Between You and Me: The bestselling psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming. Lisa Hall

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СКАЧАТЬ href="#ulink_0f207399-6b2b-5bdf-8d79-a7eadf45439d">Chapter Eight

      CHARLIE

      I wake up with a start on the couch, after snoozing for an hour. The wine we drank after our meal was enough, coupled with the early starts and late nights that go alongside working on a case as huge as the Otex acquisition, to send me over into oblivion for a little while. Sal is smiling down at me when I wake; dark curls falling over one eye.

      ‘God, sorry, Sal, did I snore? Jesus, I’m shattered.’ I yawn, a huge jaw-stretching yawn.

      ‘Ha, no. You’re OK. I know you’re tired – the case must be taking its toll on you. No, I was just thinking about when we met. Remember that summer?’

      ‘How could I forget?’ I pull Sal in for a hug and squeeze tight, last night’s row completely erased from my mind. ‘Picnics in the park, your crappy old car that could barely get us from A to B without something dropping off it, drinking cider in the sun – those were the days!’ I laugh. Those were the days, once I persuaded Sal that moving into my place was the right idea. Those flatmates Sal shared with were a nightmare – all they wanted to do was take Sal away from me, with their promises of gigs to see obscure bands that no one except them (and Sal) had ever heard of, and wild house parties, full of dodgy punch and people being sick on the stairs. An actual nightmare. One of them actually had the nerve to tell me that he thought I was ‘too controlling’ of Sal – he soon shut up once I told him I knew he had slept with his lecturer and did he want me to let the head of department at the uni know? It’s amazing what information you can pick up when everyone else around you has had too much to drink, while you stay sober – that and the fact that the lock on his bedroom door was incredibly easy to pick. Once I had Sal moved into my place, I could decide who Sal saw, where Sal went, everything. I could keep Sal with me, all night, every night. There’s nothing controlling about it – it’s just keeping an eye on your other half.

      ‘It seems like a long time ago now.’ I smile at Sal, ‘And here we are still, together, despite it all. Together through thick and thin, that’s us, Sal. We don’t need anyone else, you know that. I love you more than anyone. More than anyone ever has or ever will. Remember that, Sal. I’d die if you left me.’ A tiny frown drifts across Sal’s brow before Sal stands and, disentangling our arms and legs from each other, holds a hand out to me.

      ‘Enough of that. Come on, sleepy head. Let’s go up to bed.’

       Chapter Nine

      SAL

      The weekend passes without any incidents, and the calm and tranquillity carry on into the following week. Things always seem to follow the same pattern – I do something you are not happy with, you go crazy, and punish me in various ways, depending on how you feel – sometimes you’ll get physical, other times I will just be cold-shouldered for days at a time – then, when you decide that I’ve been punished enough, that’s it. It’s over. You remind me of how I am nothing without you and how you will die without me – you love me that much; and then I am expected to behave as if nothing has happened. Sometimes I wish I were strong enough to stand up to you, to tell you that things aren’t over when you decide – that maybe I’m not ready to forgive you just yet. Maybe I want to cold-shoulder you and sulk until I feel I am ready to resolve things. The one time I did try to walk away, the one time I told you that enough was enough, you locked yourself away in the bathroom, hysterical and ranting, with a packet of razor blades and a bottle of whisky. Needless to say, after that I’ve never been brave enough to try again – I let you get away with it time and again, in the hope that this will be the last time. Hoping against all hope that the next part of the cycle, the perfect part where everything is OK and you’re happy and it really feels as though we’re a proper family, will continue and become normal for us, instead of this never-ending roller coaster.

      This time, the exhausting cycle continues as it usually does; you go to work in a good mood every day, and come home in much the same vein. You spend time with Maggie in the evenings, and during the day Maggie and I work in our little vegetable garden, weeding and hoeing and picking treats to add to our dinner every night. I start to feel like I can breathe again, like I can relax and start to enjoy spending time with you, until the next time. Hoping with all my heart that there isn’t going to be a next time. On Friday evening you make an announcement.

      ‘I’ve got a big client day tomorrow. I have to take the Otex guys on a corporate golf day; things are not moving along on that case as quickly as they would like and Pavlenco isn’t happy. I need to keep them sweet, so I’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.’

      ‘OK,’ I say. ‘Maggie and I will miss you. Do you know what time you’ll be back? Maybe if you’re back early enough we could all do something together?’ I am secretly a little bit relieved that you won’t be around – things are so much easier when I don’t have to worry about tiptoeing around you, although Maggie will be upset that you’re not there. With a bit of luck you’ll have a good day and this relaxed, contented part of the cycle can continue unbroken.

      ‘Late. It’s breakfast, eighteen holes and drinks afterwards. I’m not sure what time we’ll finish, but I’ll call you when I’m leaving. You’ll be home all day anyway, won’t you? You don’t have anything planned.’ It’s a statement, not a question, and I don’t want to risk riling you, so I agree.

      ‘No. No, nothing planned. I’ll just do some tidying up, potter round after Maggie. The vegetable patch will need weeding so we can sort that out. Hopefully this weather will keep up and Mags can play out in the paddling pool.’ The heatwave still hasn’t broken and, although I am happy to wear shorts around the house, my legs still haven’t quite healed enough for me to brave wearing shorts outside yet.

      ‘Well, good. You two can have a lovely day in the garden again, can’t you? And I’ll need my work shirts ironing before Monday.’

      ‘Of course, don’t worry, it’ll all be done. You go and have a good time.’

      ‘It’s not about a good time, Sal. It’s work. You’d understand that if you actually still went to work. It’s about keeping the client sweet, making sure this merger goes through, so that I still have a job and can keep supporting you. I don’t think you quite understand the pressure I’m actually under, trying to make sure this deal goes through smoothly.’

      I swallow and nod, your prickly mood meaning I am on edge again. I should have known it wouldn’t last, that the cycle would continue.

      ‘I do, Charlie, I do understand. And we really appreciate everything you do, Maggie and I; we do appreciate it, I promise, all the long hours and hard work, and we love you for it.’ Placated, you nod and I breathe a sigh of relief. For a moment there I wasn’t too sure which way things would go, and I realise that I am constantly living on a knife-edge, where even one sentence taken in slightly the wrong manner can mean the difference between war and peace.

      Saturday morning dawns bright and sunny, the heatwave persisting for another day, it seems. You are back to being in a good mood, thankfully, after last night’s tense exchange between us, and when the Otex guys turn up to pick you up in a huge black car with tinted windows, I help you out with your golf clubs. Before you get in the car you turn to me, a frown wrinkling your brow as you clasp my forearm.

      ‘See you later. Don’t call because I’ll be on the golf course most of the day, I’ll call you when I’m done. And don’t worry about dinner. I’m taking these guys to Gaucho for a meal after.’

      ‘OK.’ I kiss your cheek and smile into the car. ‘Have a good СКАЧАТЬ