The Book Boyfriend

Eight.

Faking a hang over I hid in my room for the majority of Sunday and thankfully John was out with our Nana so I wasn’t under his scrutiny. Jess respected the fact I wanted to be left alone, not mentioning the B word once. I wasn’t stupid enough to think she’d let it go that easily, but she gave me the space I wanted.

Monday I decided being unemployed had its perks and being able to stay in bed surrounded by my misery was perfect, until John walked in.

“Are you sick?” Frowning he sat beside me on the bed, resting his hand on my forehead. “You don’t have a temperature”

“Thanks Doctor John. Go away!” I mumbled, rolling over.

“Nan told me you got fired, that sucks. Get up, we’ll go out for breakfast. Where’s Jess?” He pulled back the blankets and fresh morning air had me curling into a ball.

“School for some induction thing. I don’t want breakfast.”

“You always want breakfast. What’s going on? I didn’t think getting fired would upset you so much” His concern was obvious as he sat back down, rolling me over to face him. “You look like shit. Did you really drink that much Saturday night?”

“Go away!”

“Get up!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

I could see this going on for a while and sighing got up, heading into the bathroom.

“I hate you.”

“I know. Be ready in ten!” I heard my bedroom door close and let the shower work it’s magic. I had no reason to be like this, there was no relationship to end, nothing really happened. I had been lost in a fantasy and once again the real world sucked. Thirty minutes later we headed out for breakfast and I made sure to forget all about Beau and whatever that all was.

Come Wednesday I found myself staring at my phone. Last week it had been glued to my hand and now it was as silent with only the odd text from Jess or my Mum coming through.

“Stop staring Bec.” Jess came and sat beside me on the sofa, John was out with some old school friends giving us a night alone.

“I’m not, I was watching the tele.” I defended.

“Please, I changed the channel three times and you didn’t flinch. Just call him or something?” I knew she was setting the bait.

“Call who?” So I played dumb.

“Tell me what happened. I find you two naked in bed together and then this,” She waved her hand over me and I only sighed. “Spill.”

So I told her what happened at the club with John, the taxi and coming home. All she did once I was done was open and close her mouth, speechless.

“But he did that gaga thing for you and he didn’t care about not getting any and, and that’s it then?” Going quiet we both drifted off into our own thoughts before she spoke again. “It was my fault, oh Bec! I’m so sorry!”

“Your fault? How?”

“Barging in! I didn’t know!” She grabbed me in a tight hug, but it didn’t make sense and I wasn’t about to let her beat herself up over it.

“It’s not your fault. Don’t think that for a second. He clearly has his own issues and it’s better nothing happened. He went to rehab last year for fucks sake and he was on a plane to Seattle yesterday.”