by Ruby Molloy
“You want to live, Berwick?”
He nods.
“Then stay away from Kayla. It’s that simple.”
He nods some more and I let him go. “Off to work now, Berwick. Wouldn’t want you to be late for daddy.”
He blanches and hobbles away, checking over his shoulder as he speeds through the underpass. I follow, only I’m in no hurry. I’m working with Slade today. We’re meeting for breakfast at Alma’s Cafe in Blackfriars. It doesn’t look much from the outside, or the inside come to think of it, but the food’s good. Alma’s from Jamaica. This accounts for the yellow, green and black flag hanging on one of the walls. Beside it there’s a Union Jack, just in case there’s any doubts about Alma’s patriotism.
Slade’s ex-army like me, only he’s ten years older. He’s blunt to the point of being downright fucking rude and I wouldn’t give a shit except it’s mostly aimed at me. Normally I can handle it, but not today.
He’s already there when I arrive, the squat mug of coffee in front of him half-empty.
“You’re late,” he says.
“Had business to take care of.” I sit down opposite and lean back in my chair. I don’t need to check the menu. There’s not much to it and, besides, I already know I’m having the all-day breakfast.
Alma greets me with a hand slap on my shoulder. “Hey, pretty boy. How you doin’ this fine, sunny morning?”
“I’m good. What about yourself? You behaving?”
She laughs, her big chest wobbling so much I fear her bra’s gonna snap. “You know me, Boyd. Ain’t no fun in being good.” Outside of Kayla, Alma’s the only one who calls me by my surname. She brings out her cheap pad and pen, though I’ve never once seen her use it. “You want the usual?”
“Please.”
“You got it.” She gives me a farewell pat on the shoulder and nods at Slade.
“You have all the women eating out of your hand like that?” Slade asks. The question’s harmless. It’s his expression that twists its meaning.
I stare back at him, not afraid to show that I think he’s a dick. “You might have some luck too, if you weren’t so fucking uptight.” It’s not how I usually respond to Slade. Normally I grit my teeth and let it go. I wait for him to lose it.
“Took you long enough.”
I scowl, not bothering to ask him to explain.
“Knew you had it in you, just didn’t expect to have to wait this long.”
“The fuck you talking about?”
“You, pussyfooting around, pretending you don’t give a shit the way I’ve been talking to you.”
Alma brings over my coffee and breakfast for Slade and me.
“What’s going on? You boys look like you’re gonna start a fight.” She glances from me to Slade and back again. “Don’t you go and start nothing in my cafe. No-one starts a fight at Alma’s, no-one. You hear me?”
I like Alma, but it’s not yet eight and already I’ve had to deal with Berwick and Slade. “Alma, the whole damn cafe can hear you.”
“That’s because they’re meant to. They’ll be watching you now, so think twice before you start anything.”
She strides towards the kitchen. Slade’s laughing at me.
I pick up a fork and stab a sausage as if it’s Slade’s torso. It’s not intended as a joke, but it makes him laugh harder.
The day gets progressively worse, though Slade’s okay for once. My backchat seems to have done some good. But the job we’re on is boring as hell and by the time I’m finished I feel like I chose the wrong fucking career. I’m two minutes from home when Molly calls.
“Hi Jack. I wasn’t sure you’d finished work yet. I know you’re busy and all, but I really need to see you. Please, Jack.”
She’s crying. I can hear it in her voice, the way she catches her breath before hurtling onto the next word.
“Molly, I’m on my way home―”
“Please Boyd! I don’t know what to do. I took some tablets and now I’m feeling dizzy ...”
Motherfucking Molly, she’s taking over my life! “Where are you?” I don’t make an attempt to hide my anger.
She releases a sob and I feel nothing. I’ve been here too many times before. “I’m at my parents’.”
“And where the fuck are they?” Jesus, they’re never fucking home.
“They’re in Rome. I don’t have anyone I can call, Jack. Please.”
I curse silently. “Don’t do anything stupid and don’t take anything else or ... Shit, just wait for me to get there.”
I jog towards my car and drive like a maniac, taking shortcuts, accelerating from the lights as if I’m in a drag race. When I reach Molly’s parents’ house, I keep my hand on the bell until she answers. There’s a tissue bunched up inside her hand and her eyes are red from crying.
I hustle her inside and grab her wrists. “What did you take, Molly?”
“Painkillers.”
“Where? Where are the fucking pills?”
She heads towards the kitchen, walking like she’s drunk or stoned, her strides short, her balance off. There’s an open box on the counter, the foil sheets half in, half out. I count the empty holes. There are four with the foil curled back, the plastic beneath empty. “How many?”
“What?”
I can’t help yelling in frustration. “How many did you take?”
“I forget. Three, maybe four. I’ve been topping them up since this morning.”
“What time this morning?”
“Ten. Eleven, maybe.”
I check the instructions on the packet. Two can be taken every four hours. “When did you take the last tablet?”
“About an hour before I called you, I think.”
“You take anything else?”
“No.”
“Any alcohol? You had anything to drink?”
“A couple of glasses of wine.”
I glance at her red eyes again. “How many’s a couple? Two? Three?”
“I don’t know. Three. Maybe four.”
I glance at the table. There’s two bottles of wine. One’s empty, the other’s open with the top third empty. I’m close to walking out. “Fuck it, Molly, you’re drunk! You got me over here for nothing.”
Her face crumples and the tears start flowing again. “I wanted to see you. It’s been over a week and I missed our chats. I missed you coming by to check on me. Here,” she says, suddenly picking up the kettle and filling it from the tap. “Let me make you a coffee. You can stay for a drink, right? Or has Kayla got you under her thumb? Is that it, Jack?” she asks, nastily. “Is Kayla jealous? Is that why you haven’t stopped by?”
“Cut it out, Molly. This has nothing to do with Kayla.”
She laughs nervously and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “What? I’m only teasing. You know I like Kayla. I mean, what’s not to like? She’s beautiful and funny. I can see why you like her, Jack. Tell me, what was it you first noticed about her? I bet it was her boobs, right?” She glances my way to see if I’m paying attention. “You know, I’ve been thinking about having implants. They’re not so expensive. I could have a pair like Kayla’s, maybe better. What do you think?”
I think she’s lost the fucking plot, that’s what I think, but I remain silent, watching as she pours boiling water onto coffee granules.
“Hers are real, I know that. And my bottom’s never going to look like hers, but it’s not all about looks, is it, Jack? A couple has to have a connection, a reason to be together, and I think we have that. Since Harry died you’ve been here for me way beyond anyone else and I know that has to mean something to you.”
“Tag’s been there for you too, Molly,” I remind her.
“Not like you, Jack. You stop by two, three times a week sometimes―”
“Because you call me!”
It’s like she’s not even hearing me. Her eyes are too shiny, too full of emotion.“And just now, you dropped everything and came straight here. No-one else would do that.”
“You said you took pills, Molly. I thought you took a fucking overdose.”
“That’s what I love about you, you’re always thinking about me, always here for me. No-one else, Jack, only you.”
“Jesus Christ, you’ve got to stop! I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be the guy you run to every time something goes wrong. And with you, Molly, something always goes wrong. It has to stop. No more phone calls, no more visits.”
“I can’t do that, Jack. Don’t you see, it’s you and me, we’re meant to be together, not you and Kayla. Last week I filled in a quiz and you know what it said? It said that you were the one. You Jack! Call it fate or kismet or whatever you like, but we’re meant to be together.”
She’s beaming up at me, her eyes too shiny, like she has a secret that’s burning away behind them. I’ve seen crazy before and it looked a lot like Molly. “Shit, Molly, there is no us. I was only trying to help you get over Harry, same as Tag was. That’s all it’s ever been. Never, not for one minute, was it anything more.”
Her eyes are glimmering, like she’s in a trance. “Love brought us together,” she says.
“Jesus Chris, Molly ...”
“Love!” she says, drawing her lips back in a smile that’s not quite right. “You hear me, Jack? Love!” She swings her arms in an arc, waving them around the way a kid does when they’re pretending to be a plane. “Don’t tell me you feel nothing, don’t lie to me, Jack. I know it’s there, I’ve seen the messages in your eyes. I know you love me.”
“Molly, babe, I don’t love you. Jesus, girl, you need help.”
She curls her hands together beneath her chin and shakes her head. “If you could only see―”
“Fuck, listen to yourself. You need to see a doctor or a counsellor or someone. You can’t call me anymore, you hear?”
I’m already out of the kitchen heading towards the door, but she’s chasing at my heels. “Jack! Don’t go! Please! Please, Jack!”
I don’t stop. I’m done. I can’t deal with this, not when Kayla’s caught in the middle and Molly’s talking about having a fucking boob job. I slam the door in her face and run to my car. It’s the first time I’ve run from anyone in my life.
I call Tag on the way home, pulling into a side street to tell him about Molly. “She’s fucking delusional, telling me she loves me, convinced I love her. Scary as shit, man, hearing her talk that way, seeing her eyes all glazed and fucked up.”
“You want me to call round there tomorrow? Check she’s okay?”
“Shit, I don’t know.”
“What else are we gonna do? Let her get worse? I’ll keep an eye on her. Best you keep away.”
“Okay, but if she gets any worse, tell me. And have a word with her parents. Tell them she needs help.”
“Done. How’d you get on with Berwick?”
“It went okay. I warned him away from Kayla and gave him a taste of what’ll happen if he doesn’t.”
“You wanna know how I’m doing?”
Shit! “Sorry, mate. What’s happening?”
“The bar’s full of suits talking shit, but there’s a couple of girls from his firm. Felt like a fucking stalker following them here, but I’ll ask them some questions and get back to you.”
“Thanks, Tag, I owe you big time.”
“Yeah, you do.”
Seconds after the call finishes my phone lights up with Molly’s name. I terminate the call and block her number.
Kayla’s home when I get there. She’s fresh from the shower, her hair tied up on top of her head, her legs on show beneath the white towel.
“Hey,” she says, reaching up on tiptoe, her hands coming round my neck, holding on tight. She smells sweet and her warm brown eyes draw me in. “You had a long day, baby?”
“Yeah.” It’s easy to withhold the truth. Molly’s my problem, not Kayla’s. And with my history, it’d be easy for Kayla to think there was something going on between me and Molly. I’ll tell her what went down once the dust has settled.
Chapter Sixteen
Lies
KAYLA
Somewhere along the line I’ve kind of moved in with Boyd. It’s not official or anything, but half my clothes are now hanging in his closet, while my toiletries are slowly taking over his bathroom.
Wanda is ecstatic. She and Steve have invited us over for dinner tonight. It’s a first for me and I’m nervous. Us having dinner there, with Wanda, Steve and his sister, Hailey, it seems like a momentous occasion. Something to be remembered.
My dress is short. Short enough to have hooked Boyd’s attention when I put it on half an hour ago. He hiked up my hem and one thing led to another, which means I’m now putting on my dress for a second time while Boyd watches the football highlights. Unlike me, he obviously doesn’t feel the need to impress his family. He’s wearing jeans and a grey t-shirt. Me, I’m wearing my favourite black dress and I’ve straightened my hair―twice. My cheeks are pink and even I can see that my nerves are showing in my eyes. I take a calming breath and go join Boyd in the living room. It takes him a minute to realise I’m standing there. I guess I always knew he was a sports buff so I can’t exactly complain. His eyes travel down my legs and back up again. It’s half an hour since we had sex and already I can see that look in his eyes again.
“Oh no you don’t, Boyd!”
He rises to his feet, trailing me as I walk backwards.
“Boyd, I’m not kidding! Swear to God―”
He kisses me. It’s hot. Hot enough that I’m creasing his t-shirt with my fingers.
“Later,” he says and I nod. Later is good.
He turns off the TV and picks up his keys. I’m drinking tonight, he’s driving. I figure the alcohol will calm my nerves just as soon as it hits my system.
“You nervous?” His eyes alight on my right leg where it’s rocking from side to side at the knee.
“Of course I’m nervous. What do you expect? I’m meeting your family.”
He looks puzzled. “You’ve met them already.”
“Yeah, but not like this. I’ve never been invited to a family dinner before.”
“Kayla, it’s just my parents. And Hailey.”
“Exactly. A family dinner. It’s a big thing.”
“Pretty sure it’s not. It’s just chicken and veg and a little conversation.”
I give up. I’m not going to get him to understand. I settle for him giving me another kiss before leading me to his car. He openly stares at my legs while he holds the door open and I’m conscious my dress is riding high when I step into the SUV. I hear him groan before he shuts the door.
While he’s pulling into the traffic I flick through the stations, searching for something that will relax my nerves a little. Boyd grins, enjoying my discomfort.
When we reach his parents’ home it’s too dark to make out the house in detail, but the headlights pick out a cottage that would be quaint if it wasn’t so big. Solar lights have been planted in the pristine flower beds and there’s a tree to one side that’s been lit from below.
Boyd climbs out first and I already have my door open by the time he reaches me. He twists me in the seat until I’m facing him, both hands pinned at my waist. It’s hard to resist when he leans in for a kiss.
“Your parents might be watching.”
“No-one’s watching, Boots, and if I don’t get a taste of you now I’ll get withdrawal symptoms.”
“Oh yeah,” I scoff. “And what are these withdrawal symptoms?”
“Well, a hard dick for starters, followed by blue balls.”
I burst out laughing and do my best to push him away. “Blue balls? So soon?”
He doesn’t look amused. “Give me your mouth, babe.”
I form my lips into an exaggerated pucker and Boyd starts tickling me as pay back. I’m laughing and wriggling in my seat when he takes the opportunity to stroke my thigh and his mouth lands on my ear. I go from giggling to groaning in seconds. Boyd’s mouth travels to mine and I reach for his neck,
holding him in place.
“Boo!”
I scream at the top of my lungs while Boyd looks on calmly, as if someone wearing a bloodied mask hasn’t just jumped out on us.
“Gottcha!” The mask is whipped off and there’s Hailey, grinning like an idiot, fricking delighted by my terror.
“Hailey! You frightened the hell out of me!”
“Didn’t I just! Are you guys coming in or does Jack need to cop another feel?”
Boyd shoots her a warning glance, but it’s left to me to defend my honour. “Boyd was just helping me from the car―”
“Save it for the parents, Kayla. He’s still got his hand on your thigh.” Hailey bounces off, her dark blue hair trailing down her back. I shoot Boyd a worried look. “Oh my God, she’s going to tell your parents.”
He squeezes my thigh and continues the kiss we weren’t able to finish. “She’s a pain in the arse, but she’s not going to embarrass you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because if she does, she knows I’ll tell them about the married guy she’s seeing.”
“No?! Hailey? But she’s so sweet and fun and ... How do you know he’s married?”
“Saw a text on her phone once. She was messaging some guy, asking if the coast was clear.”
“Wow. Hailey?”
“Yeah, Hailey. What, you think she’s as sweet as she looks? Wait until after dinner. See if you feel the same way.”
I shoot him a look, but he’s leading me towards his parents’ home. Wanda and Steve are waiting in the hall. They’re both wearing jeans and it’s clear I’m overdressed. It’s not like it’s the first time this has happened, but I wanted everything to be perfect and with Hailey scaring the crap out of me and now this, it’s not going as I’d hoped.
Wanda pulls me in for a hug and Steve gives me a peck on the cheek. Hailey’s hanging back, a grin on her face as if she knows something we don’t. She waits until the parents are heading into the living room before she says, “By the way, I’ve convinced mum that you’re here to announce your wedding.”
