11. Megan
Chapter 11
Megan
Rob gently parts my hair, digging around in my roots until he finds the cut on my scalp. “It looks like it’s healing well. Is it painful?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Well, it's only been two days, you still need to take it easy. Do you want me to sign you off work this week?”
“Absolutely not.” Missing the start of term would hardly look good when I put myself forward for Head of English.
“I can’t believe it, Megs,” Kara says, hugging me for the seventeenth time. “You must have been so frightened. Why didn't you call us?”
“It all happened pretty quickly. Honestly, I’m fine. Dad came, and I didn't want to make a fuss.”
“You can always call us. Day or night.”
While we sit around Luke and Kara’s large dining table, Luke is busy on the other side of the kitchen island whipping up eggs benedict, more coffee, and fresh smoothies. Usually he pours a nice cocktail or two, but that’s off the menu while everyone’s doing Dry January. I guess it won’t hurt for me to skip the booze, too.
Our friends’ brunches are usually a highlight of my month, but they’ve felt different since Rob and Hattie coupled up, and I’m sure it will only get stranger now they’re living together.
I’ve often wondered what it would be like for me to bring a boyfriend into this mix. Max never wanted to meet my friends, and when he was back in Australia, I wasted my life waiting for him to come back to me. Vital time I should have spent having a sharp word with myself and trying to meet someone a bit more local and a lot more single.
My stomach churns at the thought of him, shame coiling up my spine the same way it does every time I think about how stupid I was to believe so many of his lies.
It’s depressing to think that the man I’d be most likely to bring over here is now Ollie, which reminds me I’ve still not told them about this unfortunate development.
“I’ve got some other news,” I announce once everyone’s sat down.
Kara gasps, dropping her hand on top of mine. “What is it?”
Usually when women my age tell their friends they’ve got news, it’s about a ring or a baby. It wasn’t long ago Kara and Luke announced their engagement in this very room, so my update feels pretty pathetic in comparison. There’s nothing like the pressure of every face around the table looking at you, so I just come out with it.
“I’ve got a new roommate.”
“What?” Hattie snaps. “I literally just moved out. Who is it? You don’t know anybody apart from us.”
Ouch.
“Hattie!” Kara scolds her. “That’s so rude.”
She’s not wrong, though. Everyone I spend time with is here in this room. I have a few friends at work, but learned early on that spending time with my fellow teachers only leads to gossip and drama. I go to Sunshine Book Club, which Kara runs from Luke’s coffee shop, once a month. Everyone there is really nice, and lots of friendships have been formed, but I don’t see them except to talk about books.
“No, she’s right. I don’t even know him.” For some reason, I start laughing, even though nothing about this is amusing.
“ Him? ” Hattie shrieks. “You’ve got a man living with you?”
“He's one of Dad's employees. His name is Ollie. He’s a young guy who was in a pretty awful living situation, and Dad was panicking about me living on my own, so it’s a win/win situation. Or so they keep telling me.” I cut into my eggs and watch the bright yolk trickle out and onto the plate.
“Wait,” Luke says, patting his mouth with his napkin. “Why was your dad worried about you living alone?”
I point at the back of my head. “I think after this nonsense, he just felt it would be better if there were two of us in the flat.”
“This is outrageous,” Hattie says, violently slicing through her muffin. “He can’t just move some guy you don’t even know into the flat. It’s a girl flat. Kick him out. I’ll move back in.”
Rob chokes on his orange juice. I bet he’s still pinching himself that Hattie ‘I hate men’ Buchanan agreed to move in with him in the first place.
“You don’t need to do that. It’s fine.”
“This is all my fault,” she says, and guilt joins the shame sloshing about in my belly. The last thing I wanted was to make anyone feel bad.
“No, darling, it’s not your fault at all. Honestly, it’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Stop saying you’re fine!” Hattie scolds. “It's OK not to be OK, you know?”
Silence falls around the table as everyone freezes. Hattie’s always been pretty closed off emotionally, clearly life as a live- in girlfriend is softening her. That sounds more like something I would say, but hearing it said back to me feels more like an attack.
“What if he steals your stuff?” she says.
“Why would he steal my stuff?”
“You need to get a lock for your door, babe.”
Rob sighs, leaning back in his chair and looping an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder. “It might not be a bad idea, Megan. Just in case. For your peace of mind more than anything.”
“Yeah, I don’t trust him one bit,” Hattie agrees.
“You don’t even know him.” I say quietly.
Hearing Hattie assassinate Ollie’s character without even meeting him stirs some conflicted feelings. Sure, I don’t really know him either, but as much as I hate this new arrangement, he hasn’t done anything to make me think he’s a criminal. My dad doesn’t work with fools, so if he trusts him, then he can’t be all bad.
“You said it yourself, you don’t know him. He’s a man, Megan. You can’t trust any of them.”
After brunch we migrate to Luke and Kara’s huge sectional sofa to watch a movie under blankets while rain hammers down outside.
A cute relaxing Sunday with friends should feel like bliss, but I can’t get comfortable, and my mind is elsewhere.
Now Hattie has sown the seed of doubt about Ollie’s trustworthiness, I keep picturing myself returning home and finding it empty. I won’t be able to settle until I’m back there and reassured that everything is fine.
“I’m going to head off.”
“Are you sure?” Kara asks. “I’ve still got loads of chocolate left from Christmas we need your help with.”
“Yeah. Lots to prep before the first day back tomorrow,” I lie. Obviously, I’d prepped everything before Christmas so I could enjoy the winter break without worrying about the Spring term syllabus.
I gather my things while they remain glued to the action on screen, all wrapped up in each other’s arms.
“Bye, babe,” Kara calls after me. “Have a great first day back.”
“And get a lock for your door,” Hattie yells.
I hate that she’s given me one more thing to worry about. Ollie’s not likely to steal all of my belongings and get away with it, but he might have other annoying quirks. What if he eats all my food? Or puts his feet on the sofa with his shoes still on? What if he brings people over, and they’re dodgy? Or what if he snoops in my room while I’m out? What if he’s one of those guys who likes to sniff underwear, or worse, what if he starts taking my clothes out of the laundry basket and selling them on the internet?
I know I’m overreacting, but I make a left turn towards the DIY superstore, instead of a right turn towards home, and by the time I’m back at the house, there’s a silver lock in my bag, and a screwdriver to fit it with.