Page 69 of Fletch

The smell of the Chinese food makes my stomach growl, but whenever I think about eating, I get the urge to vomit. Fletch and Ruby chat like they’ve known each other for years, and I can’t deny it pisses me off. She only started speaking to me because she was worried. She’s treating him like her long-lost hero, and seeing them so comfortable around one another makes me wonder what I’ve missed out on.

“You hungry yet?” asks Fletch, and I shake my head. “Drink the water,” he repeats, and I stare at the pint of water he placed in front of me ten minutes ago.

“I’m not a child.”

He ignores me, turning back to Ruby and asking her about school. I snatch the glass up and take a few gulps. I don’t know why I want him to approve because I fucking hate him, but when he offers a smile my way, I almost return it. Like in the bathroom when he called me ‘Gem’. After him being so cold, hearing that affectionate name fall from his lips made me swoon. I wanted to hear it again, and I hate that I’m so damn weak for him.

Ruby finishes her dinner and places her plate in the sink. “I have homework,” she says in an almost apologetic tone.

“It’s fine. We’re good here,” Fletch tells her, and she disappears.

“Water,” he tells me again. “All of it.”

“Why did you tell me about your mum?” I ask.

“If you want me to answer questions, Gem, you gotta drink more water.” There it is again, that piece of affection. I drink more water, draining half the glass. “Good girl,” he whispers, and something inside me sits taller under his praise. Fuck, I’m an idiot.

“I don’t want Ruby to feel like I did. I don’t want her to end up in care.”

“She wouldn’t,” I whisper, frowning.

“Really? Who’s on her birth certificate?”

I stare down at the table. “Sarah and my father.”

“So, we have no parental rights. And your father is pissed at you, so who would stop her being taken into care? You have to fix up, Gemma.”

“I will,” I mutter. “You can check in daily if you don’t believe me.”

He smirks. “I’m not leaving until I know for certain you’re not going to do anything stupid.”

I scoff. “I already did that—I met you. I’m fine. Ruby will update you anyway.”

He shakes his head. “I’m staying.”

“Please, Fletch. I don’t think having you here is going to make me better.”

“I’m staying.” His tone is so final, I give up and sit in silence while he begins to clear the plates away.

Sixteen

Fletch

When I go in to check on Ruby, she’s fast asleep. I turn off her bedside light, musing at how quickly I’ve stepped into a role I thought I never wanted. She makes it all so easy, and liking her isn’t a choice when her presence is so infectious.

Gemma is staring up at the ceiling when I go in, then I feel her eyes on me. “What are you doing?” she asks when I drop into the reclining chair.

“Sleeping.”

“There’s a perfectly good couch. Or better still, go home.”

“I can’t leave you alone.”

“Why?”

“You know why, Snap. Now, go to sleep.”

“How can I when you’re right there watching me?”