Page 10 of What Happens in Dubai
‘What? Oh my god! I didn’t realise it was so soon. When are you going?’ He looked frantic.
Shit, I felt under pressure all of a sudden.
‘I’m going … in the morning actually.’ I began stuttering, ‘I, eh, I haven’t even had a chance to pack or anything. It was all so last minute.’
William placed his bulky arms on top of his head, disappointedly.
‘I knew this was too good to be true!’
He took a large sigh and walked back over to me as I tried my hardest to appear sombre.
‘How long will you be away, Zara?’ he asked.
The room fell unbelievably quiet as I thought up my next lie.
‘I’m not sure. I wouldn’t want or expect you to wait for me or anything silly like that. It could be months.’
He nodded.
‘God, I can’t believe it. Tomorrow though? Wow. You must be stressed out with all the organising. Do you need me to leave? Or I could help you? Packing or anything?’
‘It’s OK, but I better start soon, I suppose. I know I should have said before this happened. I just didn’t expect it.’
‘Listen, don’t apologise. I’m fucking glad it happened. I’ll go, eh? Let you get organised. Why don’t you call me when you’ve packed, and we can have a good chinwag? And, Zara?’
I lifted my eyes from the floor and faced him.
‘Never say never. In a few months’ time you could be walking down Argyle Street and we could bump into one another. You’d get a big hug and a HIYA from me!’
I had heard enough fucking hiyas to last a lifetime and knew then he had to leave immediately. I politely hugged the naked man, avoiding direct contact with his ageing ball sack as it swung towards my thighs.
William began buckling up his chainmail and eventually made his way towards the front door. His eyes seemed sad, and I tried my hardest to look devastated myself. I waved him out, shut the door and felt an instant stab of anxiety.Am I a horrible person? I’ve just had sex with that guy and told him a pack of lies to get him to leave my house.
Fuck, this time last year I would have probably arranged a wedding with the sheer amount of interest he was feeding me, but now I felt nothing. Whatsoever.
I wrapped my dressing gown tightly around my shoulders and headed back to the bedroom to rejoinThe Vampire Diaries.
Chapter Four
The following morning, I thundered through the clinic doors, running late, feeling hungover and exhausted from my night with William.
‘Morning,’ Ashley called out. ‘God, you look rough.’
I shot her a death stare, not wanting to comment on my current situation, and headed straight to the staff room to crack open a cold can of Irn Bru to help relieve my hangover.
The clinic had its usual morning buzz and my clients helped take my mind off my worsening headache with their latest dramas at work or at home. Around twelve I made my way back through to reception, craving some calories. Ashley was swivelling idly on the reception chair, staring at the computer screen.
‘Hey, have you got lunch in with you?’ I asked.
‘So, you want to talk now?’ She stood up, deliberately flicking her hair out so that it brushed my face and I could smell her coconut shampoo glide past my nostrils.
‘Oh, stop! OK, sorry. Don’t make me feel worse than I do. I had far too many gins and a weird fucking night last night.’
‘You need to stop drinking on a school night. Will we go to Greggs and you can tell me about it?’ she asked.
‘Yes!’ I blurted, feeling surprised as Ashley had been calorie counting since Christmas.
We collected our jackets from the staff room and began walking through the busy square towards the bakery. The weather was miserable, but my body felt an immediate relief stepping into the cold, fresh air. The alcohol was finally departing my system. We carefully crossed the roads, linking arms while stepping over the deeper puddles left by last night’s rain.
