My arse is square, my hair is a mess, my back hurts, and I smell like out of date haggis.
Oh, and I got so used to the Florida weather that I'm freezing.
It's two AM by the time we get through security, collect our bags, and walk to the arrivals area, exiting through the revolving doors to the lovely Scottish weather.
It's totally pissing it down.
We say goodbye to Doctor Shique as his wife picks him up, waving at us when they drive away.
"Aria..." Gabs grabs my shoulder to stop me, staring down at her phone. "I have a message from Ewan, he said he tried to message you but just in case you didn't see it, saying it'll be too late to bring Jason tonight but he can see you tomorrow."
"Okay," I reply, pulling my hood up and searching for the taxi rank. I haven't bothered to dig my phone out of my bag and turn it on, it's been nice and peaceful the last few hours. I kind of enjoy the time away from the toxic world of social media.
"Did you give Toby my number?"
I frown at her, handing the driver our luggage to put in the car boot. "No, why?"
Lifting her screen to me, I shield it from the rain with my hand while I read the message asking if I'm okay. "How do you know it's Toby?"
"Who else would it be? Look at the dialling code." She points it out and I nod slowly, then shrug with a smile.
"He's just worried, that's all. Justin probably gave him it."
"He's so fucking weird," she replies as we climb into the back of the taxi, and I roll my eyes at her before giving the dude directions to our shared flat. "I'm going to call him, let him know we've landed."
"Toby?" I ask, and she glares at me with a murderous look. "Oh... Justin. What happened to you ending things with him?"
"We can still talk on the phone, Aria." She huffs, chewing the corner of her lip. "In fact, I'll just message him," she says, tapping away on her screen. After a few minutes of her finger clicking filling my ears, smirking every time he replies, she eventually turns to me with a confused look. "He didn't give Toby my number, are you sure you didn't?"
"Positive," I reply, raising a brow. Did I?
"Strange."
It's dark out, and the entire drive back is quiet, Gabriella eventually falls asleep on my shoulder. My phone takes forever to turn on before my notifications start, nearly wiping out my thirty percent battery. "Jesus." I lean my head back, deciding to wait for the vibrating to stop before I dive back into socialising, shoving it into my bag.
When we eventually make it home, Gabriella goes straight to bed while I shower, pull on a pair of fluffy pyjamas, and boil the kettle for a cup of tea. I finally pick up my phone, my half-opened eyes from tiredness squint at the screen as I scroll through the countless notifications.
Other than Instagram, I have two messages from Ewan, telling me to have a safe flight and another about it being too late to bring Jason to mine. One from Mum, asking how Florida is. And my eyes widen when I see two hundred and fifty-one from Toby. What? I chew on my lip, waiting for the messenger box to unfreeze, and read the last three.
Whiplash: I'm not sure what the fuck is going on but if something has happened then you need to tell me. You just left without saying goodbye and you leave a fucking note saying that it's done, what the fuck?
Whiplash: Fuck, I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did to scare you off. I just need to know you're okay, Aria.
Whiplash: ?????
The last one was sent an hour ago, and I scroll all the way up to see the message I sent before the flight took off has failed to send. Great. I check the time, seeing it's just after three in the morning, deciding to send Ewan a message that I'm home and going to sleep, turning my phone off.
I'm way too tired to deal with this shit.
I nod off on the couch, ready to have a full day of relaxing.
_______________
Me: I'm free all day, so you can bring Jason over anytime.
I chew on my thumbnail, patiently awaiting Ewan's reply while I lie in a warm bath, soft music playing from my little radio on the shelf. I've basically been a sloth all day, only leaving my bed to use the loo, surrounded by my workload on the duvet.
Also, Whiplash the fucking tit hasn't replied to any of my messages, not one!
I tried to call him this morning... nothing.
Five messages later, asking him to call me back, explaining that my message failed to send, waiting for him to type every time I see that he's read them... nothing.
What was the mature thing to do? Sit around in a mood, regretting sleeping with him, and constantly checking WhatsApp.
I also have a presentation at Strathclyde University on Tuesday for an institution I work alongside called NORD, the National Organization for Rare Disorders. So, I spent hours preparing that, writing down notes and again... checking my phone every two seconds.
I'll most likely jump like a child as soon as he replies, if he replies.
Like now, I'm staring at the screen with my face mask on, fighting with myself whether to block him or not. My eyes widen as the vibrating starts, frowning with a pout when I see who it is.
Ewan: I'm at my mum's around the corner, will I bring him up now?
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I put the phone to my ear, listening to the rings while I turn down the volume on the radio, the bubbles on my arm falling onto the dark grey bathroom tiles below.
"Yep," Ewan answers, the sound of screaming children in the background mixed with the chattering of adults makes me grateful for my quiet time while Gabs is at work.
"He can come up now but I'm in a bath. Just wait in the living room and don't you dare walk in here," I say, swishing my hand in the water, twirling my toes under the sightly running tap, my tone less than threatening.
"I'm barely going to walk into the bathroom and pump you against the sink while my son is here, Aria. I'll wait."
I roll my eyes, shaking my head at his cockiness. "You'll be waiting a long time then."
"I meant that I could wait until you're ready to bring him up, Jesus. Not everything is about sex," he scoffs, the sound of a door closing silences his background.
"Oh. I just thought..." I trail off, slouching more into the water, keeping my phone above the surface. "Sorry."
I hear him huffing, probably running his hand through his hair and squatting against the wall. "Don't be. Are you feeling a bit better after you slept?"
A ding in my ear makes me pull the phone away from my ear, and my heart instantly starts to race, a smile completely taking over my face when I see it's from Toby. "I'll let you know when to come up," I tell him, hanging up before he can speak.
Toby: Did you call me?
I scowl at the screen, my thumbs hovering over the keyboard, unsure how to reply. Is that all he has to say?
Tossing my phone onto the bathmat scrunched up in the corner, I pull myself out of the bath, wrapping a towel around me, crossing my arms, and staring at the annoying piece of technology with a growl. Who the fuck does he think he is?
I decide to ignore him, give him a taste of his own medicine called GoFuckYourself.
I shove on a pair of leggings and a top, my hair tied back in a messy bun, my black-framed glasses hiding the dark circle under my eyes. After sending Ewan a message, the doorbell rings within ten minutes.
"Aria!" Jason shouts, his arms stretched out as he runs from the doorway, colliding with my body with force and wrapping his arms around my waist. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, buddy," I reply, hugging him tighter until he finally releases me. I turn to Ewan, my eyes absentmindedly rake down the length of his body, his cotton shorts showing off his leg tattoo. "I'll drop him back off tomorrow at some point," I say, taking Jason's bag from his hand, feeling the annoying buzz running through me at our contact.
This is what pisses me off about Ewan. We haven't been together for two years, officially. But whenever he drops Jason off, I end up asking him to stay a while, most likely filling him with hope, only to fuck him when I'm drunk and toss him aside when I'm done with him. I almost want him to stay now, but I'm not the type to sleep with one person and bed another, which is probably why Toby and Ewan are the only people I've been with since I left my wild side behind over a year ago.
"Can I talk to you?" he asks in a whisper once Jason runs into his bedroom he has here, Ewan's deep emeralds burning into me, continuing when I cross my arms and nod at him. "I..."
My phone buzzes in my hand and I look down at the screen, stupidly giving Ewan a full view of Toby's message.
Whiplash: Unless you want me to hunt you down and fuck that dirty little mouth of yours again... do not ignore me, Doctor.
_________________
Oop, sorry I'm a day late but University and all.
What are your theories?
How long until shit hits the fan?