Page 130 of When The Night Falls

He managed to make me stand, though he kept his arm around my waist.

‘Will, I’m so sorry,’ I said, but I slurred the words and struggled to keep a steady gaze on him in the mirror. ‘I didn’t mean to ruin your night.’

He raised a brow and shook his head. ‘We’ll talk in the morning. Which one’s yours?’ he asked, indicating the two toothbrushes.

‘Green.’

Jason returned, tossing William a bottle of water. As he undid the cap of another, he came toward me.

‘Cara.’ He sighed. ‘This isn’t like you. You’re worrying me.’

I wrapped my feeble hand around the bottle. ‘Well, I’ve had a rough couple of weeks.’

‘Clearly.’ He planted a firm kiss on my forehead and rubbed my arms. ‘I’ll make you a full English for breakfast tomorrow, yeah?’

‘I love you,’ I cooed and attacked him with a hug.

He chuckled and pressed me against him. ‘Love you too, idiot.’ He didn’t release me as he turned toward his brother. ‘Poker night still on tomorrow?’ he asked while I raised my bottle to my lips.

‘Of course,’ William said after a mouthful from his own. ‘Have you got a spare toothbrush?’

‘Yeah. Bottom left drawer.’

After Jason and William had forced me to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth to get rid of my bad breath, they helped me to my bedroom, where I changed into my pink silk nightie. Jason tucked me into bed while William leaned against the doorpost with a brooding expression on his face.

When my eyes closed, Jason said, ‘She’s going to pass out any moment now. You know where my bedroom is.’

‘You’re sleeping here again? With her?’ William asked, and his voice lacked any trace of emotion.

‘Yeah.’

‘Jason, is there something you haven’t told me?’

‘What?’

‘Why do you always insist on sleeping with her?’

‘We do it all the time,’ Jason said, sounding confused.

‘But you haven’t had sex with her, right?’

‘What? What the hell have you been drinking tonight, Will?’

‘Fair question.’

‘No, of course I haven’t.’

‘Ever wanted to?’

‘Oh, piss off, Will.’ I could hear that Jason was losing his patience. I had called it: if there was one person in this world whom I thought capable of stirring Jason’s temper, it was William, and I was currently hearing it live.

‘Don’t,’ William said.

‘Don’t what?’ Jason snapped.

‘Don’t fuck her. I have.’

Complete silence filled the room for seconds that felt like hours. I had been close to drifting off, but now I was only pretending to be asleep. Although I was drunk, I wasn’t so drunk that this didn’t send my heart racing in panic, and vomiting had made me feel much soberer.

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