| |
––––––––
THEY TUMBLED INTO HER flat, laughing and kissing. Liv tugged Michael’s jacket from his shoulders, dropping it to the floor as they stumbled over to the sofa. He sat down, pulling her with him. She swung her leg over his, so she straddled his thighs, their lips not parting for a moment.
Olivia was so involved in where Michael’s hands were going, she barely noticed Tammy clearing her throat in the archway that led through to the open plan kitchen.
“Oh, sorry,” she said, pulling away from Michael and widening her eyes at him. “I didn’t know you’d still be up.”
Tammy’s lips thinned. “Well, I clearly am, aren’t I? And I don’t exactly want to be kept awake by the sound of you two shagging all night.”
Liv took Michael’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “That’s okay. We can go to my room.”
“I’ll still be able to hear you.” She scowled.
“Wear some headphones,” she shot back, hating how Tammy was making her feel bad just for bringing someone back. Ignoring her flatmate, who remained standing in the same place, shooting them both daggers, Liv pulled Michael into her bedroom, where she shut the door on Tammy.
“I told you we should have gone back to your place,” she said beneath her breath. “My flatmate can be a total nightmare.”
Normally, Tammy would have taken herself out for the weekend by now, but it didn’t look as though she was going anywhere. Maybe her plans got cancelled, and that was why she was still here. Liv hoped that didn’t mean she’d be around all weekend.
He pulled her in, fitting her against his body. “We can be quiet,” he whispered in her ear.
“Isn’t it just easier to go back to your place? We can be as loud as we want, then.” She knew she was pushing him a little, but she really wanted to see more into his life. He’d spent a weekend at her flat already, and it only seemed fair that she got to spend the weekend at his place as well. Besides, the thought of spending the entire weekend tiptoeing around Tammy if she stayed home was horrendous. “You did promise me dinner, remember?”
He sat on the edge of her bed and tugged her down to sit beside him.
“Livvy, I would love to cook you dinner, but the kitchen is a disaster. A pipe burst behind one of the walls and flooded the whole thing. The place is completely unusable.”
This was the first he’d mentioned about it, but she didn’t challenge him. “Oh, no. What a nightmare. How have you been cooking?”
“I haven’t. It’s been coffee shops and takeaways for the past few days.”
“When will it be fixed?”
“Not for a good couple of weeks, at least. A plumber came straight out and fixed the pipe, but everything is saturated. I’ve got big machines in there roaring away to try to take all the moisture out of the floor and walls, but the whole lot is probably going to have to come up so I can get new floors laid.”
She pulled a face. “I hope you have good insurance.”
“Yes, thank God.”
“You know you can hang out here as often as you want until it gets fixed. It’s going to cost you a fortune in takeaway food if you can’t use your kitchen for a couple of weeks.”
He patted his rock-hard, flat stomach. “Won’t be great for the waistline either.”
“What’s this?” Tammy’s head popped around the door, and she hadn’t even bothered to knock. “Sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing you inviting Michael to stay.”
Liv rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe her flatmate had been listening in on their conversation. “Tammy, you’re hardly ever here, which is fine by me, so you won’t even notice Michael being around.
“This place isn’t leased to three people.”
“It won’t be forever, Tammy. His house flooded.”
Tammy scowled, her hands folded across her chest. “There’s enough mess in this place without adding another person to it.”
“He won’t leave a mess,” she said in exasperation. “He’s not a child.”
Michael lifted his hands and waved. “Hey, I am here. You don’t need to talk over me. But look, I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“You’re not,” Liv snapped. “Tammy is the one causing problems, as usual.”
Her eyebrows shot up her forehead. “As usual? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“That you have a damned stick up your arse most of the time.”
Her mouth gaped open and shut. “How dare you!”
“Well, it’s true. You party all weekend and then spend the first half of the week on a comedown.”
“You’re hardly averse to a glass of wine yourself, you know?”
“Yeah, a glass of wine. That’s all.”
“You were so drunk the other day, you left the flat door wide open. Don’t make out to me you’re little miss perfect, ’cause I know the truth about you better than anyone.”
Her insides jolted at Tammy’s words. “What?”
“I know you’re on meds. It’s no wonder you can’t remember stuff when you’re drinking alcohol on top of all that stuff.”
She froze, horribly conscious of Michael beside her. She hadn’t discussed any of that stuff with him, and had hoped to never have to. Maybe it wasn’t good to keep something like that a secret from him, but she had far worse secrets to hide. She was frightened that opening that door would lead to others. She preferred for Michael to think she was perfect. Knowing about the medication was bound to cause him to start asking questions about her past and there were things she wanted to forget ever happened.
Tammy’s gaze flicked to Michael, and a slow smile spread across her face. “Oh, whoops.” She touched her fingertips to her lips. “Michael didn’t know yet, did he? My bad.”
“You bitch,” Liv snarled.
Her head tilted to one side. “I’ve done you a favour. Now you won’t have that awkward ‘how can I tell him’ moment.”
Olivia leapt to her feet, but Michael’s hand on her arm stopped her from launching herself at her flatmate. “Just leave it, Liv. It’s not a big deal, I promise.”
Tammy flashed them one last false smile then vanished from the doorway.
“It is a big deal. She shouldn’t be telling you my personal business.”
“I meant that it’s not a big deal if you’re on medication of some kind.”
She sank back onto the bed beside him. “You don’t know what kind of meds they are.” Her stomach churned with nerves. This had never been part of the plan. She should have been more careful and hidden the tablets better from Tammy. It should have occurred to her that Tammy would have used them against her.
“Look at me, Livvy.”
Feeling guilty, she turned to face him. He fixed his dark eyes on hers, his touch on her arm increasing in pressure.
“Tell me what the meds are for?”
His voice was firm, and she didn’t feel she could disobey. What was it with him? It was as though he was able to just suggest something to her, and she felt compelled to obey.
The thought sent a ripple of unease through her. Was such a thing even possible? No, of course it wasn’t. It was a ridiculous thing to even consider. Yet she found herself remembering the number of times he’d convinced her to go against what she’d really wanted. She’d thought at the time she’d agreed to please him, because they’d been a new couple and she’d wanted to make him happy, but was there more to it?
I won’t tell him what the medication is for, she thought, turning her face away from him.
“Olivia.” His tone was firm. “Tell me what you’re taking medication for.”
She lifted her eyes to his. She had to tell him. She didn’t want to, wanted to lie and pretend they were for something else entirely, but she couldn’t help herself.
“They’re antipsychotics,” she said in a whisper.
He frowned, his hand moving from her arm. “Antipsychotics? What are they used to treat?”
“I have anxiety. It got quite debilitating at one point, and I struggled to function. But I’m better now, as you can see. The medication keeps it under control.”
“I see.”
“Plenty of people have mental health issues at some point in their lives, Michael.” Her cheeks burned. “It’s not something to be ashamed of.”
Lines marred his normally smooth brow. “So why didn’t you tell me already?”
“Because I wasn’t sure we were serious enough to be having those kinds of conversations. It’s not as though you’ve told me every single detail of your health over the past however many years. In fact, you hardly tell me anything about yourself at all!”
“That’s not true, Olivia. I’ve told you plenty.”
“About work, maybe, about what food you like, and books you read, but I’ve never met any of your friends or family. I’ve never even seen your house.”
He huffed out a breath of air in exasperation. “Like you pointed out, Olivia, we’re still a new couple. There’s no need to rush into all of this.”
“You mean I have to tell you everything about me, but you can hold back everything about you.”
“This is ridiculous.” He got to his feet. “I need to get going.”
Bitterness shot straight through her heart. “Of course, you do. Now that you’ve heard my dirty little secret, you’re running straight for the door.”
“I’m not running. I just have somewhere to be.”
“Your flooded house, you mean?”
He jammed his hands on his hips and nodded. “Yes, actually. I need to meet a builder first thing to get a quote for the work to be done.”
“So, let me come with you.” She knew how desperate she sounded and hated herself for it.
His eyes narrowed. “You’re being kind of clingy now, Liv.”
“Of course, I am. Well, off you go, then. Wouldn’t want a clingy woman hanging around.” She went to the door and motioned for him to walk out.
He exhaled another sigh. “Fine. I’ll call you.”
Michael leaned down to kiss her cheek, but she ducked her face away at the last moment so he only got air.
“Right.” He shook his head and turned and walked out the door.
Liv jumped to her feet and slammed it behind him. Then she sat back down on the bed, put her head in her hands, and burst into tears.