“Please, continue,” I say, face burning.
“So,” Anna says, “they had us lying on freezing bloody tiles for two fucking hours! There was this woman making sounds with a bunch of bowls, and at first, the music was alright, quite relaxing even. But then, out of nowhere, I felt this sharp jab in the middle of my forehead.”
“What was it?” I ask, eyes wide.
“Gary skewered me with a bloody acupuncture stick. Right in the middle of my forehead!” she says. “I’mcertainthat wasn’t to code. But that’s not the worst of it. Just as I’m starting to get over the whole unsolicited acupuncture trauma, the woman playing the bowls starts screaming hymns right into my ear.Screaming!”
“That’s not even the half of it,” Gemma says, crossing her arms. “I had that Moira woman lying next to me bawling her eyes out, and I’m pretty sure someone farted. It stank.”
“I assumed that was you,” Anna says, looking at Gemma.
“I don’t fart!”
Gemma definitely farts.
Anna scoffs, then looks at me. “Oh, by the way, Rose said you need to get out of the bath. We’re doing the fire ritual.”
“Right now?”
“Like, right now. She soundedpissed.”
I glance down at my naked, glitter-covered self, and just as I’m about to argue, there’s a knock at the door.Jesus Christ, can’t a heartbroken woman just take a fucking bath? My eyes widen as Rose ducks her head through the doorway.
“The fire ritual is about to start. It would be nice if youactuallyparticipated in this activity, April.” She shoots me a scolding look. She’s waiting for my response when the audiobook pipes up again,“Yeah, baby, you like me fucking these juicy tits? I’m gonna come all over them. Then I’m going to rub it all over you before I fuck your mouth and come in there as well.”
Rose’s mouth pops open, horrified.
Fabulous.
Well, the fire ritual was a fucking disaster. What was meant to be some sort of profound, spiritual experience—writing down our fears and judgments, sharing them with the group, and ceremoniously burning them to let go—devolved into utter chaos. Gary couldn’t even light the fire, Rose’s speech made it sound like we were summoning Gods, and Anna turned her moment into a full-blown self-love ode to her tits. To top it all off, the skies opened, drenching everything.
I’m surprised we didn’t drink each others blood or join hands and sing “Kumbaya.”
Thank fuck we’re going home tomorrow.
Chapter 12
April
Gemma’s car rolls to a stop at the kerb in front of my townhouse. We all hop out, and I hug each of them goodbye before they speed off down the street. As I turn and head for the door, my heart drums in my ears and a knot tightens in my stomach—I’m nervous to see James again. The state the house and I were in when we left. God, what must he have thought?
I really hope Basil didn’t shit on the floor.
I rummage through my handbag, searching for my keys, but before I can find them, the front door swings open. James stands there in the doorway, dangling my keys in one hand, a playful grin on his face.
“Oh, right,” I mumble, shaking my head, trying to appear nonchalant. Of course I didn’t take them with me.
I follow him inside, heading to kick off my shoes—but am stopped dead in my tracks. I blink, taking in the room, struggling to make sense of what I’m seeing. The kitchen countertops are bare, free of the clutter of takeaway containers and used mugs. The coffee table is wiped clean, not a trace of the mess I left behind. The floors gleam, spotless and freshly mopped, and a subtle scent of mint lingers in the air.
He cleaned thewhole bloody house.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I take in his appearance. He’s still in his work clothes. His vest is grimy, his chest sweaty—I assume from work and scrubbing this shit-heap—he’s forgone his jacket today, showcasing his tattoos, winding from his left pectoral down to his wrist. I can’t quite believe it. He worked all day, and then stopped by to not only feed Basil, but clean my entire townhouse.
“James, you cleaned? This … this is too much—” I start, but he cuts me off.
“It’s not,” he says with a simple shrug. “I just swung by after work each day to feed Basil and sort out his water and tray. I did a load of washing and cleaned the en suite too.”
Shit. I hope there weren’t any skid marks.
