Page 176 of Brighter Together

Neither of us says anything until we reach the small kitchen upstairs.

Tommy lifts me onto the counter and goes straight to the little fridge-freezer.

He takes out an ice pack, wraps it in a tea towel and steps between my knees.

“Can I?” he asks cautiously.

I nod.

He presses it gently to my cheek.

The cold hurts at first.

Then it helps.

Tommy’s other hand rests on my thigh.

His thumb moves slowly over the fabric of my trousers.

“How are you feeling?”

I take a breath.

I expect the tears.

They don’t come.

Not yet.

My whole body is trembling, but inside my head there is an odd kind of quiet.

I think about Lee telling me to make Tommy sign the contract.

Dad telling me I owed them.

Mum lying to doctors.

My own voice two days ago saying he’s family as though that explained anything.

It doesn’t.

“Tommy.”

“Yeah?”

“I want to speak to the police.”

His hand stills.

I look directly at him.

“I want to give them a statement. About today and about what happened at my flat.”

Something in his expression eases, but he doesn’t smile.

He just nods.

“Okay.”