Page 65 of The Best Book Boyfriend
“Don’t worry about us,” says Hattie, standing to pull on her coat. “We’ll get right with her. But please just think about telling her how you really feel. She deserves to know Luke.”
Chapter 27
Kara
LukeandIhaven’tspoken since our disastrous lunch, but I keep rubbing the lovebite on my leg, my eyes glazing over at the memory of his mouth there. I haven’t heard from Hattie and Megan all week, either. I keep meaning to text them but there’s been sudden progress on my hospital project, and to be honest, I just don’t know what to say. Every day that’s gone by with no talking has made it even more confusing.
We’ve never been in a fight before and I hate it. I make a stupid mistake with my Instagram account by posting a brand collaboration a day early, then get a furious email from their PR lady that makes me cry in the toilets at the hospital. I seem to be crying more this week than I have in ages and I don’t think it’s just because my period is due. I miss Luke, I miss my friends, and by Friday I’m certain I’ve ruined our friendships forever.
They’re done with me and my pathetic love life. They’ve given up a year of their lives coming over and mopping up my tears, and they’re over it. I get straight into bed after work and turn off all the lights. Not long later, I hear the front door unlock. I sit bolt upright.
Adam?
No, it can’t be, Hattie made me change the locks.
“Kara?” Megan calls up the stairs. I’d forgotten they have my spare key.
“I’m in bed,” I call back, just loud enough for them to hear. I hear them both climbing the staircase and I hide under my covers, the mattress sinking beside me when one of them sits down and starts stroking the lump of me through the bedding.
“That’s my bum,” I mumble from underneath the duvet, where I’m getting a bit hot and sweaty.
“Best bum in town, babe,” says Hattie. She carefully pulls the covers back to reveal my face while Megan climbs in next to me. “You OK, poppet?”
I grumble a bit more, but let them both snuggle in.
“Kara, we are so sorry about our meddling. You have every right to be angry with us, we shouldn’t have interfered. I promise we had your best interests at heart,” Hattie says.
“We’ve missed you so much this week.” Megan smooths my hair away from my face and plants a kiss on my forehead.
“I’m fine. I’m just sad.”
“How about I order pizza for dinner and we can talk about it some more?” I nod and wipe my face with my sleeve. I hadn’t even realised I was crying.
Downstairs, we sit around the coffee table. I ask them both about their work and update them on my projects, but we mostly eat our dinner in silence. I don’t feel like drinking tonight, and every mouthful feels like it takes a colossal effort to get through.
“Is it OK if I just eat and go to bed? I’m not really in a very social mood, sorry.”
“Of course, darling,” Hattie says, “whatever you want to do.”
“Hey Kara,” Megan says quietly. “It’s OK if you don’t want to talk about it, but you still haven’t really told us what happened last Friday?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. I’m just confused.”
“How so?”
“We had a lovely dinner, and then we went back to his house and we... I... I stayed over.” They both raise their eyebrows and I look down to hide the blush creeping up my neckline. “Then the next morning I just felt embarrassed that he’d had to pretend to be someone else to... kiss me. So I told him I had a date and left.”
“Oh, honey.” Megan rubs my back, those lovely slow circles she does to calm me down. “Did it feel like he was pretending?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know. We just got a bit too into character, I think.”
“God, I can’t bear this!” Hattie thumps the table. “I know you’re confused, but please just tell us what happened in bed. He sent us a selfie before he came to meet you and he looked so fucking hot! Did you shag him?”
My chest aches and I have to bite my lip to stop from laughing. “I can’t talk about it. I’m too embarrassed.”
“Hnng,” she groans out. “Fine, but answer me one thing.”
“What?”
