AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, Mark, what’s up?”
“Are you coming home for dinner? It’s ready.”
Shit, I forgot he was cooking us a Sunday roast today. He would have done it tomorrow, but he has someone going to the gym to inspect the new sauna he had fitted.
“Yes. We’re on our way right now, Mark.”
Banner grins, leaning forward. “She’s lying. We’re still in the park.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “We can leave now.”
“Why are you two in the park? It’s pissing down with rain,” Mark tells me, like I didn’t already know.
“Because we’re weird. We won’t be long—ten minutes at the most.”
“See you both soon then,” he says, before ending the call.
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I glare at Banner. “Why did you tell him I was lying? Everyone says they’re on their way, even if they haven’t left yet.”
He just keeps grinning. “No one lies to Mark in front of me.”
“You got that off a Facebook meme, didn’t you?”
He nods. “Yeah, but I didn’t think Mark would appreciate been called Suzie.”
I just laugh and shake my head, walking over to pick the blankets up. “Come on, you tattletale. Let’s get back and dry off. Do you have spare clothes?”
“Yeah. I’ve been keeping a few bits at yours, but I brought another bag.”
I sigh and stop what I’m doing to face him. “You do realise I’m okay. You don’t have to stay with me all the time. You must be getting bored of being cooped up with me.”
His shoulders drop by my admission. “I like being there. The flat I share gets too rowdy and it drives me nuts. I can’t even watch a movie. Plus, I like being with you. But if you want your space, just tell me and I can go back.”
Warmth fills me at his honesty. “No. I like you being there. I just don’t want you to get bored of me.”
Something flashes in his eyes. “I could never get bored of you.”
As he takes a step forward, my phone starts ringing again. He curses to the sky and I giggle. It’s Mark ringing when I look at the screen, so I show it to Banner.
“This is why you should always lie to Suzie,” I tease.
He laughs, throwing everything into a black bag since it needs to be rung out, then washed. “Let’s get going before he drives down here.”
We start off down the path, soaking wet. As we near the exit of the park, we stop to let a woman through. She tilts her umbrella back as she passes.
“Becky,” I greet, surprised to see her. What a small world.
“Hey, Emma,” she replies slowly, raking her gaze over me, then doing the same to Banner, her eyebrows tipping down. “Um, why, if you’ve got an umbrella, do you two look like you’ve been swimming?”
I giggle when she begins to sound more confused.
“We were splashing in the puddles.”
She laughs like she thinks we’re joking. “Funny. But seriously, is there a huge puddle or something I should be warned about? I don’t fancy getting too wet. This umbrella isn’t helping much, and I need to get to the other side of the park to meet my dad.”
“She’s being serious,” Banner assures her, covering his mouth to hide his amusement.
I just smile. “It’s a long story. Do you want us to give you a lift somewhere?”
