Page 77 of Toy Boy

She puts a hand up to stop me from talking, and that irritates the fuck out of me.

“Different situation altogether, Megan. Because none of those people have the ability to hurt my sister.”

“He’s not going to hurt me…”

“I think he already is, hurting you.”

“Huh?” I’m confused. What does she mean by that?

“You’ve let him in. Let him get back under your skin, everything I was worried about has happened.”

“This is ridiculous. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“So you can lecture me on something that hasn’t even happened? Something thatwon’thappen?”

“Are you sure about that?”

I shake my head and drink my beer and think about how I can put an end to this conversation.

“Is everything okay?”

And now I don’t have to. Xander’s helped end it for me. “Everything’s fine.” I smile at him, go over to him, and slide my hand into his. “Come on. Let’s go back outside.”

“You sure everything’s okay?” Xander continues as we sit back down at the table, which is still laden with plates of chicken legs and sausages.

I nod, reaching over for a bread roll which I rip open, and fill with two sausages, some lettuce, and a slice of tomato. I’m not sure where I’m getting this appetite from at the minute, but I’m starving! “Laney’s just giving me a lecture. You know, the big sister thing. She’s worried about you discarding me at the end of summer, when you go back to Australia.”

“I haven’t decided whether I’m definitely going back to Australia yet.”

I stop mid-chew, and look at him. “You haven’t? But, I thought you were due to start another degree soon?”

“I am. But I’ll be doing most of the work for that remotely, I don’t have to be in any one place. Didn’t I already tell you that?”

I frown as I try to remember, but nothing’s coming to me. He might’ve said something about not definitely going back to Australia, I really can’t remember.

“So, what does that mean, then? You’re staying in Beachcastle Bay?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m going to do once summer’s over. I’m taking it one day at a time, and so should you. Let’s just enjoy ourselves, okay?”

He smiles at me, and my heart starts beating out a rapid rhythm, and suddenly all thoughts of Scott and Tania, they’re disappearing, evaporating, and all I can see now is this crazy-handsome man in front of me, and all I want to do is spend time with him. For however long we have left together.

Scott

To have someone want me again, for who I am not what I can give them, it’s nice. And this evening with Tania, I’ve enjoyed it. I like her company, spending time with her, talking about mundane things like food and TV and books, we never did that, before. When I was sleeping with her behind Megan’s back, and I tried not to think about that, tried not to let it ruin the evening, but the guilt never goes. Not now I’m facing up to what I did; the mistakes I made.

“I’m getting the feeling you don’t want me to stay?”

Tania phrases that as a question, and I look at her, suddenly realising that I must’ve drifted off there for a second.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine.” She gets up from the couch and comes over to me. “You’re obviously tired, so maybe it’s time I went. Let you get some rest. And please tell me you’re not going into work tomorrow.”

“I’m not.” I smile and take her hands in mine, lifting one to my lips and kissing her knuckles.

“Good.”

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