Page 96 of The Reboot
Ella had always found sex talk cringey and a total turn-off. But someone making her laugh was a whole other story.
‘Oh go on, then,’ she said, flinging her arms wide. ‘Ravish me!’
They were both shrieking with laughter as Roly flipped her onto her back and straddled her.
‘Well, that beats a run any day,’ Ella said later. They were lying close together, facing each other.
‘Do you think we’ve worked off the Mexican yet?’
‘I dunno. Does sex really work as exercise?’
‘We’ll have to Google it.’
‘This is weird, isn’t it – us, like this?’
‘I dunno. I think I’ve wanted to do that since that night at the Westbury.’
‘What?’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘No you haven’t.’
‘Maybe I did, on some level. You know, subconsciously.’
‘You wanted to shag me subconsciously?’
‘Yeah. I feel like it was always out there, hanging over us.’
‘Like homework?’
‘Like … unfinished business, you know?’
‘Right. So now that’s done and we can move on?’
‘No, that’s not what I mean.’
‘So why did you never act on it?’
He frowned. ‘I guess I always felt like if something happened with you it’d be … serious. Like that’d be it. Permanent. There’d be no going back.’
‘No escape.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Like prison.’
He laughed. ‘No.’
‘Trapped with no way out.’ She widened her eyes dramatically.
‘No, I just meant we’d have ended up with a house and kids and everything, and I wasn’t ready for all that.’
‘You weren’t the only one!’
‘It was like if I’d been with you, that’d be it. My life would be over.’
‘Gosh! Thanks very much.’
‘Not my whole life, obviously. But that part of it. I wouldn’t have been able to shag around anymore, because then I’d lose you.’
There were so many questions running through Ella’s head, she struggled to take it all in. ‘I can’t believe you even thought about me in that way at all. Before last night.’
