He was so stupid. And now I was laughing again.
“No, what I was trying to say is…Mary was lucky. She must have felt so loved. You know? Having you around to look after her. Like, you would have waited up for her as well, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course. It’s what you do when you’re family.”
He had no idea how much that cut. How that simple word cut a wound in my chest just by existing.
“Cool,” my mouth said, as I bled inside.
“Are you…” he said quietly, shifting in the bed.Don’t touch me. Just don’t.
“Yeah.” I wasn’t. “Yeah, yeah. Just tired.”
“You know you can talk to me. About anything. I mean that.”
“I know.”
Like I would.
“I hope,” he continued, being his usual self. That voice back to a more normal volume. Clearing his throat with a feigned cough. “That when this is all over. I hope you’ll still… I mean. We don’t move in the same circles, and our lives are wildly different. But I hope we’ll keep in touch.”
“I’ll come have my teeth done.” I smiled, as he chuckled.
“Oliver, I’m a paediatric dentist. I don’t have adult clients. Well, I do deal with…”
“But you said I’m a child. Remember? That first day?”
“I’m sorry about that.” He was laughing. The whole bed was moving again, this cheap arse mattress giving me nausea.
“This mattress gives me seasickness. You really need to stop moving around.” I tried to sound stern.
“Shame the sofa is useless. Not that I want to go sleep on it. I like having you here.”
“You like having a hot man in your bed.”
The stupidity in me was nauseating. Not the bed.
“Oliver.” He sighed, reaching out and patting me gently on the stomach. “Go to sleep. Long day tomorrow.”
Then he turned over. And I wanted to throw up.
The panic brewing in my chest was once again overwhelming as I just lay there, listening to his breathing even out. Or perhaps he was faking it, what did I know? This strange man who… Fuck. I couldn’t even say it. He was just a bloke. A straight bloke. A guy who had no reason to even like me. None whatsoever.
HE IS STRAIGHT! OLD! Not interested, Oliver!
I even sounded like him in my head.
I turned over again, my back to him. The whole bed wobbled precariously. If I did it one more time, his body would probably roll off the mattress and hit the floor. He could break his arm. I’d take him to hospital…
OLIVER!
I turned again with a deep sigh, this time rolling onto my side, facing him, trying to keep an eye on his body, hoping he wouldn’t wake up.
Please don’t wake up.
“Babygirl.” His voice was… Oh God. It made my stomach wobble. And what the fuck, Peter?
I said that too, out loud.
