Page 97 of Tilly in Technicolor
“We may have stayed out a bit too late at dinner,” Micah says.
“Drank a bit too much wine,” Marcus adds.
“All of that is irrelevant,” Cubby snaps. “As soon as we realized we hadn’t seen you in nearly nine hours, we were worriedsick.”
They all nod.
“I’m serious,” I say, pulling the duvet up to my chin. “Go away. I don’t want to talk.”
“What’s going on?” Micah asks. “Tilly’s in a similar state of anguish. Darcy attempted to talk to her before she and Harry both pissed off to bed.”
A cold and sharp laugh escapes me. “That doesn’t seem quite right, seeing as she broke up with me,” I say. “She doesn’t want to be in a relationship.”
Micah gasps.
“What?” Cubby says, darting over and sitting on the edge of my bed. “Did she actually say that? She literally said, ‘I don’t want to be in a relationship with you’?”
I chew on my lip for a moment. “Well… no. But she might as well have.”
“What happened?” Marcus asks, hovering over me.
I explain the conversation as briefly as possible, but it still has me rubbing my chest where the ache is so deep, I don’t know that it will ever feel right again.
“Did you tell heryoudon’t want to break up?” Cubby asks, frowning at me.
I blink. “Uh. I mean… no. But she didn’t ask.”
“Oliver!” Cubby smacks me on the shoulder. “Oh you absolute twat,” Cubby says, standing up to start pacing. “Both of you! I mean myGod,use your words, people. All of this could have easily been solved with a very simple conversation.”
“Because you and Connor are so great at talking things out?” I snap.
Cubby stops pacing and blinks. “I… He… we’renottalking about my relationship here.”
“Similar approach you and Connor take, no?”
Cubby marches across the room and smacks me on the shoulder again.
“Ow!”
“Oh, I want tostrangleyou, Ollie. Sitting here moping when you should be groveling!”
“Groveling? What could I possibly have to grovel about?”
Cubby opens her mouth—to say something scathing, no doubt—but Micah steps forward, placing a hand on Cubby’s shoulder.
“Oliver, darling,” Micah says (in an exceptionally kinder tone than my sister). “Have you and Tilly talked about the ways you communicate?”
I blink at them then look at Marcus. He shrugs.
“I’m not entirely sure what that means,” I say. “We use… words? Is that what you’re asking?”
Cubby groans.
I’m not great at reading facial expressions, but the pitying smile Micah gives me is pretty hard to miss.
“Okay. I think that’s the best place to start.” Micah clears their throat, and Marcus stares at them like they placed every star in the sky. Christ.
“Oliver, how do you like people to talk to you? Explain things to you?”
