AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Comfortable silence descended as they took in the view. A Saltire-blue sky stretched over Glasgow: tenements gave way to distant rooftops, which in turn became picturesque hills.
‘It’s not a bad place to call home,’ Jen said, her voice quiet, like she was saying it to herself more than Holly.
‘I’ll say.’ Holly pulled her phone from her pocket, taking a few snaps of the view to show Mum and Dad later. She couldn’t resist Instagram while she was at it. ‘Oh my God, have you seen this?’ Annie had shared a very candid photo of Chloe and Ryan, his arms around her as they threw a pot. It was like something from a film.
‘Lucky bastards,’ Jen laughed. ‘I’ll be lucky if I can use my legs tomorrow.’
Holly sighed, bracing herself before tackling a difficult subject. ‘You think we could pull that off?’
Jen snapped off a blade of grass, playing with it as she spoke. ‘Dunno. I felt a bit weird when we met, like I didn’t know what I should do.’
‘Me too,’ Holly said, her eyes growing wide with the comfort of knowing Jen felt the same. ‘And that photoshoot was awkward as hell.’
‘You’re telling me. What are we going to do about it?’
‘I’ve been thinking about this.’ It was true. She had been thinking about it. A lot. Which was part of the reason for her wandering mind. Was it safe to go down this route or was she just acting out a misguided fantasy? No, something needed to be done before their third date, or they’d never have a chance of winning the money. ‘And the public are never going to believe us if there isn’t a smidgen of truth. There’s an intimacy you just can’t fake. Like, correct me if I’m wrong, but have Chloe and Ryan slept together? I mean, they’ll at least have kissed, yeah?’
Jen shrugged as she dropped the blade of grass to the ground. ‘Not sure, but yeah, they’ll have kissed at least.’
‘See, you can tell. There’s a comfortableness about them. The awkwardness has gone. They’re relaxed. Even if they’re not snogging each other hello when they meet, you can tell they’re not analysing a damn thing. They’re just doing what feels natural. And I don’t know about you, but I’m no actress; I can’t pull that off with an audience. Especially if we go in cold like today.’ It was one thing to be camera shy, another to be as intimate with your supposed girlfriend as you would be with a stranger in the supermarket.
‘Okay,’ Jen replied, drawing the word out. ‘I agree with you, but what can we do about it? You want to have sex?’ She laughed nervously.
‘Not quite. I think that might be a bit too much. I mean, I’m committed to the part and all, but. . . ’ she trailed off with a quiet laugh.
‘What then? We need a set play-by-play of what we’re to do?’
‘Nah, too stiff. Our photos worked well the other night because we were drunk; the inhibition was gone. But we can hardly be steaming every time we meet. I think we need to break the ice, give ourselves something to work with.’
‘Meaning?’
Holly’s heart went into overdrive, refusing to believe she was actually going to say what she’s spent hours thinking about last night. Five grand was riding on this. If she wanted to start her own business they needed to get serious about winning the money, which meant pulling out the big guns, going in strong. Holly psyched herself up, looking for the courage to push the words from her lips. ‘I think we should kiss.’
