Maybe This Time

by Annabelle Jacobs

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  Also By Annabelle Jacobs

  Maybe This Time

  By

  Annabelle Jacobs

  Copyright

  Cover artist: Natasha Snow

  Editor: Labyrinth Bound Edits

  Maybe This Time © 2017 Annabelle Jacobs

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:

  This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.

  The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only.

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  WARNING

  This book contains material that maybe offensive to some and is intended for a mature, adult audience. It contains graphic language, explicit sexual content and adult situations.

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you to these wonderful people: alpha reader Jay Northcote, beta reader Con Riley, cover artist Natasha Snow, editor Labyrinth Bound Edits, and proof readers Kirsty Bicknell and Davina Jamison.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  Also By Annabelle Jacobs

  Chapter One

  Ryan parked the van in front of his new building and turned the engine off. “Home sweet home.” Leaning as far forward as his seatbelt would allow, he glanced up through the windshield. His new flat was housed in a relatively new build—well the housing estate was about fifteen years old, but Ryan liked to class that as new-ish. The outside looked modern, three stories of one-, two-, and three-bed flats with a good-sized car park behind them.

  The two-bed flat he’d just leased was on the first floor, and while it had no outdoor space to speak of, there was a fairly big park about ten minutes’ walk away. And it wasn’t as though he was a keen gardener or anything. Not after the last few months anyway. Besides, he could always go to his mum’s if he wanted that.

  “Are we getting out or what?” Josh, his best friend since primary school, sat in the passenger seat, watching him. “The others’ll be here in a sec.” He twisted around in his seat to face Ryan. “Ry?”

  “Yeah.” Ryan snapped out of his daze and grinned. “Come on.” Unhooking his seatbelt, he climbed out and walked up to the entrance, then inside. The stairwell was nice and wide, so at least they wouldn’t struggle getting everything up there. He led Josh up the stairs, stopping outside his new front door.

  “You met any of your neighbours yet?”

  Ryan laughed. “I’ve had the keys for all of two days, give me a chance.” He unlocked the door and let them in, heading down the hall to the open plan living/dining area. Cream walls and empty space greeted them.

  “Wow.” Josh eased past him and into the middle of the room. “They weren’t kidding when they said unfurnished.”

  “Nope.” Ryan joined Josh and glanced around. “According to the estate agent, the couple who lived here before split up and she took everything.”

  “Even the curtains.” Josh wandered over to the bare windows and peered out. “I’m surprised they chose to rent and not sell.”

  “Me too. But whatever. It being unfurnished has made the rent cheaper.” That and one other thing.

  “And so has the tip.”

  Ryan grimaced. “Hmm. I’m hoping the smell won't be that bad.” The estate was about two hundred metres from the local recycling centre, and in the summer, if it was hot, you could sometimes smell it from the ring road.

  Josh shook his head and laughed. “Just keep your windows closed. Not that we’ll get a proper summer this year, but you never know.” He clapped his hands together and then gestured towards the door. “Shall we? That van won’t unload itself.”

  “Yeah.” With a sigh, Ryan followed Josh out the door. As excited as he was about having his own place again, he wasn’t looking forward to unpacking everything. And on top of that, he still felt guilty about leaving his mum.

  They managed one trip up to the flat before Dave and Liam arrived in Dave’s Passat Estate—crammed full of Ryan’s boxes.

  “All right?” Dave got out of his car, Liam following suit. “Happy Birthday, mate.”

  Ryan grinned. “Thanks.”

  “What’s it like to be the big three-oh?”

  “Surprisingly no different from being twenty-nine.”

  Dave laughed, his gaze flicking to the open doors on the van. “You two just started?”

  “Yeah, we took the bed frame upstairs. Mattress is next.”

  “That the one from your mum’s?”

  “Yep.” She’d insisted he take the one from the spare room. Said she was going to turn that room into an office or something, so he might as well have it. She insisted on buying him bedding and curtains too, as housewarming presents. “We picked it up first thing this morning.”

  Liam walked around to join them at the front of the car. “She doing okay, now?”

  “Not too bad, considering.” That was probably doing her a disservice. “Actually, she’s doing great. Got a busier social life than me.”

  Josh nudged him in the side. “You can fix that now you’ve got your own place again.”

  “Maybe.”

  Nudging him once more, Josh nodded at the other side of the road. “Talking of which….” All four of them turned to look at the guy jogging towards them.

  Wearing black shorts and a tight-fitting blue top, the guy looked fit. Broad shoulders, slim body, and firm thighs. Hard to guess his age from that distance as his hair was almost all a silvery-grey colour. As he got closer, Ryan got a better look at his face and… huh. Not that old—late thirties maybe.

  The guy was either oblivious to the four men staring at him or didn’t give a shit. He jogged right past them and into Ryan’s building without saying a word.

  Okay then.

  With a rental van and a car full of boxes, it was obvious one of them was moving in. Didn’t that warrant at least a polite hello? Apparently not.

  Liam chuckled, breaking the moment. “I’m guessing he’s not interested.”

  Shame. “Stop ogling my new neighbours and help me get all this shit inside.” The three of them groaned but got moving.

  Four hours later and another trip back to his mum’s house, all of Ryan’s belongings were now inside his flat. Most was still in boxes, but at least it was in there. He’d brought his mum back with him and she’d taken charge almost straight away, Ryan only too happy to let her. She’d have curtains up in
all the rooms far quicker than he would.

  Relegated to the kitchen, Ryan put the kettle on and made three mugs of tea. Liam and Dave had gone home after unloading Dave’s car, due back later for Ryan’s housewarming. “Tea’s ready.”

  Josh came in from the living room. “TV’s all set up. PS4 too.”

  “Cheers, mate.” Ryan handed him his mug with a smile. “I’ll order pizza in a bit. I’m fucking starving.”

  “Me too.”

  His mum still hadn’t appeared, and Ryan shouted her again. “Your tea’s here getting cold, Mum.”

  She came through the door a few seconds later, and he passed her the last mug. “Thanks, love.” After taking a sip and sighing, she frowned at the boxes still stacked against the wall. “What time are all your friends coming round?”

  “About eight-ish, why?”

  She pointed at the boxes. “You’ll never get everything unpacked in time. And where’s everyone going to sit? You have no furniture.”

  Josh smiled into his mug, and Ryan grinned as he rolled his eyes. “No one’s going to care if there’s still a few boxes lying around. I’ll probably move most of them into the spare room anyway. And the sofa should be here in an hour or so.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She glanced between Ryan and Josh and smirked. “I’m just debating the logic of having your new sofa delivered the same day as your housewarming party.”

  “It’s just a few friends, we’re not going to wreck the place. I’m thirty, not seventeen.”

  “Oh! That reminds me.” She set her mug down and disappeared into the hall. A bit of rustling and she came back in brandishing a large, round Tupperware container. “Happy Birthday.”

  Ryan took it off her with a huge smile and placed it carefully on the worktop. “Thanks, Mum.” Inside sat a cake covered in thick, gooey-looking chocolate frosting with Happy 30th Birthday Ryan written in bright pink icing.

  She walked over and gave him a hug, whispering in his ear. “Your dad would have been so proud.” A slight hitch in her breathing had him slipping his arms around her and hugging her back tightly.

  “I hope so.”

  “He would be. And so am I. Of you and your brother.” After holding on to him for a little longer, she let him go and stepped away. “Now let's have some of that cake. This is a day for celebration, not tears.” She busied herself rifling through the boxes for plates and cutlery, then proceeded to cut them each a generous piece.

  Ryan let her do her thing and tried not to dwell on the fact he was celebrating this milestone without his dad.

  “Are you sure you don't want to stay for a bit?” Ryan held his mum’s coat for her to slip into. “Rob’s coming.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Never thought I’d see the day when you and your brother wanted me to stay for one of your parties.”

  Ryan laughed. “Thankfully we’ve grown up a bit since then.”

  Josh chimed in from the kitchen. “Don’t believe a word he says, Mrs B. They need you to keep them out of trouble.” He came out into the hall and leant against the wall.

  “Thankfully that’s no longer my job.” She grinned then turned to narrow her eyes at Josh. “Really, Joshua. How many times have I told you not to call me that?”

  He smiled and shrugged. “I keep forgetting, sorry.”

  “You’ve been forgetting for the past twenty years.” Rolling her eyes, she reached for the door handle. “I kept telling Ryan you were trouble, but he never listened.”

  Josh tried to look offended but failed. “I have no idea what you mean.”

  Ryan watched them with amusement, confident his mum would hate it if Josh started to call her anything other than Mrs B.

  Focusing on Ryan again, she stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Happy Birthday. Have a good night, but try not to annoy the neighbours on your first day.” She left with a wave for Josh, and Ryan closed the door behind her.

  “Right, then.” Josh disappeared into the kitchen, coming out a few seconds later brandishing two bottles of Heineken and grinning. “Beer?”

  “Yeah, thanks." Ryan smiled back at him, walked over, and plucked one out of his hand.

  Josh raised his drink in the air. “To your new flat and turning thirty.”

  “Cheers.”

  “Cheers.”

  They clinked bottles, and Ryan took a long drink. His whole body seemed to sigh in appreciation. They polished off the first round in about five minutes. The buzzer sounded, people started arriving, and it was downhill from there onwards.

  Ryan woke to a pounding headache and a too-bright bedroom. The curtains his mum had so thoughtfully put up for him the day before were wide open, letting in all the morning sunshine. His attempt at sitting up only served to make his stomach lurch and his headache increase. “Oh God.” Flopping back down, he tried to block out the sun with his hands. Which stank of tequila. So not what he needed on top of everything else.

  The party came back to him slowly in bits and pieces. They’d kept the music at a respectable volume, had no complaints from the neighbours. In fact, if he recalled correctly, the ones on either side of him had come in for a drink or two. At least he thought they had.

  A loud snore next to him had him gingerly rolling his head to the side to see Josh—on his back, fully clothed, mouth open, fast sleep.

  Of course.

  Ryan reached out and poked him in the side. If he had to suffer, then he wanted company. “Whose idea was the tequila?”

  Josh grunted, licked his lips, then grimaced.

  Ryan would have laughed at his expression, but everything hurt too much.

  He opened one eye and squinted at Ryan. “It was yours, you fucker. It’s always yours.”

  “Lies.” Ryan closed his eyes, the repetitive thud of his headache too much to keep them open. “I need Nurofen and tea and food.” He swallowed, his mouth uncomfortably dry and nasty tasting. “Maybe water first, though.”

  “Mmm,” Josh grunted in what Ryan took for agreement. “It’s your house. I’m a guest.”

  The novelty of having his own place again had surprisingly worn off with the ferocity of his hangover. “Feel free to treat it like home.”

  Something jabbed his hip—Josh’s finger by the feel of it.

  “You made me feel this shitty. Fix me with tea.” Josh prodded him again. “And the other stuff too.”

  Ryan sighed. One of them was going to have to get up. He needed water and something to take the edge off his headache. And maybe shut those fucking curtains. Counting to three and then five when he couldn’t will himself to move, he slowly eased himself into a sitting position, and oh dear God, that was so much worse.

  The room spun, his stomach roiled, and he just had enough coordination to stagger into the bathroom and throw up in the toilet. Fuck.

  At least he felt marginally better after that—the room had stopped spinning. Another ten minutes of lying in a heap on the floor and Ryan was able to get up without fear of a repeat performance. He leant with both hands on the sink and dared a look in the mirror.

  Ooh. Never mind thirty, he looked about sixty—pale as a ghost, dark shadows under his puffy bloodshot eyes.

  Lovely.

  After rinsing his mouth out and forcing down two glasses of water and some painkillers, he took a fresh glass and two Nurofen back for Josh. “Here.”

  Josh murmured something unintelligible but didn’t move.

  Ryan put the glass and tablets on the bedside table and gave Josh’s shoulder a shake. “Josh.”

  “Whaa…?” He blinked and stared up at Ryan, clearly struggling to focus.

  “Water and painkillers.” Ryan gestured beside him. “Take them.”

  Rolling onto his side, Josh did as instructed, then flopped onto his back again. “Fuck, I feel like death. Time’s it?”

  Now back on his side of the bed and lying down again—thank God—Ryan blindly reached for his phone,
before peering at the screen. “Seven thirty-five.” Far too fucking early. When he didn't get any response, he looked over to see Josh fast asleep again.

  Excellent idea.

  The next time Ryan woke up was because someone jumped on the bed.

  “What the fuck!” His eyes shot open, headache still there but slightly less horrific, and glared at Dave—now stood grinning down at him with his hands on his hips.

  “Morning Sunshine.”

  Ryan groaned and rubbed at his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here? And why aren’t you hungover?”

  “Me and Liam kipped in the lounge since you have nothing but boxes in your spare room. And I do feel hungover, just not as bad as you.” He tugged at the quilt Ryan had managed to get under this time. “Your fridge is empty, by the way. Except for beer, Coke, and sliced lemons. Have you forgotten how to shop?”

  “Meant to go yesterday, but….” Yeah, apparently he had forgotten.

  “Don’t worry, Liam’s even worse than you—hard to believe I know—so anyway, I was just about to walk to the Tesco Express and get supplies. You fancy it?”

  God no. Getting up and dressed was about the last thing he felt like doing, but it was his house and they were technically his guests. The least he could do was go with Dave to the bloody shop. He glanced at the empty spot next to him, his brain taking a while to catch up. “Where’s Josh?”

  “In the living room with Liam. The pair of them look half-dead.”

  “Oh.” In that case he should definitely be getting up. “Give me ten minutes, then we’ll go.”

  Dave laughed at him. “I don’t think ten minutes will do it, but I’ll meet you outside. I need some fresh air.” He turned and left, and Ryan got up for the second time that morning. Thankfully he didn't need to rush to the bathroom this time, but he didn’t feel all that great either.

  A splash of cold water on his face and brushing his teeth was about all he had time for, but who was he likely to bump into at—he checked his phone—nine forty-five? Was that all it was? For fuck's sake, Dave. If he’d known it was still so early, he’d have told Dave to fuck off and go on his own. He was up now, though, so he slipped on his trainers and quietly shut the front door behind him, not wanting to disturb Liam and Josh, who were asleep again.