Page 229 of Double or Nothing

She rests her forehead against his.

Jack’s humour fades. His fingers move into her hair and remain there, holding rather than stroking.

The intimacy between the two of them has gone off the scale these past few days, but I don’t feel intimidated by it or undermined. Their passion is fierce, and their shared laughter is getting louder. It’s such a beautiful contrast to the steady, constant solidarity between me and Alice. What exists between us has taken years of silence, separation and regret. A solid connection, hidden from view. We just needed to uncover it.

Whereas with Jack, everything happens at lightning speed. Always.

And I feel exactly the same towards him as she does. The jester with so many layers I have no idea what lies at the core, but I want to know. Slowly, it’s showing through, one little peek at a time.

I can’t imagine life without him. Or life without Alice. But most weirdly of all, I can’t imagine life without us as a trio.

Only reality has other plans.

Alice turns towards me. We shuffle into another position. Then another after it. Jack and I reaching for each other to sandwich Alice even tighter.

We stay in bed for another hour.

There is no conversation. None of us needs it.

Alice’s hand rests inside mine. Jack’s fingers occasionally brush my wrist where it crosses her stomach. When she turns over, Jack’s knee settles against mine beneath the covers.

Each touch is quiet.

Deliberate.

Reassurance passed between bodies because words would force us to admit what we are facing.

Alice’s phone rings just after midday, buzzing on the far bedside table, and she tenses between us.

The name on the screen is hidden but obvious, none of us needs to see it.

Jack reaches over, takes the phone and shuts it away in the top drawer.

“She can fuck off today,” he says. “This is ours.”

He climbs out of bed. Stretches his arms over his head.

“Right. New rule for today. No clocks. No phones. No messages. No time checking.”

Neither of us attempt to argue.

Alice sits up, the duvet gathered against her chest.

“So, what are we doing today?”

“Nothing,” he says.

She looks at him.

“Nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing. We’re going nowhere. We’re seeing nobody. Answering nobody. Not giving anything else even a smidgen of our time.”

“That sounds perfect,” Alice says with a big smile.

Jack’s jester smile shines back at her.

“Of course it does. It was my idea.” He grabs his dressing gown from the chair and shrugs it on. “That’s it. I’m setting every single clock in the place back to midnight.”