’None of this means I’m in love with her.’ I snapped. I barely had a thread of control left and my brother's questions were about to make it snap.
‘Answer the question,’ George said firmly.
Through gritted teeth, I said, ‘If she’s having a good day, it’s with a shit ton of milk and vanilla syrup or some ridiculous concoction from Starbucks. A bad day, she drinks hot chocolate.’
George nodded absentmindedly. ‘What annoys her most?’
‘Me,’ I said instantly. Seeing the unamused look on my brother's face I took another sip as I thought. ‘It’d probably be, entitlement.’
George cocked his head. ‘Explain.’
‘People acting like they have a right to something just because they’re rich or have influence.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘You really must drive her crazy.’
I let out a small laugh. I did drive her crazy, I knew that—even enjoyed it sometimes. She’d get this cute pinched expression on her face like she was trying her hardest to not throttle me.
George continued. ‘Okay, what’s her biggest fear?’
‘I’m not telling you that.’
‘But you know it.’
I nodded slowly.
‘Nothing goes beyond this.’ George said as he gestured to the space between the two of us. ‘It never does, man.’
I swiped a hand down my face. ‘She’s afraid of the dark. Not in the normal, don’t-like-the-lights-off kinda way. It’s a huge phobia for her, she gets really bad panic attacks because of it.’ There was no judgement on my brother's face as he lifted his own drink to his lips, swallowing a large gulp. I watched the motion, thinking.
‘But I think the thing that scares her shitless more than that is being perceived as a failure. Her family is fucked up.You should hear some of the shit they’ve said to her.’ It seemed like an age ago when Fallon sat at my kitchen counter, still white with anxiety and told me the reason for her fear. My anger at her right now still didn’t eclipse the rage I felt for her brother. The sycophantic arse-kisser who had tormented his sister.
’She told you?’
‘Yeah.’ My voice cracked.
‘Okay, back to the questions. What’s her favourite food?’
I bit back my retort at this stupid exercise. ‘Baileys over ice cream.’
George smiled. ‘Fuck, I thinkImight be in love with this girl.’
I cut him a sharp look. George held up his hands, not dropping his shit eating grin.
‘What makes her happy?’
The answer flew out of my mouth, requiring little thought. ‘Her fucking Winnie the Pooh pyjamas, she gets this little grin whenever she wears them.’ My lips twitched, at the memory of seeing her padding around her flat wearing them, a contented smile on her face.
‘But I’d say the thing that makes her really happy is being around Rosie.’ I felt my brother tense slightly.
‘It’s like she’s the only person in the world who can tear down all the insecurities inside her and just let her be happy. She’s never worried about anything when Rosie’s around.’ I fell silent for a moment then added quietly. ‘It’s like Rosie calms her soul.’
George turned his palms to the ceiling. ’See.’
‘See what?’ I took another slug of my drink. ‘None of that proves anything.’
George hung his head. ‘Alright, you stubborn bastard. Answer me this, did you know any of those things about Ashley?’
I opened my mouth, about to launch into a verbal diatribe, but nothing came out.
