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“She is the landlady, I guess.”
“Even so, she’s taking the fucking piss.” Rebecca kicked off her boots and sprawled on the sofa, wine in hand. “So, what did she have to say?”
“More important is what I said to her,” I said. “I thought it was you on the balcony. I told her,you, that James fucked my ass over his desk at work.”
“Fuck,” she said, eyes darkening. “And what did she say to that?”
“She said a lot.” I sat down opposite. “You didn’t tell me about Rachel, that you split them up.”
“I didnotsplit them up, that’s fucking bullshit.”
“That’s not what Jaz said.”
“That bitch needs to stop with the shit-stirring.” Rebecca sighed, leaning forward. “Rachel was on her final warning, she’d already fucked James over with a whole host of fucking men. He’d been more than fair, I mean seriously, she had way more than enough chances. I told her I’d tell him the truth, if she kept on, but she didn’t listen. One night she was at Explicit, and she didn’t know I was in the next cubicle. I heard every fucking word she said.”
The hairs on my arms bristled. “What did she say?”
“She was planning another fling, talking it up with one of the regulars, Davey, one of their mutual friends. It wasn’t the first time they were getting it on, and it sure as shit wasn’t going to be the last. Jaz can say whatever the hell she wants about Rachel mending her ways, but the bitch was a slut. She tramped her way around the whole pissing club, and would have gone round for a second circuit if I hadn’t blown her cover.”
“So, you told him?”
Her eyes were heavy, boring into mine. “Yes, I told him, and he was grateful for it. Jaz and Rachel not so much.”
“Jaz didn’t agree with you, then?”
“Jaz and Rachel were thick as thieves. No, Jaz didn’t agree with me, said I should mind my own and let Rachel get on with it. It was the beginning of the end for us, that whole affair, but James was my friend and he would have done the same for me. I didn’t want her making more of a fool out of him than she had already.”
“Must have been tough.”
“Wasn’t much fun, no.” She drank her wine. “Look, this whole thing was going on for about six months before I blabbed my mouth off. He knew about her flings, she promised she’d stop, that she’d get some therapy, sort her shit out. Only she didn’t, she didn’t stop at all.”
“Why do you think she was fucking around that much?”
“Rachel lives for attention. She’s lived her entire life for attention. James’ attention wasn’t enough, she wanted adoration from the whole male populous beside him. They came to Explicit to spice things up, figured they could open their horizons as a couple, you know? Only Rachel opened her horizons a damn sight more than he did, and opened her legs with them. She was fucking more outside of Explicit than she was in it, and James knew, he’s no idiot. He gave her a lot of warnings, a lot of chances. Hell, she’d fuck them in front of him, Christ knows why she was so bothered about fucking them behind his back as well.”
“And you telling him, that was the final straw?”
She sighed. “Yeah, that was the end.”
“Hard being a good friend, isn’t it?”
“The hardest. I’d tell him over again in a heartbeat. He’s a good guy, Lyds. A fucked-up guy, a brutal guy, a strange, private weirdo kind of guy, but he’s straight. He wouldn’t fuck people around. Fuck themup, for sure,” she laughed. “But not around.”
“Jaz said Rachel wants him back, said she still loves him and he still loves her.”
“Jaz is full of shit,” Rebecca said. “Rachel may still want James, but he’s well done with that crap. Hell would freeze over before they got back together, regardless of how he felt about her.”
My heart was dancing in my ribcage. “Do you think he does still love her?”
She sighed. “I dunno. He did. I’m not sure about now.” She met my eyes. “I’m sorry, Lyds, I’m not sure how he really feels about her, that’s the honest truth.”
“You’ve got nothing to apologise to me for,” I said. “I’m not his girlfriend.” The words churned in my gut.
“Maybe,” she smiled. “Maybe not.”
“It’s casual,” I protested. “Really, as casual as it gets.”
“Oh yeah, so what’s with the sex at work shit? That really isn’t his style by the way, so either he’s lost his mind, or he’s got a major crush going down on our cute little Lyddie Marsh.”
