Page 21 of To Hell With It

‘So I was meant to sleep with him?’ I said, affronted.

‘You were meant to have some fun.’

‘I drank whisky, I never drink whisky.’

‘Exactly.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You drank whisky and you went to bed, alone, and now he’s gone and you’ll be going to bed alone, again, like you always do.’

‘You’re being a shite friend.’

‘I’m just telling you how it is, that’s a good friend.’

‘You’re trying to make me sleep with a random man.’

‘I’m trying to make you let your hair down.’

‘I don’t want to let my hair down,’ I said stubbornly.

‘Why the hell not?’

‘Because the last time I listened to you, I singed it.’

‘I’m not talking about your actual hair.’ Una sighed sarcastically.

‘I know you’re not.’

‘Good.’

‘Good.’

‘Bye then.’

‘Bye.’

* * *

One hour later, when I had finished hoovering and cleaning up from the night before – not that there was much to clean up because I’d done most of the cleaning while I baked the bread – Jack came back.

He stood at my front door with a screwdriver in his hand and I stood there speechless.

‘Your handle needs tightening,’ he said and I nearly passed out from the beat of my own heart as it hammered at my chest.

The first thing I did was text Una, after I’d cut Jack a slice of my bread, to tell her he was back and that I’d given him some and that he’d loved it. I left out that I meant the bread so that she would think I’d slept with him and I didn’t reply when she sent a load of open-mouthed emoji’s back.

I’d thought long and hard about what Una had said during my hour of cleaning. It wasn’t that I wouldn’t sleep with Jack, but he hadn’t exactly tried to – even after a drink – so how could I? I wasn’t going to jump on the guy if he wasn’t interested. I wasn’t Carmel. He’d had two chances and not taken either of them, and I had begun to wonder if I had imagined our kiss from Friday night after the pub.

Jack told me he had been to the garage to check on his car and borrowed Mr Dutson’s screwdriver to fix my door handle. Mr Dutson told him it should be ready by Monday afternoon and so I had one more night with Jack, one more night to prove Una wrong.

It was only sex. I wouldn’t have to see him again or think about it at all if I didn’t want to… Only I knew that I would obsess over it for the rest of my life. And who knew, maybe he would want to see me again, maybe he would stay longer and we’d have a full-blown fling. That would show Una.

‘So what happens in sleepy Drangan on a Sunday?’ Jack asked once he was done with the door.

‘It’s quiz night in The Tally,’ I said, a little too enthusiastically.

I usually went with Una. She liked to think she had all the answers and I was happy to let her, even if it meant we never won.

---