“He offered Neen. He told me to stay with you. He said you needed me with you more than him. He said he called and called him. He even took my car keys and went and got your phone from the car and told me that he called from your phone, in case Reed didn’t recognise the number.”
I’m frozen to the spot, even my chest is barely moving as I take short breaths in and out. My arms and legs feel like lead weights and my skin prickles and tingles in the weirdest way.
Meebs turns and looks at me, her blue eyes are wide. The flush she wore on her beautiful face earlier is gone. Her skin is now so pale, it almost looks see through. She swallows hard.
“My brother… I, you don’t… I haven’t told you what he did.”
My world tilts. It spins off its axis and I feel like I’m freefalling.
What did he do?
I’m going to kill him.
At that moment, I have no hesitation in my mind, not a single doubt. If she tells me that he laid a hand on her, if he touched her or even thought about touching her.
I. Will. Fucking. Kill. Him.
“What’d he do, Meebs?” I don’t mean to sound harsh, that’s just the way it comes out. Her face crumbles and never, for as long as I live will I forget the pain that’s etched across her features right now.
“He stole my life. My brother. He stole us.” She slides to the floor as she sobs. My reflexes are slow, but I manage to catch her before she hits the tiles.
I get on the floor with her and hold her while she cries. I’m still not entirely sure what exactly has gone on, but it obviously involves that little prick of a brother of hers, Pearce. Pearce fucking Matthews. My heart actually hurts the walls of my chest, it’s pounding so hard when I think about what he might’ve done.
We all sit in silence for a few moments. Each of us trying to get our heads around all of the information that’s just been shared.
“I still don’t understand. When was Nina in the hospital?” Josh asks again.
Nobody answers.
Sophie wipes tears from under her eyes, then gets up and starts opening cupboards.
“I need a drink, Reed. What ya got? Nice crib, by the way. Totally not what I was expecting.”
I’m still struggling to form words. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
“Will someone fucking answer me?”
Sophie and I both look at Josh. Meebs lets out a deep sigh but doesn’t look up or say anything.
“Let me make us all a coffee, with a dash of something stronger in it and I’ll tell you all I know,” Sophie says
“What did he do, Soph? Did he touch her?” Something flickers across her face for a split second.
“Who?” she asks me with a frown.
“Her prick of a brother, did he touch her?”
Meebs looks up from where her face has been curled into my chest and shoulder. She’s a blotchy, tear-stained mess. The most beautiful mess I’ve ever seen.
“He didn’t touch me. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
Sophie shakes a bottle of bourbon above our heads.
“Will you two numpty’s get up off the floor and show me how this coffee machine works, please? I need a drink and if I need a drink, fuck knows what you two must need.”
Meebs wipes her face on the back of her arm and gives me a small smile.
Pearce Matthews.
Pearce Matthews.
Pearce Matthews.
It’s the only thing I can think of right now, that’s going to stop me from getting a hard-on.
“The coffee machine is the same as the one at the salon in Reading,” Meebs says.
“Ahh, right. Gotcha,” Sophie replies.
I stand and pull Meebs up with me.
“Can I go and have a quick shower and borrow some clothes. I feel gross,” she asks.
Fucking hell!
She’s about to get naked… in my house.
I look between Sophie and Josh.
“Stop thinking those thoughts, Conner Reed. I just want a quick shower so that I can feel clean,” Meebs tells me.
“Yeah, and don’t look at us like that either, coz we’re not leaving,” Sophie adds.
I take Amoeba up to my bedroom, show her how the shower works and pull an old Shift T-shirt out of my wardrobe.
“Is that it?” she asks.
“Is that, what?” I ask her, genuinely confused.
“Is that all you’ve got for me to wear? Are there no bottom halves?”
“I don’t know how tall you think you are babe, but I think you’ll find that’ll come down to your ankles.”
“Fuck off. I’m not that short and I still want something on underneath.” I chew on the inside of my lip as I think about her wearing nothing but my T-shirt.
“Stop looking at me like that, Con. I need to shower. Then we need to talk.”
My belly churns at her words. I know that I’m not going to like whatever it is she has to tell me.
“Go shower. I’ll leave you some clean bottoms on the bed.”
Nina
As soon as I hear the bedroom door close, I strip off my day old clothes and step under the multiple jets of the shower.
I slide down onto the floor.
And I cry.
I cry for my lost baby.
My lost life.
My lost chance at loving Conner.