Life-moving moments

Chapter 28

Ava

When I woke up this morning, I was confused for a moment. First as to where I was and then as to where James was.

James had left and I felt bereft. I felt worse than when Mat had left.

I laid and gathered my thoughts and feelings for a few moments before reaching for my phone to check the time.

There was a message from James.

JAMES: Morning. Sorry that I had to leave while you were still sleeping but I have to go to work. I still have my Saturday shifts.

JAMES: I will call you tonight.

My heart lifted again. James had not left without saying goodbye. He'd let me sleep off my hangover while he got up early to go to work.

My stomach screamed at me so I dragged myself out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I could hear Ronel and Emily tidying up in the lounge and dining room. I would help them just as soon as I got some coffee and food in me.

The kitchen was already cleaned when I got there but Emily followed me in anyway, because she had questions.

Our pre-breakfast tete-a-tete did not leave me feeling any better. All my confused feelings returned and I'm full of doubts about me and James and Mat. I try to avoid Ronel while I clean. I am not sure how I feet about her. I can't believe James kissed her first thing this morning. Has he been playing me this whole time?

Emily had said that Ronel had cornered him in the bathroom but surely if he didn't like being cornered, he could have pushed Ronel away or was his people-pleasing so extreme that he couldn't even repulse unwanted advances? And if that was the case, was that the kind of guy I wanted to date? Should I even be thinking about dating him? Technically I was still dating Mat. Did Mat still think we we a couple? Probably but I hadn't heard anything from him the whole night. The only messages on my phone so far this morning had been from James.

As if my phone had read my mind, it pinged. I propped the broom I was using up against the wall and took it out of my pocket. It was a birthday wish from my cousin Danielle with another apology for not coming. She said she was feeling much better this morning and asked when we could go out again.

Throughout the morning, more messages came through. Most of them were birthday wishes. There was a question from another cousin about the secondary birthday get-together that my cousin Danielle appeared to be planning. There were even a few spam messages - but nothing from Mat. Perhaps we were over for him too.

By noon the house is sufficiently cleaned and Emily and Andrea start getting ready for their late shift. Andrea still looks a mess but Emily is surprisingly fresh.

"I didn't really drink much last night," she says, when I comment on it.

"She was too busy with other things," Andrea says suggestively.

"Yes, looking after all of you," Emily says, quickly, with a nervous laugh. I know that laugh. It's an I'm up to something laugh but I don't really care what she's up to. I have enough of my own shit to deal with.

Eventually, I have no more excuses to delay. I have to go home and face Mat, if he is still there.

He is. My family are not. Saturdays are usually busy days for everyone so I don't expect to find them home but I was hoping that Mat would be gone too but he is waiting for me in my room, something he would never have dared to do had my parents been home.

"Hi," he says, looking ashamed.

"Hi." I reply. Gees, how was I going to do this?

"I'm sorry," Mat says. "When I left last night, I thought you would come home. I didn't realise you meant to sleep over."