Page 38 of Fix Them Up
‘Who is that?’ I shouted.
‘It’s me,’ a deep voice shouted back, and my heart sank.
Liam’s face came into view as he approached the tent, his jaw set. His eyes scanned over me, grazing over my T-shirt that waswet and stuck to my body, and flickered away quickly. His face morphed into a grimace when he took in the pitiful sight of my tent.
Liam crossed his arms, ‘So, this was your big plan, huh?’
‘Are you going to stand there, or are you going to help me?’ I shouted back, trying to hold up the broken tent pole. ‘Have you got any duct tape in your van?’
‘You can’t camp out here, Red.’
‘It’s fine,’ I said while rain ran down the sides of my face. ‘It will settle down.’
‘This is Manchester, remember? It’s kind of known for the rain.’
‘That’s a myth. There is more rainfall in Cardiff.’
‘Semantics.’
‘It’s true. It will be fine. It’s supposed to be heavy for another twenty minutes, then it will be fine.’
‘Kat –’
‘There isn’t even that many centimetres of rainfall due –’
‘Get in the van, Kat,’ Liam growled. ‘We can debate rainfall statistics when we’re not getting soaked.’
The rain got heavier and joined forces with a gale-force wind. Liam turned on the heel of his boots, heading back for the van.
Was he going to leave me out here?
I made a frustrated noise. I was out of options and shaking from the cold. So I gave in and ran after Liam, climbing into the safe harbour of his warm van. The smell of wood and pine filled my senses. It was tidy and I wasn’t surprised. He had the air of someone who had an anal process for everything and would level anyone with a look if they went against his system. He was the opposite of me. I never did the same task the same way. It was partly why I didn’t trust myself to go freelance, even if I could make more money. I know I wouldn’t file my taxes on time, andthe HMRC would arrest me. I’d be pulled out of my home, handcuffed. And I’d deserve it.
I glanced at Liam through the wet hair stuck to my forehead. We were both panting and pushing the water off our faces. Frustration rolled off us both in waves.
‘How did you know I was here?’ I demanded.
‘Why are you so stubborn?’ Liam’s voice was like thunder. ‘Next time, slip Ravi a tenner to keep quiet. I overheard him talking in the club about a “pretty but clueless” redhead buying a load of camping equipment, and I put two and two together.’
‘Ravi said that?’ My mouth fell open.
Liam shook his head, ‘Ravi looks innocent, but he’s the biggest gossip in Everly Heath. He gives Pat a run for her money. I was happy to leave you to your stupid plan.’
‘Then why did you come? Why not leave me? I would have been fine.’
Anger flashed in his eyes. ‘Because you could have hurt yourself. I sat at home, watching the rain come down heavier and heavier, and I –’ He stopped. ‘I didn’t fancy calling the police about a dead body when I came into work tomorrow. I was going to text Lydia or Brian but you were insistant you didn’t want to ask them –’ He petered off, running his hand through his wet hair, now jet black. The anger dissipated from his features, replaced with a bone-deep kind of tiredness I was familiar with. Burnout. Liam was burnt out.
Had he even realised yet?
I reached out. I couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop it. I touched his arm.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked as Liam’s eyes tracked my movement. His eyes came up to mine, frustration burning there now.
‘I’m fine,’ he said through gritted teeth.
‘You seem – like burnt out.’
He laughed humourlessly. ‘Of course you’d be the only one to notice.’
