‘You still with Terry?’ he asked. He’d been saving that question. He didn’t really want to hear the answer, yet he couldn’t see her like this without knowing.
‘Yes, I’m still with Terry.’
She watched his face drop.
‘It’s not going well though. I think we’re almost there with that particular relationship.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he said. He wasn’t and she knew it.
‘What happened? Did it run its course?’
‘Life didn’t really move on for me after you left,’ she said, half to herself. She’d never said this out loud before.
‘Mum died soon after you left, I met Terry a couple of years after and we moved in together way too fast. It was good at first, I needed somebody who didn’t remind me of ... I needed a change. But it wasn’t going to last. Things changed at work, Terry was always distracted by his work and I ... I just became lost really. I’ve been stuck in a limbo of not daring to move. Things are pretty well the same as when I last saw you.’
‘I’m sorry, Cait, really I am. Did you marry Terry? Sorry, that’s none of my business.’
‘No, we never married. No kids either. I think sometimes in a relationship you just know it’s not right. If we’d have married and had kids we’d have lost our ability to back out. I think subconsciously we both wanted to leave the exits open.’
‘What will you do? What’s your plan?’
‘Well, that’s why I asked to see you. It just so happens that it’s rather timely that you’re down on your luck.’
Luke took a sip of wine.
‘Go on, tell me more.’
‘Remember that Christmas when we were in the office on our own?’
‘Do I remember that Christmas? We had sex in the staff kitchen. It was the only place without a CCTV camera. Do you remember trying to figure out where was safe? We were so bored! Why do employers make people work in the run-up to Christmas? Nobody cares.’
Caitlen had forgotten that part of the story. They were the only members of staff who’d been stupid enough not to book leave. They were a couple then, so they figured that they’d manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. Luke had started talking dirty to her, they’d got all hot and bothered and were desperate to find a place to have sex. They’d been frantically running around trying to figure out which areas weren’t covered by cameras. It was either the toilets, the stationery cupboard or the staff kitchen. They’d had exciting, frantic sex on the round table in the corner of the kitchen. The same place where Mavis Nicholls ate her sandwiches every day. That made it feel even more naughty.
She’d never had sex with Terry like that. He approached lovemaking like a new cabinet which had to be assembled from a set of instructions. Part A fits alongside Part B. Part C slips into Part D. It was like a deathly version of the Karma Sutra, written by IKEA.
‘Try LukeCait2011,’ she said, trying to shake off the thought of it.
‘What?’
‘The password. LukeCait2011. Give it a try.’
Luke flipped open the lid on the old laptop. He typed in the password. It worked.
‘Jeez Cait, how did you remember that?’
‘Remember how we used to laugh about getting one of those sun strips in the car? The type where couples used to display their names? You don’t see it anymore, but quite a lot of people did it in the old days. We always used to make our passwords with what we’d put on our imaginary sun strip. Plus the year that we created it. We broke up in 2012, you got that laptop in 2011, easy! Who needs Sherlock Holmes?’
‘So what’s on here that’s so special? I can’t even remember what’s on this hard drive, it’s probably full of all sorts of crap!’
‘Do you remember that after we’d had sex, we’d still got a full afternoon to kill? You never did take very long. Don’t you remember our bet? The bitcoin one?’
‘Damn, Cait, I’d forgotten all about that. We bought bitcoin didn’t we? Bloody hell, that was ages ago! It’ll be worth a frigging fortune now!’
‘Yup,’ she nodded, smugly. ‘At current valuation, just short of half a million.’
‘You’re kidding? You’re bloody kidding me, Cait?’
Luke tapped at the computer frantically, searching through his files. There were things on there that he’d long forgotten. Photos, documents, music. It all seemed so long ago. But he remembered the bet.
‘It’s here, it’s just a barcode and a long password key or something like that. Is that it? Is that enough to bring it back from the dead?’
‘That’s all you need, Luke. That’s your private key to the bitcoin. We bought $100 each. It’s worth a fortune now!’
Luke beamed at her. He instantly felt a huge burden lifting from his shoulders. This was exactly what he needed and at precisely the right time. He’d thought he was going under. He feared he might even have to take an office job. In fact, he was going to ask Caitlen that very question, to see if there were any vacancies at his old place of work. The shame of it. But here was the answer.
‘Why did I ever let you go, Cait? You just bring good shit into my life. This is incredible, I can hardly believe it.’
Instinctively he’d reached out to take her hands across the table, in the excitement of it all, immersed in the thrill of being back with her again, he’d forgotten that she was Terry’s now.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, gently releasing her hands, ‘I forgot myself for a moment there.’
‘It’s okay,’ she replied, looking deeply into his eyes, reading the signals. ‘I like it, Luke. I’ve missed it. I miss you. Shall we get a room? There are too many CCTV cameras down here? You know how it is with the CCTV cameras.’
There was that gleam in the eye again. It felt good again to be wanted, really craved by a man. And those soft hands too, she loved the feel of smooth hands on her skin. In fact, she couldn’t understand why she and Luke had ever let it slip away like that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Benidorm: June
‘Caitlen, it’s not what it looks like, luv!’
‘It’s exactly what it looks like, Terry. And will you please stop calling me luv? I feel like I’m trapped in a Carry On film. You’ve even got your own bloody Barbara Windsor!’
Emmy had rushed off into the bathroom with her clothes. She’d missed her knickers which were resting on the coffee table, in plain view of the assembled crowd. Within seconds, the entire situation descended into chaos. Caitlen was screaming at Terry. She was not so much angry that he’d been having an affair. She was more frustrated by the fact that she could have ended it with him at any time, rather than having to mess around and agonise about the best exit point. The affair was a bit of a relief. Porter was banging at the bathroom door shouting at Emmy. If Caitlen hadn’t been so preoccupied with Terry, she might have caught a ferocity in Porter’s eyes which she’d never seen before.
‘You slut!’ he was calling. ‘You think you’re better than me, you never slept with me. And all the time you’re screwing Terry! What’s so wrong with me that Terry is a better bet?’
Matt had taken a run at Harriet’s companion and was now in the midst of his second fight of the night. Harriet was distressed, trying to separate the two men. There was no way that Matt was coming off better in this exchange.
‘It’s not what you think, Matt, nothing happened. We were just talking, honestly!’
Matt wasn’t listening. Harriet’s companion floored Matt with one punch. That set off Becky who was ecstatic at seeing her cheating fiancé getting what he deserved. She marched up the corridor, in her dressing gown, and spat on his unconscious body on the floor.
Gina watched Wes smirking and something in her snapped.
‘And you can wipe that bloody smirk off your face!’ she yelled up the hallway. ‘If it wasn’t me or Harriet it had to be one of the other women in this group. You’re a fucking predator Wes, I know your sort!’
Wes was having none of it. He’d simply taken his chan
ce when one arose. Becky was a good-looking woman. There were several attractive women in that group, and he was a single man. What if she had been distraught at the time and seeking revenge on Matt?
It couldn’t have been timed better. The door to the lift opened and there were Kasey, Naomi and Rhett. They’d stumbled across each other in the Old Town and had a great night out together. And now they’d walked into the first ten minutes of Saving Private Ryan. It was a war zone.
Naomi, who was completely worse for wear now, immediately picked up where she’d left off with Caitlen. The only members of the group who weren’t shouting, crying or unconscious were Kasey and Rhett. Rhett was sick by the lift, it pooled out across the corridor.
‘I shouldn’t have drunk that last beer,’ he said, slumping down on the floor.
‘Enough!’ Kasey shouted.
‘It was sufficiently abrupt to stop everyone dead. Caitlen, Naomi and Porter sensed the change of atmosphere in the corridor and ceased their shouting a few seconds later.
‘That’s enough everybody. We’re supposed to be friends, we look like a bunch of a hooligans at a punch up. We’ve all had too much to drink and emotions are running too high. We need to cool off.’
He noticed Matt, out cold on the floor.
‘Somebody needs to take care of Matt too, he might be hurt.’
‘You’re all a bunch of fucking nutters!’ Harriet’s companion said. ‘You don’t even put out, if I don’t get laid on this holiday I’m going to be really pissed!’
He stormed off along the hallway, almost slipped on Rhett’s vomit and tried to regain his dignity.
‘Fuck you!’ he shouted, and ran off down the stairs, realising that waiting for the lift to come up to their floor would have further ruined any dramatic exit.
‘Well, good riddance to him!’ Kasey said, looking disapprovingly at Harriet. She was sobbing now and trying to rouse Matt.
‘He seemed okay in the bar,’ Harriet sobbed, ‘Nothing was going to happen. I just needed to get away from all this for the night ...’
Caitlen and Naomi were now standing at the door of their apartment. Terry had taken refuge in the bathroom with Emmy. Kasey was in charge now and in spite of the hostility running up and down that hallway, they all realised that it was probably for the best.
‘Here’s what’s going to happen,’ Kasey began.
‘Caitlen, you’re sleeping with Gina tonight. Wes, you stay in my apartment. Get your clothes for heaven’s sake!’
Wes took the instruction. He’d see where he stood with Becky in the morning.
‘Emmy’s in with Harriet when she unlocks herself from the bathroom. Terry, Rhett and Naomi, you’re in this apartment, that’s if you can stomach a night with Terry?’
‘I knew about Terry and Emmy—’ she said, then stopped herself short, realising that she’d be incriminating herself if she went any further. It had been an unspoken understanding that none of them would ever discuss that awkward encounter in the burger bar. Perhaps now her money problems with Rhett might come out.
‘You knew?’ Caitlen seethed, ‘And you didn’t tell me. And you dared to say this was all my fault ...’
Kasey walked towards her and gently took her arm.
‘Enough Caitlen. We’re tired and drunk, this will wait until tomorrow. Go with Gina.’
Caitlen walked over to Gina who placed her arm around her shoulder. Gina closed the door behind them, sensing that was probably the best thing to do for everybody’s sake.
‘Becky, you’re on your own. Unless you want some company tonight. Maybe Naomi would stay with you tonight?’
Naomi looked at Rhett, crashed out and sitting in a pool of his own sick.
‘I think that looks like a good bet,’ she said, walking up the corridor. She stepped over Rhett, and walked with Becky back to her room. Wes was still looking down the hallway from Kasey’s doorway. Seeing that Becky was now out of play, he pulled the door shut.
‘What about me?’ Porter asked, ‘I don’t want to see that slut of a wife of mine ever again!’
‘You’ve got your own room. Emmy’s in with Harriet. How’s your leg?’
‘Sore,’ Porter replied. ‘Really quite sore.’
‘Go to bed, rest it. I’m sending Matt over to your room when he’s sorted out. Porter was exhausted and grateful for the direction that he was getting. Like a chastened child, he made his way back to his apartment.
‘What about Matt?’ Harriet asked.
‘Well, for the second time this evening, I’m taking one of you to the hospital. He needs checking over, he’s still out cold. That must have been quite a thump. What were you thinking Harriet? Really, we all know that Matt’s still in love with you. How did you think it would end?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to take my mind off him. It’s been torture seeing him with Becky. I wasn’t going to sleep with that guy. He just made me laugh. I needed it.’
‘Go to bed,’ Kasey said. There was kindness it his voice, it made Harriet feel better than she should.
‘You promise you’ll take care of him?’ Harriet asked.
Kasey nodded. Harriet walked into her apartment.
‘I’ll leave the door ajar, tell Emmy to make herself comfortable whenever she comes out of the bathroom.’
Kasey felt like a sheepdog. He’d successfully herded a flock of errant sheep and separated all of the hostile parties.
He walked into Caitlen’s apartment and banged on the bathroom door. He could hear the frightened whispers of Terry and Emmy. They knew that the game was up and it was time to face the music.
Kasey heard the sound of the lock being slid and the door opened, tentatively. Terry peered outside as if scared of being lynched.
‘Did you have to do this on holiday?’ Kasey asked. ‘She bought this as a treat for all of us and this is how you thank her. You and me need to have a serious conversation Terry, everything stops here. Everything, you understand?’
‘What’s he talking about?’ Emmy asked, sensing something between the two men.
‘It’s nothing Ems,’ Terry said, ‘Just something me and Kasey need to sort out.’
‘It’ll wait until tomorrow,’ Kasey said. ‘We’ll wait until we’ve all slept it off. Terry, sort out Rhett and make sure he gets to bed safely.’
‘But ...’ Terry began.
‘I don’t think now is the time to be causing problems, do you Terry?’
He stopped talking and stepped out into the corridor.
‘Jesus, I’m not clearing up that mess ...’
‘Terry!’ Kasey snapped.
‘Okay, okay,’ he said, resentfully making his way towards Rhett.
‘Emmy, you’re in with Harriet. Stay away from Terry and Caitlen for a while. I need to figure out how to sort this out and get everybody talking again. Just steer clear for a while, okay? Stay with Harriet.’
He escorted Emmy to Harriet’s door and helped her over Matt’s crumpled body.
Terry was manoeuvring Rhett along the hallway, a look of disgust on his face.
‘Make sure that sick gets mopped up before you crash out. And wait in your room until I decide what to do with everybody.’
Terry muttered under his breath.
‘You got that Terry?’
‘I got it,’ Terry said, ‘Don’t worry, I feel like I could sleep forever right now.’
Matt was stirring on the floor. He opened his eyes and looked up at Kasey, struggling to find his focus.
‘My head feels like shit. What’s been going on?’ he asked.
‘Oh, nothing much,’ Kasey said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. ‘It’s only a bunch of friends who want to kill each other, that’s all.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
Benidorm: June
It was five o’clock when Kasey finally arrived back at the apartment block with a stitched and bandaged Matt. Matt was sober now and capable of seeing for himself what a mess they’d made.
He’d
tried to discuss it with Kasey in the taxi on the way back from the hospital. But Kasey had had more time to think things over while waiting in A&E. He had a plan to set everything right. It was unlikely that things would ever be the same again, but they had to move forward, they had a full week to get through before they could catch their flight home.
Kasey was pleased to see that Terry had cleared up Rhett’s mess. The hallway smelled of disinfectant. For a spiteful moment Kasey considered that Terry ought to be quite good at that – clearing up the evidence.
He quietly escorted Matt to Porter’s apartment and gave a quiet tap at the door. Porter opened up straight away, like he’d been waiting for them. Matt curled up on the couch and crashed out immediately.
It wasn’t until eight o’clock that morning that Caitlen was woken up by her phone beeping. It was a text from Kasey.
‘Poor Kasey must have been up all night clearing up our mess.’
Gina was next to her, they’d just gone to sleep side-by-side in her double bed. Neither of them could be bothered to make up the bed in the spare room.
‘What does he say,’ Gina asked, rubbing her eyes. ‘What time is it? I don’t usually sleep in this late.’
‘Just past seven, according to my phone, so eight o’clock Benidorm time.’ Caitlen replied. ‘Kasey wants us to disappear for the day. He says he’s sending us all off at staggered times. He wants us all to keep separated and think through what happened. He’s booking a table at a restaurant tonight. He wants us to thrash it all out there.’
‘Seems like a good idea. I’m not sure how you all move ahead after that shitstorm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bust-up like that before. And you’re all friends you say?’
Caitlen chuckled.
‘We’re supposed to be. I thought this holiday would be a lovely treat for everybody. I’m beginning to think it was all my fault, like Naomi said. If I’d kept quiet about the money, none of this would have happened.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ Gina said, touching her arm. ‘Your friends decide how they react to your money, not you. You can’t control that. You’ve done a decent thing here Caitlen, they should be grateful that you paid for this trip.’
Two Years After ; Friends Who Lie ; No More Secrets Page 28