was most definitely Lena’s room. She heard Lena’s muffled affirmative and moved over to sit on the sofa to wait for her. Her knees jiggled as her feet tapped the floor, and her palms were already damp. She wiped them on her jeans.

  What had happened between them this morning had had her head spinning ever since. Lena in her arms had felt so good she had wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. But it was simply the hug of a grateful friend, nothing more. Wasn’t it? Or… There had been…something between them, and definitely the hint of a scowl on Lena’s face when her sister’s call interrupted whatever that was that they’d been sharing.

  Megan shook her head. This was already turning out to be the most bizarre Christmas morning she could remember, thanks to Dorothy and the rude awakening. She guessed Dorothy had now gone out to lunch somewhere too, as all had been silent for at least thirty minutes. Resisting the urge to replay for the fiftieth time how good Lena had felt wrapped up against her, Megan stilled her feet and practiced some deep breathing exercises to calm her heart rate. She was actually glad they were going to spend the day with her family; right now she needed a buffer in the shape of the raucous Palmer clan between her and her escalating feelings for her flatmate.


  Lena appeared eight minutes later, looking beautiful in a bright pink tunic-style patterned top and black jeans, her hair pinned back at the sides, and a hint of make-up on her eyes and cheeks.

  “Wow, you look fantastic,” Megan said, before she could censor herself. She blushed rich red when Lena turned to smile at her.

  “Thanks,” Lena said quietly, her gaze roaming Megan’s body. “You look very nice too.”

  Megan’s blush bloomed over her chest. Her outfit had been chosen with more care than she would normally take for a day with her family, and she knew impressing Lena had been in the back of her mind the minute she opened her wardrobe doors. The crisp white shirt was a favourite for special occasions, and the low-slung jeans, a deep, dark blue, had always been one of her favourite pairs. Finished off with her short brown boots and a matching brown belt, Megan had felt her confidence rise as she checked herself out in the mirror. Teased mercilessly her whole childhood and teenage years about her size, it took a lot for her to feel okay about her looks. But today, she did, and having Lena’s validation was the cherry on top.

  The door buzzer startled them both out of their mutual appreciation, and as Lena was nearest the door, she reached over to push the release button to let Jimmy in.

  “I need to get my boots on and then I’m ready,” she said, turning back to face Megan, although her gaze now darted everywhere else.

  “No worries,” Megan said, swapping places with Lena near the front door to let Jimmy in while Lena walked over to the sofa with her black boots in her hand. Megan forced herself not to look back at Lena while she waited for the sound of Jimmy’s footsteps in the hallway outside.

  “Hey, Megan,” Jimmy said, pulling her into a tight hug as soon as she’d opened the door. She squirmed in his forceful hold. “Merry Christmas!”

  “Put me down, you plank,” she muttered, and Jimmy laughed and gave her one last almighty squeeze before releasing her. “And Merry Christmas to you too,” she said, smiling.

  “Hi, Lena.”

  “Hi,” Lena said shyly, quickly returning her attention to her boots.

  “Have you spoken to Mum or Karen yet today?” Jimmy asked Megan as she pulled on her jacket.

  “No, why?”

  Jimmy leaned against the door frame and laughed. “Karen’s in a right panic. The main oven blew first thing this morning so she’s been cooking the turkey at the neighbour’s place, who’d given her a key when they went away for Christmas.”

  “No!”

  “I know.” He shook his head, still grinning widely. “She’s says the place now stinks of roast turkey and she thinks they once mentioned being vegetarian. So, because she and Callum are at her parents for brunch tomorrow, Mum is hitting Tesco’s the minute they open to buy about six cans of air freshener and is going to spend the morning there with all the windows open, spraying the whole house, until she and Dad head off to Aunty Jean’s for lunch.”

  “She’s bloody barking,” Megan said, shaking her head. Then she became aware of a sound she’d never heard before, coming from the direction of the sofa.

  Lena was giggling. Actual honest-to-goodness giggling, her shoulders shaking and her entire face shining with glee.

  “You all right over there, Lena?” Megan asked, smirking. “My family amusing you, is it?”

  Lena nodded, and took a couple of deep breaths before saying, “Oh, yes. Completely. Your family is…wonderful.”

  Megan saw the brief flinch in Lena’s expression, despite her smile, and knew what it meant. She squared her shoulders. Lena Shah was about to have one of the best family days she’d ever had, if Megan Palmer had anything to do with it.

  Lena had barely got in the front door of Callum’s house before a projectile from something called a Nerf gun hit her square in the chest, which led to the offending toy being temporarily confiscated from the tearful shooter, Ben—or was it Jake?—and effusive apologies from his mother, Karen.

  Lena did her best to wave off the apologies and act like the incident was just a little boy having some fun, but that missile, or whatever it was, had hurt. She caught Megan’s concerned glance and made a supreme effort to plaster a smile on her face in return. Then she excused herself to the bathroom after shaking the entire family’s hands. If nothing else, she needed two minutes to ‘reset’ and adjust to the noise level in the household.

  Having been effectively kicked out of home four years previously, she had forgotten how loud a big family gathering could be. And no offence to the Palmers, but this wasn’t exactly big. She could remember days back in her parents’ house in Bolton when at least thirty people had crammed into their small living room and kitchen for a feast to celebrate either a birthday, or a holy day, or even India beating Pakistan at the cricket again. A jolt of something that felt like homesickness hit her stomach, and she pushed it back down.

  No, they didn’t deserve to be missed. She was determined to add some new family memories to her catalogue, even if they were from a family that wasn’t her own. The Palmers had been nothing but welcoming to her, and she wasn’t going to repay them by being maudlin.

  She smiled as she dried her hands. Madhu would be proud of her.

  As she left the bathroom, she glanced around at her surroundings. Callum and Karen lived in a typical three-bed ex-council house in Streatham. Extended out the back with a conservatory, the downstairs space was pretty substantial and definitely big enough for the Palmer family to fit in for a meal. She walked back into the living room. Yes, there was room—just. Although the only way they managed it was on two tables; the main table in the kitchen held the seven adults, and a small picnic-type table hosted the two young boys, Ben and Jake. Aged seven and five respectively, they were—as Megan had warned—right little buggers. Lena was breathless watching them race around the house before they all sat down for the meal. She’d always wondered if she’d want children herself; she wasn’t particularly drawn to the idea, but neither had she written it off entirely.

  Until today.

  Megan sidled up to her with a cup of her favourite Earl Grey and whispered, “You okay?”

  This time the smile that painted Lena’s face was genuine. “Yes, thank you. I am.”

  Lena was seated between Rosie and Megan for the meal and opposite Daniel. While it was nice to chat to Rosie, the puppy-eyed looks Daniel was throwing her way as they ate were discomforting. She did her best to ignore him, without being too rude about it. If she’d learned anything from her time sharing Megan’s flat, it was how to temper her natural reaction to snap and be short with people.

  “So, how’s the building work going?” Callum asked, as they all cleared their plates.

  “Slow,” Lena and Megan said at exactly the same time. Their eyes met and smiles spread across both their faces.

  “I’ve spoken to the insurance company,” Lena said. “They said they have no concerns. Although they did sympathise with my situation, there’s nothing they can do about it because of that miser of a landlord we have.”

  Rosie tutted next to her. “I’ve got no time for people like that,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why can’t everyone just give everybody a fair go?”

  Heads nodded all around the table.

  “So,” Sean said, his eyes glinting, “living with Lumpy proving difficult, is it?”

  Lena blinked. Lumpy? She turned to Megan, who was doing a terrible job of trying to hide the scowl that now marred her features.

  Turning back to Sean, Lena spoke through an anger that boiled up out of nowhere, fast. “Is that what you call your daughter?” Her tone was razor sharp, but she didn’t care. How dare he?

  A hand on her arm had her glancing in Megan’s direction. Her flatmate was blushing and shaking her head slightly, but Lena had seen red and couldn’t hold back. When she turned back to Sean, he was staring at her, but his eyes gave away how much her qu
estion had unsettled him.

  “I-I’ve always called her that,” he said. “We all have.” He gestured round the table. Lena let her gaze briefly alight on five other adult faces all looking equally as uncomfortable as Sean’s.

  “That just makes it worse,” Lena said, her hands gripping the edges of the table.

  “Lena,” Megan said quietly, “it’s okay. Please.”

  “No, it’s not!” Lena turned to stare at Megan. “Don’t sit there and tell me it’s okay to be called something so…horrible.” When Megan said nothing, Lena continued, her tone softening, “Do you like it when they call you that?”

  Megan closed her eyes briefly and swallowed. Then, opening her eyes again, she looked over at her father. “No, I don’t.” Her voice was a whisper, but the emotion in the words was evident for everyone to hear.

  “Megan, love,” Rosie said, reaching across Lena to touch her daughter’s arm. “I-I’m sorry. I had no idea. I mean, like your dad said, we’ve just always called you it. You never said, and—”

  “Actually, I did,” Megan said, her voice stronger now. “Lots of times.” She turned her gaze to her father. “You ignored it.”

  There was a painful silence. Dimly, in the back of her mind, Lena wondered if she’d ruined Christmas for the Palmer family. But hearing that awful nickname and seeing how much it hurt Megan, she couldn’t have not said anything. She also realised this was the second time she’d come to Megan’s defence from people laughing at her. She didn’t know where this need to stand up for and protect Megan came from.

  She did know, however, that it felt good doing it.

  Sean cleared his throat and stood up. Carefully, he walked around the cramped room and touched Megan’s shoulder, then motioned for her to stand. When she had done so, he pulled her into a gentle hug, shaking his head the whole time he held her.

  “I’m so sorry, Megan,” he said softly. “Please accept my apology.”

  Lena could see Megan’s eyes glistening and she swallowed down the lump in her own throat. Within minutes, all the adults had taken turns to say sorry to Megan.