Bagging Alice (Standalone) (Babes of Brighton Book 3)

by Laura Barnard

  ‘You really made this yourself?’ she asks as she looks over it. ‘I’m not gonna find some M&S containers in the bin?’

  I chuckle. ‘You haven’t tasted it yet.’

  She picks up a spoon and tastes a bit. I do the same. Shit, this tastes like crap. I see her face contort but she quickly tries to cover it.

  ‘It’s okay. It tastes like shit,’ I admit on a grin.

  She bursts out laughing and spits the rest back into the bowl. We both crease over laughing. I’ve so missed laughing with her. Doing anything with her really. My soul just feels at ease even being in the same room as her.

  ‘Maybe we should order pizza?’ Alice says with a smile.

  ‘Or maybe we should talk first? Get the awkwardness out of the way?’

  She swallows. ‘Okay. We can talk about the elephant in the room.’

  ‘Okay.’ I stand up and walk around the table to sit next to her. I take her hand. ‘I want to know if you’ll give me another chance. I know I don’t deserve it, but just hear me out.’

  She looks down at her hand in mine.

  ‘But,’ I say quickly, wanting to get my speech out before she has a chance to speak again. ‘I don’t want you to feel sorry for me because my dad died. I want you to imagine that hasn’t happened. I want you to be honest.

  ‘I feel shit about lying to you, but I didn’t realise how amazing you were when I made that bet. I never used to value sex. It was just another fuck for me.’ She squints, wondering where I’m going with this. ‘But that was all until I fell for you. Sex with you is different. Everything is different with you. I feel different when I’m with you. Like I’m worth loving.’

  She smiles sadly, her eyes turning glassy.

  ‘But I get that I don’t deserve your love. I’m just some fuck boy that hurt you, but please know that version of me is the old Tom. Everything is so much clearer now. I want to make memories with you, just like my mum had with my dad. I want to fill a photo album with all of our firsts. I want to know the day I die that I’ve spent it with the person I love.’

  She inhales sharply. Her eyes close for a second. ‘You love me?’ she asks disbelievingly.

  ‘How can you doubt that? Of course, I love you.’

  ‘Look, I forgive you, okay. But don’t say things you aren’t sure about.’ She shakes her head. ‘I don’t need I love you’s.’

  Smiling, I stroke her soft cheek. ‘I know, but I do. Fine, if you don’t believe me, but you will eventually.’

  She smiles. I take my cue to lean in. I hover my hand over her porcelain-pale cheek, grazing my fingers on her perfect lips. She closes her eyes and sighs contentedly. I take that as a sign and lean in, kissing those pretty little lips I’ve come to love so much.

  I break it off quicker than she wants. I know because she follows me when I lean back.

  ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

  She grins. ‘Better than this curry?’

  ‘It’s not hard,’ I chuckle. I stand up, pulling her hand so she’s forced to stand. Then I lead her to my old bedroom door. ‘I hope you like it.’ I stand back and let her open the door, a suspicious look on her face.

  She walks in, no doubt expecting a red room of pain or something equally as creepy, to instead find her new photography dark room the guys helped me put together. Complete blackout curtains are duct taped around the windows, so all sense of light is taken out. Chemistry trays are set up on my old set of drawers, along with tongs. The red hue from the safelight makes the room have a cosy kind of glow.

  ‘It’s not completely ready. We still need to get the chemicals, but it’s a start, right?’

  She turns around and grabs my face. She slams her lips against mine, pushing her tongue in.

  I laugh. ‘So, I take it you like?’

  ‘I love.’ She beams at me. ‘And I love you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still kind of furious with you, but life’s too short to let this get in the way.’

  ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am you said that, because I can guarantee I’m going to fuck-up again. But I want you to forgive me each time because life without you isn’t a life at all.’

  She smiles. ‘Just don’t fuck-up so epically next time, yeah?’

  Christmas Day

  Alice

  Tom’s Mum passes over the roast potatoes. It’s their first Christmas without Tom’s dad and my first one with their family. We’ve left a chair and place setting for him and placed his framed photo there, so we feel like he’s part of it. Tom’s family are still far more functional than mine.

  Once our food has been laid out, Tom’s brother George raises his glass of red wine.

  ‘I’d like to make a toast,’ he smiles. ‘To Dad. I hope he’s looking down on us proud of the lives we’re living. I know he’ll be proud of you, Tom.’

  Tom smiles back sadly. I clasp his hand under the table and give it a reassuring squeeze.

  ‘With the help of Alice, you’ve actually turned into a top bloke.’

  We all laugh. Tom rolls his eyes. ‘Yeah, love you too, George.’

  ‘But seriously,’ George says smiling at his mum. ‘I love you guys, and I hope this new year brings us nothing but joy.’

  Damn, that guy can give a speech. I couldn’t believe it when I met his brother and found he was even more charming than Tom.

  ‘Too right it will,’ Tom says clinking his glass with mine. ‘Starting with a trip to Barcelona next month.’ Thankfully, the company had let us re-arrange my prize.

  I smile back at him. Our relationship might not have a perfect record, but I do truly believe Tom is perfect for me. When you look at us on paper we’re opposites, but when you put us together we’re forced towards each other like magnets.

  If anything, Tom lying, and us contracting a bloody STI forced us to really think about what we wanted. For all we know we might have skirted around the idea of a relationship for a long time and ended up falling out anyway. This way I know he loves me, and I love him.

  Is he a risk? Of course he is. But every great reward is always after the biggest risk. And I’m willing to take a leap of faith. For Tom I’d jump off a building as long as he promised to catch me.

  THE END

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  Debt & Doormat Series

  The Debt & the Doormat

  The Baby & the Bride

  Porn Money & Wannabe Mummy

  Babes of Brighton Series

  Excess Baggage

  Love Uncovered

  One Month Til I Do Series

  Adventurous Proposal

  Marrying Mr Valentine

  Standalones

  Tequila and Tea Bags

  Dopey Women

  Heath, Cliffs & Wandering Hearts

  Road Trip

  Sex, Snow & Mistletoe