“I am not,” I sulk, not that they believe a word of it. They can see the heat on my face as much as I can feel it.
Both of their brows rise, silently demanding I spill the beans.
“We messaged a bit last night.”
“And?” Calli urges, her romantic heart running away from her.
“And nothing. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. Apologise, I guess.”
“What did he say?”
“He… uh… did the same thing.”
“He apologised too?”
“Yep,” I confirm, grabbing my takeout coffee cup and having a sip.
“So… are things… okay between you now?”
“You mean, am I about to move back into my marital home and live happily ever after?” I ask Calli sarcastically.
“Uh…” To her credit, she does look a little embarrassed.
“No, things aren’t okay. But there’s now a higher chance I won’t kill him with my bare hands the next time I have to see him.”
“Well, that’s progress right there,” Stella jokes, something mischievous flashing in her eyes.
“What?” I ask, knowing that look all too well. It’s the one she gets before she convinces us to cause trouble with her.
“We’re going away this weekend.”
“Stel,” Calli warns, but Stella waves her off.
“It’ll be good for her,” Stella argues. “We’ve got a suite at this insane spa hotel.”
“And you think dropping in a spa will help convince me? Do you even know me?”
“I’m not suggesting you have to use it, I’m just saying. It’s fancy as shit, and it’s out of the city, away from all this bullshit. It’ll do you good.”
“Why?”
“Why will it do you good?” Stella asks, a frown forming on her brow.
“No, why are we going? Why this weekend?”
Stella hesitates, but Calli refuses to cover up the real reason and blurts it all out.
“The guys have this huge football match against a rival school in Oxford. It’s this huge annual thing that’s a kind of rite of passage for the year thirteen boys.”
“No,” I state firmly. “I’m not going to some school football weekend. Just… no.”
“Come on, Em. Just because they’ll be there, it doesn’t mean we have to hang out with them.”
“There is no way on this Earth you’ll abandon Seb all weekend, and we all know it.”
“I would for you,” Stella admits.
“Bullshit. You’re too addicted to his cock.”
She gets this faraway look in her eyes as if she’s imagining bouncing up and down on it. “It is pretty magical.”
“Fucking hell,” I groan. “Want my advice, Cal?” I ask, not giving her a chance to respond before following it up with, “Stay a fucking virgin. It’s way less stress.”
Her cheeks heat in embarrassment and she looks down at her hands.
“Or we take our girl out this weekend and find her a hot one-night stand to banish the V-card for good,” Stella suggests with her brows wiggling in excitement.
“Even if I wanted to, I doubt Dad would let me,” I say, hoping it’s my way out of this.
Any other time, I’d be more than up for a wild weekend with my girls. Hell, even the guys. But after everything, I’m more than happy to hide in my room.
“Let me work on your dad,” Stella says with a wink, making a show of wiggling her tits as if they’re going to convince him.
“You’re a fucking nightmare,” Calli mutters. “He’s not going to fall for that.”
“We’ll see. I could really do with a glass of water. Anyone else?” she asks, climbing from the bed.
“Please try not to embarrass my dad too much. He’s old, his heart might not be able to take it.”
Stella salutes me before slipping from the room, leaving me and Calli falling about laughing.
“Tell me that she’s not actually going to attempt to flirt your dad into allowing you out this weekend.”
“Cal, I really, really want to say that she’s not going to. But this is Stella. And,” I add, “not many men say no to her.”
“Seb never stood a chance.”
“Girl, I’m just surprised she didn’t wrap them all around her little finger and end up with a harem full of mafia princes.”
Calli’s lips part to argue, but she doesn’t have one, because she knows I’m right.
“So Oxford,” Dad says the second I pull out a chair at the dining room table after Piper called up to tell me that dinner was ready.
Stella and Calli left about thirty minutes ago after handing me a stack of homework they helpfully volunteered to deliver to me.
“Don’t,” I sigh. “I’ve already told them I’m not going.” Reaching for the glass of water waiting for me, I take a sip as the scent of whatever Piper has been cooking fills my nose and makes my stomach growl, despite the two doughnuts I stuffed not long ago.
When he doesn’t say anything, I lift my eyes from the rim of the glass to find him staring at me.
“What?” I ask, sensing he’s got something he wants to say about it. “What did Stella do when she came down to talk about it?” I wince, imagining all the twisted ways she could have tried to convince him in the ten minutes she was down here.
A smirk pulls at his lips and I slump down in my chair.
“On second thoughts, don’t tell me. If I know how badly she embarrassed herself then I might never let her in here again.”
“She was fine, kiddo. She didn’t embarrass herself, or me.” I should probably feel a little relief, but honestly, my stomach is still knotted over this whole weekend situation.
“Oxford is a big thing for the sixth formers,” Piper chips in helpfully. “A rite of passage kind of thing.”
“Lucky for you I’m not the kind of girl who worries about that kind of stuff then.”
Silence ripples around the room. Aside from the sizzling of the frying pan in the kitchen, the only thing I can hear for a few seconds is my own heartbeat.
Then Dad’s firm voice shatters the peace.
“You should go.”
“W-what?” I blurt out, shocked to my core that he’s even suggesting this. “That’s crazy. You’re crazy.”
I’m still amazed he’s not threatened to lock me up in the house for forever and a day after what I’ve done. This should be the last thing on his mind right now.
“Getting out of town for a couple of days might be just what you need.”
I study him, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. “Why?” I ask, feeling like I’m missing something.
“Because a few days of fun with your friends will help you forget all this shit.”
“Theo will be there,” I point out.
“Which is why I know you’ll be safe. I trust Theo, Seb, and the others. They won’t let anything happen to you, Calli or Stella.”
My eyes continue to narrow in suspicion.
“And Cruz will send a bodyguard just in case.”
“Or I could just stay here under your watchful eye.”