Page 40 of Someone in the Water
Except he doesn’t.
I check to see if the others have noticed. But Jack and Archie are deep in conversation now, and Izzy and Harriet are soaking up the sun with their eyes closed. I realise with a clattering heart that this is my problem to fix. But just as I jump back into the water, Dom emerges, his hand holding his head.
‘Fuck,’ I exhale, my eyes widening. Bright red liquid is streaming down his face from an angry gash on his forehead.
‘I’m fine, I think,’ he says, wiping blood out of his eyes.
He looks awful. Like Bruce Willis inDie Hard. I tell myself that head wounds bleed a lot, and cold water makes it worse, but the rationalising doesn’t help. ‘Jesus, Dom. It looks bad. What happened? Does it hurt?’
More blood has dripped onto his cheeks, and without thinking, I reach out to wipe it off, but he jerks his head away. I retract my hand like a scared tortoise.
‘Stop it,’ he says quietly. ‘Stop pretending you care.’
‘But I thought …’ My voice fades. Because what did I think? That Dom being kind to me up there – when all he was probably doing was making sure I jumped – means that he’s forgiven me for humiliating him in front of our friends?
‘It’s just a cut,’ he mutters. ‘Cold beer will sort me out.’ He swims to the edge of the pool, then climbs out. I wait a minute, then follow him and silently lay my towel next to Izzy’s.
‘Who’s up for a drink then?’ Dom says, wiping his face with a towel. ‘And before you ask, no, I’m not dying.’
‘Any rosé in that cooler box?’ Harriet asks, lifting onto her elbows, and narrowing her eyes as she takes in Dom’s injury without commenting on it.
‘Sure is,’ Dom says, pulling out a bottle and handing it to her. ‘Jack? Archie?’
‘Yeah, I’ll go a cold one,’ Jack says, pushing up to standing and wandering over, seemingly oblivious to Dom’s bleeding head.
‘Not for me,’ Archie says, without even looking at Dom. ‘In fact, I’m not feeling that great. I might head back to the hotel.’
Dom looks a little offended as he wipes his forehead again. ‘You sure, mate?’
‘Yeah, I just need some sleep.’
Archie does look pale. I try to catch his eye as he pulls his T-shirt on, but he keeps his head lowered, even as he lifts his hand into a wave. So I turn to Jack instead, who’s wearing a stony expression as he downs a can of lager.
And it isn’t until after Archie’s left that I realise they didn’t say goodbye to each other.
Frankie
29th July
I’m mildly buzzed when I get back to the hotel. Izzy, Harriet and I worked our way through two bottles of rosé at the waterfalls, each cupful making us feel more confident until we finally persuaded Izzy to jump from the pulse-raiser. I tried to enjoy myself – forget about Dom’s rejection and live in the moment – but my heart wasn’t really in it, so I was grateful when we packed up and retraced our steps down the path.
‘We should grab some dinner before showering,’ I say. ‘Chefs will clear it away soon and I’m starving.’
‘Good idea,’ Harriet says. ‘Need something to soak up all that water I swallowed. Not to mention the rosé.’
Izzy looks at her watch, then turns to me. ‘Sorry but I’m going to have to run. I’m meeting a friend in half an hour, and I need to get myself ready. I’ll grab something to eat while I’m out.’
‘A friend or a date?’ Harriet asks, tilting her head.
Izzy gives her a sardonic smile, but her cheeks turn a subtle shade of pink. ‘Let’s call it a date with a friend,’ she says. ‘Anyway, I better go.’ She lifts her hand into a wave, then scoots off before I have chance to interrogate her further.
‘That girl cannot be trusted,’ Harriet murmurs. ‘Always talking in riddles.’
‘Because she’s got a date with a friend?’ I say, shaking my head. My default is always to defend Izzy, but inside, I can’t help feeling hurt that she’s out again without telling me who with. I thought we shared our secrets, but there’s seems to be an increasing amount that she’s not willing to tell me. Maybe our friendship isn’t as solid as I thought. Except it’s Izzy who’s always talking about us being kindred spirits, not me.
‘Come on, let’s eat,’ I mutter, then head towards the door to the staffroom.
Harriet scurries to catch up. ‘No, Izzy can’t be trusted because she won’t tell us who that friend is,’ she says. ‘And she’s happy for a little boy to lose his finger, and she manipulated you into humiliating Dom, and she’s always such a bitch to Jack, and she talks about lying like it’s a competitive sport.’
