with
pleasure but with confusion. My head felt like it was growing spores.
“Yeah, baby. You like that, don’t
you?”
Something wasn’t right. Our first
time should be special. This wasn’t special. I couldn’t even see him. I wanted
sunshine and white sheets. I wanted to see his beautiful face: see the desire
in his eyes, see him want me. Surely, if he knew what I wanted, he’d want it
too.
He groaned and his fingers
fumbled to enter the edge of my underwear.
Somewhere in the blurry outskirts
of my consciousness, I heard a thudding.
“Amy? Amy, are you in there? Are
you okay?”
The pressure eased from the front
of my body, and my zip ascended. A door opened and my date’s silhouette
silently disappeared into the light.
“Oh God, Amy. Look at the state
of you,” Nessie scolded. “Thank God I found you.”
I felt her fingers fastening the
buttons on my top. I didn’t want her hands on me; I wanted Josh’s. “Where’d
Josh go? Tell him to come back.”
“Josh isn’t here.”
“I need to find him.”
“You’re confused, Ames. Too much
ouzo has scrambled your brain.”
“Take me to him.”
“Not possible, babe.”
“But I have to tell him I love
him.”
“I know you do, but he isn’t
here, and we need to get you home.”
Chapter Nine
“Amy! Nessie! Are you in there?”
Mum’s voice permeated my oblivion.
I sat up, pushed back the covers,
and padded to the door. It felt like a flock of woodpeckers had taken up
residence in my skull and were pecking their way out. “Open the door, or I’ll
get the maid to let me in.”
“Okay. Stop shouting. I’m
coming.” I twisted the latch, mooched back to my bed, without looking at Mum,
and crawled back under the covers.
I could feel her disapproving
stare stinging my cheek. “Do you know what time it is? You’ve missed
breakfast.”
Like I cared. The mere thought of
the pink meat that pretended to be bacon, coupled with cold fried eggs, made my
stomach heave.
Nessie stirred. “Mum? Is that
you? What are you doing here?”
“Diane’s dragging me on a boat
trip to the caves, today. She wondered if you wanted to come too.”
“Sounds like fun,” she said
sleepily. “Ames?”
I pulled the sheet over my head.
“You go. I don’t feel well.” Understatement of the year.
“Self-inflicted, I gather?” Mum’s
tone was chiding. “I’ll meet you in reception in an hour, Vanessa. Oh, and Amy,
clean this place up while we’re out. I didn’t bring you up to live in a pigsty.”
The door slammed. I peeled back
the sheet, rolled onto my back, and stared at the ceiling.
Nessie got up and sat on the edge
of my bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got run over by a ten ton
truck.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said,
pressing a couple of painkillers from a blister pack and handing them to me.
I threw them down my throat. “You?”
“Okay, I suppose. Bit bummed
about J.J.”
I didn’t want to think about what
had happened. It was all too much to take in. I knew I should tell her who J.J.
really was, but if he wasn’t interested in either of us, and we were never
going to see him again, what was the point in stirring up trouble? “How come
you weren’t as pissed as me?”
She laughed. “I didn’t have a
belly full of cocktails, beforehand.”
Shit. I’d forgotten about that.
“I don’t remember getting back
here.”
In fact, details were hazy for
most of the latter part of the evening, but the hollow in my gut told me they
weren’t good.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said,
rising and heading for the bathroom By the way you owe me five euros for the
ride home.”
The shower clicked on.
I turned on my side, and a bundle
of white in the waste bin caught my eye. “Why is my favourite top in the bin?”
Nessie peered around the door. “It
died.”
That much of the evening I
remembered. “It was only a bit of cola; it’ll wash out.”
“The cola might, but the pasta
stained vomit, maybe not so
pleasure but with confusion. My head felt like it was growing spores.
“Yeah, baby. You like that, don’t
you?”
Something wasn’t right. Our first
time should be special. This wasn’t special. I couldn’t even see him. I wanted
sunshine and white sheets. I wanted to see his beautiful face: see the desire
in his eyes, see him want me. Surely, if he knew what I wanted, he’d want it
too.
He groaned and his fingers
fumbled to enter the edge of my underwear.
Somewhere in the blurry outskirts
of my consciousness, I heard a thudding.
“Amy? Amy, are you in there? Are
you okay?”
The pressure eased from the front
of my body, and my zip ascended. A door opened and my date’s silhouette
silently disappeared into the light.
“Oh God, Amy. Look at the state
of you,” Nessie scolded. “Thank God I found you.”
I felt her fingers fastening the
buttons on my top. I didn’t want her hands on me; I wanted Josh’s. “Where’d
Josh go? Tell him to come back.”
“Josh isn’t here.”
“I need to find him.”
“You’re confused, Ames. Too much
ouzo has scrambled your brain.”
“Take me to him.”
“Not possible, babe.”
“But I have to tell him I love
him.”
“I know you do, but he isn’t
here, and we need to get you home.”
Chapter Nine
“Amy! Nessie! Are you in there?”
Mum’s voice permeated my oblivion.
I sat up, pushed back the covers,
and padded to the door. It felt like a flock of woodpeckers had taken up
residence in my skull and were pecking their way out. “Open the door, or I’ll
get the maid to let me in.”
“Okay. Stop shouting. I’m
coming.” I twisted the latch, mooched back to my bed, without looking at Mum,
and crawled back under the covers.
I could feel her disapproving
stare stinging my cheek. “Do you know what time it is? You’ve missed
breakfast.”
Like I cared. The mere thought of
the pink meat that pretended to be bacon, coupled with cold fried eggs, made my
stomach heave.
Nessie stirred. “Mum? Is that
you? What are you doing here?”
“Diane’s dragging me on a boat
trip to the caves, today. She wondered if you wanted to come too.”
“Sounds like fun,” she said
sleepily. “Ames?”
I pulled the sheet over my head.
“You go. I don’t feel well.” Understatement of the year.
“Self-inflicted, I gather?” Mum’s
tone was chiding. “I’ll meet you in reception in an hour, Vanessa. Oh, and Amy,
clean this place up while we’re out. I didn’t bring you up to live in a pigsty.”
The door slammed. I peeled back
the sheet, rolled onto my back, and stared at the ceiling.
Nessie got up and sat on the edge
of my bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got run over by a ten ton
truck.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said,
pressing a couple of painkillers from a blister pack and handing them to me.
I threw them down my throat. “You?”
“Okay, I suppose. Bit bummed
about J.J.”
I didn’t want to think about what
had happened. It was all too much to take in. I knew I should tell her who J.J.
really was, but if he wasn’t interested in either of us, and we were never
going to see him again, what was the point in stirring up trouble? “How come
you weren’t as pissed as me?”
She laughed. “I didn’t have a
belly full of cocktails, beforehand.”
Shit. I’d forgotten about that.
“I don’t remember getting back
here.”
In fact, details were hazy for
most of the latter part of the evening, but the hollow in my gut told me they
weren’t good.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said,
rising and heading for the bathroom By the way you owe me five euros for the
ride home.”
The shower clicked on.
I turned on my side, and a bundle
of white in the waste bin caught my eye. “Why is my favourite top in the bin?”
Nessie peered around the door. “It
died.”
That much of the evening I
remembered. “It was only a bit of cola; it’ll wash out.”
“The cola might, but the pasta
stained vomit, maybe not so
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