The One and Only (17 page)

We ran upstairs to my bedroom.

As I led Eve past Mum’s room I considered going in there and using the bigger bed. But only for a few seconds. It was just too weird, thinking about being in Mum’s bed.

Inside my own room I dropped Eve’s hand and darted over to my wardrobe. I grabbed the packet of condoms I’d stashed in there months ago. Then I straightened up and looked round at all the mess: all the old posters and the music and the magazines and the clothes.

There was no stylish designer room. No four-poster double bed. No music pounding in our ears. Eve stood in front of me.

It was just her.

Just me.

Of course the first time was rubbish. Well. Rubbish for Eve. I was so off my head with wanting her that it was all over far, far too quickly. Afterwards I collapsed next to her, mumbling that I was sorry and worrying that maybe Hayley had been right about me being crap, while Eve lay there with ‘Was that it?’ written all over her face.

Then she told me to shut up and make her a cup of tea. And when I came back she grinned at me and drank her tea. Then she put down the mug and we started again. And this time I focused more on her – wanting it to be good for her, wanting it to be all about her.

I already knew practically every centimetre of her body. We had been going out for almost a year, after all. But this was different. Everything was different. The way she reacted when I touched her. The way she looked at me.

The way it felt.

It was getting light outside when we finally fell asleep, curled up face to face – all wrapped round each other.

My first thought was that the scrabbling sound was a mouse. I opened my eyes. Eve was gazing at me, her hair spread out on the pillow like a fan. Her cheek where Hayley had hit her was dark red, with a small cut. I stroked it, gently, still half asleep.

She smiled and I forgot the scrabbling sound and just wanted her again.

And then I heard a voice. A child’s voice. Hissing an exaggerated whisper.

‘Luke. Are you awake?’ It was Alice.

I blinked, trying to work out what Alice was doing back in our house. She’d moved out. Yesterday. And then I remembered Trisha was having her baby and Mum was looking after Alice for her.

Which meant Mum must be here. In the house.

My eyes snapped wide open.

Eve muffled a laugh. ‘Yeah, your mum’s here. I just heard the front door shut.’

‘Lu-uke. Open the door. Pleeese.’ Alice was rattling the door handle. For one awful moment I thought she was going to walk in, and then I remembered that I’d locked the door, just before we fell asleep, exactly so that no one could do that.

I sighed with relief. ‘How long have you been awake?’ I murmured, knowing we should get up but not wanting to let go of her.

‘Only a minute,’ Eve whispered back, wriggling down a little and laying her head on my chest.’

‘Lu-uu-ke.’Alice’s voice was getting louder.

I stroked Eve’s hair. ‘Mum’ll be up here in a moment,’ I said. ‘She’ll freak when she realises the door’s locked.’

‘I know.’ Eve sighed. ‘I don’t understand why I’m not panicking and running around getting dressed.’

‘I know why I’m not.’ I grinned. ‘My brain’s stopped working.’

She looked up at me with sleepy, sexy eyes. ‘Stopped working or changed location?’

Mmmn.
I leaned down to kiss her.

And then the doorbell rang.

‘Who’s that?’ Eve wrinkled up her nose.

‘Probably just the postman,’ I said, running my hand down her back. ‘Ignore it. When Mum comes up and knocks I’ll tell her that she’s just woken me up. I’ll say I’m staying in bed for a bit longer. You can slip out later. No, don’t . . .’

But Eve was turning away from me, reaching for her mobile. She switched it on. ‘Crap. I’ve got, like, ten messages.’ Her whole body went rigid. ‘Oh my God. It’s one o’clock.’

‘What?’ I sat bolt upright. ‘In the afternoon?’

‘Yes.’ Eve stared at me. ‘I was supposed to be at Mum’s at eleven. Dad was coming straight from the—’

‘Luke.’ It was Mum’s voice, calling up the stairs. She sounded tense. Anxious.

My heart pounded. ‘You don’t think . . .?’

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. More than one set. Heavy. Tramping.

‘LUKE.’ It was Jonno’s voice.

Eve and I stared at each other, our eyes wide. Then – like it was choreographed – we rolled away from each other off the bed and sprang onto the floor.

‘Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.’ Eve scrabbled across the carpet, retrieving her clothes. I reached down and started pulling on my jeans.

Two sharp raps on the door. Then the handle being twisted again.

Oh my God.

‘Luke, are you in there?’ Mum sounded really scared now. ‘Open the door.’

‘Just a minute, Mum,’ I shouted.

I glanced over at Eve. She was struggling to push her legs through her jeans. I zipped mine up and looked around for my top.

‘Luke?’

Heavy blows thumped against the door.

‘D’you know where Eve is?’ Mum called.

‘LUKE.’ Jonno roared. ‘Let us in or I’m breaking down the door.’

‘I’m coming,’ I yelled back.

Eve was in her jeans at last, her glittery top in her hands. ‘There’s nowhere I can hide,’ she whispered, frantically looking round the room.

My mouth felt dry. ‘You’re not hiding,’ I said. ‘We haven’t done anything to be ashamed of. We love each other, right?’

A look of determination came over Eve’s face. She nodded.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘We do.’

Mum and Jonno were arguing outside the door over whether or not to break it down.

‘He’s said he’s going to open it . . .’

‘Then why doesn’t he? My daughter said she would meet us earlier. Something must have happened to her.’

I walked to the door.

‘Wait.’ Eve looked down at the glittery top. ‘I can’t wear this. It looks all wrong.’

‘I don’t think now’s the time to worry about your clothes co-ordinating,’ I hissed.

‘No,’ she whispered. ‘It looks too slaggy. Like I stayed out all night.’

I shook my head.
Jesus.
When Jonno got into this room, the last thing he was going to be worried about was what Eve was wearing.

‘You’re not breaking it down,’ Mum shrieked.

‘Eve?’ It was
her
mum’s voice. ‘Eve, are you in there?’

Eve stared at the door. ‘Shit, they’re
all
here,’ she whimpered. She stared back at her glittery top. ‘Oh, God.’

I darted over to my wardrobe and yanked out a white shirt. I shoved it at her. ‘Put this on, then.’

‘EVE?’ Jonno bellowed. ‘Right that’s it. I’m breaking down the door.’

There was a terrific thump as Jonno presumably hurled himself at the door. It wobbled and strained, but the lock held. Just.

‘Stop it,’ Mum yelled. ‘You’ve got no right..’

I glanced at Eve. Her fingers were shaking as she pulled the shirt round her, trying to do up the buttons up. I realised I was still naked from the waist up.

Hurry.

Another massive thump. The whole house rocked as the door practically flew off its hinges. One more heave and he’d have it open.

‘STOP,’ I yelled. ‘I’m opening the door.’

I could almost smell the tension in the corridor outside.

My hands shook as I turned the key in the lock. I pulled open the door and darted back across the room.

Jonno was first inside, storming through, head down like a bull.

I stood in front of the bed, my heart hammering in my chest. Eve was right beside me, breathing so fast she was practically hyperventilating.

Jonno stared at us, his eyes wide and furious. My mum and Eve’s mum ran in behind him, Alice dashing between their legs. ‘Hiya, Luke.’ She ran over and hugged my jeans.

I couldn’t speak. My eyes were fixed on Jonno’s face. His mouth was open. I could see him clocking Eve’s bruised face and her half-buttoned shirt, then my bare chest and the sheets on the bed being all rucked up and so obviously slept in.

‘Alice,’ Mum said. ‘Come over here. I want you to play downstairs for a bit.’

Alice obediently skipped away from me.

Jonno looked down at the carpet. I followed his gaze.
Oh God.
The condom packet was on the floor. He stared at it for a second or two, then he glanced at Eve’s bruised face again.

There was this terrible pause when I could see his brain putting two and two together and making about five million.

‘What have you done to her?’ Jonno roared. He strode across the room and shoved me backwards onto the bed. ‘You evil little shit,’ he yelled. ‘How dare you.’

He towered over me, gripping me round the throat with both hands. He shook my neck, pressing me back into the bed. I couldn’t breathe. I could hear screaming all around me but all my energy was focused on pushing him away.

I was suddenly back, reliving the night Eve’s ex-boyfriend Ben had beaten me up. It wasn’t the first time. I’d had a panic attack while we were in Spain. But, right now, I didn’t feel scared. This time I knew what to do.

The screaming around me was getting louder. Eve and Mum were both yelling at Jonno to stop, to let me go. But there was this mad look in his eye. I know what it’s like when rage fills your head like that. I was pretty sure Jonno couldn’t even hear them.

I stopped trying to drag desperate slivers of air into my lungs. And I stopped trying to pull his hands off my throat. Instead, I reached up to his face and poked him in both eyes. Really hard.

He let go of me immediately and staggered back, clutching his face. ‘OWWWW.’

I sat up, massaging my neck.

Eve was immediately there, her arms round me. ‘Luke, are you all right?’

Mum’s face appeared over her shoulder. White and drawn. ‘Luke?’

Then Jonno was back, blinking, his eyes bloodshot. ‘Get away from him.’

‘No.’ Eve stood in front of me. Between me and her dad.

‘He hurt you,’ Jonno pointed to her bruised face. ‘He—’

‘Luke didn’t do this!’ Eve shouted. ‘It was some drunk girl at the party we went to last night. Luke
stopped
her. OK? Leave it, Dad. Remember you promised we’d talk.’

‘No way,’ Jonno growled. ‘Not now. Not now I see what . . . what . . . This changes everything.’

I glanced across at Eve’s mum. She was shrinking back against the door. I couldn’t believe it. Nothing had changed. She was going to let him take Eve away again. She was still too frightened of him to stop him.

‘You can’t, Dad.’ Eve’s voice was shaking.

I stood up next to her and felt for her hand. ‘We haven’t done anything wrong,’ I said. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mum watching us, her eyes full of worry.

Jonno clenched his fists. He looked as if he was amazed I had the audacity to speak to him.

‘I want to be with Luke, Dad,’ Eve said. ‘I love him.’

Jonno snorted.

‘You have to listen,’ I said. ‘There are things Eve wants. Not just me. Things like art college and stuff.’

Eve nodded. ‘Things that don’t include you, Dad.’ Jonno stared at her.

I took a deep breath. ‘And you have to accept that,’ I said.

Eve squeezed my hand. I watched Jonno, my heart still beating fast. He was still staring at Eve. I suddenly saw how exhausted he was. How terrified of what we were saying. He staggered backwards.

‘How about we all have a cup of tea,’ Mum said shakily. She shoved a T-shirt at me and ushered me out of the room, clearly petrified Jonno was going start beating up on me again. I pulled Eve with me, past Jonno.

Eve’s mum followed us downstairs. Then she and Eve had a big, weepy hug in the living room while Mum and I went into the kitchen.

Mum clattered about, filling the kettle and fetching Alice some milk from the fridge. I put on my T-shirt and leaned against the kitchen table. Gradually my hands stopped shaking. I wondered what Jonno was doing up in my room. Then thoughts of my room reminded me of last night. And Eve.

I was so lost in how amazing it had been I didn’t notice Mum speaking to me until she walked over and stood right in front of me.

‘Luke,’ she snapped.

I focused on her. She drew in her breath, her cheeks pink. ‘Anyway it’s not just that I think you’re too young. I won’t have you bringing girls back here. It’s . . . it’s not on.’

I felt myself going red and slumped down at the table. ‘It’s not girls,’ I muttered, looking down at the floor. ‘It’s Eve.’

‘You know what I mean.’

Yeah. I know what you mean: no sex. At least, not under my roof.

Mum put some teabags in mugs. She bustled around the kitchen for a few minutes. Neither of us said anything. The sound of Jonno’s heavy footsteps on the stairs was followed by raised voices in the living room.

I waited until the tea was ready, then took three mugs next door. Eve and her mum were on the sofa, holding hands. Jonno was sitting in Dad’s armchair. He looked up briefly as I walked in. I half considered telling him to get out of my dad’s chair, but decided that probably wouldn’t help the situation. I set down the mugs next to the sofa and hesitated.

Eve nudged Jonno, who scowled up at me from the chair.

‘Luke?’ He paused. ‘My daughter is demanding that I apologise to you.’ He held out his hand. ‘Doesn’t mean I’m happy about . . . about anything,’ he grunted.

He sounded as if he was still itching to punch me. I glanced at Eve. Her eyes locked on mine, urging me to go over to him. So I did. Jonno shook my outstretched hand, nodding his head curtly.

That’s the most crap apology I’ve ever had in my life.

I said nothing.

‘This doesn’t mean I’m happy about the decisions Eve’s making,’ he blustered.

I stared at him, suddenly realising what he’d just said. He was accepting the fact that Eve had made some decisions.

‘And it doesn’t mean we’ve sorted out what’s going to happen now – with where Eve lives. Or about whether she’s allowed to see you. That’s not sorted at all.’

He sounded stern, but there was this hollow ring to his words. I tried not to smile. He wasn’t fooling me any more.

Yeah, that is sorted, you old bastard. Because you know now that if Eve has to choose between us, she’ll choose me. And you’re not going to risk losing her again.