Page 56 of It Was Always You

Lily nudged him. ‘So, what did you decide about that Sapphire woman? Did you go out with her?’

Adam shook his head slowly. ‘Not yet. We’ve been texting but we still haven’t arranged to meet.’

‘Oh? Why’s that? If you like the sound of her, you should meet her,’ Lily suggested, not really knowing why she was encouraging him again.

‘D’you think so? I mean, she can’t be any worse than pig lady, can she?’

Lily smirked as she remembered that whole situation. ‘Exactly. She might be just what you need. Maybe you just need sex, Adders.’ She shrugged. ‘You’re a man, after all. Men need sex.’ She wagged a finger in his face. He started laughing but she had no clue why. ‘Oy, why’re you laughing at me, Pee Pants?’ She poked his arm with her bottle.

He leaned close to her with a wide smile. ‘You just make me laugh. Men need sex. You make it sound like we can’t function without it. Well, I can tell you that I have for two years and I’m still alive.’

She swallowed hard. He was so close to her that his warm breath tickled her nose, and it made her nervous. Not because she was afraid of him. But because she was afraid of herself. The urge to grab him and kiss him was coiled deep within her. She couldn’t throw a jibe back. Nothing sprang to mind. She was rendered speechless just by his close proximity.

His face became serious. ‘And what about women?’ he whispered.

‘W-what about women?’ she croaked, her eyelids fluttering.

‘Don’t they need sex?’ His voice was low and gruff, and he emphasised the word need, making her insides twist.

She swallowed again. ‘I… I s-suppose some do.’

He reached and tucked a curl behind her ear. His voice still a whisper, he asked, ‘Do you need sex, Lil?’

She pulled her brow into a frown. ‘I’m sorry?’

He leaned closer still so that his nose was almost touching hers. ‘Are you one of those women who need sex?’ What the hell? Lily had no clue what was making him behave like this. She blamed the alcohol. She desperately wanted this to be the real Adam, but deep down she knew that just wasn’t the case.

Suddenly feeling very sober, Lily smiled. Trying to alleviate the tension that had descended between them, she pushed his chest and chuckled. ‘Why? Are you offering your services?’

He didn’t move for a long moment. He cleared his throat. ‘What would you say if I was?’

Her heart hammered at her ribs as she struggled for what to say in answer to him.

Her eyelids fluttered. ‘Erm… erm… I—’ She paused too long and the moment was snatched away.

Adam sat bolt upright and rubbed his hand over his face. ‘Ha ha! Your face! Your face was so serious! You looked terrified!’ He pulled himself to his feet. ‘I need to go pee.’ He left the room quickly and she sat there reeling from what had just happened. What had just happened? Was he kidding around? Or was he seriously asking her for sex? Shittyshittyshit! What. The. Hell?

When Adam returned to the room, he sat in the chair opposite where she remained in stunned silence on the floor. His face was pale and he appeared to have sobered up rather rapidly.

‘Lil, I’m sorry about that. I-I was messing… I’ve had too much beer. You must have been scared to death that I meant it but I was jesting, okay?’ He laughed but it seemed forced.

Tears stabbed her eyes. ‘You shit,’ was all she could say.

He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Oh, hey, come on. I didn’t mean to offend you. It was stupid. I’m sorry. It was the beer talking.’

She clambered to her feet and her legs wobbled. ‘I’m off to bed… alone.’

She made her way up to the spare room and after collapsing on the bed, she cried herself to sleep.

Adam awoke to a banging headache. He thought back to the events of the previous night. What a prick. He was very much aware he had almost lost his best friend after making a drunken pass at her. You utter nobbing idiot. That’s what talking about sex when you haven’t had any for so long does to you. Stupid, stupid tit. Alcohol, Lily, grief, and talking about sex were clearly not a good combination for him. Huh, go figure. Good job she knows me and knows I can be a complete arsehole.

He made his way downstairs and set a pot of fresh coffee brewing. Ten minutes later, while he sat at the tiny table at one end of the kitchen, Lily walked in.

He nervously stood. ‘Hey… Lil… look, I’m sorry about my behaviour last night. I’m so ashamed. I know I was a complete tosser. You need to know that I respect you, and you really didn’t deserve that.’

Her cheeks coloured. ‘What?’

He cringed and twisted his hands in front of him. He had never felt so awkward in front of Lily. ‘You know… what happened… what I… erm… said to you… you know, about… sex.’