“No, thanks,” I yelled through the door. “You going to be long?”
“I’ll be right out, after I cleanse, tone, and moisturise.”
Ugh, Max used to be the nice one, but hanging with the Onslow Boys smart-arse-humour seemed to have rubbed off on him; well, two can play at that game.
“Okay, open the door then.”
“What?” Max said in a rather high-pitched voice.
“Come on, cover up your bits; I’m coming in.”
“Ah, no, you’re not.”
“Don’t think I don’t have access to a key; I know people.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
My brow curved.
Challenge accepted.
Max started to sing, ‘Come and get your Love’ in the secure privacy of his little shower.
I made a direct, determined line to Chris’s apartment, banging on the door, caring little what the time was. I was on a mission.
The door flung open. Tammy answered, dressed in her customary Lycra tank and three-quarter pants; of course she was up, she was always going on freakish runs in the morning.
“Hello, sunshine, seems like you’ve risen nice and early.”
Shifting from one foot to the next, first things first. “Tam, can I please use your toilet, Max is being a dick.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” she said, standing aside and letting me in.
I ran in tiny little steps, barely raising a hand to Chris who sat in his boxers at the table eating breakfast. Must have been a Henderson boy thing, hanging out in boxers.
Awkward.
I had to act fast, and once I had gained back all reasonable thought, I opened the bathroom door.
“Thanks,” I said sheepishly. “You’re a life saver.”
Chris studied me with his usual serious eyes from his cereal bowl. “Seems like you’re always bolting to a toilet.”
Tammy’s head snapped around. “Oh my God, Ellie, you’re not preggers, are you?”
“Wait, what?” I croaked.
“I’m not hearing this,” said Chris, who quickly grabbed his bowl and headed toward the kitchen.
“I’m NOT pregnant,” I called out after him. “Jesus, that’s how rumours start.”
Tammy smirked, shrugging. “Sorry, it’s just, you know—”
“Yeah, well, wash your mouth out.” I laughed. Not only was I not with child, but it would have been a bloody miracle seeing as in order to have a baby you kind of needed to have sex, and that pleasure had eluded me for some time now, for a rather depressingly long time. But there were some things that just weren’t meant to be discussed.
I headed toward the door. “I know you’ve probably just had breakfast, but do you want to have lunch?”
Tammy’s smile was blinding. “Yeah, I would love that.” Her eagerness made my black heart a little mushy. Tammy and I hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot, but something told me, her being the only soul on this planet that knew about my feelings for Adam, I kind of needed a confidant, now more than ever.
