Living the Life of Riley | ✔

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

Sitting on the balcony, I sighed and wrapped the sheet around me tighter. Had I just done what I thought I’d done? Had I just slept with the ‘enemy’? I think so. I wasn’t sure how it had happened either – one moment I was here to see Beau, the next… God! Was I really that big of an idiot?

“Enjoying the view?” He asked, his voice low. It was as if he didn’t want to wake anyone up but I could hear the smugness in his voice. I was going to regret this.

“Of what? I can’t see anything and the sky just has some dots in it. What’s there to enjoy?” I snapped. I huffed and watched as my air flew out of my mouth like smoke. It was odd to think that in the summer, I would have been sitting outside, probably in my underwear and someone’s shirt, smoking and holding a can of cheap beer in my hand. Now, I was sat with a thin sheet wrapped around me, in a t-shirt with a guy who I’d slept with multiple times, and staring into the night without any harmful substances. How the times had changed in a few weeks.

“The peace. How beautiful everything is.” I saw him shrug out of the corner of my eyes. I started to splutter and snort.

“Seriously?” One eyebrow raised itself. “That sounds like absolute crap – especially coming out from your mouth.” Tristan laughed too, and I hated to admit it, but it sounded so lovely. It annoyed me just how perfect Tristan seemed – but there was a flaw underneath it all. I was going to find it and use it against him. Maybe that would get him off my back (and then I’d do the same to Will).

“Okay, you got me there. But seriously, it’s peaceful. Gives you time to think.” The latter was true, but then again, everywhere in this tiny village was quiet enough for you to think. Here, you just had the bonus of seeing twinkling lights from homes.

We stayed silent. I didn’t say another word, I just stared into the darkness and thought about where I would be in a couple of weeks time. And then in a couple of hours. The baby would have a gender (well, we would know what the gender was) and then I’d have to start thinking of names, clothes… and baby stuff. My head hurt thinking about future arguments and I couldn’t imagine what was going to happen at the birth (but let’s just ignore the fact I was going to have to push a baby’s head out of a tiny hole). It was those sort of things which made me realise that I couldn’t let Tristan and Will argue… something had to change, and soon.

A trill broke the silence. I recognised it as Tristan’s phone (it wouldn’t have been mine, I never had my phone on sound). Tristan picked it up, glanced at the screen, sighed and then put it back, face down. I’d seen that look many a time – I’m guessing a certain somebody was seeking his attention.

“What’s Sophia saying?” Why brush around the bush? I hated to tiptoe around certain topics – just say it out loud and get it done. It’s like ripping a plaster from a wound – yes, it hurts at first but you get over it. A small amount of intense pain was better than it being dragged out.

“It wasn’t Sophia.” He rushed out.

“So show me the text then.” I was convinced it was Sophia – his reaction told me everything. If I was wrong, then fine. But not until I saw the text as proof.

“Why?”

“Why should I?” Defensive, defensive! That was always a sign that someone was hiding something and Tristan was no different. In more than one way, we were all exactly the same.

“You don’t have to.” I shrugged. “But then… I’ll know you were texting Sophia.” Silence followed. Tristan didn’t say or do anything. Neither did I. As I sat there, in an awkward silence, I began to get chillier. Getting sick of the silence, I rushed off the chair and power walked into Tristan’s room before stopping mid-way to the bed. What was I doing?