Page 58 of Broken Silence
“Hands,” Jasper growled.
Oh, fuck off!
Oakley ducked her head, blushing. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Okay, hurry up and finish the flirting because we need to go.”
I didn’t want to.
“See you later, Cole. Thanks for lunch.”
Oakley’s eyes were tight with stress as I pulled up outside Ali’s house the following morning. She stomped towards me with a clear, single purpose—to get away from whatever had been going on inside.
“What’s wrong?” I asked once she got into my car and slammed the door, rocking it on the wheels.
“If I don’t leave now, I’m going to kill them both, I swear!” She took a deep breath. “And, new rule: don’t ask me if I’m okay.”
The trial had started. It bothered me more than I could ever verbalise, so it must’ve been killing her.
“I take it you’ve heard that a lot today.”
“Everyfiveseconds. If I left the room for longer than a minute, one of them would follow me and ask how I was.” She laid her head back against the seat, the tension ebbing from her shoulders.
“It’s only because they care.”
“I know it is, but it drives me crazy. Can we change the subject? How was work?”
“Fine.”
“That’s what you used to say when your mum asked how school was. I thought you liked your job?”
I did until you came back. “Just had other things on my mind.”
“I would ask what those things were, but I have a feeling I’ll have to tell you to behave yourself again.”
I pulled out onto the road. “Smart girl.”
But it was more about the trial than wanting her right now. Though, that desire never went away.
“Do you have the room measurements?”
With no chain, the house purchase was going through fast. The market was slow at the moment, so my solicitor wasn’t overrun with work. I could be a homeowner in as little as another four or five weeks.
“Yep. Ready to be bored to death in a carpet shop?”
“Yep,” she replied.
I had a feeling this was about getting out and taking her mind off today… and not committing murder.
The shop smelled of new carpet and being broke. How fucking much per metre?
Samples of different pile and colours were everywhere. How the hell were you supposed to choose? There must have been a hundred different shades of each colour.
“This is going to be so boring,” I said.
