Page 35 of Quiet Longing

Derek perked up a little. “That’s not a bad idea. Her dad normally takes care of those things, but he hasn’t been able to, and the front of her house needs some work.”

“So, we’ll go over there and freshen the place up,” I said. “Show Milly we really are sorry. It’s better than just saying it, right?”

Derek nodded, looking mildly assuaged.

Working at the hotel, I was used to hard labour. Tristan, on the other hand, was probably going to bitch and moan throughout the whole thing, but he’d do it, especially if it meant making it up to Derek. He looked up to him a lot, and the last thing Tristan wanted was to fall out with his big brother.

“Okay,” Derek said. “Wherever he’s skulking, go find Tristan and tell him the plan. We’ll leave in thirty minutes.”

“Can I at least grab a change of clothes first?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have time to shower. There’s no point since you’ll be sweating by the time you’re finished today.”

I changed into a clean outfit and washed up before going to find Tristan. Thankfully, Charli wasn’t in her room when I knocked. The lazy fucker was still snoozing away in her bed. When I managed to wake him up, he was less than enthusedabout how we were going to make things up to Milly, but he reluctantly agreed to it.

Mainly, I was just glad to get out of the house for the day and avoid Charli. She probably thought I was a horny creep with my morning boner.

God.

Maybe she wouldn’t want to even be my friend anymore. The thought stung. It bloodyhurt.

Derek drove us to Milly’s, a bunch of gardening and cleaning equipment packed into the boot of the car. She lived in a modest semi-detached house with not too long of a driveway, but I could see how the front of the house needed work. This was the first time Derek had mentioned her father being unwell. Tristan and I hung back while Derek went to knock on the door. It took a while before anyone answered.

Milly appeared, her eyes looking like she’d been crying for a while last night. Hell, and I thought I couldn’t feel like more of a piece of shit. I looked to Tristan, and he wore an equally guilty expression. Derek bent his head to the petite brunette, speaking softly to her as he reached out to tuck some hair behind her ear. She seemed stiff at first but then slowly nodded when Derek motioned to us over his shoulder.

Tristan and I came forward, telling her how sorry we were, how the prank was never intended for her. Then Derek went inside the house with Milly, and we started to work on the front drive.

By the time we were done, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. The house was quiet when we got back, and we went our separate ways to shower. I’d just emerged when Derek came into the room.

“There you are,” he said. “Charli’s been looking for you.”

He didn’t sound pleased, and I remembered his warnings about his cousin being off limits. Derek must’ve noticed we’dbeen spending time together, especially with how she’d perched beside me on the armchair at the party last night.

“Listen, Derek, there’s nothing—”

“Just be careful, okay?” he said, cutting me off. It struck me as odd because his concern didn’t seem to be for Charli. It was directed atme.

“Uh, yeah, I mean, I’m always careful,” I said, frowning.

Derek nodded stiffly then went into the bathroom.

Self-consciousness bit when I realised why he was concerned for me. He clearly saw I was crushing on his cousin, and the crush wasn’t mutual. With Aidan and Theo, Derek would be worried about Charli getting taken advantage of, but with me, it was the opposite. He knew I wasn’t a player, knew that, aside from one or two kisses, I hadn’t ever even been with a girl. My best friend thought I was going to get my heart broken like a lovesick puppy, and it was fucking embarrassing to be honest.

Trying to push down the feeling of mortification, I wondered what Charli wanted me for. Then I remembered how we’d woken up this morning. Ah, hell. She didn’t want to talk about that, did she?

Well, I guess I should face the music, I thought as I headed downstairs.

When I entered the kitchen, Charli stood by the counter arranging a giant plate of snacks.

“Rhys,” she said, smiling.

Okay, a smile was a good sign.

I scratched the back of my head. “Hey, Derek said you were looking for me?”

“Yes, I heard what you and Tristan did to make things up to Milly. It’s such a sweet gesture. Did she seem less upset when you saw her?”

“A little. She seemed to appreciate us doing the chores,” I replied.

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