Spiralling Skywards: Fading (Contradictions, #2)(8)

Me: Stop saying sorry. Shit happens! It should be me apologising any way. I’m sorry about my little hissy fit. I don’t think I wanna go anywhere without you. I might just change the dates and we’ll go whenever we can. Where are the tickets? I’ll contact the agent and see if that’s possible. Are you on the plane yet? X

Aussie Boy: Ohhhh, you said shit. I’m telling. Archie has the tickets. Do I still come up on your phone as Aussie Boy? L x

Me: You do. Why?

Aussie Boy: I want you to change it to husband. L x

Me: Why?

Aussie Boy: Because that’s what I am. Don’t question me woman. JFDI ;) x

Me: What’s JFDI?

I fiddled with my phone and changed his name in my contacts.

Aussie Husband: Just. Fucking. Do. It!

Me: Okay, master, it’s done. You are now in my phone as Aussie Dickhead. Happy?

I could actually see his smile and feel the vibration of his chest against mine as I imagined his laugh. My nose tingled and my eyes filled with tears. I missed him so much already, and once again felt guilty for thinking of myself.

Aussie Husband: Oh, aren’t you hilarious! L x

Me: It’s a gift ;)

Aussie Husband: Fuck, I love you. I’m so sorry, pretty girl. I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you. L x

Me: I love you, too, and I’m so sorry this has happened to your workers. Those poor men and their families. Every one that was on that helicopter. It’s just horrible all round. X

Aussie Husband: I have to go, we’re about to take off and I’m gonna get in trouble. Love you xxx

Me: Text or call as soon as you land. Stay safe. I love you xxx

He didn’t reply.

I lay back on the bed and let my tears run into my ears.

“It’s the day after your wedding. You’re not supposed to cry.” Sasha croaked from beside me, turning her head just enough to speak but not enough to move her hair from her face.

“I’m waking up with you instead of my husband. Anyone would cry.”

“Hey now, that’s a bit harsh. There’s plenty that’d like to be waking up with me this morning. One of them happens to be with your husband right now.”

My mind raced as I tried to work out what she was on about. I lifted her hair, and she squinted one eye at me.

“Please don’t tell me you put the moves on Liam’s dad.”

“Wha?” She frowned in confusion.

“No, fuck no. I mean. I don’t actually mean no, because, well, he’s hot in that silver fox kind of way. But give me some credit here, Sares, he’s your father-in-law.”

We stared and blinked at each other in silence for a few seconds. My sleep-deprived brain still slow to catch up.

“Then who? Luke has gone into the UK offices to run things while the others are in the air . . .”

“Pffftt,” she waved her hand in the air, “I’ve given up on your brother ever noticing me.”

“Oh my god! Shain? You’re talking about Shain. I saw you two chatting a few times yesterday.”

She finally opened both her eyes and smiled at me.

“You know when I mentioned yesterday that I hadn’t had sex for three months?”

“Wait! What? You had sex with Shain yesterday? On my wedding day? Or do you mean three months ago. Shain left about then didn’t he?”

“Yes, yes, and yes.”

“To which? What bit? Start making sense, Sash.”

“Yes, I had sex with Shain three months ago before he left. Yes, I had sex with Shain yesterday. Yes, it was at . . . during or whatever, your wedding. At least one of us got lucky, hey?”

My mouth hung open in shock.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had sex with him three months ago?”

Sasha sat up and leaned back against the wrought iron headboard. She attempted to blow her hair from her face, but it just landed back over her eyes.

“He was going back to Aus. We weren’t sure how we felt about each other, so I just didn’t mention it. I felt a bit whorey to be honest.”

“Why?”

“Because we didn’t really date.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and shrugged her shoulders. “There was a lot of flirting every time we were together, and then he told me he liked me but that he’d stayed away because he thought there was something going on between me and Luke.”

She rolled her eyes at the mention of my brother. We all thought there was something going on between her and Luke. I didn’t understand it. He couldn’t take his eyes off her whenever she was around, but never, not once as far as I knew, had anything ever happened between them.

“Anyway, that night at K. L. U. B, he said that he’d seen Luke kissing Mel, and finally grew some and asked me to dance.”

“Luke kissed Mel?”

Her shoulders rose up to her ears and stayed there a while.

“He reckoned that was what he saw, they were over by the cloakroom, and he was coming back from the toilet when he said he saw them. Anyway, that was when I decided I couldn’t keep waiting for him, Sares. My heart broke every time he ignored me, and I deserve better than that.”

“Oh, Sash. I honestly don’t know what his problem is. It’s obvious he has feelings for you by the way he watches your every move, but I’ve no clue why he’s never acted on it.”