‘It’s fine, I don’t mind,’ he assures me. ‘Unless you snore, that might be a problem. I’m a very light sleeper.’
‘Yes, I snore like a dragon, now if you don’t mind—’
‘Or maybe you’re a sleep-farter?’ he considers. ‘I dated one once. I couldn’t sleep all night for laughing.’
‘Ugh, you’re ridiculous. Goodnight, Will, I’ll see you tomorrow.’
He shrugs and slides open the patio door. ‘Alright, just don’t expect me to come running over at four am when you hear someone breathing under your bed. I’m happy to ward off any nutcases who might try and get in, not ones who are already inside.’
‘Nice try, I’ll take my chances.’
He leaves and I sharply draw the curtains behind him, now trying to shake off the image of someone hiding under my bed. What an arsehole.
I drag my pillow and duvet from the bedroom to the couch and decide to sleep there. Just in case. If the electricity isn’t back on by morning, I’m going home.
CHAPTER20
BOOTCAMP: DAY 3
I awaken to a jaunty door knock indicating that breakfast has been delivered to my cabin. I glance at my phone; it’s 7.35am, which means I survived the night, as did my phone battery but only three percent remains. The fire has gone out, but the lights are all on again, as well as the heating, which pleases my feet as I stand up from the couch to plug my phone in to charge beside the television. It’s funny how daylight makes everything far less threatening; at one point during the night I was convinced that someone was hiding in the bathroom, causing me to hold my bladder all night and dream about pissing myself. I dash off to the bathroom at top speed.
Teeth brushed and same jeans worn for the second day, I collect my breakfast basket from the front door where I spot Will leaving the cabin to the right. Meg’s cabin. I feel my stomach plummet a little before quickly closing the door, so he doesn’t see me. As I stand behind the door, I’m surprised that I feel somewhat miffed. He’s obviously offered his blackout protection to every woman here, not just me, his bootcamp buddy. The voice in my head starts to mock me.
What, you thought you were special? Aw, that’s adorable, Nora. Yeah, I’m sure he was thinking of you while he shagged Miss Lifestyle Influencer over there.
I tell myself toshut the hell upand grab a croissant from the basket, jamming it into my face sideways. I’m doing it again. Feeling rejected by someone I wasn’t even interested in, but this time I’ve caught myself doing it. That’s progress. This isn’t about him, it’s none of my business what he does. This is about me.
When I arrive at the house for our morning session, we all gather in the main room and await the last few stragglers who arrive looking red-cheeked and sleepy. Will comes in a couple of minutes late, smelling of aftershave.
‘Sleep alright?’ I ask, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.
He places his jacket on the back of the chair. ‘Not really,’ he responds. ‘I could do with another hour or two.’
‘That’s a shame,’ I say, opening up my notebook as Anna walks down to the front of the room. ‘Did Meg’s snoring keep you up? Or maybe her farting? If she had the stir fry, there was a lot of broccoli.’
He looks at me in surprise. ‘How did you—’
‘I saw you leaving this morning. Quite the white knight, aren’t you? Nice aftershave.’
He smirks. ‘She called me over as I left yours last night. It seems she’s not quite as brave in the dark as you are. Oh, and before you ask, I slept on her couch.’
Anna claps her hands together like a headmistress, causing us all to quieten down.
‘Not my business,’ I whisper back as she starts to speak.
‘Then why mention it at all?’
‘We all had an exciting night, didn’t we?’ Anna says, laughing. ‘I don’t know about you, but I was a little freaked out in the dark. Glad to hear that some of y’all found roommates, it warms my heart to know that you have that level of trust with each other already.’
I look around the room as people nod and wave at each other. Was I the only one who slept alone last night? I can tell Will has a smug look on his face but I’m not giving him the satisfaction of looking at it.
‘I’ve been assured that everything is now running smoothly, and for the inconvenience, we’re hosting dinner here this evening where you can all get together and continue to bond. Dress up! It’ll be fun.’
People seem more excited about this than I am, probably because they have brought more than one fancy outfit. I only brought one dress for the end-of-bootcamp party and now I’ll have to wear it twice. The shame.
‘So, this morning, after meditation, we’re going to look at redefining love, which I’m sure you will all find beneficial. A quick reminder that our first yoga session will be this afternoon, so please change into appropriate clothing at lunchtime.’
She dismisses us all for meditation and I skulk through behind Will, wondering how my very unfit body will cope with yoga. Victoria does yoga, but her body is made entirely from rubber. I can’t even touch my toes. Maybe I’ll snap something and be allowed to lie in bed for the rest of the week?
