Page 72 of Under A Sicilian Sky
‘I’ve done nothing but think about kissing you since the day we met.’ He closed the door as Ruby rolled over and slept.
* * *
The following morning, Ruby awoke in her crumpled clothing from the night before, with a stinking headache and a mouth that tasted like the toothbrush hadn’t yet been invented. She slowly and tentatively sat up and regretted it immediately as the room tipped and swayed.
‘Shit,’ she said, holding her skull with both hands in case her brain fell out. ‘What the hell was I thinking?’
Her phone pinged and she lifted it to see two messages. One from Caitlin and one from Jules.
Hey Ruby! I hope your head’s not too sore today. I’m a bit rough to be honest. Last night was such fun though! I was thinking if you come round tonight, we could try that hack to lighten your hair if you’re free. Jules x
And from Caitlin:
Oh my word! My head is trying to kill me! I feel so shitty! I hope you’re okay. Maybe the Drambuie on top of Prosecco wasn’t such a great idea Anyway, I think Jules is going to message you. Cait xx
She was relieved to hear the others were feeling a little worse for wear too. That meant they had all been equally as drunk, which in turn lowered the chances of her having made a total tit of herself, although she really couldn’t remember much after trying on the beautiful tartan dress.
She carefully climbed from the bed and walked to the bathroom. The pasty face looking back at her from the mirror resembled some kind of zombie; the bags under her eyes had their own bags. She turned on the shower, stripped off and climbed under the soothing cascade and, as she stood letting the water wash over her face, memories of the previous night started to return. Singing, lots of loud, raucous singing, arms around each other as the three women had belted out Rachel Platten’s ‘Fight Song’.
‘Oh my word! Ruby, this should be your anthem!’ Caitlin had shouted above the music.
‘Yes! Yes, it’s like it was written for you!’ Jules had agreed.
The lyrics had spoken to Ruby on a visceral level and she had sung along with her two friends’ arms around her as they jumped around Caitlin’s living room like teenagers on a sleepover. Grace had appeared at one point and had giggled before leaving the room and them to their singing.
Other memories began to return too. She had arrived back at Glentorrin House after midnight and… Mitch had been there… Had he helped her take off her coat? Yes! He had.Oh God, how embarrassing. And her boots!
With horror, she remembered asking why he didn’t like her, but no matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t quite remember his response.
Her heart pounded at her chest as she remembered thinking about kissing him.
Oh god, did I try to kiss him? Please no. Why can’t I remember?
She rested her head on the cool tiles of the shower wall and gave up on trying to think back. Her head was pounding enough as it was.
Down in the kitchen after her shower, Ruby poured a mug of fresh black tea and sat at the table. The peace and quiet was so welcome, and she was relieved that Mitch was nowhere to be seen, considering she still couldn’t recall the details of her return from Caitlin’s. She punched two painkillers from the packet she had found in her handbag earlier, and swallowed them, praying they would work quickly. She rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes.
‘Morning,’ came Mitch’s sing-song voice from behind her. ‘I’m surprised you’re up before lunchtime. How are you feeling?’
She lifted her head to find him smiling down at her. ‘I feel like shit, thanks for asking.’
He smirked. ‘No! Really? You do surprise me.’ He poured himself a mug of coffee. ‘I have to say though, drunken Ruby is hilarious.’
She closed her eyes again and sighed. ‘I’m so sorry if I said, or did, anything embarrassing. I can assure you, I can’t remember, and I don’t think I want to.’
He sat opposite her. ‘Well, the naked dancing was a surprise, but you’ve definitely still got rhythm when you’re drunk.’
She opened her eyes wide, startled and filled with panic. ‘Please tell me you’re kidding.’
He held a serious expression and shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not.’
Her stomach lurched and she covered her face with both her hands, on the verge of tears and vomiting. ‘Please tell me you didn’t take photos or video.’
He reached across and pulled her hands away from her face. ‘I’m sorry, I actuallywaskidding. My bad. And I would never film or photograph you in that state.’ He grinned and the urge to slap him was almost overpowering.
‘You shithead! I was so worried!’ she shouted, although, secretly, relief flooded her body.
‘You did tell me you wanted to kiss me though,’ he said, without looking at her.
