Page 29 of Wish You Knew
And that’s exactly what Scott was being.
A good friend.
I wasn’t used to it.
Confusing didn’t even begin to cover it.
A whole day of doing nothing stretched out in front of me.
I couldn’t hear any sound in the house. Was Scott still in bed? It was shortly after ten, so I suspected as much. It had been a long time since I’d slept in so late. After a fitful start to the night, tossing and turning, I’d slipped into a deep slumber filled with random dreams of Mark and Scott. Reluctantly, I threw off the cosy duvet and grabbed a sweatshirt to pull on over the vest and shorts combo I’d worn for bed.
Padding barefoot down the stairs, I heard something coming from the cellar. Scott hadn’t shown me around the previous evening, but it seemed as if there was someone down there. Quietly, I descended the next flight, only to find him down there strumming on an acoustic guitar, singing to himself.
The final step creaked, and his head jerked up to see me.
“Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He clutched a hand to his chest in mock horror.
Noticing he was still dressed in the same clothes as he had been last night, I asked. “Did you even go to bed?”
He blinked and glanced around. “What time is it?”
“Around ten fifteen.”
“Shit. No.”
My gaze fell on the low coffee table in front of the sofa, where there appeared to be at least half a dozen mugs, all with coffee dregs in them. No wonder he was still awake.
“What were you doing down here anyway?”
He looked at me, then at the guitar, then back to me again. “What do you think?”
“I didn’t hear you playing.” Then again, it was quite a long way from my room down to here. I suppose, an acoustic guitar didn’t really play that loud either.
“Did I disturb you?” His concern appeared genuine.
I shook my head. “I was thinking of getting some breakfast. Do you want anything?”
Scott put down the guitar and stretched. “I should probably get some sleep first.”
His answer disappointed me. As he’d invited me to stay, I naively thought we’d spend some time together, go out, at least do something. Watching him sleep hadn’t been top of my list of activities.
“Fine. I’ll go and raid the fridge.” I spun around and stalked up the stairs.
“Wait,” he called after me. “If you’re cooking, a bacon and egg sandwich would be nice…” I sensed the puppy dog eyes he’d be giving me if I could see his face.
I glanced back at him over my shoulder, seeing the exact expression I’d imagined. “Sure, I guess I should earn my keep somehow.”
His gaze raked over my body, lingering at the spot where the end of the sweatshirt met my thighs. He bit his lip, not saying a word. A light shiver shot down my spine, and I had to walk away.
I resumed my place in the kitchen and rustled up some food, calling down to Scott when it was ready. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Scott told me a little more about the house and the village. It sounded much like the trains station had promised: quaint and old-fashioned.
I hoped I would get the opportunity to explore it.
Once we’d finished, Scott leaned back in his chair and yawned widely. “Time to sleep. Will you be okay on your own?”
I shrugged. “I guess so. I’ll probably watch some telly or maybe go for a walk.”
He stood up and went to leave the room, but not before putting a hand on my shoulder as he passed. “Be careful out there. The village isn’t ready for a top model to put in an appearance.” Absentmindedly, he kissed the top of my head, his lips leaving an invisible burn mark. “Talking of which, let’s go out for dinner tonight. The Kings Arms…”
