Page 76 of Marley
I fail. They’re all I can picture.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said quietly.
I opened my eyes and watched as she moved toward and then past me. She goes to the fridge and pulls out the milk.
“What question?” I asked as she put the milk down on the work top and started opening cupboard doors. “What are you looking for?”
“The sugar,” She replied in a tone that implied I should know that.
“Here.” I open the cupboard above the kettle and get it down for her.
“Tupperware? Oh, Rock Star, that bit of info would do your bad boy reputation no good if it were to get out. Did you go to a party yourself to buy it?” She asked while putting two heaped spoonful’s of the golden granules into her cup, offering one up to me.
“One, please, and no, I didn’t go to a Tupper-fucking-ware parties. My mum came around and organised everything in here and brought us cutlery, plates, cups and shit. Anything else you wanna have a dig at me about?”
She stared down at our coffees as she stirred each one in turn.
“You gonna answer my question, or just keep avoiding it?” she asked without looking back up at me.
“What was the question?” I know full well what the question was, but I don’t have an answer that I’m willing to admit to just yet?not to her or myself.
“Why’ve you been so nice to me?looked after me?” She turned and met my gaze head on.
“Because I like you, a lot.” I didn’t hesitate to answer, yet I can’t believe I just said that. I was adamant that I was gonna say nothing, and then I just blurted it out.
This girl.
This fucking girl was tying me up in knots.
Me. This doesn’t happen to me.
“You don’t even know me.” She said bluntly with a defiant edge to her tone.
“We just spent a night together. I cleaned up your puke. I think I know you well enough.”
“And despite that, you still reckon you like me?”
“No, Ashley.” I didn’t miss the fact that she flinched again, just slightly before I got a chance to continue. A little zing of pain hits my heart, like an electric shock, at the thought that I might’ve hurt her feelings.
“I don’t reckon I like you. I know that I do. Despite the puke in my car, in my bathroom, and on my clothes. Despite you taking the piss out of my endless hard-on and my Tupper-fucking-ware, I like you. Fuck knows why, but I do and so does my dick.”
Her response? She dragged her teeth backwards and forwards over her bottom lip and I almost came in my pants like a thirteen-year-old boy, right there in my kitchen.
“I’m still not shagging you.” Was her only reply before taking a sip of her coffee, then smiling at me sweetly.
“Yeah, I heard you the first time, and all the other times you’ve told me.” I sigh out, trying to sound defeated, hoping to garner some sympathy from her.
“What is it exactly you’ve got against me?” I questioned. I’m actually curious now. I’ve turned women down, occasionally. Well, no, that’s a lie. I nearly always said yes, unless they were grabby. I don’t like grabby, aggressive women. I’ve always worried they might go a bit psycho on me, but anyway, this? Having a girl blatantly knock me back? This was new ground for me, and I was a little unsure how I approached the situation.
On the one hand I liked her, and I would like very much to sink my dick balls deep inside her. Just her mouth, would in fact do at this point. But, on the other hand, I loved that she wasn’t intimidated by who I was and didn’t appear to be interested in shagging me just for the bragging rights. She didn’t seem like she was expecting something permanent from me, convincing herself that she might be ‘the one’to tame me and make me settle down. She seemed too independent for that shit.
“I don’t have anything against you. I just have a little bit more respect for myself than to shag someone on the night that I meet them, especially when they happen to be my boss’ son.”
I heard her belly rumble as she finished talking and moved to get some eggs out of the fridge. I was actually about to make this girl some breakfast I shook my head at the prospect and felt like I should call Maca or my brothers to have them explain my actions because I had no clue what was going on with me.
“So, if you didn’t work for my mum and sister, I might have been in with a chance?” I asked.
“I don’t shag on the first night. Unfortunately for you, the fact that I work for your mum and sister means that I won’t shag you on any night.”
