Just a Number (Thirst Trap #2)

21. Mel

Chapter twenty-one

Mel

A s Alex puts his hand on the handle to open the door and escape, Zack’s voice rings out. “Why was the door locked?”

Alex looks at me and, if we weren’t screwed before, I think it’s that look that seals it.

“What the actual fuck is going on here?” Zack sounds furious.

I close my eyes for a second and draw in a breath.

“Zack, it’s okay,” I say in my most soothing tone. He turns to face me, waiting for an explanation. “Alex, you can go,” I tell him gently.

“Are you sure?” he checks, and Zack huffs when he does.

“Yes, we’re all good. Bring that laundry over whenever you need to.”

“Okay, I’ll catch you both later.” He gives one last glance at me, his brow knitted with worry before he leaves.

“Did you sleep with him?” Zack demands.

“Why do you think that?” I cock my head to the side, trying to buy myself some time to figure out how to get through this with the relationship with my son intact.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And even you look at him funny sometimes, too. So did you?”

I can’t be anything but honest with him. I lean back against the kitchen counter. I’ve been standing, frozen in place, but I try to relax.

“Yes, I did.” It’s hard to watch as his face screws up with disgust.

“Did he take advantage of you?” This might just be the most uncomfortable conversation I’ve ever had with my son, but my heart warms at the thought of him looking out for me.

“No, Zack, of course not. In fact, with the age difference, it’s more likely to be the other way around.”

“How long has it been going on?” His voice is demanding.

“Just last night, and once a couple of weeks ago.”

He fists his hand and holds it to his lips for a moment, as if he’s trying not to lose control. “Wow, you must have been laughing at me, oblivious to what was happening. I only cottoned on because you were both being weird when I arrived.”

“I promise you, Zack, we haven’t been laughing at you. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Why did it have to be one of my friends?” he asks earnestly.

I crumble then, my shoulders caving in as I bow my head as the weight of the guilt and shame I had locked away breaks its way free.

“I didn’t plan it, I swear. We were attracted to each other, and it just happened. I don’t want this to affect your friendship with him.”

He laughs but there’s no humour in it. “Fat fucking chance of that. Why would I want a friend that does that?”

“Does what?” I ask, gently, desperate to unpick this so I can mend it.

“He’s clearly only friends with me so he can get to you.” He huffs.

“You guys were friends before I met him. I don’t think he’s done any of this with some kind of malicious intent, Zack. I swear, it just happened.”

My phone starts ringing and I know from the tone that it’s work, but I decide to ignore it and focus on this conversation.

“Is that him?” It would be hard to miss the disapproval in his voice.

“No, it’s a work call.” That seems to give Zack a way out of this conversation.

“I’m going to grab a shower and then I need to head to college.”

“Are we okay?” I ask, over the sound of the still ringing phone.

“I dunno. I just want to forget I even know. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay. I love you, Zack.”

He releases another un-humorous laugh and then leaves the room. I wilt, wanting to scream and cry. Why did I let this happen? And why is the man that sets my body on fire and wants to worship me too damn young for me?

I snatch my phone from the counter, but it’s stopped ringing. There’s a missed call from one of the girls in the office. I’ll call her back once I’ve calmed down.

A notification pops up at the top of my screen.

Alex:

Are you okay? I can come back.

A warmth spreads in my chest at his concern as I type a quick message back.

Me:

I’m fine. Zack is grabbing a shower and then heading to college.

I leave it at that, trying not to encourage him but hopefully putting his mind at ease. I tidy up the kitchen and then head upstairs to try to get some work done.

Once Zack has slammed his way back out of the house and I’ve had a catch up with the office, I pause for a moment.

I need to talk to someone about this. If I sit here all day, I’m going to just keep replaying it all in my head and probably get nowhere. The night of incredible sex with Alex, then Zack finding out threatens me with overwhelm. I pull up Cassidy’s number on my phone and press call.

“‘Lo,” she answers in a croaky voice after a few rings.

“Oh shit, did I wake you?”

“Hey, Mel. It’s fine. I need to get up anyway.” I hear a murmur of a male voice at the end of the line. “It’s okay, babe, go back to sleep. I’m gonna go talk to Mel.”

I hear her moving around and then what could be a door closing behind her.

“Hey, let me just start the coffee and then I’m all yours,” she tells me. In the background, there’s the sound of cupboards opening and closing and a kettle boiling. “Right, I’ll soon be caffeinated. What’s up?”

“Why would anything be up? Couldn’t this just be a friendly call?” I’m stalling and I’m not sure why.

“Mel, you always text first to check if it's okay to chat. If you’re ringing me straight off the bat, I shall assume it’s of a more urgent nature.”

“Oh, fair enough.” I hedge a moment more. “Zack knows.”

“Knows what? About you and Alex? Oh my god, did he catch you at it?”

“No, thank goodness. Alex stayed over last night while Zack was at a friend’s. He came back early this morning while we were eating breakfast and chatting.”

“Are you sure he knows? That could just be you being a nice person making Alex breakfast.”

“No, he figured it out when Alex had to unlock the back door to get out.”

“Oh… fuck…”

“Yep.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I sent Alex away, and I was honest with Zack that it’s happened a couple of times and I didn’t mean it to. He asked if Alex had taken advantage of me.”

“Ah, probably easier for him to deal with than to think about his mum actually wanting to have sex, I guess.”

“Fuck, I’m going to have to stay away from Alex. This can’t happen again.”

“Er, why the fuck not? If Zack knows now, it’s out in the open. You should totally just run with it now. Let the sexual chemistry run its course. Date him. Let him woo you.”

“But every time we do something, it just makes me want him more.”

“All the more reason to keep getting it. Look, you don’t need to be waving it in Zack’s face. But I think, if he knows, you just go for it. Tell him you’re gonna see what happens and that it’s not serious, anyway.”

“Hmmmm,” I think about what she’s suggesting, but I’m still unsure.

“It’s not serious, right?”

“Oh no, of course not.” But as I say it, there’s a heavy tug in my chest, so much so that I have to rub the heel of my hand over my breastbone. Why can’t I be honest and say out loud how much I’m starting to like him?

Around lunchtime, I make my way downstairs. I’ve been in and out of meetings since I got off the phone with Cassidy and I’m ready for coffee and food. I’m rummaging through the fridge, trying to work out what to eat, when there’s a knock at the back door.

I straighten and look over, making out a silhouette that looks like Alex through the frosted glass. There’s no point avoiding him. It’s best that we have a chat and work out what happens next.

“Hey,” I say as I open the door. “What the fuck is that?” I cry when I get a look at his face, his eye black and swollen.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to check you were okay?”

“How did you get a black eye, Alex?” He just shakes his head, refusing to answer. “Was it Zack?”

His grimace gives me my answer, even if he doesn’t want to say it.

“What the fuck is he playing at?”

“Look, he’s angry with me. He thinks you’re vulnerable, and I took advantage of you. And let’s face it, I’m a shit friend. I fucked his mum. I deserve the black eye.” He shrugs it off as if it’s nothing.

“Come in.” I reach over and draw him in by the hand. “Have you iced it?”

“I didn’t have any ice. I did put a wet cloth on it for a while. It’s hurting a lot less than when he did it.”

“When did he do it?”

“He came and banged on the door a few hours ago; before he had to go to college, I guess.”

Shit. I hadn’t even realised. Just assumed when I heard him leave that he was on his way to college. I push Alex onto a stool and use a tea towel to make a poultice with some ice that I gently press to his swollen eye.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Mel, he’s within his rights. He thinks I took advantage of you.”

“Stop saying that. You didn't take advantage and we both know it. Fuck!”

“What happens now?” he asks, pressing the cold pack to his eye as I pace up and down.

“I don’t know. First, I was going to tell you it couldn’t happen again. Then my friend Cass suggested that, given that it’s all out in the open, we should just let it run its course. But now I don’t know again.”

“I think I’m going to like your friend. She sounds cool.” He winks with his uninjured eye and it makes me chuckle, despite the shitshow that we’re in. “And I definitely want to spend more time with you. I wanna take you out, get to know you. And I’m pretty sure sex would make me feel a helluva lot better right now.”

“I’m not having sex with you with a black eye.”

“Why not?” he asks, amusement making his eyes twinkle.

“I dunno. It just came out. I don’t think we should have sex now though. Can you imagine if Zack came home early and caught us at it? No, thank you.” A full body shiver rolls over me. “I think I need more time to decide what to do. I need to talk to Zack again, and I think you should stay out of the way until I can.”

“Fair enough,” he says, albeit begrudgingly. “But I think Cassidy’s right. We should see where this goes.”

“Did you hit him back?”

“What? No, of course not. I was the one in the wrong. I deserved it.”

“So we shouldn’t keep seeing each other, then?”

“That’s not what I meant,” he growls.

“Look, we’re not getting anywhere here. I need some space. Are you going to be okay? Can you work with that?” I gesture to his blackened eye.

He grimaces. “I’ll need to check with Abby and Tom. I might be able to help in the kitchen if they don’t want me at the bar. I’ll be fine at the pottery workshop. In fact, I need to head there shortly.”

“Okay, don’t let me hold you up then. Just give me a chance to figure this all out and I’ll be in touch, okay?”

“Sure.” He rises from his seat, emptying the ice into the sink and draping the tea towel over the towel rail before he walks towards me. “How ‘bout a little kiss to make it better?”

I scowl but have to admit it’s appealing. I go to peck him on the cheek, but he turns at the last minute and our lips touch. His hand comes out and grips the back of my head, and he kisses me passionately.