Chapter Twenty-Six

Two days after the fancy ball in the fancy hotel, Mel woke up back in her two up, two down terraced house. It was a mess but she didn’t notice the clutter. Why would she, when messiness and her went together like, well Tom and Jerry. Fish and chips. And anyway, her mind was on more important things than the chaos of her home. It was fixated on the chaos in her heart.

She wished her parents were around to talk to. Her mother would have clucked and sympathised. Her father would have comforted and added much needed insight into the male psyche. Of course she had substitute parents in Frank and Nancy, but Nancy had already given her opinion on what she should do, think about what you really want, before the choice is taken away from you, and as for Frank … he had a soft spot for Aiden that made his opinion too biased.

It was why she was now sitting in the kitchen with Sally, chewing over the events of yesterday.

‘You need to stop being such a wus and start the relationship the pair of you so clearly want,’ Sally told her baldly.

‘But—’

‘No. Don’t you dare give me all that tosh and piffle about how you’ve been hurt before, blah, blah, blah. Do you honestly believe you’re the only woman in the universe to be let down by a man? It happens. Newsflash, some men can turn out to be selfish, immature, fickle creatures out for only one thing. But equally some can be strong, steadfast and loving. Hey, sometimes the former can mature into the latter. You have to learn from past mistakes and trust your ability to pick the good from the bad.’

‘I, umm. Tosh and piffle?’ she asked on a small laugh.

Sally threw her hands up in the air. ‘I give you the ultimate in life advice and that’s the only thing you remember?’

They caught each other’s eye and burst into merciless giggles. Eventually, wiping away tears of laughter, Mel sighed. ‘I suppose that’s what you managed to do, huh? Trust your instincts and pluck out that lovely hubby of yours.’

Sally’s smile could only be called smug. ‘Yes. He’s not perfect, but my life is a lot happier with him in it.’

A simple phrase, but it caught Mel unawares and she felt her eyes start to well. ‘Oh, shucks, how sweet. Carry on like that and you’ll have me in tears.’

‘Don’t mock it until you’ve tried it.’ When Mel would have defended herself, her friend gave her the stern eye. ‘I know you think you tried it with Carlos, and maybe you did, but if you’re really honest it was your pride and ego that took more of a bashing than your heart. If you’d truly loved Carlos you wouldn’t be able to talk to him so easily now. It would still eat you up.’

Mel smiled, acknowledging her friend’s logic. ‘I don’t suppose I can argue with that.’

‘Yet you usually try.’

She rose from her seat and gave Sally a hug. ‘Today I’ll keep quiet. Besides, I’ve taken up far too much of your time. That husband of yours is probably cursing me.’

‘He’s watching football in his den with a beer and a bag of tortilla chips. I doubt he’s remembered I’m not there.’

‘But your life is still better with him in it, eh?’

‘Yes, because at the end of the day I get to snuggle down next to him in bed and remind him of that fact.’

Mel had a brief mental image of her snuggling down next to Aiden. Was that what she really wanted? Even though she’d always feel like he was biding his time, waiting to move on? The ache in her heart seemed to provide the answer.

Aiden passed Tom the plate of pizza. Balancing the controller on his knee, Tom grabbed another slice, dropping at least two pieces of pepperoni onto the cream sofa as he shovelled the pizza into his mouth.

‘Doesn’t that fancy boarding school of yours teach you how to eat properly?’

Tom simply grinned, smearing tomato sauce further over his face as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘Nah. Told you the place was useless.’

Aiden was loathe to break the mood but he knew at some point he had to talk to Tom about school, his mother, and the future. These last two months had been special but there was only so long either of them could bury their heads in the sand.

‘You know there’s stuff we need to talk about,’ he said, trying the cautious approach. ‘Maybe not tonight, but soon.’

‘What stuff?’

‘Your schoolwork, for one. Your mates will probably be breaking up in a week or two but you’ve missed so much you’re going to have to keep working. You know that, right?’

Tom licked at his fingers before wiping them on his jeans. ‘Yeah, you told me. I get time off when you’re off, but when you’re working I have to work.’

It had been the bargain they’d struck recently, Aiden figuring having Helen tutor Tom only when they were on tour was the easiest, and least disruptive solution. Not only had it helped him and Tom bond, it had also meant Helen had no need to come to his apartment. He’d felt uncomfortable letting a woman who was so clearly out to snare him, into his private space. Odd, considering how easily he’d allowed Devon to do just that.

Perhaps he was a little more aware of how his actions looked to others now. To Tom, to his team.

To Mel.

‘Okay then, good, I’m glad you understand. The summer holidays might be coming but you still need to knuckle down for a bit before your mum comes to pick you up.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ Tom waggled the controller. ‘Time for me to kick your ass now, brother.’

Aiden barked out a laugh. ‘Aren’t you the hard man, eh?’ He surveyed the debris on the coffee table. The mountain of PlayStation games Aiden had bought to entertain Tom, all of which they’d played today. The three pizza boxes, still containing a few slices of congealed pizza. The almost demolished bowl of crisps. The full bowl of cherry tomatoes he’d snuck onto the table at the last minute but hadn’t been touched.

His nutritionist would bust a blood vessel.

So, he suspected, would their mother.

‘We need to clear up first, mate,’ he told Tom, standing to pick up the boxes. ‘And this is the very last game we’re playing.’

He should have taken Tom out today, shown him some sights, given him some fresh air. Instead he’d let his bad mood from last night spill over into today and barely managed to get out of bed, never mind out of the apartment. In a fit of jealousy he’d nearly slept with Devon again. How shameful was that? Hell, he’d been a whisker away from proving to Mel he was everything she thought he was.

Tom elbowed him in the ribs. ‘Aiden?’

Aware he’d been staring into space, Aiden shook himself. ‘Sorry. I’ve been lousy company today. I’ll make up for it tomorrow. See if we can go karting somewhere.’

‘Cool.’ Tom helped him carry the leftovers into the kitchen but when they settled back down on the sofa, he stared at him, a small frown on his face. ‘Didn’t you have a good time last night?’

Aiden blinked, surprised at Tom’s perception. ‘It was work really, but as work goes, it was fine.’

‘Did you see that woman? The one with the plastic face who fancies you?’

Despite his lousy mood, Aiden found himself laughing. ‘Devon was there, yes.’

‘Was Mel there, too?’

‘She was.’

‘Which one do you like best?’

Aiden jerked upright. ‘Whoa, where did that come from? I didn’t say I liked Devon. If you remember, you said she liked me.’

‘What about Mel. You like her, don’t you?’

His heart thumped and as Aiden stared into his brother’s solemn face he wondered if Tom knew what he was really asking. ‘Of course I like Mel. She’s a good friend, to both of us.’

Tom nodded, seemingly satisfied, then snatched up the controller. ‘Time to play. Prepare to meet your doom, racing car driver.’

Aiden smiled and picked up his own controller though his mind wasn’t on the game any more.