Page 44 of The Retreat
‘You found me,’ Imogen said, smiling with delight.
‘I wasn’t looking,’ Talia said. But she sat down on the swing next to her anyway.
‘Is Flora here?’ Talia asked.
‘I haven’t seen her,’ Imogen replied, swinging lazily.
Talia looked around her at the park. And there, on the roundabout, was Flora, as she’d looked the last time Talia had seen her in that street, sex dishevelled. She was spinning around on the roundabout without a care.
‘She’s here,’ Talia said.
‘Let’s not play with her,’ Imogen said.
‘OK,’ Talia said with a nod.
Now the roundabout was empty.
‘Will you push me?’ Imogen asked.
Talia hopped off her swing and walked around to Imogen. Suddenly, her body felt heavy. But before she could push her, Imogen had a change of heart.
‘You can get on with me if you like,’ Imogen said. ‘You can swing better like that.’
‘How?’
‘It’s a two-seater,’ Imogen said confidently.
Talia realised then that it was. And she climbed on. They pushed with their feet, swinging away together.
The metal chains creaked gently. The swing slowed.
Imogen leaned her head on Talia’s shoulder.
***
In the real world, Talia, now in the bed, pressed her forehead to the back of Imogen’s neck. Her breath moved softly against Imogen’s skin.
Neither of them woke.
Thirty
Imogen woke feeling cosy. Man, this blanket was good. What was it stuffed with? Goose down? It was positively toasty. And heavy. And… Wait, was that a breath on the back of her neck?
Her eyes blinked open slowly, suspiciously. She was facing the wall. That was normal. She always slept facing away from the door. But the arm draped across her waist? Not hers. And definitely not normal.
Her first thought was,Oh no, a bear. Her second thought was,Did Jade get into the room somehow?
Somehow, the most obvious explanation was the last to occur to her.
Imogen turned her head, careful not to jostle the mattress too much, and peered over her shoulder.
There she was. Talia. In Imogen’s bed. Asleep. Curled in close, practically nuzzled into Imogen’s shoulder. She was out cold, her expression soft and serene.
Imogen lay there, utterly still, for a solid ten seconds. Which felt like an eternity when you were trying not to acknowledge the thigh slotted casually between your own. The worst thing was that her body was reacting like it was happy about the situation.
Very happy.
She had to do something and quick. ‘Talia,’ she whispered.
