They must still be in the hallway, but his voice is closer now.
“It’s pretty typical for student accommodation.”
“I wouldn’t know." Billy's voice is smug. “Waste of money, if you ask me. You should have stayed at home.”
I bite my lower lip.
“I’m not alone,” Jimmy says.
“Got a boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
Every muscle in my body is tense and aching. I should have taken the chance to run away. I hadn’t realised how little I want to see Billy, especially since Angus opened my eyes to how coercive and controlling he had been. Will my ex still have power over me?
“About time. I thought you’d still be hung up on Flynn,” Billy says, his words taunting.
I frown. What does he meanstillhung up on me?
“Shut up,” Jimmy hisses.
“Where is this boyfriend of yours?”
“In the sitting room. It’s Flynn.”
Billy laughs. “I might have known you’d pick up my sloppy seconds. What’s he doing in Leeds?”
I’ve had enough. I clench my teeth and my hands and stride to the door, flinging it open. Billy has a haughty look on his face, which turns bitter as he focuses his glare on me.
“Look what the cat dragged in.”
“Don’t you dare,” Jimmy says.
Despite being less muscular than Jimmy, Billy pushes him in the chest. “Fuck off.”
“I’m here for work,” I say, fighting to keep my voice calm.
“Given up on being a country bumpkin?”
“You need to shut up,” Jimmy mutters.
“On a farm,” I retort. Jimmy’s presence is emboldening.
“So you finally got the boy,” Billy says to Jimmy. “Took you long enough.”
“Shut up,” Jimmy says, his voice low and dangerous.
My head is spinning.
“He didn’t tell you, did he?” Billy seems to have no intention of staying quiet.
“Tell me what?” My voice is shaking.
“How he wanted you when we were teens. How he wouldn’t fight for you. How he let me have you.” He moves into my personal space as he speaks, making me shrink against the wall.
Jimmy yanks him back and propels him into the opposite wall with a thud. “Why are you doing this?”
“What? Telling him the truth?” Billy looks past Jimmy. “He’s fancied you for years. Fuck knows why, it’s not as if you’re good in bed.”
