Forked Roads Back

66 - ARCHIE

AFTER ANOTHER HOUR ON the road, we finally arrive at the apartment.

Both of my passengers are still fast asleep once I've parked, so I shake Millie's shoulders gently first. She stirs finally, after I resort to slightly more violent shaking, and yawns as she looks around, realising we had stopped.

"Holy shit, we're here?" She wipes the drool off the side of her mouth. "How long was I asleep?" she asks.

"An hour, maybe. It's okay; even you can't beat jet lag," I joke.

"Apparently not," she smiles back before she leans round the seat, tapping Greg's leg. "Babe?" She taps it again and we both jump when he suddenly sits up with a start. He looks completely disorientated, but when he sees us, he remembers and rubs his eyes.

"Jesus. How long was I asleep?"

Millie giggles. "You fell asleep before the engine even started, Greg."

His shoulders sink before he shrugs. "I'm sorry."

She shakes her head smiling, tapping his knee. "All good. Gave me a chance to grill this guy." She nudges me sideways. She sounds like she's joking but I know she's not. Her grilling is nowhere near done.

"Are were here?" Greg asks, yawning again. He really is out of it.

Millie laughs as I answer. "Yup, come on. You can sleep better upstairs and for as long as you want."

"But after breakfast," Millie adds, pointing at me as if she's scolding me. "Pancakes?"

"Of course! I believe Pete and Ollie are making the full works." It's all I need to say before she darts off towards the lift, not waiting for us.

"We'll get the bags then!" I yell after her. She waves just before the doors close and I shake my head.

"She seems excited to see Ollie," Greg says.

"Don't worry, her excitement is purely based on the prospect of pancakes than who's cooking them," I joke.

The relief in his smile is evident. He grabs both of their bags and as we walk to the lift, I can see him looking at me.

"You can ask."

He chuckles. "Erm, yeah. What the hell happened to your face?" He ducks his head and I tip up my chin, revealing the worst of the remaining bruising. "It looks like it hurt."

"It still does."

"Who did it? Tackle gone wrong or something?"

I hit the button for the lift. It always takes a while to get from the basement to the penthouse and back, so we have a few minutes. "Telling you is probably easier than telling Millie. It's a bit embarrassing," I add.

"Why's it embarassing?"

"Well... It was over a drawing." I clear my throat. "A... naked drawing."

"A naked drawing?" he laughs. "You mean like the one you did of T-" He stops when he sees my eyes widen, shocked at him knowing such sensitive information.

"Yes," I whisper through gritted teeth. "And I can't believe Millie told you that!"

"I can't believe you told Millie that!" he counters.

"I didn't. She found my sketchbook."

His chuckles start getting louder as my cheeks redden further, but knowing it couldn't get much worse, I continue.

"Lara and I had just moved on to the next stage in our relationship, and I had this amazing idea."

"An amazing idea to draw her naked."