When Mercedes woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find Richard fast asleep, curled up right on the edge of the bed. She didn’t remember the nightmare, or Richard coming in to soothe her, she never really did remember when she woke up in the night. She lay in the bed for a while, staring up the ceiling and trying to force her brain to remember anything from last night, but everything was foggy and she couldn’t latch on to any details. She had a faint memory of someone kissing her forehead, but that could have been when she was put to bed. Giving up, she climbed quietly out of bed and padded through into the lounge, where she found James reading the newspaper.
“Morning,” she said, sitting down the other end of the couch.
“Good morning,” he smiled over the top of his paper. “Is Richard still asleep?”
She nodded.
“I’m not surprised. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said uncertainly, “why?”
“Last night, you were screaming. Richard sat with you till you fell asleep, and I’m guessing fell asleep himself.”
“Oh.” Back at Reedham, if she had nightmares in her own room, she was ignored. When she was in a shared room, the other girls just told her to go back to sleep. “I don’t remember him coming in.”
James put the paper down, deciding that if she didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t push her. “Would you like a cuppa?”
“Yes, please.” She watched him flit around the kitchen, making two cups of tea, and smiled when he brought them over. “Thanks.”
James glanced towards the hallway. “Richard better get up soon, he has to film today.”
Mercedes glanced up from her tea. “Do you have to as well?”
“Not today, Richard is filming solo. We can do whatever we like today.”
Mercedes looked back down at her tea. She’d never been told that before, at Reedham all her decisions were made for her. Chores in the morning, breakfast, more chores until lunch. They weren’t allowed to eat until the whole house was sparkling clean, and if anyone missed a spot, they all went hungry. The only time they were allowed to do anything fun was the two hours between lunch and their next lot of chores, tidying up the mess they’d made playing. They were extra lucky if Ms Summers had a nap, they could do anything so long as they didn’t make a mess. “What do you usually do when you don’t have to film?”
“Usually, he locks himself in his garage, tinkering away with old motorbikes,” Richard said, emerging from the hall. His hair was tousled and he was yawing as he shuffled towards the kitchen.
“As opposed to spending the whole day cleaning Oliver after driving him a half mile?” James smirked.
“Who’s Oliver?” Mercedes wondered.
“A car,” James informed her.
“Not just any car, my trusty little Opel Kaddet. He carried me safely across Botswana, so I brought him home.” Richard flicked on the kettle, rummaging around for coffee.
“Botswana? That’s in Africa, right?”
“It is, indeed, James answered, for Richard had stuck his head in the pantry. “Second from the top, Hammond,” he added.
“You guys drove across Africa? For your show?”
“Yup,” Richard said, having found the coffee. “Well, most of us did, anyway.”
Mercedes looked to James. “Maybe we can watch that today? Or I can stay in here and watch it while you fix your motorbike,” she said hopefully.
“Sure,” he smiled. “We can get some popcorn and have a marathon, if you want. Laugh at Hammond’s ridiculous car.”
“Oi! Don’t knock Oliver!”
Mercedes laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”
---
Richard tottered off not long later, once the coffee and quick shower had woken him up enough to drive the two hours to work. James went for his own shower after telling Mercedes she could help herself to whatever food he had in the kitchen, amused by her wide grin.
James didn't often like children, his sisters kids were little monsters and he was glad he only saw them at Christmas or if he could be bothered going to a birthday party- which wasn't often. But Mercedes was different. True, she was older, but that wasn't why James had taken such an instant liking to her. He supposed it was because, in a way, she reminded him of himself. They were both quiet and a little shy, they mostly liked to keep themselves to themselves, they both didn't much like Jeremy Clarkson.
Yes, he supposed that was it. She was a sweet little thing, possibly more polite than he ever was as a child, and best of all, she actually liked him. She liked Richard as well, obviously- everyone liked that ridiculous little man. But she had wanted to stay at his flat, not Richard's, spend the day with him. And he decided he quite liked that.