moment because she never stopped laughing. In my mind, I was imagining all of the ways I was going to redden her arse for embarrassing me like this in front of my girl, but when I realised that Noah was laughing, I relaxed for about a second.
“It’s not funny.” I looked at her and frowned. “She lied to me.”
“She took the piss outta you, more like,” Noah snickered as she moved by me and helped a still-laughing Bailey to her feet. “You got him good.”
“I really did, but what’s better is ye both actually have to take the classes . . . he already paid two hundred quid for it. No refunds.”
My sister jumped behind Noah when I made a play to strangle her then and there. It was hard to be mad at her; she had tears rolling down her face from laughing, and the smile it put on Noah’s face made it worth the money, and humiliation. Barely.
“I can’t believe this.” I rubbed my face with my hands. “Two hundred quid for two lessons a week for four weeks.”
“Oh my God.” Noah covered her mouth with her hand. “Four weeks? You’re mental.”
I was beginning to think I was.
“I thought this was what you wanted.”
Noah lowered her hand to her side. “I know. That’s why you’re getting lucky tonight.”
My mood instantly brightened.
“Vomit.” Bailey lowered her phone. “I’m gonna projectile vomit if this conversation continues.”
Noah blushed and nudged my sister. “Trickster.”
“It was a good one though, wasn’t it?” Bailey beamed, certainly pleased with herself. “I didn’t think he’d believe me. I’ve kept a straight face about it for weeks, Nono. Weeks.”
“Witch,” I growled at her.
Unbothered, Bailey bounced towards the entrance of the studio. “Let’s go, ladies! Class starts soon.”
Noah was clearly interested, because she hurried after Bailey while I dragged my feet wishing for the day to be over so I could get my hands on Noah and then go to sleep. I was tired of women and it was only three in the afternoon. The day rapidly went from bad to fucking worse. I couldn’t do the simplest of steps because they weren’t fucking simple at all; it was rocket science in the form of dance and I hated it.
Noah was thoroughly enjoying it, and every time I messed up, Bailey cracked up as she watched from the side of the room. She had recorded so many of my fuck-ups that I warned her I’d break her phone if she didn’t put it away. She was on her feet and was copying what the woman was doing with her hips, rolling them from side to side.
“Salsa, Elliot.” She shimmied her shoulders. “Let’s salsa.”
I glowered at her, but couldn’t stop my lips from twitching when Noah laughed.
“I swear,” I growled. “I’ll get ye back for this, baby.”
Bailey clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait.”
Looking from her to Noah, I grumbled, “She always has to get the last fuckin’ word.”
My girlfriend wiggled her eyebrows. “Let’s salsa.”
I groaned as Noah laughed and got us back into our starting position. I was a truly horrible dancer – even the instructor told me that to my face halfway through the class, and I was certain she was meant to keep comments like that to herself for the amount of money I was paying her.
“Sorry,” I said for the tenth time as I stepped on Noah’s foot. “I’m so fuckin’ bad at this.”
“Stop concentrating on your feet and focus on rolling your hips. Your feet will follow.”
“The only thing I know how to do good and well with my hips is thrust back and forward. I never learned how to roll anything other than a blunt.”
Noah tipped her head back and laughed, and that was it – that was the moment we lost our balance.
One second we were dancing, or trying to dance, the next I was running through the doors of the ER with Bailey hot on my heels, as Noah was wheeled in ahead of us on a trolley with her foot twisted at an unnatural angle. It was broken, I knew it from the second I saw it. My sister was sobbing and had been since the moment I tripped Noah up and we both fell to the ground and she’d heard that godawful crunch.
I jumped when Noah screamed.
“Deep inhales,” the paramedic said as he held the tube for the gas back up to her mouth. “Nice, big inhales, Noah.”
She listened to him as she was wheeled into a cubicle at the