If I Were You

Chapter 60 Flynn

‘He’s not trying to ruin your wedding and he’s not an imbecile.’

I’m not completely sure what’s going on, but I’m immediately upset by the sight of Amy looking so lost and bewildered, her eye still battered, as Jay and Laura direct their fury at her.

‘Seriously, Laura, I’m going to need a proper answer to this,’ Jay says, water dripping from his hair and down his neck.

‘It’s honestly not Laura’s fault,’ Amy says, stepping forward, palms raised as she approaches Jay, her one good eye pleading with him.

‘Shut up, Flynn,’ Jay growls.

‘Hey!’ I say, blood starting to simmer again, wanting to rescue Amy from this situation.

‘I can deal with this,’ Amy warns, one hand up in my direction like a stop signal.

‘Amy, stay out of this.’ Laura shoots me a look of pure loathing.

‘This is ridiculous. Clearly Am— clearly Flynn hasn’t done anything wrong …’ I say.

Jay spins round to look at me. ‘Well, I saw Flynn just leave her room, Amy. And I know he wasn’t with you last night because you slept on a bloody sun lounger so … I want to ask Laura, my future WIFE, one more time, what the hell is going on …’

‘Nothing,’ Laura insists, her face collapsing.

‘Stop lying,’ Jay roars.

‘She’s NOT,’ Amy shouts back.

Jay advances on Amy, pushing her back into the wall of the corridor. It is strange seeing it so clearly now, how as men we resort to a physical response when we’re stressed. I’ve known men punch tables, kick walls, pin other men to walls. I see these appalled faces around it and wonder why I don’t say more to stop it.

Frightened she’s going to get another eye blacked, I move quickly across and pull Jay back. ‘Stop it.’

Patty is still asking questions as Laura shouts, ‘Stop it, both of you!’

My own rage builds as I push between them. ‘It’s not like Jay is white as snow,’ I spit, chest heaving, anger clouding my vision. I need Jay to step back from Amy, so I spin and face Laura. ‘He’s kept stuff from you, Laura. So don’t act all holier than thou,’ I hurl at my friend Jay, allow the betrayal to fuel my righteous anger.

Laura is quiet. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Amy has gone completely pale. ‘Don’t,’ she whispers to me, body still pressed into the wall, her one open eye wide with panic.

I’m too far gone to stop. ‘Why don’t you tell Laura about “that night”,’ I say, parroting Jay’s own words back at him, doing the quotation marks. That should stop him beating up Amy, and I feel a momentary pleasure at hurting my friend.

His mouth drops open. Laura frowns and Amy’s face, my face, drains.

Patty is still staring at our small group. And now a man five doors down has peered round his door, his mouth an angry line as he glares at us.

‘Jay, what is Amy talking about?’ Laura asks, a line between her eyebrows.

‘Not Amy,’ Amy says, expression morose.

‘Shut UP, Flynn,’ Laura and Jay chime together.

Amy’s eyes film over.

Shame fills me up. I wanted to rescue her but I’ve managed to hurt her instead. I have completely screwed up this weekend. Amy’s right – I don’t listen to her. She told me not to hurtle in and I did and I’ve made things even bleaker.

‘Jay?’ Laura is looking at him, misery etched on her own face.

‘Don’t deflect,’ Jay says, clearly deflecting.

Then everyone starts shouting at once and I lose track, simply staring at Amy and feeling utterly awful for making her look so miserable.

A flustered porter appears from the stairwell, dabbing at his forehead. ‘We’ve had a number of complaints about a disturbance,’ he says. ‘Please can I remind you that it is not yet seven o’clock on a Sunday.’

Patty is the first to leave. ‘I’ll be in my room if you need me, Jay,’ she says pointedly at her firstborn. ‘It’s never too late, remember,’ she says ominously, a glance back at Laura.

‘Laura, please,’ Amy says, almost in tears.

Jay is looking stony-faced, ready to leap on Amy once more.

‘I want to see Jay,’ Laura says to everyone, ‘alone,’ she stresses, glaring at me and Amy.

Bereft, Amy slumps against the wall, all fight gone from her. I approach, touch her arm, but she shakes me off.

‘I’m so sorry, Amy,’ I say, realizing how badly I’ve messed up. Tears in her eyes, she ignores me as she pushes off the wall and walks down the corridor.

‘Amy,’ I shout, chasing after her.

Before I take the stairs, I look back and see Laura has opened the honeymoon suite door once more and is staring after us, a strange expression on her face as she watches us leave.