Page 165 of When The Night Falls

27 | you’re my disease

William left before my alarm rang the next morning, and while I had been asleep when he did, I had a vague memory of his lips on my cheek, and the sensation of it stayed on my mind all the way to work. It was a lovely feeling, but it also made me nervous; it was a reminder that everything had changed over the weekend. I was now seeing my boss, which meant that I was sailing into unchartered waters – I had no idea how to navigate it. But at least I was sure about two things: when at work, I expected us to behave professionally toward one another, and I also expected us to keep our relationship a secret from our colleagues – with two exceptions, being Andy and Violet. Since they were among William’s most cherished friends, I expected he would tell them, but it didn’t bother me all that much because I had faith in their loyalty to him.

However, in light of last Friday, I feared Ellie had her suspicions too, but I would confirm nothing if she did. While I truly appreciated her as a friend, I knew she was prone to gossiping, and I wasn’t interested in being a subject of it, so as soon as William and I were alone, we would need to discuss how to proceed with our relationship at work. I would ask him to request Violet and Andy’s silence, and I would also ask him not to tell anyone else till I had finished work in September.

‘Morning, Cara,’ Ellie called just as I was about to enter the lift.

‘Morning, Ellie.’ I gave her a smile and pressed the button to hold the doors for her.

‘What happened to you on Friday?’ she asked as she walked in. ‘I got worried. Sent you a text, but you never replied.’

‘Shit, Ellie, I’m so sorry.’ I grimaced. ‘I had such a rough night, and plenty of plans the day after, so it honestly slipped my mind.’ I hoped my sincerity showed in my voice, because I truly felt sorry for making her worry. Knowing her, it wasn’t something she said only to be polite.

‘Rough night? What happened?’

‘I got far too drunk. Will found me and took me home. It was awful. I’m still absolutely mortified.’

She gaped. ‘What?’

‘Yeah. After I lost you, I ordered a few shots of tequila and, you know, things just got a wee bit out of hand.’

She pursed her lips, trying to repress a smile. ‘Your boss had to take you home? Good thing he’s your flatmate’s brother, eh? Goodness, Cara.’

‘Please don’t tell anyone. I’m still so embarrassed.’

‘Of course I won’t. Has Will given you a hard time for it? I know he tends to look down on people who don’t drink responsibly. Either way, it was after hours. Might be unprofessional, but you had every right.’

I tipped my head from side to side. ‘He wasn’t exactly impressed. Anyway, on another note, one of Brian’s friends tried to force me to kiss him.’

She gasped, and a look of horror crossed her face. ‘What? Which one?’

‘I don’t remember his name, but he had somewhat long, brown hair and neatly groomed stubble. Brown eyes too. He was about the same height as me when I was wearing heels. He was quite handsome, to be honest.’

Her nostrils flared. ‘Fucking Guillaume. He’s such a cunt! I don’t know why Brian hangs out with him. Then again, he’s more Jake’s friend than Brian’s. I am so sorry you had to go through that, Cara. Trust me to have a serious word with him.’ She was fuming, reminding me of a lioness. I had never seen her like this.

‘Yeah, his behaviour definitely warrants a rebuke,’ I said with a nod. ‘But in Brian’s defence, I suppose most squads have got an uncontrollable idiot among them.’

‘Did Will see it?’ she asked worriedly.

‘Yeah, he came to my rescue like a knight in shining armour. But I didn’t tell him that the guy was Brian’s friend.’

‘Thank God. Will would have given me a thorough earful had he known, and it wouldn’t have been necessary. He has no patience with that sort of thing. But trust me to deal with Guillaume.’

I smiled. ‘Thanks.’

The doors slid apart at our floor, and we had walked a few paces when another lift opened. I looked over my shoulder, and my gaze was immediately captured by William’s. My heart leaped to my mouth.

‘Ellie, good to see you,’ he greeted, and I noticed he was carrying two cups of coffee, one in each hand. ‘How are you? We lost you on Friday.’

She halted and turned with a smile. ‘Yes, I heard about your adventure. Sorry about that. I did text you where we were located, but I suppose we moved before you had a chance to find us.’

He frowned, his eyes flickering in my direction. ‘Adventure?’

‘I heard you had to take Cara home.’

His eyebrows arched. ‘Right. Yes, she was a bit drunk.’

A bit. That was an understatement, but I appreciated his grace.

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