Page 42 of Tangled With the Wrong Guy
‘Oh god.’
‘Yep. And then …’ He took a breath, breathed it out slowly. ‘He was beaten up. It was a homophobic attack. He was with someone he’d picked up; the guy ran away. But the attackers, they didn’t mean to …’ He trailed off and shook his head.
‘Oh no. Was he–’
‘They punched him; knocked him to the ground and kicked him; kicked him a lot. When he fell, he hit his head on some steps. No one helped him. I guess the streets were more or less deserted.’ Tears were running down his face now.
‘Oh Joel, this is so, so awful.’
‘He died. Just … died. Alone. I don’t know if he was high, or drunk, or it was the bang on the head by itself. But by the morning he was dead in a shop doorway. The police caught the guys who attacked him, but they got off lightly because they only intended to rough him up, apparently. Just another hate crime.’
Chloe was crying too now. Everything was finally making sense, and her heart was breaking all over again.
‘I know it’s a leap, agreeing to marry Zara,’ he said, wiping his eyes, ‘but I guess …I needed to somehow make up for failing him. Do something good to atone for that, like, get one over on the bigots and the bullies.’
‘How could youpossiblyhave failed him? It was nothing to do with you!’
‘I could have tried harder. Been there for him more.’
‘No, no. Look, that was a dreadful time, lockdown, and he was stuck in a horrible situation. But it would only have been temporary. And if he hadn’t been attacked, he’d have found work when lockdown ended, and somewhere to live, another boyfriend. A nice, faithful one.’
‘A happily ever after?’ His expression darkened. ‘Fuck’s sake, Chloe – get real. The world’s not like that. People cheat, let you down. As you know. Not doing too well on that score yourself?’
The sudden change in tone hurt. She removed her hand from his head and sat up straighter, drying her eyes. ‘Well, at least I’m not making a stupid sacrifice that makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, how does marrying someone to save them from an arranged marriage make you feel better about your brother? Where’s the logic in that?’
‘I don’t believe in marriage,’ he said. ‘The whole true love thing is bollocks. I saw my parents’ horrible marriage; my brother fell madly in love and probably died because of how that ended. And look at you – your true love trashed your life, right? So if I could help save someone I cared about, who deserved saving, when I couldn’t save my own brother, then I thought I may as well do that. Like I said, to atone.’ He shrugged. ‘She’s cool, she’s fun, she’s pretty; there’splentyof family money. No complaints.’
Where had Joel gone? Who was this cynical, jaded person?
‘Do you thinkMontywould want you to marry someone you don’t love to make up for what you see as letting him down? Which, by the way, you didn’t?’
‘What would you know?’
He’d retreated into himself, or into some dark place where she was no longer welcome.
‘Nothing, apparently. Shall we get up?’ She yanked their chain, and it bit into his wrist. ‘Let’s go find someone to get thisfuckingpadlock off, shall we?’
He’d closed his eyes. ‘I’m too tired, now. We’ll do that in the morning. You’re okay with me stopping here?’
Thecheekof the man. She looked down at him … and her anger dissipated as quickly as it had arrived.Oh Joel. You stupid, stupid man. You stupid, sad, mixed-up man.
‘We’ll get cold like this,’ she said. ‘We need to get under the duvet.’
Without a word he slid off the bed and stood waiting, not looking at her; she followed, pulled back the duvet, and they climbed back in. He lay down and closed his eyes.
Chloe tossed and turned, as far as was possible. It wasn’t easy getting comfortable, now they were trying not to touch each other.
She hoped she wouldn’t need to get up in the night for the loo.
The moon continued to cast its light for a while, then it slid away, leaving only the city’s nighttime glow to gently illuminate the room. Chloe turned her head and looked at Joel’s sleeping form. He was exhausted, she realised, and she hated the exasperated tenderness that filled her heart as she watched him. This time tomorrow he’d be back in England, and she’d never see him again. This interlude she’d labelled as precious and life-changing had turned out to be something different.
At last she felt her eyelids growing heavy, and tucked her head into his shoulder, breathing him in. What would the morning bring? She had no idea. Probably a walk to the nearest gendarmerie, a quick snip of the bolt-cutters, and then he’d be gone. Back to his hotel and his idiot friends, who would cheer, and mock, and what would he tell them? Perhaps that he slept the night on a bench somewhere, after being cut free of that stroppy girl they’d attached him to. They’d all have a laugh, then fly home, and soon he’d be in that new house, with his new wife.Cool, pretty, smart Zara. Perhaps he’d grow to love her, in spite of his opinions on love and marriage.
And where will I be?Alone again, that’s where. With not even the memory of a beautiful one-night stand to sustain me.
Chapter Thirteen
She was awoken by something hard pressing into her back. She’d rolled onto her side, her shackled wrist lying along her thigh; Joel was spooned against her and she had no idea whether he was asleep or awake. Part of him was most certainly awake.
