“Well, I kind of did and she kind of guessed. It was a combined effort. I just told her not to tell you she knew in Newcastle because I thought it would make you feel worse.”
Ollie scratched his hair, but had to admit I was right. “Yeah, it’s probably true. Still, she could have told me once I’d actually broken up with Jemma.”
I shrugged. “I forgot to tell you, since I don’t see Annabel that often. Hey, are your parents actually mad that you brought me?”
Ollie shrugged. “They’re not mad and it’s not that they dislike you,” he promised. “They just don’t think that I should be going for someone so young because I’m supposed to be settling down. They seemed a bit better after I assured them multiple times that we’re just friends. It’s a good job Annabel wasn’t their making those stupid sarcastic comments.”
I laughed. “She is fairly good at that,” I wrung my hands together slightly. “I just don’t want it to be awkward or anything.”
“I know,” Ollie wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “But it won’t be, I promise. The only thing you might notice is my mum giving me disapproving glances, but they’d never say anything to you. They’re not like that.”
“Okay,” that calmed me slightly. I didn’t want there to be some kind of obvious tension surrounding everything.
“So, what did you tell your mum?” He asked me, not bothering to remove his arm.
I chuckled. “I did actually tell her I was going to a wedding,” I admitted. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to explain my super fancy dress and I don’t like lying to her anyway. I just told her it was ‘Ollie’s’ cousin’s wedding. She doesn’t know you’re the same person yet.”
“I hope she doesn’t ever know,” Ollie replied with a chuckle. “I’m not ready to face your angry mum.”
“That’s because you’re a wimp.”
Ollie unwrapped his arm from around me to shove me playfully.
Only it was a bit harder than I think either of us had anticipated and I toppled over before Ollie could grab hold of me and keep me upright. I gasped as the cold water lapped over me and glared at Ollie, who was laughing his ass off at my now soaked self. I was glad I’d managed not to drop my shoes at the shock of the cold.
It didn’t take me too long to react, though, and I had punched Ollie in the back of the knee, so that his balance was completely gone and he came tumbling down beside me. It only made it better that I had timed it just as a large wave came and although it also wet the majority of my hair, it went properly over Ollie’s head, causing him to splutter in surprise.
We stared at each other for a couple of seconds before laughing and attempting to help each other up. “I can’t believe you pushed me in the sea,” I whined at him. “It’s the middle of winter.”
“I guess this is just about the right time to get ice cream, then,” Ollie chuckled as we headed away from the sea, our feet collecting sand as we traipsed back towards the pathway at the top of the beach. I didn’t even want to see how knotty my hair would be now.
Attempting to dry our feet off to put shoes on was the worst part. I was already shivering slightly from my clothes being soaked through, but having to put my slightly sandy feet into wet shoes was awful. I grimaced at the squelching sensation. “I’m going to be really disappointed if we can’t ice cream from anywhere now.”
Ollie laughed. “I’m sure there’ll be some somewhere.” Though the hotel we were staying in was in its own plot a slight way away, the beach was in front of a quaint little village that looked like it would probably sell the frozen treat - even in the middle of winter.
The elderly lady who was behind the counter in the shop we found gave us amused smiles. “You’ve been enjoying the beach? It’s a bit cold for that at the moment.”
I shuddered as I nodded my agreement. “Unfortunately someone didn’t seem to think so when they pushed me over.”
Ollie beamed. “What flavour do you want?”
“Is that even a question? Mint choc chip, of course.” Then I smiled at the old woman. “Please.”
“A mint choc chip and a strawberry large cone, please.” Ollie requested, shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out a somewhat wet looking wallet. Luckily the money inside hadn’t really been touched. I was just glad I’d chosen to leave my phone back at the hotel.
I gave him an aghast look. “Strawberry? What even are you?”
The elderly lady laughed as she passed me my cone. “I’m afraid she’s right. Between strawberry and mint there really is no comparison.”
I gave Ollie a satisfied smirk as he handed the money over. I’d make sure to give pay for something else over the weekend.
Back at the hotel, we figured we really had to sit outside to finish our ice creams, since the hotel didn’t look like the kind of place that would appreciate us dripping that gloopy mess everywhere. I was properly freezing by the time we got there and so was Ollie and we huddled close together so that our knees and shoulders were touching. There wasn’t much heat in our bodies to share, though.
Ollie’s brother, Luke, snorted when he came outside and saw us. “You had fun at the beach, then?”
“He pushed me over,” I accused Ollie, my teeth chattering as I was determined to finish this ridiculous amount of ice cream. “But I got him back, so I guess it’s fair.”
Ollie grunted in response. “I didn’t think you’d actually get me.”
“Well, at least you won’t underestimate me again.”
“You know dinner is in like forty five minutes,” Luke told us nonchalantly.
My eyes widened. “But I need a shower.”
“Me too. I’m going in first.”
“What? No way. I need to go in first so that I have time to dry my hair. Your stupid curls will be fine either way.”
“Maybe we should just shower together,” Ollie smirked.
I snorted unattractively. “You wish.”
“You’re not going to have much choice if I beat you there,” Ollie teased, finishing the last of his cone, whilst I still had a few more mouthfuls left.
“I’ll just go and ask Annabel if I can use hers. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” I retorted, handing him the rest of my ice cream. “Please finish this. I’m too full.”
Luke laughed. “You still have a three course meal to eat.”
I groaned. “Oh my God.”
Ollie gobbled down the last of my cone and grinned. “It’s okay. I’m sure I’ll be able to finish off whatever you don’t want. But seriously, we should go and get ready. I don’t want my mum to have an even worse impression of you.”
“Hey!” I complained as we stood up and made our way inside. “I thought you said she didn’t hate me!”
I could barely hear the sound of Luke’s faded laughter as our bickering continued all the way up to our room.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I actually feel a bit sorry for him.” Luke commented, whilst absentmindedly bouncing Charlotte up and down on his knee.
We both stared over to where Ollie was talking to his parents, his face a perfect picture of contained annoyance. It was fairly obvious what they were discussing. “I'm not really sure what the problem is when we're just friends. I didn't want to make this all rubbishy for him.” I’d managed to cause enough drama for Ollie as it was, though part of me knew it’d been a victory getting him away from Jemma.
Luke shook his head. “It’s not your fault. It’s just the fact that Ollie isn’t with anyone, not just because he’s brought you. He knew this was going to be what happened anyway.” I guessed he wouldn’t have had a great time with his parents, whether he’d brought me or no one, in that case. My lips quirked at that realisation.
I wasn’t convinced. “Annabel is pretty good at making it worse,” I pointed out, watching her pull completely tactless funny faces from where Ollie could see her but her parents couldn’t.
“You know Annabel pretty well?” Luke inquired. “Or do you and Ollie know each oth
er through Annabel? You’re about the same age.”
I tried not to flinch at that. Age was going to be a sore topic all weekend. “I knew Annabel after meeting Ollie. I’m not sure I’d say we’re close, but we get along well enough. I met Ollie in a club in summer.” That wasn’t a lie, at least.
“I don’t think mother would be impressed to hear that was how you met.” Luke told me with a small chuckle.
I grinned in spite of everything. “I’m sure Ollie will come up with something more acceptable, not that it’s likely to make any difference.”
Luke’s attention was drawn away from me when his wife, Emily, appeared beside us. “Honey, would you just come and help me bring the second suitcase in from the car?” She inquired, hands automatically cradling her swollen stomach. I wondered how much older Luke was than Ollie, to already nearly have two children. Ollie was almost old enough, really, though. Maybe not right now, but in only a couple of years he’d be ready to settle down. I wouldn’t have even finished uni by then.
Luke glanced at me apologetically. “Would you mind just watching Charlotte whilst I go?” He checked.
I shook my head and hoped I didn’t look too uncomfortable. Whilst I was fine with my sister, I always got a little bit scared around other people’s kids that I’d do something wrong. “Sure.”
“You stay here with Maddie for a moment,” Luke told his daughter in a gentle voice. “You can read your book to her. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” Then he placed her in my lap with a grateful smile.
I glanced down slightly awkwardly at the very cute girl with natural curls, just like Ollie, and hoped she’d just start reading to me.
She didn’t, of course. “Do you and Uncle Ollie love each other like mummy and daddy?” She inquired, tapping fingers against the book about animals I had hoped she might concentrate on.
I found myself chuckling, though. “No, we’re just friends,” I told her, trying to think just how much a four year old could actually comprehend.
“Uncle Ollie looks sad,” she lamented. I followed her gaze and had to agree. He looked just about at his wit’s end with the conversation, though his parents apparently didn’t seem to notice.
“Do you want to know how you can cheer him up?” I asked her, my tone automatically taking on the soft voice I used with Lily.
Charlotte nodded eagerly. "Yes.”
I watched the situation carefully to make sure I wasn’t going to annoy anyone too much. I figured that Charlotte was cute enough that she’d get away with anything, though. I whispered something in her ear and gave a demonstration before allowing her to hop off my knee and scamper over to Ollie.
Biting my lip, I couldn’t help but put my hand to my face to conceal a chuckle as Ollie bent down with the intention of picking up his niece. He certainly wasn’t expecting the small fingers that reached up and pinched his nose, though. Whilst he was still in a state of slight shock, Charlotte leapt away from him and scampered back to me as fast as she could with her tiny legs.
Ollie’s face had transformed so that his lips quirked upwards and Annabel was shaking her head at me with amusement. I was more than relieved when neither of his parents turned around to give me an accusing look.
“I hope you’re not being a bad influence,” Luke chuckled from beside me. I hadn’t even realised he was there.
“We were just cheering Uncle Ollie up.” Charlotte instantly defended.
“I believe you,” he held his hands up defensively, “but it really is time for bed now.”
Charlotte widened her eyes at me hopefully, but I could only give her a sympathetic look. After a long sigh and a pout, she allowed Luke to pick her up. "Night," I called after him with a chuckle.
Now that they were gone, I figured it was a good time to go for a smoke. Maybe if I wasn't here anymore Ollie's parents might forget to rant about me, too.
Outside it was bitterly cold, but I couldn't be bothered to go all the way back to my room. I'd only be out here for five minutes anyway. Lighting up, I reflected on tonight's possible activities. Though we'd of course agreed that no more sex was the only real option, I got the feeling that probably didn't apply to romantic getaways in posh hotels in the countryside. Not that I was complaining, of course.
It didn't really help with my whole "being filled with false hope only to be let down" issue, though. I knew that my thoughts' constant occupation with Ollie and the sometimes unmanageable mix of emotions that brought me was only going to get worse after this weekend.
"There a bit left for me?" Ollie inquired, appearing beside in me and looking absolutely exhausted.
Still, I shook my head with a small frown. "You've quit," I reminded him.
Ollie's puppy dog eyes almost made me cave. "Please? Just one drag?"
When I found the willpower to shake my head again, Ollie grimaced and decided the easiest way to solve this was to just try and snatch the lit cigarette from me. I held it away from him as best as I could, trying to not let any of the ash drip on me as I held it over my head.
Ollie wasted no time in pinning me against the wall smugly, still reaching towards the burning object. "Please, Maddie, you know how mean my parents are being. I didn't realise your age would be this much of a problem." Despite my best efforts, I couldn't help the way my breathing hitched slightly as one of Ollie's hands slid around my waist to give him further leverage. Not that he really needed any, with how much taller than me he was. I was positive he was enjoying this as much as me. "I wish I'd never introduced them to Jemma."
I laughed. "Imagine how much of a field day they'd have if they knew how old I really was."
"How old really are you?" Luke's voice spoke with slight surprise from the side of us.
In my lapse in concentration, Ollie grabbed my cigarette and took a long drag. "Seventeen," Ollie spoke for me. I knew it wasn't my place to answer the question myself.
Luke raised an eyebrow before shaking his head disbelievingly. "And you really met in a club?"
Ollie scowled at me. He'd clearly been planning on giving one story to everyone, but I just wasn't as good at coming up with things like that on the spot as him. "You'd be surprised how good fake ID's are," I laughed awkwardly, running a hand through my hair and gesturing to Ollie to give me the cigarette back. I'd never been able to handle tense situations. I normally managed to say something horribly embarrassing that just made everything worse.
Luke shook his head once more. "You're really nothing more than friends? You just seem... really close I guess."
"We're not together." Well, that wasn't a lie, at least. I was almost sure that Luke understood the implication there, but Ollie didn't seem to care. Lying to his family clearly wasn't an enjoyable thing for him. "We're just friends, okay?" He settled on after a long sigh. "It's not a problem. I just didn't want mum and dad to unnecessarily completely hate her, you know."
Luke chuckled. "I know. They can be pretty overbearing. I think I was just lucky that my life panned out how they wanted. I didn't get married and have kids young because they wanted me to, not that they seem to realise that."
"I know," Ollie agreed, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my box to light up another. "It's just annoying sometimes. It's pressure that I really don't want."
But we both knew Ollie was much closer to the point in his life where having kids and settling down would be his goal, whereas I hadn't even left school yet, never mind started university. Our relationship was an impossibility. That was what my head told me, anyway. It didn't stop me going through delusional stages of convincing myself that the impossible could happen.
"It's pretty rubbish a lot of the time. I know you and Annabel have had it worst."
I almost felt like I shouldn't be here whilst they were discussing these things, but neither brother seemed to mind. Or at least they weren't rude enough to tell me to get lost. I just attempted to disappear into the wall as effectively as possible. Ollie grunted in agreement. "It's normally easier to avoid th
an this."
Luke chuckled. "Have you not actually quit, then?" He moved the conversation away, apparently to the relief of both brothers.
Ollie chuckled. "Pretty much. It's only a stress thing now. I'm much more responsible now," Luke glanced at me pointedly and Ollie smirked. "I said more responsible, not completely responsible."
"I'd expect nothing less," he teased back. "I really have to go and find Emily, though. She'll be wondering where I've got to."
"Sure thing," Ollie agreed lazily. "I think we'll head in too. It's freezing out here."
"Going to bed?" Annabel teased with a wiggle of the eyebrows as we entered the hotel's lobby. The dull stench of smoke that clung to me seemed particularly out of place in such an extravagant area.
Her Teacher's Temptation Page 19