Chapter 34
Heading back up to bed with a glass of water, I hear a car pull up outside and then the front door open and close – Adam must be home. Deciding that there is no time like the present, I hover on the landing, waiting to speak to him. I think he and I need to have an honest chat.
I shift my weight nervously as I hear Adam coming upstairs, but only when it’s too late to bolt to my room do I hear a girl giggling.
Suddenly I am face to face with a drunk Adam and a very drunk young woman.
If I had to guess I’d say this girl was in her late twenties.
Her shoulder-length hair is dyed a trendy shade of burgundy, her make-up is smeared all over her face and despite the fact I am standing here in nothing but my underwear and a shirt, I am wearing at least double the amount of clothing she is.
When the girl sees me she squeaks and falls into Adam’s arms.
‘We’ve been rumbled,’ she whispers to Adam. Well, I’m sure she intended to whisper it; she actually kind of shouted it.
‘That’s just my housemate,’ Adam assures her as he ushers her into his bedroom and closes the door behind them without saying a word to me.
As I hear them banging around and laughing together, jealousy hits me like a ton of bricks.
I go back into my bedroom, grab my AirPods from my bag, pop them in my ears and crank up the volume of my music because the thought of hearing Adam having sex through the walls sounds like torture.
As I lie back on the bed I feel a couple of tears escape my eyes and roll into my hair.
I’m being stupid, I know I am, but I feel like I’m falling for him, and the worst thing is that now, not only do I know that Adam doesn’t feel that way about me, but because I’m living with him – and working with him – I’m going to have to face him every day.
And there’s only so much loud music can drown out.
I must have fallen asleep eventually. I don’t feel like I’ve slept at all but I must have, because it’s light out now.
It’s still quite early though, so hopefully, if I get dressed now, I can get out of the house before Adam and his new special friend wake up.
Still in my T-shirt, I make my way to the bathroom, stopping at the top of the stairs only to grab a towel from the airing cupboard, so that I can have a quick shower.
I’m not quick enough though, because Adam saunters out of his bedroom in a pair of his tight-fitting boxers.
He lets out a big yawn and flexes his muscles.
‘Morning,’ he says to me as he wanders over.
‘Hello,’ I reply. I grab the last towel and head for the bathroom.
‘Wait,’ he calls after me. ‘That’s the last towel, I need it.’
‘You need it?’
‘Well, I don’t, erm…’
‘Becka,’ the girl reminds him as she walks out of his bedroom in her underwear.
‘Becka needs it,’ Adam starts. ‘She’s got to get to work.’
Adam grins, and I could happily punch him in the face right now.
‘Here.’ I throw the towel at him. ‘Have it.’
‘Oh, don’t worry if you need it,’ Becka says. ‘I’m not fussed, I’ve been to work with a stinking hangover before.’
Delightful.
‘It’s fine,’ I say. ‘I can shower later, when we’ve got more clean towels.’
I close the bathroom door behind me and slide my back down the door until I am sitting on the floor.
I wait until I can no longer hear them chatting on the other side of the door and then I cry, because of the mess I have landed myself in – falling for yet another man that I can’t have. How on earth is this my type?
I pull myself up from the floor and stand in front of the sink and take a long, hard look at myself in the small mirror.
I wash my face in the hope it will make me look less like I have been crying and head for the door, but when I open it I see that Adam is waiting outside.
‘Hello again,’ he says.
I force a smile and walk past him, but when I hear the bathroom door click closed I turn around and stare at the space where he was standing, like a crazy person.
‘Oi,’ I hear Becka call out from his bedroom.
‘Yeah?’ I reply, hovering in the doorway.
‘Nothing happened last night, you know. Adam slept on the floor,’ she informs me as she sits on Adam’s bed, still in her underwear. ‘It was too late for me to get home, so he said I could stay here.’
‘And you’re telling me because…’ I say, trying to sound like I couldn’t care less.
‘He said I would be doing him a favour, that he wanted to prove a point to his brother,’ she replies. ‘But with the way he’s parading me around in front of you, I guess this is for your benefit too.’
Is Adam playing games with me? Seriously?
I take a deep breath.
‘Just thought you should know,’ Becka says. She doesn’t look very pleased about all this, but I’m grateful that she has told me.
‘Well, thank you,’ I say coolly.
Of course, I have no idea what any of this means, or what to do with the information. I’m hoping that will come to me later.