CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Staying with Rori was good for me. She was such a calm, non-judgmental person and when I turned up out of the blue at her door and announced that my life was a complete mess and I hated Ada and Skye and could I possibly sleep at hers that night, she just smiled in sympathy, pulled me into the flat and gave me the biggest hug ever.
I’m not ashamed to say that in my sister’s warm embrace, I shed more than a few tears.
Over cups of tea we chatted, and I told her about the scene I’d witnessed between Skye and Ada at my party, and I could tell she was as much in the dark as me about my parentage.
I shrugged helplessly. ‘I mean, I just don’t know who I am any longer. For the longest time, I thought Ada was my mum and Antonio was my dad. But now... do you think I might be adopted and they’re too scared to admit it after all this time? I can’t think why else they should be so secretive.’
Rori shook her head. ‘You look too much like Ada to be adopted. You’ve got her eyes. And her cute button nose. But as for your father... I really don’t know, and I think it’s horrible of Skye not to tell you who he is.’ She sighed. ‘But maybe she doesn’t know.’
‘That’s not the impression I got when I overheard them arguing. It sounded like she knew exactly who he was.’
‘But were they definitely arguing about you and your dad?’
I racked my brains trying to remember the exact conversation, but it all seemed a bit hazy. I sighed. ‘Perhaps I jumped to conclusions when I heard them because I’m so desperate to know who he is.’
‘Maybe. Would you like me to talk to Skye? See what I can find out?’
‘Oh. Well, yes. Maybe she’d be more forthcoming with you.’ I sighed. ‘I had a feeling she was on the verge of spilling the big secret earlier when I confronted her in the kitchen.’
‘Well, maybe if I ask her, she might cave under the pressure and tell me.’ She shivered. ‘It’s all so weird. No wonder your head’s all over the place. More tea?’
I glanced at my watch. ‘Do you think I could have something stronger?’
‘Definitely.’ She grinned, getting up and going to the fridge. ‘What is it they say? It’s always five o’clock somewhere in the world.’
We laughed and had a discussion about whether we should cook or phone for a takeaway. The takeaway won and we ate it on the sofa watching a reality TV programme that was so bad it was actually good.
And for those few hours, in Rori’s easy company, I was able to relax and forget my woes for just a little while...
*****
Rori insisted I stay at hers as long as I wanted, and I accepted gratefully.
Ada and Skye had stopped texting me, asking me if I was okay. I’d told them I was fine but I needed some space and told them about my new living arrangements.
I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Jenna kissing that guy on the high street. Should I tell Billy what I’d seen? Was that the right thing to do? Maybe knowing I’d seen what she was up to, Jenna would behave herself from now on and concentrate on Billy? But what if she and Billy weren’t even exclusive? That hadn’t even occurred to me till now. Perhaps they were free to go out with other people? I doubted it, though. It just didn’t seem like Billy’s style. He’d be devastated, I knew, if I told him. So in my head, I was sparing him the pain of rejection by keeping what I’d seen to myself for now.
But then the day after I arrived at Rori’s door, in the evening, I received a text from Billy that made me gasp.
I phoned him immediately, my heart hammering guiltily. ‘Are you okay? When did she break it off with you?’
This was all my fault for challenging Jenna in the street!
‘Just now. In a text.’ His laugh sounded bitter. ‘I should have known it wouldn’t last. But hey, let’s look on the bright side. It was only a few weeks but it’s still a record for me!’
‘Oh, Billy, I’m so, so sorry. Did she say why she was ending it?’
‘I’m too nice for her, apparently. So that’s nice.’
My heart sank. He was putting on a brave face but I could feel his despair over the phone and my mind was racing. If I hadn’t challenged Jenna, they’d still be together and Billy would be happy. But it would have ended eventually, wouldn’t it? And surely it was better that Billy knew the truth, rather than carrying on thinking things were wonderful?
Except... Billy didn’t know the truth – that it was my fault Jenna had ended their relationship. But did he really need to know that?
I took a bottle of wine over to his flat to help drown his sorrows, and having drunk several large brandies as well – brandy always made him maudlin – he got really down and said what a great friend I was and that he wouldn’t be able to get through this trauma without me.
That made me feel guiltier than ever.
‘Billy?’ I said eventually. ‘There’s something you need to know.’
‘What? That there’s no brandy left in the bottle?’ he slurred.
‘No. Listen, I saw Jenna cheating on you with some bloke.’ I said it quickly to get it over with.
Billy stared at me. ‘Some bloke?’
‘Yes. No idea who he was but she was kissing him.’ I hated having to tell him but maybe it would make him feel better... that he’d actually dodged a bullet?
He sighed. ‘Well, I suppose we weren’t exclusive.’
‘You weren’t?’
‘Not really. I mean, I wanted us to be, but she said it was too early in our relationship for that.’ He shrugged sadly.
‘But when I pointed out that she was a cow for doing that to you, she looked really guilty.’
He sat forward. ‘You went up to her?’
I swallowed. ‘Yes, I did. I was just so angry at her...’
‘So she might not have split up with me if you hadn’t tackled her the way you did?’
‘Well, I suppose so. But I only challenged her because I thought you were exclusive and she was doing the dirty on you.’
He groaned. ‘Why the hell did you have to interfere, Blossom? Our relationship, mine and Jenna’s, was nothing to do with you.’
‘But you’re my friend! I did it because I really care about you and I couldn’t bear to see Jenna making a fool of you. You deserve someone lovely, who’ll really appreciate you, Billy.’
But he went silent on me after that, and eventually, I gave up and made a move.
‘I’ll phone you tomorrow,’ I murmured on the way out. ‘And I’m really, really sorry.’