“What y’chattin’? We’re leavin’?”
Declan frowned. “Aye, why wouldn’t we now?”
I had to play this cool. I didn’t want to give away that I might have ulterior motives for staying behind.
“I dunno. I thought y’might be keen to hang about now y’gettin’ the ride in wi’ y’girl.”
“Y’alright, are ya?” he snapped. “When have y’ever seen me hangin’ around f’me hole?”
“A’right, don’t ate me head off, now,” I muttered with a scowl. “Ya right, ya’ve never hung about f’ya hole, but y’want me t’ be honest wi’ y’now?”
Declan shrugged, waving me on in a sarcastic manner that made me want to punch him. He’d always be my mate, but sometimes I really couldn’t stick his attitude when he was feeling vulnerable or emotional. There were worse fucking things, and he needed a reality check.
“I’ve also never seen ya so fixated on a girl neither.”
“Feck off!” Declan said with a bitter laugh.
I’d had enough of this. My happiness was riding on this decision. I hadn’t expected quite this level of pushback from Declan and my palms grew sweaty. Iwanted to stay in Appleby with Ronan. Was I going to break away from my mate, the fella who’d had my back all these years to be able to? I didn’t know.
“Fine, be a stubborn arsehole, now. See if I care, like,” I replied angrily, pinning Declan with a glare. “But don’t be actin’ a cunt ‘cause y’pinin’.”
Seemingly Declan had no argument for that, and he just scowled at me, dropping his head back against the sofa in a sulk. I did my best to busy myself around the caravan, keen to keep my hands busy. I felt nervous, panicky even. I needed Declan on board with this plan. How would I ever explain wanting to stay behind otherwise? I had no good reason to, but he did. I watched him silently stewing and when he caught my eye, his scowl returned.
“What’re y’lookin’ at?”
“There’s plenty o’ work about town,” I said, praying I wasn’t coming across too keen. “An’ I gotta admit hitching up where there’s leccy an’ water is quality, aye.”
C’mon Dec…
For the first time since he’d arrived, I saw his expression relax a fraction.
“An’ if they don’t have the room f’us?” he countered. “Y’can’t just rock up here an’ get a plot now. I know folk squash in f’the fair like, but f’keeps is different.”
“Aye, but we can ask, now?”
I was on pins, pulse thrumming in my neck. I was barely breathing as I awaited my mate’s answer.
Declan sighed heavily, heaving himself to his feet. “Fine. Ask ‘bout it. I’m gonna go sleep off this feckin’ hangover.”
I barely resisted sagging with relief and I nodded.
“Aye, quality idea, fella. Y’doin’ me feckin’ head in. Go get y’head outta y’hole.”
Declan flipped me the finger, yanking the door open and hopping down onto the grass outside. It swung closed behind him with a loud bang and I leant my shoulder into the wall of the caravan with a sigh. Fuck, that had been tense, but it looked like Declan had finally begun to see sense. Whilst my wanting to stay in Appleby was mostly for selfish reasons, it was true enough to say I was curious how Declan’s relationship with Tess was going to progress. I’d meant what I said –I’d seen Declan withlotsof girls, but I’d never seen him like this over one, and a buffer no less.
A grin worked its way onto my face, and I grabbed my phone, tapping out a quick text to Ronan.
JOHN-FRANCIS: Looks like Declan is on board with the plan to stay.
I waited as Ronan came online and I watched him typing a reply with my heart in my mouth.
RONAN: Fuck. Not getting rid of you just yet then!
I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. I should have expected that response. We constantly gave each other shit and it occurred to me that my relationship with Declan was much the same… minus the mind-blowing sex. That was a dangerously exciting mix, and I already couldn’t wait to get to exploring it further.
The beginning of our plans to stay in Appleby didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. Whilst I’d easily managed to find us some work – convincing an old fella in the town that his trees needed felling – my mate was driving me crazy.
Declan was all up in his feelings about Tess, though he’d never have admitted it. He spent days moping about the camp whilst he decided his best course of action – which left Ronan and I decidedly devoid of an entirely different kind of action.
