Chapter Twenty-Four
Luke
Fallon's façade is finally starting to crack. Small pieces of her true self are shining through, and fuck, it’s making me fall even harder for her. After spending the past two days together, I’m worried about how she will be with me after my next five days at work. It’s not like she will want to come around after I finish my shift, will she? Trust me to pick a job with the longest fucking hours. And choose a girl who backpeddles faster than an Olympian.
But we are getting somewhere. So I can't complain. I’m in this for the long haul, and good things come to those who wait.
I'm just changing into my work shirt while she packs up, ready to go home. I told her she could stay for as long as she liked, but she has to go back to work today, too. It sounds like it's going to be a manic day for her after being off for so long. God forbid a hairdresser has timeoff work, her clients sound bloody mental. They have been hounding her the entire time she has been away. Then, when her phone broke, they started hounding the other girls to get in touch with her.
I’m not going to lie, if I had their numbers, I'd have probably harassed them to speak with her, too.
“I don’t want to go back to work,” she groans. “I have got used to this life of leisure.”
I laugh. “I wish we could both stay off work. I could think of plenty of things to keep us busy,” I tease.
“Maybe we should retire early, move to the countryside and live off our own produce,” she sighs. “That would be my dream.”
I try not to think too much into what she’s just said, but I hope the dream part would be doing all of that with me by her side.
“You would love my parents' place,” I smile. “I really need to go there soon to visit, actually. Last time I was up there was when Tommy called me and asked to see Maya.”
“Was that the day we bumped into each other again?” She asks, her cheeks flushing.
“Yep, the very same.”
The day she had a meltdown and tried to avoid me at all costs.
“Where about do they live? They mustn't be too far away?” She asks.
“They’re up in Cheshire. But, if livingsomewhere like you said would actually be your dream, you would bloody love it there,” I smile just at the thought of my family home.
I could easily give up work and move back there tomorrow. I have inherited enough money to do whatever the fuck I wanted to, but it wouldn’t be as gratifying. I love helping people, and I love the thrill of emergencies. Obviously, I wouldn’t wish that kind of emergency on anyone, but I like that I can deal with it and help them.
“Oh, I would love to see what it's like,” she says. “My family home is a little like that, it's just on the outskirts of Bewdley. They have a decent amount of land, and they have chickens and honey bees,” she giggles.
“I bet your house was mayhem growing up with you all in it,” I say. “Your childhood must have been so much fun.”
I think of my own childhood, and how I always had everything I could ever want, but nothing like the friendships Fallon has with her siblings.
“It was, for a while,” she says, her expression changing.
The smile that was once there seems to have slipped from her face. Her defenses rising, and her eyes have taken on that empty look again. What did I say wrong?
“Is everything okay?” I scrunch my brows, staring at her as she starts to tap away on herphone.
“Mhmm. Everything is fine.”
Why is it that I don’t believe her?
“Anyway, I need to go. I still have to get changed before work,” she says, her back to me.
“Okay, let me grab my keys.”
“No, it's okay. I've ordered an Uber.”
What? What the hell is happening right now?
“Fallon?” I ask, but she keeps on walking around the room, collecting her bags. “Fallon!”
