The Long Weekend (19 page)

“Happy Easter.” She locked eyes with Geri.

This time Geri didn’t care what she looked like or how she was perceived. She couldn’t let TJ go without doing one last thing. She jumped out of bed, temporarily halting TJ with her naked body, then rustled in a carrier bag over by the cream wardrobe. She found what she was looking for, stood up and walked over to TJ with what she hoped was hot, naked swagger.

“Happy Easter to you too,” she said, handing her a Smarties Easter egg. Then, with one skilled move, Geri grasped the back of TJ’s neck and kissed her, sliding in her tongue and taking complete control.

TJ gave in immediately and kissed her back, pulling her in tight. Their mouths danced with sizzling abandon.

After a few seconds there was a dull thud as TJ dropped the Easter egg, followed by the beep of a phone nearby. TJ pulled back, fished her phone from her back pocket, then frowned.

Geri said it before she did. “I know, I know, you’ve got to go. Just thought I’d give you something to remember me by.” Geri bent to retrieve the Easter egg and pressed it into TJ’s chest.

TJ looked like she was about to say something, then changed her mind. A final, gentle kiss, a hurried smile and TJ was out the door and gone.

Geri watched her fade from view, the thud of the stairs, the scuttle of shoes, the swish of a jacket, the slam of the door. And then she was standing naked, heading back to bed, wondering if it had all been a dream.

She climbed back into the sheets and smothered herself in the soft bedding, her limbs aching, her body still throbbing. She touched herself and within minutes she was coming again, arching her back away from the bed, groaning and imagining it was TJ. It wasn’t a dream. Her body remembered. She remembered.

***

Stevie woke up after one of her first nights of unbroken sleep in the past six months. She’d managed eight hours and had forgotten nights like this could exist, what it felt like to wake up after a stint of deep, unbroken rest. She felt refreshed, upgraded. This was first-class sleep and it was priceless.

She turned to Vic, still sound asleep, still none the wiser that she’d crashed out on Stevie’s plans for a night of passion. Had she not made it clear enough? She thought she had, but maybe their signals were out of sync after so long apart. Or maybe Vic had just drunk too much. Whatever, the way she was feeling, today would definitely be the day. Stevie was sure of it.

***

Laura opened her eyes and was aware of the space between her and Tash purely because it was unheard of. Still, at least Tash was still in their bed and not sleeping on the sofa after last night. Then she felt the pain and put her hand to her face.

What the hell?
She didn’t remember getting into a fight last night, but her face was telling her otherwise. Was it Kat? It couldn’t have been Tash, surely? Laura scoured her brain for an answer and then she remembered. The damn rake. She grinned, then immediately regretted it as her face began to sing a chorus of pain. This was no time for facial expressions, clearly. Laura winced and swung her legs out of bed to assess the damage.

The bathroom mirror was not in a friendly mood. Laura did a double-take as she switched on the light and gasped at her face. Her nose had a gash on the left-hand side where the rake had made contact, but it was her left eye that was the standout in this particular masterpiece. She counted purple, yellow, red and blue as her finger lightly traced the colours visible on her skin. They spread out below her eye and ran up around its corner and across her eyelid.

Laura was secretly impressed with the look – she’d always found black eyes cool. However, now she had one, she was less than impressed with the accompanying pain.

After a few minutes, Laura tiptoed back into bed. She’d just laid her head on her pillow when she heard her phone buzz on the table beside her and reached out to grab it. It was a text from Alex saying she’d been trying to get hold of Tash and it was URGENT, the final word in full capitals followed by seven exclamation marks. Seven. Laura doubted it was an actual 999-style emergency, but it was time they were both awake.

Laura rolled across the cold corridor of space up the middle of the bed and shook Tash gently on the shoulder. Tash woke far too easily, which told Laura she’d been awake and thinking about how to tackle the morning, too.

“Alex wants you.” Laura draped her arm over Tash’s body and dangled her phone between her thumb and index finger in front of Tash’s face. “Said it’s urgent. Probably a cosmetics emergency – cerise pink or electric blue?”

Tash let out a throaty chuckle before pushing Laura’s phone away gently, hauling herself upright and rubbing her eyes. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and pressed the On button. It juddered to life with its familiar jingle.

“How’d you sleep?” Laura was eager to gauge Tash’s mood in a bid to know how to pitch herself this morning. Gauging it right could be all-important in the battle to win her round again fully.

Forgetting they’d been quarrelling, Laura reached out and stroked Tash’s back underneath her T-shirt.

Tash, clearly also forgetting they’d argued, arched her back in response.

After around five seconds they both suddenly recalled their garden siege and Laura’s hand stopped. There was silence, as Tash styled it out, pulling up her favourites on her phone and pressing the green dial button.

Laura lay on her back and stared at the ceiling as Tash connected.

“Hello, sweetheart – what’s up?”

There was breathless gabbling at the other end of the phone followed by the sound of Tash’s face cracking as she smiled. Her ginger hair was sticking up at the back and the freckles on her arm looked slightly more joined together after a day in the sun.

“Slow down – what does dad say?”

More chatter one end, some sighing this end.

“Well he’s probably right then, isn’t he?” Laura’s ears pricked up. Tash was agreeing with Simon? This must be a first.

“No, I don’t think he needs to ask your friend’s parents what they’re doing as I think I can guess. Look, I’m back tomorrow and we can speak about it then but you’re 12, sweetheart, not 15.”

The chatter got higher pitched.

“I don’t think it’s a suggested age – I’ve seen the posters and that’s the age you need to be before you go. If you want to go then your dad has said he’ll come too, otherwise you’re not going.”

The chatter reached a crescendo. Tash assessed her fingers then chewed a stray hangnail.

“Sweetheart, yes, it’s not fair, and that’s life. Now I’m going – have a lovely day with your dad. I’ll see you tomorrow and we can talk more then. Is Taylor there?”

The chatter sounded sulky now, less animated.

“Okay, well give her my love. I’ll text you later and we’ll talk tomorrow. Love you.”

Tash got the reply she needed, pressed the red button and hung up. She placed the phone back on the bedside table and twisted her head left to look at Laura.

“So was that comment aimed at Alex or at me?” Laura ran a tentative finger down Tash’s arm.

“What comment?”

“About the fairness of life.”

Tash shrugged. “You can’t always get your own way, can you? And she certainly can’t play me off against Simon while he’s taken Taylor swimming.” Tash rolled her eyes at her elder daughter’s tactics.

“I’d give her points for trying, though – shows ingenuity.” Laura’s face cracked into a grin.

“Very true.”

There was a pause as they both realised they were chatting normally about their life and their children. As if everything was normal, routine. So was it? Neither was truly sure, but they both knew this was their life. They’d thrown their lot in with each other, even if they hadn’t committed to for better or for worse just yet.

Laura got the ball rolling. “So,” she began, propping herself up on her elbow and turning towards Tash. “Are we okay this morning? Am I forgiven?”

Tash frowned but Laura could see a smile underneath it. “I think I need to make you suffer a while longer than this, don’t I? I can’t just forgive you straightaway. That’s not in the rules of the game.”

Laura leant over and kissed her girlfriend on the mouth, softly, carefully, tearing up the rulebook with every step.

Tash kissed her back.

“I’m still pissed off at you,” Tash said when she pulled back, slipping on her best scowl to emphasise the point. Within seconds though, she’d switched it up for a look of concern. “But I can’t be too angry with you when your face looks like that, can I?”

Tash reached out a hand to touch it and Laura pulled back.

“I was just going to stroke your good side,” Tash said, before doing just that. “Is it sore?” She winced as she said it.

“What do you think?” Laura gave Tash a half-smile so as not to hurt her face. “But it’s true. You can’t stay angry at this face for long, can you?”

Tash chuckled. “No. But I can’t look at it too long, either. It’s freaking me out.”

***

Tash rolled onto her back, taking Laura’s hand in hers. She went to say something, then stopped. Then she began again.

“I’m still pissed off with you though, despite the rake saving your skin last night. Not for sleeping with Kat – that was before me, you can do what you want – but for lying to me. I don’t like to question us,” Tash said.

“I know…” Laura replied.

Tash cut her off, shaking her head. “I’m not sure you do, but I hope you do. We’ve been together five years.
Five years
.” Tash rolled to face Laura now, to ensure she had her full attention.

“You’re woven into my life – but it’s not just about me, it’s about the girls too. I would never have got together with you, never have turned my life upside down and theirs too if I didn’t think we had a future together. If I didn’t think you were trustworthy.” Tash paused before gathering her breath, licking her lips.

Laura went to speak but Tash put a finger to her lips.

“No, let me finish.” Tash’s eyes glowed with emotion. “You’ve never ever given me a reason to doubt that –
never
. You are that person – trustworthy, dependable, there for me and the kids always. Sexy, too.” Tash smiled, before returning to her serious face.

“But any little chink in your armour, however small, makes me wonder if there’s anything else. If this is really what you want. Would you rather be out there sleeping with the Kats of this world? Would you rather be going out drinking and clubbing, rather than sitting at home watching telly with me and the girls? Is this really the life you want?”

Tash ran her hand through her hair and exhaled a week’s worth of breath. She knew there was a part of Laura that
did
want that life – and there was a part of
her
that would like to experience it, too. Not all the time, just occasionally.

“Something like this makes me question us, however briefly, and I really don’t want to question us, ever. I need us.” Tash ran a hand down the good side of Laura’s face, her eyes brimming with tears. “I need us more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.”

And there it was, out there on the bed, emotions laid bare. But rather than feeling exposed, it was a weight lifted off Tash’s mind. She felt unburdened, lighter, as if she was floating to the top of a surface she hadn’t even known she’d been under. Her ears popped, light got closer, sunshine beamed in. She smiled as a tear trickled down her cheek, wondering just how ridiculous she looked to Laura right now.

Tash stared at Laura, unable to read her mood, unable to see what affect her words had made. After five years, surely Laura couldn’t be scared away that easily?

Laura swallowed and started to speak, then changed her mind.

Not known for her patience, Tash blew out an exasperated breath.

“Well, say something. I put my heart on the line and you just sit there as if nothing has happened…” Tash had gone from elation to fear now. Were her worst fears about to be realised? Would Laura really prefer someone like Kat to her? If so, she’d been living the perfect lie for the past half-decade.

Tash sat up and crossed her arms defensively, shielding herself from her lover’s words. Incredulity filled the lines between her freckles. Tash chewed a fingernail and waited for Laura’s words to assault her. None came.

“Are you going to say something? Say anything, even if it’s that you’re leaving me for Kat. I mean, I’d understand, she’s
such
a perfect catch…”

Bitterness was creeping in now and Tash was going down the line of insulting Laura’s friends. This was not how this had ended in her head. In that version there were pronouncements of ever-lasting love and devotion. Now, the mood had soured and Tash knew that last comment was a big mistake.

“Leave Kat out of this, she has nothing to do with it –
nothing
. And she’s going through a lot right now, so I don’t think we need to blame her for
our
issues,” Laura said.

Tash recoiled as if she’d just been slapped.

Laura was shaking her head vehemently. “This has nothing to do with my friends.
Nothing
.”

How had things gone from Tash making declarations of love and lifetime commitment, to Laura almost spitting in Tash’s face? Tash was baffled. She knew in her heart Laura was happy, that she didn’t want Kat or anybody else. And that’s what Tash had expected her to say.

So why were they sitting throwing daggers at each other across the bed?

Breakfast Three

It was gone 11.30am by the time the first bedroom door opened. Darren and Stu tiptoed down to the kitchen, shrugging at each other when they encountered nobody. Darren was dressed in black shorts and a red T-shirt. He stabbed open a packet of Taste The Difference sausages. What did they taste different from exactly? Tyres? Cheese? Gloves?

“You think there’s been some sort of mass-suicide pact?” he said.

“Bound to have been.” Stu scratched his stomach and stretched, yawning as he did. “Quite likely Tash killed Laura and then Kat, but it seems a little excessive. Perhaps they’re all just sleeping in instead?”

“Well, I hope Geri gets up soon because I’m gagging for some chocolate and she’s the Easter bunny.” Darren retrieved some foil from the drawer next to the sink and covered a baking tray, before arranging the sausages in neat lines.