“You’ll have to tell Tommy. You can’t train like this,” I said as Charlie groaned and folded himself in half.
“It’s the first day back, though.”
“So? You still can’t train.”
“This is the worst,” Charlie said with a pained whine.
“I know,” I said, rubbing his back sympathetically. As much as I wanted to take the piss out of him, there were some lines I’d learned not to cross. And this was one of them. Sure, it might have been self-inflicted by Charlie’s own carelessness, but it had to suck balls.
Although I wasn’t sure if that was right. I mean, if you liked sucking balls, then it wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it? And I’d never sucked balls, so how did I know it, well, sucked? It could be kinda nice. Maybe? I did kind of like sucking things. I’d always been that kid in school who’d chewed pen lids and sucked the end of their pens.
I just kind of liked something in my mouth. It kept my brain occupied.
“Do you think I can stay here?” Charlie asked.
“Maybe? Or you can go and lie in the first aid room?”
“That would be good.” He moaned sadly. “Amanda is gonna kill me.”
“Nah, she might think you’re a prat but that’s nothing new.”
“Do you think she’ll still want to marry me?”
“Mate, this is not even in the top twenty stupid things you’ve done in your life. If she hasn’t been put off so far, I don’t think this will make a difference.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” He looked up at me sadly and I couldn’t not feel pity for the guy. “I still don’t know when to ask her. I want it to be special. I thought about doing it at dinner or something but maybe I should wait until the end of August when we go back to her parents for her nan’s birthday. They’re really close and I think she’d like that. But if she says no, that’d be so awkward.”
“She’s definitely gonna say yes, whatever you choose.”
Charlie nodded and then frowned. “Did you finally eat your lolly? You were still holding it when I went to the toilet.”
“Nah, I’m saving it for later,” I said, telling him exactly what I’d told Bailey. Lies were more convincing if you kept it simple and stuck to the same story. Although technically it wasn’t really a lie. I was saving it for later, just not as a reward for surviving Gavin’s training session.
“I should’ve done that.”
“Maybe they’ll do it again and you can get another one. Or I bet Ezra’s got some spares in the marketing office.”
“Where even is that?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere upstairs near Clive’s office I think.”
Charlie burped loudly, and from my other side, Bailey said, “You all right, Charlie?”
“No,” Charlie said with a sad groan. “I think I’m gonna die.”
“You’re not gonna die,” I said, turning my head around and finding Bailey and Hunter watching me. “Charlie can’t have dairy anymore and he forgot that Chef often puts yoghurt in the smoothies and drank one without checking. So now he feels like shit.”
Hunter winced. “IBS or an allergy?”
“IBS, I think,” Charlie said. “Might be stress related.”
“What are you stressed about?” Bailey asked.
“Picking an engagement ring,” I said. I wasn’t sure if I was meant to have said that, though, so I quickly added, “Among other things.”
“Shit, that’s awesome! Congrats,” Hunter said.
“Thanks. I’ve just got to ask her now,” Charlie said, sitting up slightly. He still looked like he was in pain, though. And I still thought he should go and lie down or sit in the toilets. Whatever he needed to do.
