Page 134 of Until Now
He helps me shove the bags into the cupboard in the hall—I’ll wrap them tomorrow—before he trails me to the kitchen. He leans against the counter as I open the fridge and pour myself a glass of wine.
‘Are you gonna be alright with him later?’ Isaac asks quietly.
My eyes flit to Archer, but he’s absorbed in kicking Sean’s skinny little ass atDirt.‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
Isaac scratches his head, clearly uncomfortable. ‘He’s, uh… not in a good place today.’
I look over at Arch again. He tips his head back and laughs as he slams his car into Sean’s. ‘He’s not?’
‘It’s her birthday.’
For a moment I just stare stupidly at him—and then it hits me. ‘Demi’s?’
Isaac nods.
How could I not have seen it? No wonder Georgia was talking about having children. No wonder she seemed extra pissed today. And I forgot. And Archer will know I forgot, because I didn’t ask him how he was when he rolled out of bed for work like I did last year, and he talked about his sister for so long we both called in sick and I just held him as he cried and I made us pancakes.
But I’ve done none of that today. Granted, I’ve been at work, and he said nothing as I told him I was with his mum for a spot of shopping, but… His snapped words when he answered the phone just now—he expected me to be home before him. To have his brew ready, to clean up, to comfort him.
Because that’s what he expects of me. Of his girlfriend.
Isaac’s right: I probably won’t be okay with Arch later when we’re alone. But he won’t say anything to me with his mates here, and I’ll take any scrap of reprieve I can get.
Not to mention I need a respectable amount of wine to wash off this shitshow of a day. At work I told a woman to fuck off after she insulted Emmy—well, my exact words were ‘Fuck off, you old cunt,’ but the message stands. It cheered Emmy up, at least.
With a sigh I grab the bottle and flop down on the cushions between Olly and Sean, upsetting Olly’s beer and Sean’s controller; they both swear and move away from me slightly.
I swig from my bottle and say to them, ‘If you want, I can grab those garden chairs from the cupboard.’ The ones my dad insisted I take with me when I moved out.
Archer cuts me a warning glance, and I scowl. It’s no secret I don’t like Olly and Sean. Not after all the times they’ve tried to get Arch to go to strip clubs and flashed him nude pictures of girls and all they talk about is porn and ‘getting on it.’ I mean, sure, they’re single guys, so I don’t care if they want to do or say any of that. But encouraging my boyfriend? No way.
Isaac isn’t much better, but at least he doesn’t act like I’m invisible; he pulls up a stool and braces his elbows on his knees, beer in hand. ‘How was your day, Frankie?’
My gut twists. Archer should be asking me that. I take another sip from my bottle before I say, ‘It was good.’ Lie. ‘How about yours?’
‘Well, I was having a good day until I heard your boyfriend called in sick, which meant I had to save his ass.’ Arch and Isaac work at the same company.
‘You called in sick?’ I ask Archer, but he glares at his friend.
‘Thanks, man,’ Archer growls.
Isaac raises his can. ‘Don’t mention it.’
‘Where did you go, then?’ Because he left at his usual time this morning.
Olly and Seanoooooooh, and I grind my teeth. I’ve had it with these two.
Archer doesn’t look at me. ‘Out.’
I want to ask more, but I can tell from the way he tenses that I’m not welcome to pry in public. Later, then.
‘Ay,’ Olly says. He looks baked. ‘Remember outside Cristello’s when I fell out of the taxi passed out and Archer pulled down his pants and farted on my face?’
Sean bursts out laughing, but Isaac raises his brows and says, ‘That was in Miami.’
‘Was it?’ Olly grows distant, like he’s trying to figure out the answers to all of the world’s problems.
‘Was that the night you took a shit load of Viagra and couldn’t get it down even after you spent three hours fucking a bird?’ Sean asks Isaac.