Page 148 of The Alternate Captain
“Why are you even here?” I say, turning towards him. “No one invited you. In fact—”
But then there’s a vibrating from the pocket of my jeans. And since I’m more invested in that than I am in Darren, I shift away from him and pull my phone out.
Johnny
I really wish I could see in the New Year with you.
Kelly
Tell him then.
Johnny
I will. I just need to find the right time.
Kelly
Are you having second thoughts?
Johnny
Not at all. I just need to find the right time.
Kelly
Will you tell him before my sister’s wedding?
We’d had a brief conversation about Johnny being my plus one. But it’s seeming more and more unlikely the longer this drags on. And I’m not sure if it’s the booze I’ve drunk, but I’m getting pretty pissed off.
Johnny
I’m not sure. I hope so. Like I said, I just need to findthe right time.
What’s the point in being in love with someone—who you think may feel the same, when you can’t do the things that couples do together?
Johnny
Can I come see you later tonight?
But I’m too pissed off to reply.
I make it toKelly’s a little after two in the morning—all thanks to Bettsy and his inability to take no for an answer.
I ended up playing several hands of poker after we saw in the New Year, and as soon as I could slip out undetected, I did. I headed straight for my car and drove over to Kelly’s, seeing the last of the party-goers leaving her house as I pulled onto her street.
I do my usual thing of tapping her window, hoping that she’s in her room, because knocking on the front door will probably mean Tom answers and I’m not in the mood for another ‘J-Dog’ moment.
A glow of light fills a gap at the bottom of the window, then the curtain creeps back just enough so she can see me.
I hold my hand up in a wave, taking in the look on her face.
I woke her up. Shit.
The curtain returns to its usual resting place, then a few moments later, the front door clicks open, and Kelly comes into view, clad in one of my college T-shirts. She turns on her heel and pads up the hallway back into her bedroom, leaving the door ajar.
“Happy New Year,” I say, slipping into her bedroom and pushing the door shut behind me.
She’s already back in bed. The duvet pulled right up to her neck.
