He’s supposed to be coming with me to my parents’ house tomorrow. That’s probably off now. Just what I bloody need. My parents completely unfiltered.
Oh well. I’ve asked for a large glass of rosé to loosen me up a bit. I don’t want to be terrified of being left alone with him. But apparently all they serve at this stupid school Christmas fair is mulled wine. I’ll have to work with that then.
‘Alright?’ I look up, following the voice, to find Tom holding out a mug of the stuff. Damn it.
‘Thanks,’ I nod, hurriedly taking it off him. I take a large gulp. It’s so hot it burns my tongue, but I try not to react. I don’t want to look like a raving idiot.
I keep my eyes on the floor, willing for him to go away. The others are around us, but I could really do with him just fucking off somewhere else. Instead I feel him sit down beside me on the bench. Ugh, I hate all this awkwardness.
I’m just about to say something to break the unbearable silence, when Esme comes running, throwing herself into Tom’s arms.
‘Uncle Tom!’ she shouts in glee.
He throws her easily into the air, catching her just as easy. ‘Hey, short stuff. You ready to find some Christmas chocolate?’
‘Yeah,’ she giggles while he tickles her. ‘I bet I’ll find more than you.’
He grins back at her. ‘Is that right?’
‘Yep,’ she nods, beaming back at him. ‘Daddy says you’re rubbish at finding things.’
‘Did he really?’ he laughs. ‘Come on then. Let’s go find that chocolate.’
I sigh as I watch them, along with the other guys, going along the stalls of festive chocolate and homemade presents. They’re all so goofy with her. Fighting over themselves to buy her things. It has her in hysterical giggles most of the time.
‘Aren’t they adorable?’ Molly asks, suddenly sitting down beside me.
I nod. ‘Mmm.’
‘I know you like him, you know?’
I huff out a breath. ‘God, I am so sick of being told what I feel. Do you know how frustrating that is?’
‘Sorry, but it’s true.’
‘Do you know what’s true, Molly?’ I snap. ‘The truth is you like Charlie.’ Her mouth drops open. ‘You really like him, and you don’t know what the fuck to do with that information.’
‘What... what are you talking about? What do you mean?’ Her nose starts turning red.
‘I mean that you’re letting the fact he has a penis stand in the way of your happiness.’
Her eyes dart from left to right. ‘I mean... I like him as a friend, but you know I’m gay.’
‘All I’m saying is that I see how you look at him when he’s making you laugh. You’ve had the same look on your face when you’ve looked into old girlfriends’ eyes.’
She shakes her head. ‘You’re wrong.’
‘Whatever. Unlike you, I don’t force my opinion on others. Do whatever you want, but just let me get on with my life.’
I feel terrible as soon as I storm away. I mean, yes, I’ve been thinking it a while, but that doesn’t give me the right to sound off to Molly. That girl has never hurt a fly.
I go into the women’s toilets for a breather, but really, it’s made for little girls, with tiny sinks and miniature toilets. I neck my mulled wine. I decide I’m going to go straight to the mulled wine stall once I’ve pulled myself together. Get another large mug. Fuck it, I might get two.
This is why I hate getting involved with men. They bring nothing but anxiety. I take a deep breath and try to focus my thoughts. Not let them wander into how awkward it’s going to be when we’re at home. I try to focus myself. What can I see? I can see the toilet roll holder. The small sink in the corner. What can I smell? Ugh, yucky disinfectant. Well at least it’s clean.
I count to ten. Then again but backwards. My heart rate has started to go back to semi normal. I can do this. Just one more mug of wine and I’ll be close to not caring. I can just sleep on the way back in the car.
I take one more deep breath before opening the door and bolting out—straight into a wall. At least that’s what it feels like. I look up to see Tom staring down at me. I place my hand on his chest to push myself off him, but the heat underneath my hand makes me pause.
I look back up at him into his gorgeous face. His strong jaw.
‘Are you okay?’ he asks, his voice low with a husk to it.
I blink up at him, in a daze. He’s just so goddamn pretty.
‘The guys said you looked upset. You okay?’
I exhale out a big breath.
‘Yeah. I just... I’m just tired, is all.’
He smiles weakly. ‘Come here.’
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me closely into his chest. I think about fighting it, but I wasn’t lying. I am tired. Tired of caring. About everything. Damn, I spiral fast.
I lean into him, place my head on his chest and close my eyes drinking him in. His smell of lavender and mint soothes my frayed nerves. He rubs my back in soothing circles. God, why can’t everything be this simple?
‘You worried about going home to see your parents tomorrow?’
I nod, still not moving from his cosy chest.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be with you.’
Just knowing he still plans on coming with me has me feeling more relaxed.
‘If your parents are dicks, I’ll just punch them in the face and get us out of there.’
I can’t help but laugh. ‘You promise?’
‘Yep. I’ll even get us a Maccy D’s on the way home.’
Sunday 11th November
Tom
Man, I felt better after hugging Alice yesterday. It guts me to think of her upset, especially if it’s over me. I know the guys told me to stay away from her, but how can I? We live together for God’s sakes. That and I can’t seem to stay away from her. There’s just something about her I can’t leave alone.
To say I’m intrigued to meet her parents is an understatement. She’s so bloody nervous about today and I have no idea why. I mean, me and my old man are hardly best mates, but I don’t carry that sort of anxiety around with me. How bad can they really be?
She’s still willing to see them on her mum’s birthday, so they can’t have done anything awful like beat her. I guess I’ll just have to see. I am actually feeling edgy, which Alice keeps teasing me about. I enjoy her teasing me.
I’ve shaved, showered, and ironed a shirt especially for the occasion. They might be dicks, but I still want to make a good first impression.
‘You ready?’ Alice asks with a weak smile. She’s dressed in a mustard coloured top with a peter pan collar, a maroon cardigan, and a matching tartan full skirt. I still don’t get how someone can dress like a grandma and still turn me on so much.
‘Babe, you know we don’t even have to go, right?’
She smiles adorably. ‘What? After you got all dressed up.’
See what I mean about the teasing? She wants in my pants and she doesn’t even know it yet.
We drive the forty minutes to their house. Alice finally pulls up outside a large Victorian double fronted property. Wowzas. She didn’t mention that her parents are rich.
‘This is it,’ Alice says as she parks up. She looks up at it in horror.
‘So, you’re like, rich?’ I can’t help but ask.
She rolls her eyes. ‘Not exactly. My parents come from money. It doesn’t mean I have any.’
‘But still, you were brought up in this house? In this frigging castle?’ I can’t keep the shock out of my voice. Rockabilly Alice does not seem like the posh girl I imagined would grow up in a house like this.
She sighs. ‘Yeah. I lived here.’
I turn to face her properly. ‘Alice, you’re worrying me. What did your parents do to you? Am I going to find a cellar with chains or something?’
She frowns before bursting out laughing. ‘You’ve totally got the wrong end of the stick here. My parents aren’t monsters or anything like that. They’re
just... different to me. You’ll see.’
She opens the car door and gets out. God, she drives me mad sometimes. I begrudgingly follow her to the large oak door. She squares her shoulders and knocks on the door.
A tall, blonde woman answers the door. She has her hair up in a bun showing off what must be a freshly botoxed face. She’s wearing a tweed dress with flat shoes. Who is this bird?
‘Alice,’ she nods with a tight smile.
She must be a maid or something to greet her so icily.
‘Mother,’ Alice says with an equally tight smile.
No fucking way! This is her mum? That’s how they greet each other? Weird.
‘This is my friend Tom I told you about.’
The woman turns as if noticing me for the first time. She looks me up and down shamelessly. I squirm under her scrutiny.
‘I don’t remember you telling me you were bringing anyone for dinner?’ she says while still looking at me inquisitively.
Alice rolls her eyes. ‘Yes, I did tell you.’
‘Well, we’ll see if we can get another place setting laid out.’ She turns and walks down the black and white tiled hallway.
Okay... so I’m starting to see why Alice was dreading this.
Alice turns to flash me a grimace before following her mum down the hallway. I plod along after her, already dreading my decision to come here.
I follow them into an old-fashioned living room. It’s like a room out of Antiques Roadshow. All mahogany furniture and red-striped wallpaper. I can’t believe someone as trendy and current as Alice comes from such an old-fashioned house. Growing up here must have killed her.
‘We have an extra visitor,’ her mum says to her dad, who appears from behind a mahogany bar in the corner holding two sherries. He also scans me over from head-to-toe, but then smiles, appearing friendly.
‘Nice to meet you, old chap,’ he says, giving a glass to her mum and then using his free hand to slap me on the back. ‘Are you and Alice knocking boots?’
‘Dad!’ Alice shrieks from behind me.
Her dad doesn’t look embarrassed at all. ‘No shame in it, Alice. We’d just be glad to have you finally off our hands.’ He throws his head back on a chuckle as if he’s hilarious.
‘I’m already off your hands,’ she says through gritted teeth. ‘I stand on my own two feet.’
‘That you do,’ her mum says with a snarl. ‘At your insistence.’
What’s up with that?
I have to change the subject. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife.
‘So... something smells nice,’ I say rocking awkwardly on my heels. ‘What time’s dinner?’
Her mum’s eyes narrow. ‘I’ll go ask Marie.’
I look at Alice with raised eyebrows. So, she does have a maid.
‘The cook,’ she says with an eye roll.
‘Bloody hell, your majesty,’ I whisper in her ear. ‘I didn’t realise I was living with royalty.’
She crosses her arms and starts absentmindedly scratching at her forearm. I take her hand to stop her. She looks down at it but not back up at me.
‘Dinner’s ready,’ Alice’s mum says poking her head through the door.
Alice
I woke up feeling more positive about everything. Tom being so sweet to me yesterday had released tons of pent up tension I didn’t even realise I was carrying over it. But I had to ruin it by going to my parents’ house. I don’t even know why I feel I owe these people anything, but if I don’t go, I’ll just get a load of guilt texts from Mum. It’s easier to just go.
But I didn’t bank on Tom following through on his promise and coming with me. Now that he’s here I can’t help but feel awful for putting him through this. The poor guy isn’t even sleeping with me.
We make our way into the dining room and take our seats.
‘Your brother will be down in a minute,’ Mum says, her eyes shining whenever she talks about him. I don’t know why. He dropped out of uni and lives through the bank of mum and dad. Just because he occasionally goes to charity balls with them and joins in talking shit with all of those pompous arseholes, they seem to think he’s the bee’s knees. I’m just some outcast.
I’ve always felt overshadowed by him, even though I’m the oldest. I was always the meek, agreeable daughter that kept her head down and went along with everything. Only after breaking up with my first boyfriend, I decided I was sick to death of being treated like a doormat.
Mum’s face when I dyed my hair and changed my clothes was a picture. She actually asked me if I was having some sort of nervous breakdown. Called Doctor Reynolds and asked him to assess me. When I got my first tattoo she threatened to have me committed. That’s when I knew I could never move back home after uni.
Marie brings in the roast dinner. I take some of the dishes off her and place them down. She’s always sweating from the unbearable pressure my parents put on her. Mum’s not even flinching, just drinking her sherry and pouring a glass of red wine out for herself.
‘So how old’s your brother?’ Tom asks with a forced smile. He’s drinking the red wine Mum’s poured for him even though I know he’d prefer a beer.
‘Twenty-one, but with a mental age of twelve.’
‘Someone talking about me?’ We all turn to see Gerald at the door grinning like the Cheshire cat. He’s always been a smug little bastard. Mum and Dad have been far too soft on him.
He swaggers into the room and sits down across from me. ‘Hey, Ali.’
Ugh, I hate when he calls me Ali.
‘Hi,’ I say curtly.
He grabs the plate of mashed potato and starts chucking some onto his even though no-one had started. We’re all too polite, unlike him, the idiot.
‘You’re wearing a lot of clothes today, Ali.’
I frown, looking down at my outfit. I’m wearing no more clothes than I normally would. What the hell is he talking about?
I stare back at him. He’s grinning at me, his eyes daring me to ask him. Wait... does he know about the pictures? About my nude fucking pictures? Bile starts rising up my throat at the idea of my own brother not just knowing about it, but potentially seeing it.
‘What are you on about, Gerald?’ Mum snaps. ‘She’s dressed quite appropriately. Well,’ she sighs, ‘if it wasn’t for all of those tattoos marring her body.’ She looks at me pointedly. ‘You look like a bloody sailor.’
Dad nods. ‘My offer to pay for laser removal still stands.’
‘I actually like her tattoos,’ Tom says, taking a sip of wine.
Everyone stops to stare at him, as if horrified he not only dare speak, but also dares to disagree with them.
‘Sorry, but who are you?’ Gerald asks rudely. God, I wish it was still appropriate for me to push him down the stairs.
Tom meets his judging stare with an icy glare of his own. ‘I’m Tom.’
‘I wasn’t asking your name,’ Gerald sneers. ‘I was asking who you are to Alice?’
Well that’s a question and a half.
‘I’m her friend and roommate. Oh, and her doggy daddy.’
I burst out laughing, red wine spraying onto the tablecloth.
‘For goodness’ sake, Alice!’ Mum snaps, calling Marie into the room to clean it up.
‘What Tom means is that we adopted a dog,’ I quickly explain.
Mum’s lip curls up in disgust. ‘A dog, darling? In that tiny flat of yours? Are you insane?’
Jesus, why is it always my mother’s first reaction to want me locked up in a loony asylum? She’s the reason I have anxiety.
‘Our dog fits in our life fine, thank you very much.’
‘How did you meet?’ Gerald asks, leaning back in his chair cockily. ‘No, wait. Let me guess. You saw her picture online and answered the ad.’
Oh my god, the bastard is toying with me. Dangling the information in front of Mum and Dad, knowing it will make me squirm.
Tom frowns in confusion, obviously thinking Gerald’s a random dickhead. ‘No
actually. We met on holiday a while back. Our friends are together.’
‘Ah, how sweet,’ Dad says on a hiccup. ‘Young love.’ He turns to Mum. ‘Do you remember when we were like that, darling? So bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.’
‘Yes, yes,’ Mum says with a dismissive wave. ‘It was wonderful.’
Tom turns to stare at me, his face full of unanswered questions.
‘Excuse us for a moment,’ Tom says calmly, standing up and taking my hand. Shit, he’s going to interrogate me.
He drags me through to the kitchen where Marie is washing some pots. She quickly goes back to what she’s doing as if she hasn’t seen us.
‘Alice, what the hell is your brother going on about?’ he demands; his eyes looking over my face, as if already expecting me to talk myself out of it.
‘Hmm?’ I look around the room, as if it’s no big deal.
‘Don’t fuck around, Alice.’ He takes my upper arms and shakes me slightly until I’m looking up at him. ‘You know exactly what’s going on. Tell me.’
Oh God. I really didn’t want him to know this about me.
‘Just... my brother’s found out something about me and he’s using it to piss me off. Threatening to let my parents know.’
‘Okay, I can see that for myself. But what is it? What’s so bad you’re letting him talk to you like that? What has your face paler than normal?’
Shit, I thought I was getting away with it.
I take a deep breath. ‘Okay, but if I tell you, I want you to promise three things.’
He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. ‘Okay, what are these promises?’
‘One, you have to promise not to tell anyone.’ He nods. ‘Two, you have to promise not to look at me differently.’ He frowns, mulls it over and then nods. ‘And third you have to not overreact and go mental.’
‘Jesus, Alice, just spit it out. Have you killed someone or something?’
I look over at Marie who’s definitely listening. I take his arm and drag him out to the garden. I push him against some vines growing up the wall.
‘Okay.’ One more deep breath. It won’t be that bad. Just rip the Band-Aid off and tell him. ‘My ex-boyfriend posted naked pictures of me for revenge.’
Bagging Alice (Standalone) (Babes of Brighton Book 3) Page 13
