I blow out a breath. “Yeah. I get it, I really do. He doesn’t want to lose me or whatever.”
“He can’t do that, Elle. You need to talk to him. It’s not fair. He sounds very insecure.”
I cover my eyes with my arm. “What if he’s having second thoughts?”
“I don’t think it’s that. If he was, I don’t think he’d be bothered.”
Yeah, I guess she’s right. “What would you do?”
“I’d party anyway.”
“Mum. Seriously?”
“You just need to sit him down and communicate with him. He’s jealous, that’s all. It’s probably hard for him being stuck here while his wife is out there having the time of her life.”
“Overstatement of the century. I need to unwind too.”
“Didn’t you just go to the cinema with that nice young girl last week? Is she a lesbian?”
I choke on a laugh. “Not that I know of, but I’m so going to tell her you said that.”
She chuckles and coughs away from the phone. “I can’t wait to see you. Do you want me to come and stay with you for a few days?”
Do I? “Maybe in the new year when I’m better at this whole juggling university with work thing. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. If you came now, I’d probably neglect you and you’d never come again.”
“It’ll get easier, baby. You’ll see. Soon you’ll be wondering why you ever stressed in the first place. And speak to Isaac. Don’t let him be that way with you.”
I smile softly, my eyes burning with emotion. “Thanks, Mum. I love you.”
“I love you too. Now go, and if you want to go to the party then go. Don’t ever let anybody control you or stop you from doing something you want to do. That’s not what relationships should be about. You’re partners, not boss man and little lady. Besides, he’s been going out for beers with the lads from work, or so I’ve heard.”
What? He has? “Oh.”
Mum sighs deeply, knowing by my shock that I didn’t know about that. “That arsehole.”
“Don’t, Mum. It’s my issue. I’ll deal with it.”
“Okay.” She doesn’t sound convinced. “I love you, bye.”
“Love you too.”
I grip my phone tightly in my hand and stare at the screen for five minutes. My mind flames with anger as I wonder how to best approach this situation. So it’s okay for him to go out and have fun, but it’s not okay for me?
Fuck.
How is this ever going to work between us when we’ve only been away from each other for a few weeks and already we’re both falling apart and arguing?
I decide not to say anything yet. I don’t feel like it’s the right time. I’m going to wait until I finally go home in October for the holidays.
I should talk to him when I go home on Sunday but I’m only there for a few hours and it seems pointless to ruin what few hours we have together with serious conversations. Besides, I’m kind of hoping he doesn’t let me leave our bed for long enough to have anything to talk about.
Kira: You can borrow my car on Sunday. I’m not using it. You are insured right?
Eloise: Fortunately I am! You are the best new friend a girl could have!!!! <3
Kira: I’ve screenshotted that and I’m sending it to your Hayley as we speak. ;-)
Eloise: Let me know how that goes hahahahaha
I open Isaac’s messages, smiling with more happiness than should be possible.
Eloise: I’m definitely coming on Sunday. Kira is letting me use her car.
Isaac: Thank you, Jesus. I’m going crazy here without you.
Eloise: That bad?
Isaac: You have no idea. I miss you.
Eloise: I miss you too. My week hasn’t been great either.
Isaac: Why?
Eloise: Busy, busy, busy with no break.
Isaac: I hear you!
Anger rolls through me again. He just lied. No break? What about drinks with friends? That sounds like a break to me!
I take a deep breath and continue texting.
Eloise: Roll on Sunday before I lose my mother lovin’ mind.
Isaac: More lingo? Mother lovin’? Really?
Eloise: You’re just jealous because I’m officially cooler than you.
Isaac: Rigghhhhhht…
Eloise: I also give awesome blowjobs.
Isaac: So, Sunday?
Eloise: I’m picturing you wagging your eyebrows at me … dork.
Isaac: The eyebrows, they get excited they do.
Eloise: And you just confirmed that I am way, way, way cooler than you.
Isaac: Go to sleep ;-) Dream of me. See you Sunday. Eight more sleeps. Just eight.
Eloise: I’ll be counting down the sleeps.
Isaac: As will I.
Back to boredom it is.
Hayley: Bitch! Thought we swore to never find better friends?
Or not. It’s about time she texted me. Damn I miss her.
Eloise: If you forgive me I’ll spend Halloween trick or treating with you and your kid brother.
Hayley: See? How will I ever find a better friend than you? :-( It’s unfair that you get me and a Kira… why can’t I get you and a Kira?
Eloise: Because you’re insane and it takes a special kind of person to handle your level of insanity… there aren’t many of those people in the world. Be glad you found me and treat me to a hot fudge sundae when I’m back in town.
Hayley: I stopped reading after the word because…
Eloise: I want my ice-cream!
Hayley: I want a Kira!
Kira: I want cake!
Eloise: Have you been screenshotting our conversation to Kira, Hayley? She wants cake.
Hayley: Yes… yes I have.
Chapter Seven
Isaac
“Wakey, wakey, baby,” I hear as a finger continuously prods me in the cheek. “Rise and shine, sunshine.” I cover my head when an empty plastic bottle starts bouncing on my head repeatedly.
“No. Five more minutes.”
“I only have eight or so hours. You need to wake your sexy arse up or I’ll eat your entire breakfast.”
Now I’m listening. “Breakfast?”
“Compliments of my mother. She cooked for us and put it in a container for me to bring home. It’s this weird potato and cheese dish thing. I’ve forgotten the name.”
I immediately open my eyes and pull Elle into my chest before rolling her laughing form over and trapping her with my body. “I don’t remember ever feeling this tired.”
“Hard day at work?” Her fingers trail up and down my spine as her clothed body lies prone beneath me. I feel her tongue taste the skin of my neck and a shiver races through me. “I’ve tidied by the way. This place is a mess. I almost forgot what a slob you are.”
She’s kidding, right? I lift my head and glare at her. “I’ve been working and fixing up the house.”
“Hey…” Her voice is soft and her fingers cup my cheek. “I’m not complaining. I was just making fun.”
I’ve become an angry, sleep-deprived person. “I’m sorry for snapping.”
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
I nod and kiss her before sluggishly climbing from bed. “I’m exhausted.” She follows me to the bathroom and watches as I brush my teeth. “Your dad is…” I stop and shut my eyes for a second, not wanting to break mine and her father’s terms and stupid fucking conditions. “He’s being a lot nicer.” Luckily the toothbrush in my mouth muffles my words, almost making them sound sincere.
Her dark eyebrow quirks. “Seriously?”
“Yep.” I spit the minty foam from my mouth and quickly wash my face. “Did you turn the heating on?”
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s not cold and we’re going out. Go and turn it off.”
Widening her eyes cockily at me, she stomps from the bathroom and does as I ordered. “It’s only been on for ten minutes.”
“We can’t afford those ten minutes
. We should stretch the money.”
Her head pops around the door. “Understandable. I didn’t know we were going anywhere and I’m cold, so…”
“Then put a jumper on.” I immediately wince at the harsh tone to my voice and so does she.
“Should I give you a minute?” She’s not concerned; she’s frowning. She’s probably asking for a minute for herself rather than wondering if I need one.
I nod and lean over the sink until I hear her feet descend the stairs.
“Get it together. You only have a few hours with her,” I snap at myself in the mirror, noticing the dark rings under my eyes and the pale tone to my skin. I splash cold water on my face, stretch my body and do a few push ups to get the blood flowing. My mood doesn’t change much, not until I see the food on the kitchen table and my stomach growls angrily.
I ignore that and pad straight to my wife, relieved when she doesn’t push me away as I wrap my arms around her from behind and rest my chin on her shoulder. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you more.”
I kiss her ear and release her carefully as she carries to cups to the table. “Food now?”
Grinning, she picks up her fork and takes her first bite. I quickly follow, eating every last piece and needing more.
“Toast?”
“I’ll do it.” I yawn again and move to the toaster. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, eating so much all of the time.”
“You’re doing manual labour daily with little to no sleep. Your body obviously needs it.”
“I don’t want to talk about work. I want to hear about you and your week.” It’s true, I do. I want to know everything. “Did you go to that party?”
“No.”
“Why?”
She looks at me as if I’m stupid. “Because you didn’t want me to. Duh.”
I decide to change the subject rather than waste the day talking about that. It’s useless because of course I want her to go out and party; I just… I want to protect her. I can’t do that from here.
“So, where do you want to go today? What do you want to do?” I ask my beautiful wife as she places the dishes in the bowl and shakes her head to remove her stunning red hair from her face.
“I thought you had a plan?”
Right. “I thought we could go to that café we went to once upon a time, pick strawberries or something?”
Her face lights up. “Really? Like… definitely?”
“Yeah, why not?” I’m just relieved she likes that idea.
“I can make jam!”
I laugh, loud. “You know how to make jam?”
“Nope, but YouTube does.”
“I’ll get changed then.”
Eloise
I quickly do the dishes and skip around the house with a duster as Isaac gets ready. His mood was bad but I’m hoping he’s cheered up now. He looks exhausted and I’m worried about him. All I can do at this point is try and make his day a better one.
When he descends the stairs, he smiles softly at me and opens his arms for me to walk into.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, clearly remorseful over his earlier behaviour.
“It’s a good thing I’m a forgiving woman,” I joke and press my lips to his soft ones. “Come on, I want to make jam.”
“Thanks for cleaning. It’s not fair that you had to do it. I know you’re working and have school too.” He keeps his arms tight around my back, clearly not wanting to let me go until I’ve heard him out. “I must have forgotten how lucky I am during my sleep.”
My heart melts a little and my entire body relaxes, all earlier tension gone. “Well, write it on your wrist just in case it happens again.”
He grins and kisses me again before taking my hand and leading me out of our house. He becomes much more attentive on the way to the café than he was this morning, even sitting us in the same seats we sat in last time and going a step further by kissing me in exactly the same way.
I feel more settled and stable now. I remember the thrill of sneaking around and the constant fear of being caught. It was fun while it lasted, but this is much nicer. Of course there are still risks and the fact we got married is still frowned upon, but if we do this properly and stay out of view of people who might want to cause trouble for us, it should all work out fine.
“What’s on your mind?” Isaac asks, his hand over mine on the table.
I want to talk to him about everything, most importantly about the fact I daren’t ask him if I can go to a party. I shouldn’t have to ask him for permission anyway. Of course, as his partner I’ll tell him and invite him, but I shouldn’t have to ask and I definitely shouldn’t be scared of asking.
I just know it will ruin his mood and then it’ll ruin our day, so I shake it off and point to the fields through the window where each individual bush is dotted with beautiful red strawberries. “I just can’t wait to start.”
His smile is blinding, mesmerising. I think he’s proud that he’s found something I’m so clearly excited about. “Let’s go then.”
Outside the café is a hut around the back where we can collect baskets from a lady in an odd green dress. Isaac holds my basket and my hand before leading me deep into the field, mindful of the hard dirt ground in between the rows and rows of strawberry bushes.
“Did you know that strawberries aren’t actually a part of the berry family?” I pluck my first one and drop it into the small green basket.
“They aren’t?” Finally, something I know that he doesn’t.
“Yep and, even weirder, bananas are. Isn’t that weird? Kind of changes the way you look at fruit.”
He laughs and crouches to pluck another strawberry. I crouch with him so we’re facing each other. “I suppose it does. You learn something new every day.”
“I’m a sponge for useless information.”
“Nothing in that brain of yours is useless. You never know; you could be faced with a million pound question one day and that, right there, could be the answer.”
After plucking a few more strawberries I give him a shove. He falls backwards onto his rear and glares. I giggle and shuffle away like a crab, looking for a better patch of bigger fruit.
“Physical abuse… I’m wondering what I married into.”
Eye roll. “Dramatic much?”
“That eye roll always reminds me of the first day in class, when I asked you if you were okay after your near death experience.”
I pluck the memory from my head, much like my fingers pluck the strawberries. “You used to make me so nervous. I had a major crush on you.”
“I know.”
“I will shove you again.” I point at him with a strawberry before throwing it in with the rest. Then another thought comes to mind. “When was it that you first fell in love with me?”
His face becomes blank and he stops moving. It’s almost like I can watch the wheels turn in his head. “I don’t know, probably when I first told you.”
“When did you first tell me?”
His brow quirks. “You don’t remember?”
“Oh, I definitely remember.” I stand and cross my arms over my chest. “I’m wondering if you remember.”
He rolls his own eyes. “Why’s it so important?”
“Because it’s a big deal!”
“Don’t get snappy; it’s not a big deal. It doesn’t matter when I told you. What matters is that I do.”
Okay, he might have a point. “Stop being a smart arse.”
“Stop being silly.”
I stick my tongue out at him and move to another patch.
“I think we have enough now. The basket it almost full and your fingers are well and truly stained.”
I look at my red finger tips and suck one into my mouth. The tangy taste of strawberries hits my tongue and I groan.
Isaac’s eyes hit mine and a familiar shadow takes over his irises. He bites down on his lower lip and watches as I remove my finger and lick my lips. “Good?”
&
nbsp; “You tell me,” I breathe, lifting his hand and brazenly wrapping my lips around his middle finger, scraping it slightly with my teeth.
His pupils dilate and his breath catches in his throat. Our eyes remain connected as I suck the sweetness from his skin before pulling it from my mouth and smiling.
“Let’s go.” Clearing his throat, he steps closer to me, pressing his body against mine as his hand grabs my own and presses it against his warm and definitely swollen length. “That’s your fault.”
“I take full responsibility.”
“You’re fixing it in the car.”
“I am?” I lean forward and nip at his neck. “You sure?”
“If you don’t, I’m not talking to you again.”
I laugh a little and pull away, “You wouldn’t last five minutes.”
“You’re probably right,” his voice is husky and his thumb pulls at my lower lip. I hear the hidden meaning in his words and flutters appear in my stomach.
“Okay,” I croak, my voice squeaking. “Let’s go.”
After throwing his arm around my shoulders, he leads me back to the hut where our strawberries are weighed, packaged and paid for.
“Strawberries aren’t cheap,” I comment, the box on my lap in the car.
“Nope…” Isaac responds, but I don’t think his mind is on the strawberries. “So if I drive slowly…”
“Nope.” I respond, knowing exactly what he’s referring to.
“But…”
“Don’t use that whiny tone. It’s not safe.”
He grins wickedly and pulls down a dirt road, hidden by a few trees.
I stare straight ahead, thrilled at the prospect of doing this out in the open but feeling stubborn simply for the hell of it.
Destruction: The Distraction Trilogy #2 Page 9