The Mighty Storm|| ethma

14

Where the hell is that music coming from?

Adele. Crap, my phone's ringing and it's in my bag in the living room.

I untangle myself from a very naked Ethan, and make a dash for my bag.

Grabbing it off the sofa I rip it open, retrieve my phone and answer without looking at the caller display.

"Hello," I say breathless.

"Why are you out of breath?"

Vicky.

"Because I was in bed and my phone was in the living room."

"And were you in bed with Ethan?"

What?!

"What?"

"Ethan – is it true?" she asks with a conspiratorial tone to her voice.

I look around the room suspiciously. I'm half-expecting her to jump out on me any second now.

"Is what true about Ethan?" My voice trembles slightly, and I curse it.

"Emma, stop evading – is it, or is it not true that you and Ethan are sleeping together?"

My heart stops in my chest. No beating, no nothing. I think I may actually be dead right now. And it would so serve me right if I was.

"No!" I exclaim, coming back to life. "Why would you ask that?" I try to keep my voice steady, but it did wobble a little again, I'm just hoping she didn't notice.

"You so are!"

"No. I'm not." I put my best 'I'm not fucking kidding' voice on.

I hear Ethan move in bed. I spin on the spot looking at him through the open door.

Guilt stains all over me in this moment, as I look on at the very evidence of my betrayal of Will, before me.

So not only do I cheat, I also lie about cheating.

I hate to lie to Vicky, but I can't exactly tell her the truth. Will has to be the one to be told first. And honestly, I haven't even had a chance to sort it all through in my own mind quite yet as to how that's going to unfold.

Then I look down at myself and realise I'm completely naked.

"Emma? Are you still there?" Vicky sounds a little concerned.

"Um ... yeah. Just give me a sec," I mutter.

Removing my phone from my ear, I keep it in my hand and tiptoe back into the bedroom. I pick up the first item of clothing I find, which happens to be Ethan's stinky T-shirt from last night, and pull it on.

But it doesn't smell so stinky anymore. It just smells of Ethan. It pains and pleases me at the same time.

Silently, I walk back through to the living room, closing the door quietly behind me. I sit down on the edge of the coffee table facing the closed bedroom door.

"Okay, I'm back," I say.

"All okay?" Vicky asks, she still sounds concerned. And I feel sick.

"Yeah, I just needed a drink of water, was feeling a little dry ... so why on earth do you think I'm sleeping with Ethan?"

"Because it's splashed all over the internet, my darling," she says softly. "Pictures of you dancing up close and personal in a club with Ethan, then there's shots of him carrying you into a hotel."

Oh, fuck.

We were followed here by the paps.

Her words are thudding around my head, chasing on the tails of many, many other questions and fears I have.