Page 39 of Just a Number

“On the house, honey.”

I give her a nod of thanks, pick up the drink and head towards the back of the pub. I make my way down the dim hallway. The door at the end is ajar and I knock with my free hand.

“Yeah?” Alex answers. I push the door wider and step inside. He’s sitting at a round table in the corner, a heaped plate of food in front of him.

“Mel.” He frowns, looking confused at my appearance.

“Hey, Abby said it was okay to come back here. I hope you don’t mind me disturbing your meal.” He’s wearing that deliciously tight top that shows off his defined chest, but I avert my eyes, reminding myself we’re not going there again.

“It’s fine. You wanna sit?” He gestures to the chair opposite him. “What’s up?” He’s looking at me as if he’s trying to figure me out as I take the seat, putting my drink on the table.

“We didn’t leave things on the best terms earlier. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He looks down at his food as he takes another forkful into his mouth and slowly chews. It’s lasagne with a side of chips, and the smell wafting towards me makes my mouth water.

“I heard your new place fell through.” I try to keep my voice gentle.

“Err, yeah, it did. It’s all good. Something else will come up.” He shrugs it off.

“I spoke to Zack about it.” His head lifts again, and he spears me with a look. No emotion shows on his face and it’s so different from how he previously looked at me that I realise I really fucked up when I asked him to leave this morning. “We’ve got a room with a tiny ensuite and small kitchen space above the garage. I don’t know if Zack already told you?” He shakes his head. “I was thinking about getting a lodger ages ago when my ex-husband moved out. But I never got round to doing anything about it. There are some boxes stored up there at the moment.” I pause, realising that I’m blathering.Come on, Mel, spit it out.“You’re welcome to stay there for a few weeks or however long it takes to find somewhere more permanent.” I wait for a reaction.

“Why? You couldn’t get rid of me fast enough this morning.” His voice is gruff.Is that hurt I hear in his tone?

I heave in a deep breath, trying to work out how much to say. “Last night shouldn’t have happened, Alex. I took advantage of you and that’s not okay.” He’s shaking his head, clearly in disagreement. “It mustn’t happen again and while trying to make that clear this morning, I chased you off. But I don’t want to see you out on your ear. You need somewhere to stay. We have somewhere. It’s yours as long as you need it. No charge, of course.” I give him a soft smile.

“What do you want in return?” he asks me with a scowl and I can’t help but wonder if he’s comparing me to the man he tried to rent a room from earlier.

“Nothing,” I tell him. “I don’t think it’s wise that you stay in the guest room. I think we should keep our distance, but you can come and go as you please if you’re above the garage.”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this for me.” He doesn’t phrase it as a question. Just a statement.

“If it was Zack, and I wasn’t in a position to help him, I’d hope that someone else would. You’re a decent kid.” Fury flares in his eyes. Clearly, the wrong thing to call him.

“I’m not a kid. I can take care of myself. Thanks for the offer, but I’m sure something will come up.” He tilts his chin forward, looking mutinous.

I want to reach for him, to kiss him, to take away his pain. But I can’t. “I shouldn’t have called you a kid. I was trying to put some distance between us. Look, I’m not telling you what to do. But here’s the key.” I pull it from my jacket pocket and slide it across the table to him. “We need to sort some furniture out. Zack says you can use the sofa bed from his room if you help him carry it across. But it’s yours, Alex, no strings. And you don’t even have to have anything to do with me. Just use it until you find something better.”

“I’m not a charity case. Let me pay you.”

“Okay.” I name a figure that seems low enough that he can afford it with his wages but hopefully doesn’t insult him.

He nods in agreement, picking up the key and twirling the key ring around on his pointer finger. He finally looks up at me again and our eyes meet. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“And I owe you that prize from this morning. So have the first week on the house.” His eyebrows rise at that. I’m not sure it’s sensible to remind us both how many times he made me come this morning to earn his prize. I hasten to change the subject. “Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m bunking on Laura’s floor.”

I grimace at the thought. “You don’t need to do that. You can stay at ours.”

“It’s fine. She’s expecting me.”

“Okay. If you can come tomorrow afternoon, I’ll make sure Zack is around to help you with the sofa bed.”

“I’ve got to put some hours in at the studio tomorrow. It wouldn’t be until after 4 pm.”

“That’s fine. I’ll make sure Zack is expecting you. Right,” I clap my hands on my thighs. “I best get back.”

He nods, and the atmosphere is still chilly but less so than when I first walked in.

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