“Yeah, but knowing he’s here safe in our house, keeping a watch over Mum, and knowing he’s also being taken care of, is a fucking relief.”
Jesus. If he only knew how his mum and I take care of each other.
“I’m heading to bed.”
Lily’s voice gains our attention as she stops by the couch, a basket of laundry on her hip as she tries really fucking hard not to make eye contact with me.
“You sure you’re okay, Mum?” Jude asks, always the one to worry extra about his mum. “The bruises and the cut… The mugger must have been aggressive.”
“I’m fine. And the mugger is locked up now, remember? He can’t hurt me again.”
It’s a lie. I’m not sure if it’s the part about being fine, or about the mugger being locked up, probably both, but what I am sure about is that Lily is lying to us right now.
How do I know? It’s the way she nibbles on the inside of her cheek. I’ve seen her do that a few times since I’ve been back.
She did it those two times she received the envelopes with her initials on them. She did it when she was trying to persuade me that she wasn’t attracted to me. She even did it when she said she was at a committee meeting and came home in the wee hours of the morning.
Lily Bennett has a tell, and I’ve finally figured it out.
So what is she lying about now?
Lily has secrets she is yet to reveal, and I wonder if she’ll ever trust me enough to share them with me.
Jude stands from the couch, taking the basket from his mum’s grip and muttering that he’ll carry it for her.
Shit. Maybe I should’ve offered to do that.
Then again, it might look too out of character.
Fuck, my head hurts from all of this stuff.
Lily leaves with Jude without another word, and watching her retreat sends a sharp pain to the centre of my chest. It’s like watching my heart walk away.
By the time Jude returns, Ronan is swearing at the screen, focused on the game he’s playing. We sit and watch for a bit, but it’s not long before my attention falls to my phone. My very silent phone.
I remember a time when the battery would go flat fast because of all the notifications, calls, and messages I received and took part in. Now there’s only one woman on this planet that I want messaging me, and she’s under the same roof, just in a different room.
“Fuck, I’m horny,” Ronan rushes out as he tosses the controller onto the coffee table in frustration.
He lost the game.
“You’re always horny.” Jude rolls his eyes dramatically, and Ronan nods in agreement.
“It’s true. I really am.”
“Didn’t you get laid at the party last night?” I ask, and he nods.
“Yeah, but that was last night. Fucking ages ago.”
“Go jack off now then, arsehole. I don’t want to hear you grunting when we go to bed,” Jude snaps, and Ronnie’s eyes light up as he wags his brows, and Jude’s serious expression morphs into a mischievous grin.
“Good idea. I wonder if the oil is still there.”
“It’s still there.” I nod, remembering my first night back when I used the oil in front of their mum.
“Dude. You totally used it, didn’t you?” Ronnie snickers, and I shrug.
“You don’t get the luxuries of oil and privacy in prison.”
