Chapter Eighteen
Fallon
“Fallon?” Lucy calls from her sun lounger. “You haven’t stopped checking your phone in days. What's the goss?”
Lucy is my stepsister. Her dad married our mum when we were all a lot younger.
I can't believe she actually came here with us, to be honest. She isn’t the kind of girl to be stuck in one place; she's been travelling the world since her teens.
So to have her here, in one of my favourite places, feels like a dream.
I love her so much, I really miss her when she's gone.
The sun is feeling beautiful against my skin, which has already turned a more golden colour from the rays, and it’s only been two weeks. Two weeks of peace, but also two weeks of zero contact from Luke.
“There is no goss,” I lie, making sure I don’t make eye contact when I do.
“Fallon Jackson, you are the world's shittest liar!” She laughs out loud. “Who is he?”
“He? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, hiding my face with the book I’m most definitely not reading.
“You can lie to everyone else, but you can’t lie to me,” she whispers. “When you're ready to spill the tea, I’m here.”
“There is no tea. The kettle is not even boiling,” I mumble.
Which isn’t a lie, considering I haven’t heard jack shit from the man since I left him at my place two weeks ago.
Why am I even bothered? I don’t want a boyfriend.
I made it clear to him that I don’t want one either.
Is this what I get for finally finding a man who actually does as I ask? Because if so, I don’t like it.
“Okay,” she rolls her eyes.
“What are we talking about?” Maya asks, sitting at the edge of my lounger.
“Nothing,” I grumble, and Lucy says. “The weather.”
A confused Maya looks at the pair of us.
“Well, that’s a lie,” she quirks her brow, eyeing me.
What is with these girls and calling me out today?
“Anyway,” she continues. “What do you want to do today? I'm thinking we could go into Mahon for dinner? Or should we keep it chill and go to a beach bar?”
Mahon, the capital of Menorca, is stunning, and a place I could never get bored with, but we have been there most evenings this week.
“I vote beach bar for a change,” I say, finally giving up on the book I've been dying to dig into.
“Me too,” Lucy adds. “One that we can walk to, so no one has to be the designated driver?”
“Sounds good to me,” Maya says, a relaxed smile on her face.
My own smile comes out at the sight of hers.
After all she's been through, she deserves a little bit of peace.
It feels like it's been such a long time since I last saw her look this at ease, this content. It’s funny how all it takes is for her to smile like that, and suddenly it's like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.
“Lucy-lou? What are your plans when we get back from here? Did you manage to get a job in town?” Maya asks, leaning back, so that we’re now sharing my lounger.
“Oh, er, I got a job in a bar in Worcester. My friend owns it, so he’s just helping me out until I decide what to do next,” Lucy replies.
“Not just any friend,” I say, pushing my glasses down my nose to stare at her. “A freaking hulk of a sex god, kind of friend. You should see him, Maymay. He is stunning.”
“What! Who is he? I need photographic evidence of this man.” Maya squeals.
“I did not just hear you get excited over another man, did I?” Tommy all but growls from the other side of the pool.
Maya's hand shoots up to her mouth to hide her laugh. She loves tormenting the fuck out of my poor brother. It’s a shame, really. But also, too fucking funny.
“Stop it, you two. He is just a friend. A very large and attractive friend, who also happens to be dating my best friend,” she huffs.
“What friend?” Max, our other brother, shouts from beside Tommy.
“Oh, for God's sake. Look what you have done now,” Lucy groans.
I have tears running down the side of my face from all of the laughing. Lucy, on the other hand, is redder than a beetroot from all of her embarrassment. Serves her right for how she tried to interrogate me. Which has only pissed me off more that Luke hasn’t texted me, and how bothered by it I am.
When everyone carries on chatting, and I finally get my chance to escape, I run into the house for a bit of peace and quiet.
I love being here, and I love being with them, but I also need some time on my own.
Funny how I brought my phone with me, just in case, on the off chance, the one person I don’t want to hide from calls me.
Nope. I can't do this. I'm not being this girl who waits around for a man to reach out. I’m a grown arse woman, and if I want to speak to a man, I should bloody well be brave enough to pick up the phone myself.
That is… until my phone starts to vibrate in the palm of my hand.
Oh fuck, shit, ahh, fuck.
It's him. And it’s a video call, and I have no idea what I look like.
Quicker than I ever have in my life, I drag the bobble out of my hair and whip my head from side to side, almost giving myself whiplash.
I drag my fingers under my eyes to clear any of my smeared makeup, which I don’t even know for sure if I'm actually wearing, then lift the phone to give me the best angle before finally answering.
The second the call connects, my breath halts. God, even over the phone he looks edible. His hair is dishevelled, his shirt buttons open, and a large smile takes over his face. Even his teeth are perfect.
“Hi,” I breathe out, my own smile matching his.
“Baby,” he hums. “Were you trying to torment me by not contacting me? I gave you as long as I could before I caved.” He chuckles.
“Honestly? I gave up a few seconds before you called,” I admit, biting my bottom lip. The feeling of being honest like this is strange, but something about him makes me want to be.
“If only I’d waited a few minutes more,” he muses. “How are you? You look absolutely breathtaking, Fallon.”
I can feel the blush work its way up my cheeks.
“I’m good, it’s getting a little repetitive now, though. How are you? Work all okay?”
“Work is busy as always,” he shrugs. “I’ve been working more than usual since you abandoned me. Do you have any clue when you'll be coming home?”
“Someone is cutting straight to the point,” I laugh.
“I’m not the kind of guy who beats around the bush, Fallon. I want you, and I miss you. Put me out of my misery,” he groans dramatically.
“What part of me are you missing?” I tease.
“Fallon,” he drawls out, his head dropping back against his chair.
“Okay. I’m kidding. But honestly? I don’t know. I guess I’m stuck here until the danger around Maya is cleared?”
I asked the security guys today about it, and they're under the impression it’s going to be weeks, if not months. It all depends on how long her dick head ex-boyfriend stays in hiding. Not only is he a manipulating, abusive arse hole, but my own personal cock blocker too.
“Listen, I want you to stay there until it’s safe, but I also want to fly over there right now and slap your arse for leaving me for so long,” he complains.
If this were anyone else, I’d take that sentence as a threat. But knowing Luke, it’s a promise. A very good kind of promise, too.
“Oh yeah? Would you bend me over your knee and tell me how terrible I am?” I whisper, then bite my bottom lip.
“Oh, Fallon, I would do much more than that,” he winks. “Show me what you’re wearing, and I will help you to imagine exactly what I would do.”
My eyes widen in delight. I am not one to shy away from anything sexual, but this is something new that I have never tried before. Placing my hand behind me on the bed, I lean back slightly and lift my phone above me to give him a better view.
“Fuck, Fal. That bikini looks…”
“Fallon!” Max shouts from the other side of the door. “We’re all heading out in five, hurry your arse up.”
I jump at the sound of his voice, sending my phone flying across the room. With ragged breath, my fingers tremble as I search on my hands and knees for my phone, which has disappeared.
“Yeah, yeah, be out in a second,” I call back, struggling to keep the wobble out of my tone.
“Fallon, is everything okay?” I hear Luke's muffled voice coming from under the floor-length curtains covering the balcony doors.
“Yeah,” I whisper-shout. Moving the curtains aside, I find my phone, face down. “Ah, found it.”
“I can’t see you,” Luke says, confusion lacing his words.
Turning my phone over, I understand why.
“For fucks sake,” I groan.
“What is it?”
“My full phone screen has smashed to smithereens,” I whine out. “I can’t see you, either!”
I am on the verge of tears, cradling my phone in my hands like a newborn baby, when I hear laughter coming from the phone.
“You are not laughing right now,” I frown.
“Honest to god, Fallon. I have never in my life met a woman as clumsy as you,” he laughs harder. “How have you made it this far in life?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, shaking my head as my own laughter bubbles over. “Another day in the life of me, I guess.”
“If you didn’t want to speak to me, you didn’t need to be so dramatic and launch your phone across the room,” he chuckles.
“Believe it or not, I really did want to speak to you,” I pout.
“I’m guessing after this, I won't hear from you until you're back?” he asks.
“I guess not. Unless Tommy knows someone local who can help fix my phone screen.”
“Well, just in case I don’t hear from you, will you let me know when you get back?” He asks, a hint of insecurity in his voice.
“I promise, I will come straight to you when I land.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”