Three's a Crowd (16 page)

She put her arms round me and hugged me. We sat there for a minute. As the tension slid out of my body a deep wave of misery welled up from the depths of my stomach. Chloe shifted back on her heels.

She frowned. “What was that about?”

“Ben,” I said, shakily. “That guy. It was like when . . . when. . .” To my horror, tears bubbled up behind my eyes. I tried to swallow down the sobs, but my feelings still burst out of me.

“God, Chloe, I’ve screwed everything up,” I choked. “I was such an idiot with Eve. And now. . .”

I stood up. My insides were a black hole. I was empty. Useless. I suddenly realised what I’d lost. Eve was everything. All the Catalinas in the world couldn’t make up for losing her. I stumbled into the trees.

“Luke?” Chloe sounded anxious behind me.

“I’m fine. Just going for a walk.”

“I’ll say you’re not well. Yeah?”

I nodded and strode off towards the beach without looking back.

I wandered along the shore. It was another beautiful, steamily hot day – clear blue sky, glittering sea. I reached the point where the sand turned into rocks. I leaned against the pale, washed-out stone and looked back along the beach. In the far distance a man and a little boy were playing football in the sand.

Otherwise I was alone.

I closed my eyes. Eve had loved me. And trusted me. And I had thrown all that back in her face by being jealous. A dull ache settled in my chest.

She’d been right to dump me.

I was a jerk.

I didn’t deserve her.

I sank down onto the sand and sat, hunched over my knees, staring out to sea. It was so beautiful here. Naturally beautiful. Like Eve. Eve inside and out.
Oh God.
It was impossible to stay here another day. Impossible to be so close to her and to be so absolutely without her.

Half an hour later I’d made up my mind. I was going to go back to the hotel, march straight into the little office and email Mum that I wanted to come home early. Having a definite plan made me feel slightly better. I wiped my face and walked back along the beach.

My mobile rang as I reached the main lobby. It was Chloe. “Come up to my room,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”

“Why?” I said, not wanting to be deflected from my email.

Chloe was silent.

“Is something wrong? Chlo? Is it Eve?” My throat tightened. “Is it Mum?”

“Just come up.” She rang off.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket. It rustled against a sheet of paper.
God.
The second scan of the baby that Mum had emailed. I’d forgotten all about it. My mouth was dry. Suppose there was something wrong with Mum’s baby. With Mum. That was it. I broke into a run across the lobby, pounding up the stairs to the first floor.

By the time I’d reached Jonno’s private flat, I’d convinced myself Mum must have had an accident. Lost the baby at the very least.

Chloe was waiting for me by the door. I followed her down the corridor and into her room. It was just like Eve’s, only barer. A four-poster bed with fluttery pink curtains stood against the far wall while an ornate, white dressing table stretched the length of the window. It was all so completely not Chloe that I smiled, forgetting my anxiety for a second.

Then Chloe turned round. She looked nervous. My fears flooded back.

Chloe never looked nervous.

“What’s happened to Mum?”

Chloe frowned. “Nothing. Mum’s fine.”

The flat’s front door slammed. “That’s not Jonno is it?”

Chloe shook her head. “He’s in his office. For the next hour, we reckon.”

“We?”

Voices sounded from the corridor.

“Okay, I’ll do this if you promise me you’ll talk to your dad.” It was Eve.

I blinked. The door to Chloe’s room swung open. Eve and Alejandro stood in the doorway. Eve was avoiding my eyes, looking stunning in her little shorts. I felt the familiar clench of desire I always felt when I saw her. I glanced at Alejandro. He grinned at me.

“Now, talk.” He prodded Eve through the door. Chloe scampered over to him and they disappeared into the corridor, shutting the door behind them. I heard the key click in the lock.

I stalked past Eve and wrenched at the handle. The door wouldn’t budge.

“I don’t freakin’ believe it. They’ve locked us in here.” I thumped on the door. “Hey,” I shouted. “Hey, let us out.”

Silence.

“Don’t you want to see me?” Eve said behind me.

I turned round.

She smiled nervously. “Are you okay? Chloe told me what happened earlier . . . what you said.”

I stared at her.

“Alejandro and Chloe think we should talk to each other,” she said.

What the hell was I supposed to do now? Bloody Chloe. How dare she interfere like this. I shoved my hands in my pocket. Felt the scan picture again. I pulled it out and looked at it. I still couldn’t make out where the baby was. I walked over to the bed and sat down, staring at the paper.

It was easier than looking at Eve.

“Well, say something,” she said.

I looked up at her and waved the picture. “D’you want to see this? It’s Mum’s baby again.”

Eve looked mildly exasperated, but she came and sat down beside me. She peered at the grainy lines of the scan.

“Hey,” she said. “This one’s much clearer. Look. There’s its head. It’s lying curled up. See?” She pointed. “It’s sucking its thumb.”

I stared more closely at the picture, following the invisible tracing of Eve’s fingers. And I saw it. The baby. Perfect and tiny. Sucking its thumb. It suddenly hit me. The baby was real. A real person.

I looked up at Eve, my eyes shining. “That’s my little brother.”

For a moment I forgot about everything else – it was just us again. The two of us, together and happy.

Eve moved her hand slightly and our little fingers touched. I wanted her so badly. But it was different from how I’d wanted Cat. All the desire was there – the lust shooting through me. But there was something else too. Some scary feeling in the middle of my chest when I looked at her. She had so much power over me, power to hurt me. Part of me wanted to get up and run away.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off her face.

And, anyway, they’d locked the door.

There was a long pause.

“Do you want to go out with Catalina?” Eve said.

“No,” I said, honestly.

“But you fancy her?”

“Yes.”

Eve recoiled a little. She picked up the scan and folded it.

Crap. Too honest, Luke.

“But not like I do you,” I added.

“So you fancied her that day in the store room too?”

“Sort of.” I hesitated. “But nothing happened, honest. I didn’t lie about that.”

“Nothing happened
then
, you mean.” Eve looked up at me. “When I heard about you and her last night I felt like my skin was all peeled open. I couldn’t bear it.”

“It was just a kiss,” I mumbled uncomfortably. “It was stupid. Didn’t mean anything.”

Eve’s pale eyes pierced through me. “Chloe said you had your hands all over her. She said you were practically doing it on the dance floor.”

Cheers, Chloe. Remind me to tell Ryan how you wet yourself once when you were ten.

I had no idea what to say. I shrugged.

“Feeling jealous is horrible,” she said. “I realised last night what it’s been like for you. I wanted to kill you. If you’d been here, if I’d seen you together, I might have tried. It was scary how awful it felt.”

I nodded. “I know. But you never did anything to make me jealous. I was a moron. It was all in my head.” I glanced at her. “Alejandro said you’d made up that stuff about liking him.”

Eve blushed. “Actually, I did fancy him a bit. I mean, I wouldn’t have done anything but he
is
incredibly good-looking. And he’s so nice too.”

I swallowed, waiting for the hard, dirty pull of jealousy to suck me down again. But it didn’t come. And in that instant I realised – people were always going to fancy Eve. And she was bound to fancy some of them back. Maybe even be tempted by them. Just as I had been with Cat. But, like Ryan said, what was the big deal? Either Eve wanted to be with me – in which case I had nothing to worry about – or she didn’t. In which case, all the worry in the world wouldn’t save me.

I stared down at the folded-up scan. “I’m sorry about being jealous before,” I said. “And I’m sorry about Cat.”

And I’m sorry I blew it. So, so sorry.

“I’m sorry I dumped you,” she said.

I shot a look at her.

“I mean, then you wouldn’t have gone off with Catalina.” Eve put her hand on my cheek. “Would you?”

The touch of her fingers rocketed straight to my groin. “Mmmn.”

Eve’s lips trembled.

S
hit.
“I mean no. No.”

Eve drew her hand back.

I grabbed it.

Crap. How could I be so stupid?

“Eve. I wouldn’t go off with anyone, ever. I swear. I don’t want anyone else.”

She got up and walked to the door. “I’m scared.”

“Me too.” I leaped up and followed her. “I’m scared too. Part of me wishes I didn’t feel like I do. But I do. I can’t help it.”

Eve turned round and leaned against the door. She looked up at me.
God
, she was so incredibly beautiful. I put my hands on either side of her head, letting the door take my weight, then bent down so my face was right next to hers. We stood there, looking at each other.

“Please, Eve.” My voice cracked. “I love you. I love you so much it—”

She was kissing me before I’d even finished speaking – this long, deep, sexy kiss that practically had me on my knees.

When I drew away, Eve’s eyes were still shut, a blissed-out smile on her face. “I love you too,” she whispered.

I moved towards her again. But her eyes snapped open.

“No,” she said. “I’m fed up with being scared. You were right. Come on.”

She turned and banged on the door.

I stared at the back of her head, bewildered. What was she talking about?

“Chlo! Alejandro!” she yelled. “Let us out. It’s okay now. It’s sorted.”

I reached round her waist. “You mean it?” Happiness spread through me like fire. I kissed her neck. Sorted. She’d said it was sorted.
Yes.
I bit gently into her shoulder.
Mmmn
, she smelled fantastic.

Eve was still banging on the door. “Chloe. For God’s sake.”

Footsteps in the corridor. Then the sound of a key turning in the lock.

The door opened. I looked up, my arms still wrapped round Eve.

Chloe screwed up her nose. “I hope you haven’t messed up my room,” she said.

I made a face at her, then squeezed Eve closer.

“Let’s go into your room and lock the door there,” I said.

“No.” Eve grabbed my hand. “Come
on.
” She pulled me past Chloe and down the corridor.

Grumbling, I let her lead me out into the main part of the hotel. “Where are we going?”

Eve said nothing, just dragged me by the hand down the stairs.

I sighed loudly, but the truth was I didn’t care where we were going.

She was holding my hand.

She wanted me back.

I’d have gone anywhere she said.

Hang on. She was holding my hand? She never touched me while we were in the hotel. As we reached the main lobby she was
still
holding my hand. I glanced at her, feeling nervous.

The last thing I wanted to do was pull it away, but what about Jonno?

We headed through the practically empty lobby towards the little office where I’d had to do my homework. I frowned. Then I realised where we were going.

Jonno’s office was right next door.

Eve stopped in front of it and knocked – three loud raps.

She was still holding my hand.

“Come in.” Jonno’s voice was gruff. Surly. He did not sound in a good mood.

I stared at Eve. What the hell was she doing?

I moved my mouth but no words came out.

Eve pushed at the door. “Let me do the talking,” she said.

About what?

I followed her into Jonno’s office. It was a large, square room. Air-conditioned, I noticed immediately, unlike my broom cupboard next door. A leather sofa and chairs were at one end, near a door that opened out onto a patio at the side of the hotel.

Jonno himself was sitting behind a large desk in the corner. It was covered with files and papers and a PC and printer.

He glanced up at Eve. “What is it, Babycakes? I’m busy.”

“I need to talk to you, Dad.”

I suddenly realised why she wasn’t letting go of my hand.

Oh.

Crap.

I looked back at Jonno.
Jesus.
He’d clocked our hands too. He glared at me, his nostrils flaring.

I had a sudden image of Alejandro backed up against the wall outside the stage door, Jonno’s fist round his throat. My heart started racing.

“Let go of her,” Jonno barked.

Eve gripped my hand tighter. Her face was white. Determined.

“Luke and I are going out together,” she said. “He’s my boyfriend.”

I could feel my palm spitting sweat into Eve’s hand. Jonno’s face hardened into an angry mask. Jaw clenched. Eyes staring. He stood up.

“No,” he said. “He’s not. You’re too young to have a boyfriend.”

“Dad, I’m sixtee—”

“Get out,” he yelled at me.

I backed away. I guess it sounds pathetic, but most of me was wishing Eve would let go of my hand.

She didn’t.

“If he goes, I go,” she said.

Jonno stormed round from his desk and grabbed Eve by the shoulders. He looked so angry that for a fraction of a second I thought he was going to hit her. I lurched towards him, my fear transforming to rage.

Eve clutched my hand tighter, tugging me back.

Jonno ignored me. He lowered his head so it was closer to Eve’s.

“Babycakes, you just don’t understand boys.” He jerked his head in my direction. “He doesn’t care about you. Pilar caught him in the crèche with someone just the other day. He only wants—”

“Sex,” Eve snapped. “I know. So you keep telling me. But guess what? The thing in the crèche was a . . . a misunderstanding. And we’re not having sex. Luke’s not even pushing me to have sex.”