Page 89 of When The Night Falls

‘How come you never get plastered, Will?’ Jason asked, slurring his words.

‘I don’t enjoy being helpless.’

‘Really? I find it fun sometimes.’

‘That’s ’cause you’re fucking stupid.’

‘Cunt.’

‘Come on, wash your mouth.’

Jason released a surge of loud laughter then.

‘Why the hell are you laughing? Turn it down,’ William said aggressively, though he kept his voice down.

‘You’re telling me to wash my mouth ’cause I called you a cunt?’ Jason replied.

‘No, I’m telling you to wash your mouth since you’ve just vomited every meal you’ve had today.’

‘Oh.’

‘Fucking hell.’

I took a deep breath for courage and approached the bathroom. The instant I entered the doorway, William looked up and caught my reflection in the mirror. As soon as he registered my presence, his eyes frosted as though he had just come upon an internal ice age. His forgiveness seemed far from my reach.

‘Is he all right?’ I asked him, but he was spared from having to answer when Jason noticed my arrival.

‘Cara.’ Jason smiled affectionately. ‘There are two of you now, but I love both of you equally.’ I barely managed to understand him. ‘Double the love.’

‘Christ. Is there anything I can do?’

‘No, go back to bed,’ William said.

‘How come you got this drunk, Jason?’ I asked.

‘I was sabotaged. Stephen and Jon kept pouring and mixing my drink. All of a sudden I was plastered.’

I sighed. ‘I should’ve anticipated this.’

William shoved Jason’s toothbrush into his hand. ‘When are you going to learn that you shouldn’t let them mix your drinks for you? This isn’t the first time this has happened, and I’m sick of being your voice of reason and getting completely ignored.’

Jason looked at him, and it was obvious from his expression that he was too intoxicated to comprehend what he was hearing. ‘You’re always so strict.’

‘Only when you’re reckless,’ William said. ‘Cara, go to bed. He needs a shower.’

Disobeying, I waited outside the bathroom till they were finished, and William didn’t bother hiding his annoyance when he discovered me.

‘I told you to go to bed,’ he said, his irritation scorching, but his focus diverged when Jason approached my bedroom. ‘That’s not your bedroom, Jase.’ He grabbed Jason’s shoulder.

‘I know. I want to sleep with Cara.’

Wide-eyed, my gaze darted to William’s, and the wrath it contained expelled my soul from my body.

‘That’s not happening,’ he said through gritted teeth and tugged Jason harshly in the other direction.

‘What?’ Jason looked at him, nonplussed, and then writhed his arm out of William’s hold. ‘The hell’s your problem, mate?’

‘Will, it’s fine, he does it all the time. It’s only friendly,’ I said, hoping it would reassure him.

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