Page 77 of Promise Me Ever After
I shifted into an upright position, the sudden movement making my brain move around painfully in my head. This was already shaping up to be the mother of all hangovers.
“Things didn’t go as I thought. Georgie’s ex turned up at the wedding reception.” There seemed little point in keeping the truth from Mum. She’d find out from Ems soon enough once they’d done a debrief of how the wedding went.
She took my chin in her hand, lifting it up and to one side to examine the bruising around my jawline. “I can see. Honestly, Alex, violence doesn’t solve anything. Did you learn nothing from Justin’s experiences over the summer?”
The beating Justin took at the hands of his mum’s boyfriend was much worse than the run in Russ and I had had. Curtis and I had to take Justin to hospital, whereas I’d be fine after a few painkillers.
“You should have heard what he was saying to Georgie, Mum. Really putting her down and belittling her in front of his new girlfriend, the one he cheated on Georgie with.” I pulled away from Mum’s hold.
“I’m surprised he was even at the wedding in the first place if Georgie had such strong feelings about him not being there.” Mum hovered in the doorway. “I’m going to make some coffee if you fancy it. Do you want poached eggs on toast too?”
Poached eggs on toast was the thing Mum used to make me when I was a kid to make me feel better. If I’d had a problem at school, if I’d lost a football match, if a girl had turned me down, that was the meal she cooked to heal everything. It had been a long time since she’d suggested it and I appreciated the gesture.
“Sounds great.” I plucked at my clothes. “I’ll get a shower while you’re cooking.”
“Good idea.”
We went our separate ways, her to the kitchen and me to my room. I stripped off the dark grey shirt — speckled with a little blood — and navy trousers, screwing them up into a ball and tossing them onto the bed. Boxers and socks followed. Everything went into the washing basket in the bathroom. If I never had to wear those clothes again, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Before I went in the shower, I plugged my phone in to charge.
I stood under the warm jets, letting them do their job. Switching the shower to a more vigorous setting, the water jabbed at my skin doing their best to take away the stresses of the previous day. As I lathered up the shampoo for my hair, I wondered how Georgie was. She hadn’t tried to get in contact after I’d left last night. Did that mean she hated me for what I did to Russ? I closed my eyes and let the water wash over my face. I wanted to make this right and I guessed the first step was making contact. Refreshed after the shower, I pulled on clean underwear, jeans and a hoodie. I didn’t have any plans for the day. I had thought Georgie and I would have spent it together, but it wasn’t to be. After popping a couple of ibuprofen, I headed downstairs, ravenous and ready for coffee.
Sitting in the kitchen waiting for breakfast, was Amber.
“Hey there, slugger.” She giggled, sipping from a glass of orange juice.
I sat down opposite her at the table, instantly suspicious of why she was there. There was a coffee waiting for me and I took a hefty mouthful to help my hangover. “Morning, sis. What brings you here?”
“I wanted to see how you were after last night. Curtis is still asleep. He didn’t get back until late, there was a lot of clearing up to do.” Amber glanced over to the cooker where Mum had popped bread under the grill for toast. “Plus, I gathered you were having eggs.”
I questioned her motives. It wasn’t often she stopped by on a Sunday morning just to see how things were. “You want to know the gossip about last night, admit it, Amber.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Maybe. I heard some from Curtis, but I wanted to be sure you don’t mess up your relationship with Georgie as a result.”
“It may be too late for that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I know you were an idiot last night, but I’m sure you can rescue it. If you want to of course.”
One mistake shouldn’t be enough to end things. But knowing Georgie’s relationship history and all the shit she’d been through with Russ; I didn’t know whether she’d think we were worth it.
Mum came to the table with the toast and eggs, placing a plate in front of each of us. She sat down at the head, looking between Amber and I. “This is nice. It’s been a long time since both my children were at home for breakfast.”
“If Alex hadn’t screwed things up with Georgie, you might not have had him at home for much longer.” Amber bit back a giggle.
“You’re not funny, Amber.” I cut into my egg, watching the golden orange yolk spill out across the toast. My stomach rumbled with anticipation.
“So, do you want to make things up with Georgie?” She scooped up a slice of toast and chewed on it.
Of course I did. I wanted to look at it as a blip, a small bump in the road, a slight hiccup in what could be something so much more. And I needed Georgie to see it the same way I did. Ghosting her a second time so soon wasn’t exactly a good way to start though.
“Should I have found her last night?” I asked, through a yummy mouthful of toast and eggs. “Stayed around and talked to her?”
Amber nodded. “It would have helped. I gather you walked out and basically ignored her. How do you think she felt after that? You’d just punched her ex, then disappeared. Not exactly the best portrayal of the supportive boyfriend.”
I mulled over her comments. I should have dealt with it differently. Stayed and stepped up, taken the flack. Hindsight was a wonderful thing. I looked between Mum and Amber.
“How do I make things right? Flowers? Chocolates?”
They exchanged a glance. Giving me relationship advice was a revelation for both of them. Okay, it might have been the first time I’d actually asked for some.
