Sighing, I get up, and walk around to him and sit in his lap. He puts his fork down on his plate and wraps his arms around me.
“The time will fly by, baby,” I say, kissing his cheek. “And then I’ll be back home and everything will be back to normal. Except I’ll be writing a book.” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
Will touches my face, brushing my hair back. “I am really pleased for you, darling. I’m just going to miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
He leans in and presses his lips to mine. He tastes of red wine and lasagne.
I wrap my arms around his neck kissing him back. I part my lips and his tongue moves in my mouth.
I turn in his lap so I’m straddling him, kissing him still. He groans in my mouth.
Normally when Will makes that sound it really turns me on, but for some reason I don’t feel as turned on.
I push myself closer to him, trying to ignite a fire in my belly.
I feel Will get hard beneath me. He puts his hands on my ass, and pulls me hard onto him.
But still nothing is happening for me.
I’m probably just tired, and overwhelmed with everything that’s happened over the last few days. I’ll get turned on any second now, I’m sure of it.
But I don’t feel any different when he’s leading me into my bedroom, and undressing me, and making love to me. And I can’t for the life of me figure out why not.
It’s half ten when Adele starts singing, telling me I have a text. I must change my ring tone.
Will is already asleep. He fell asleep pretty much right after we made love, but I’ve been laid here for ages unable to sleep watching the TV in my room with the sound low.
I whip my phone up off my nightstand, silencing it. Then I see the text is from Jake. My heart jumps in my chest.
With nervous fingers, I open up the text:
So I’m sitting here bored shitless and I was thinking about that time when we blew off school, when it was that mad heat wave that one summer, and we took the train to Hebden Bridge so we could go swimming in Lumb Falls … do you remember?
Smiling at the memory, I climb out of bed, pulling my dressing gown on and I go into the kitchen, taking my phone with me. I put the kettle on to make a tea. While it’s boiling, I type a text back:
Of course I do! That was such a fun day, well until you dared me to jump off the high rocks, and I did and when I resurfaced I’d lost my bikini top and you had to go diving for it!
Laughing to myself I press send. I put my phone onto vibrate so not to disturb Will, then get a cup out of the cupboard and drop a teabag in it. My phone vibrates in my hand:
That’s what I was remembering ;)
My face flushes red. Is he flirting with me? I instantly type back:
Perv! I was only thirteen!
My phone vibrates immediately:
So was I. x
He put a kiss at the end. I grab the milk out of the fridge and type back a reply.
You’re still a perv ;) Seriously though, I did just want to say thank you again for lunch. I’ve never quite had a lunch like it before.
I hover my finger over the send button. Then I go back and add a few kisses then press send.
Me either. I’ll miss u while I’m gone. Be good. x
He’ll miss me? And he’s telling me to be good. When am I never good? I hold the phone to my chest, contemplating texting him back.
Unable not to, I quickly tap out a text:
I’ll miss u 2. And fyi, I’m always good. It’s you that needs to learn the meaning of the word. x
It’s a minute before he replies:
I’m starting to. x
I stare at my phone for a while, confused, until the kettle boils bringing me round.
I make myself a cup of tea and take it back to bed with me. I climb in bed beside Will. He groans and rolls over in this sleep, facing me.
I look at him and sip my tea, then it hits me why I didn’t feel turned on before with Will.
Because of Jake. Because I can’t stop thinking about him.
Chapter Nine
I’m in a taxi on my way to Heathrow airport to fly out to Sweden for the first leg of the tour.
I’m mega excited about this tour, and I’m also really looking forward to seeing Jake again.
I might not have seen Jake for two weeks, but we’ve been in regular contact; I’ve spoken to him every day. Well, not actually spoken, but we’ve been emailing and texting every day since he texted me that first night.
It’s like we’ve never been away from each other. The last twelve years dissolving into irrelevance.
Some of the emails and texts have been a little flirty, mostly on his part, but I’ve made sure not to cross any line. I don’t want to blur things and give Jake the wrong impression.
I’m not up for being another notch on his incredibly long belt, even if he is gorgeous and lovely, and so very sweet to me. It’s not worth losing Will over.
And Will … well things have been amazing these last few weeks. It’s been like it was when we first got together. Hot sex everywhere.
It seems that lag I had, which I’m totally putting down to Jake’s huge bang back into my life, vanished with him going back to LA.
We were in bed together last night, when Will did the sweetest thing…
“So I bought you something,” Will said climbing out of bed, leaving me feeling cold without him.
“You did?” I sat up, feeling a little frisson of excitement.
Will always buys me the best presents, he knows what I like. He knows me so well.