Page 65 of Love, Just In

‘Don’t fuck with me,’ Zac snaps. ‘You could have killed her last night. And you’re very lucky you didn’t, because if you had? It would be me killing you next.’

Zac’s blazing eyes flash over mine before he pushes through the curtain.

Lindsay gives me a look like Zac’s gone off the deep end; obviously he has no idea how triggering this accident would have been for him.

‘He’s just upset,’ I mumble. ‘You got behind the wheel of a car when you were drunk, and things could have ended a lot worse.’

Lindsay flops into the chair. ‘Yeah, I don’t think that’s all he’s upset about.’

I frown. ‘What do you mean?’

He just rests his chin in his palm and stares at me. ‘I’m really so sorry. I honestly thought I was fine to drive. If it’s any consolation, I’ve lost my licence, and I have to go to court. I might not be able to drive again for a fuckingyear.’

I just stare at him, too appalled to reply to that.

He drags the chair closer and sets his hand over mine. An uncomfortable shiver spreads across my skin, and I pull my fingers away.

Lindsay’s lips tilt down. ‘Are you going to forgive me?’

I grit my teeth at the swell of nausea rippling through my stomach.

‘I forgive you,’ I decide. ‘I know you didn’t intend for this to happen. And I’m extremely relieved that no onelost their life. But Lindsay, this is the end of the road for me.’

His brow pulls tight. ‘Please don’t say that. Please, Josie, I really like you.’

‘I’m sorry. I wish I felt differently, but that’s just the way it is. And you know I’m leaving town in a few months, anyway.’

He releases my hand, his lips pursing. ‘You’re not gonna hook up with that dickhead, are you?’

My lips fall open. ‘What?’

He shakes his head and blinks away. ‘That guy thinks he’s top shit, I tell you, but I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.’

‘Lindsay!’

‘Sorry, I know he’s yourfriend,’ he mumbles. ‘But you just wait until you do something that’s not up to his standard, and he kicks you out onto the street. He thinks he knows everything about fucking everything.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘He evicted me from the Hamilton house! That’s why I moved out. He kept banging on about me driving when I went out for drinks, and I admit, I did hit his letterbox once with my car when I’d had a few too many, but I apologised for itandoffered to get it fixed. But no, it wasn’t good enough for Zac. I mean, who does he think he is—my fucking dad? What a self-righteous prick.’

‘You need to leave,’ I say firmly.

He leans forward. ‘Oh, come on, babe.’

‘Get out, Lindsay.’

He expels a huff and stands up so fast that the chair scrapes. ‘Whatever. Best of luck to you. You’ll need it with that loser by your side.’

I clutch my head, trying to figure out how I feel about the fact that Zac didn’t tell me the reason he kicked Lindsay out. But it’s hardly Zac’s fault I’m in hospital right now—I saw Lindsay drinking alcohol and still got in the car with him. Still, though, why wouldn’t Zac tell me? He’s dropped a few hints, but that’s not the same thing.

A nurse bursts through the curtain. ‘How’s the patient feeling this morning?’ she booms with a smile, shuffling past a seething Lindsay to inspect the monitor.

‘It’s OK; I was just leaving,’ Lindsay grunts before shoving through the curtain without a backwards glance.

Still reeling from his visit, I answer the nurse’s questions about vision and numbness before mentioning the nausea. She promises some medication to help, but is otherwise happy with my progress. Once the doctor’s been in to see me, I’ll likely be discharged so they can free up the bed. I want to get out of here more than anything, but the idea of leaving also makes me uneasy: what if they missed something on the scan and I’ve got some sort of brain bleed I don’t know about?

After the nurse leaves, I thumb through a string of frantic messages from Mum, Dad and Ingrid, who want me to call them as soon as I can talk. Zac must’ve let them know what happened. Mum and Dad are looking into flying home, but I send a text assuring them I’m doing OK and will call soon.

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