“Maybe a little. Did it sound weird?”
“No,” he says. His voice is soft, as though sleep is already stalking him. “It sounded natural, like you know what you’re talking about. I’m glad at least one of us does.”
“Or we could just give them my favourite line . . . ‘We’re not here to fuck spiders.’”
Eggo laughs.
It’s nearly midnight, and although we’ve fucked twice today—I expect to make up for the solid month of not fucking before that—we don’t touch each other. Touching is not something mates do.
It’s strictly for sexy time or rugby time.
But I want to touch him. I want to touch him so badly.
I want to reach across and stroke the arch of his cheek, run my fingertips through his hair, thread them into his beard, press my face against his chest and fall asleep cocooned within his enormity.
“Did you know Georgia’s going travelling in Europe next month?” I say, turning onto my side and pushing my hand under the cool pillow instead of doing all the other things I’m craving.
“No. Megs never said anything. Did George tell you that today?”
“Yeah.” I’m not even sure why I brought it up. I don’t want to talk about Georgia or Megan, but I’m also not ready for this moment between us to be over. Eggo and Pi sleepovers outside of hotel rooms aren’t a common occurrence, and I can already feel the heaviness of the day weighing down his speech.
“Are you still going back to Australia for the off season?”
My knee involuntarily jerks upwards. Trekkie takes it as a personal attack and throws a spiky paw in my direction, jabbing me in the belly. “I don’t want to.”
Eggo’s quiet for a few moments. The seconds stretch on, and I think I’ve finally lost him to dreamland, but then he clears his throat. “Come to Cornwall with me instead. Come hang out with me and Logan for the summer.”
“The entire summer?”
“Yeah. Or however long you like.”
A million thoughts run through my head.
Yes, fuck yes, sign me up now.
But also . . .
What if he’s just saying that to be nice?
What if I’m a burden? Six weeks is a long time.
What if Jody doesn’t want me hanging around with her seven-year-old son for that long and sends me packing?
What if Logan decides he hates me?
What if I fall so irreparably head over heels in love with Eggo that there’ll be no going back after it? No normality?
What if our attempts to figure out the co-captaincy fail and cause a rift between us?
What if I can’t get a refund on my flights? What will I do with Trekkie? I can’t take him to Cornwall again. He’d no doubt end up molesting or murdering Eggo’s mum’s dog. Would Abs still look after him?
What if Eggo gets so sick of me we ruin this entire fuck-buddies arrangement?
What if other people find out?
What about Megan? Shit, what the fuck is he going to do about his actual girlfriend?
“Think about it,” he says, obviously sensing my reticence. “I know Cornwall can be crowded during the summer months, and expensive too, and you can’t find a parking space for love norfucking money, but it’s also . . .” He’s quiet for a few more moments. “It’s also home, and . . . I’d really like you to be there.”
