Guilty tears.
“You took your time answering the door.” He holds me back, looking at me like he’s drinking me in.
He looks so happy.
Oh God.
“Sorry, I was sleeping.” I somehow manage to get the words out of my clotted throat.
“A late one huh?”
“Mmm.”
Simone pushes her way in hugging me. I wrap my arms around her.
I’m so glad she’s here.
Will moves past us, wheeling their little suitcases into my suite.
“Hey, gorgeous,” she says. “The flat has been so quiet, and so clean without you.”
I hug her tighter.
“Hey, you okay?” She holds me back appraising me with her eyes.
“I’m just happy to see you.” I hug her again.
Releasing her, I follow Will into the living room, Simone behind me.
Okay, so Jake is trapped in the bathroom, and I somehow have to get them out of here for a little while, so he can get of there and back to his own suite.
“Holy shit!” Simone exclaims from behind me. “This place is huge.”
I shrug, smiling through tight lips.
My eyes keep flickering in the direction of the bathroom door.
Jake is in there. In the bathroom. Wearing just his boxer shorts. I hope he’s dressed into his clothes.
Not that it will make the slightest bit of difference if Will finds him trapped in my bathroom. It’ll be pretty clear what he’s doing in there.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckety fuck.
What am I going to do?
After setting down the suitcases, Will comes back over to me and wraps his arms around my waist and plants a kiss firmly on my lips.
I squirm a little.
I wonder if he’ll be able to smell Jake on me? Freeing myself from his kiss, I lean back away slightly.
He stares down at my face. “Are you okay, darling?”
“Of course.” My voice is a little strangled, and I’m dying under his gaze. I feel like I’m going to crack any minute.
“This is okay isn’t it? Simone and I turning up to surprise you?”
“Of course it is!”
Simone is wandering around checking the place out.
“This bedroom is massive!” she exclaims, poking her head through the door.
Don’t go in there. Please don’t go in there.
She’s gone in.
Crap.
I can see her over Will’s shoulder moving around, checking things out, looking at the view through the window, which is right next to the bathroom door.
Don’t go in the bathroom. Don’t go in the bathroom.
I see her hand reaching for the door handle.
Fuck.
What am I going to do? I’m trying to think quickly, but I’m frozen. Nothing’s working. Every function in me failing right when I need it most.
Then everything slips into slow motion, and I freeze solid in Will arms as I watch in absolute horror, as Simone pulls open the bathroom door.
“ARGHH!” she screams.
Fuck.
Shit.
Bollocks.
“Simone are you okay?” Will asks, concerned, turning in my arms.
I keep a firm hold of him.
This is it. This is the exact moment that everything is over.
If I’d have known this was going to be the last time I held Will, then I’d have held him with a lot more conviction. I’d have taken in everything about him. Because when he finds out Jake is in there, he’s never going to forgive me. He’ll never look at me the same again.
Simone is silent for what seems like forever. I tentatively hold my breath, waiting for her response, feeling like my head may explode any second.
“I’m fine!” she hollers, but her voice sounds a little strangled.
Then I hear the bathroom door close.
I exhale.
“It was just a spider. A massive spider in the bath. Frightened the shit out of me,” she says, coming back into living room.
“Do you want me to get rid of it?” Will asks, turning in my arms.
“No!” Both Simone and I say in unison.
Will looks between the two of us puzzled.
“I like spiders,” I say quickly.
“You do?” Will focuses his inquisitive stare onto me.
I instantly heat under his gaze.
“It’s gone. It bolted when I screamed at it,” Simone tells him, saving me from his quizzical stare.
I meet her eyes briefly. One, slow blink, thanking her.
She nods gently, and sits down on the arm of the sofa.
“So how did you know what room I was in?” I ask, releasing myself from Will’s hold, but he keeps his arm around my waist, keeping me close.
Will answers, “Well, we wanted it to be a surprise, and we figured you’d be up on the top floor, so we asked the security guy who was out by the main door guarding it, I’m guessing Jake’s security people – who looked none too pleased to see us up here might I add, but then we told him we were looking for you, that we’d come to surprise you and he showed us to your room.”
It worked I was surprised. And so completely screwed. Literally and figuratively.
“Good thinking.” I force a smile. “So when did you decide on this?” My voice is wobbling all over the place.