serious,” he said, and I felt it in my gut. In my jittery knees. A sign zipped past us. Cheltenham 5 miles. Part of me wanted this day to be over, part of me didn’t.
“Serious about what?” I said, and I was still laughing. “Serious about some random company giving me an unbelievable sum of money for two years in some undisclosed job role? How am I supposed to be serious about that? How am I supposed to even answer that?” I picked at the threads on my torn jeans, heart thumping and I didn’t even know why. “Yeah, I’d do it. If I could, I mean, probably. Who wouldn’t?”
“You’d do it?”
I shrugged. “Jeez, Carl, I dunno. This is the cruddiest would you rather I’ve ever played. Yours don’t even make sense.”
And neither did he. Not when he veered the car from the road and into a pull in. It was quick, last minute, throwing me around in my seat while I gripped the arm rail.
“Shit!” I said. “What was that?”
The engine was still running, the car still rumbling as the traffic passed us by.
“Two years,” he said, “and the yard would be yours. Would you take it?”
“The yard is worth over two hundred grand, Carl.” I shook my head in disbelief. “Who the hell would give me two hundred grand for a couple of years? And what for? What would they even want me for?”
He pulled off his shades and leaned in, and my heart pounded, and I clutched the side of my seat and I didn’t even know why.
“There’s something they would want…” he said. “But it wouldn’t be a job, Katie, not a nine to five. Not another internship programme.”
“What then?! A kidney?” I laughed a nervous laugh.
He shook his head, and smiled a little. “No, not a kidney. But it’s not too dissimilar… not really…”
“And you know these people?” I laughed to ease the tension. “These weirdos who’d buy my not a kidney for two hundred grand?”
He leaned further, reached out a hand, rested it on my shaking knee and squeezed. It sparked, and I wanted it. Wanted him.
“What are you saying, Carl? I don’t… I don’t understand.”
I wanted to understand, but more than that I wanted to feel. Wanted to feel him. There was a brooding in his eyes. A darkness. A desperation. It made me feel all fucked up, all goofy and wired and desperate myself.
“Katie…” he said, and I was back on the Brighton balcony, when I thought he would kiss me, right before Rick came out.
And I was scared again, nervous again, needy again. Just like I had been in that moment.
“What?” I said. “What is it? What do you want me to do?”
He took a breath, and he swallowed, and cleared his throat.
And then the fucking Bluetooth rang through the speakers.
Loverboy calling.
It flashed up on the dash, the bleep bleep bleep blaring through every bastard speaker. It connected automatically, and Katie’s eyes were still wide, waiting for the words on the tip of my tongue.
“Hey, hot ass, where are you? Are you in the car? I can hear myself. La la la, ooh ah, I can hear myself…”
“Yes, in the car,” I said, but he wasn’t really listening, he was still chirping on to himself, caught up in his own echo. I could picture him in his loose jeans, tracking about the house with a hand down his boxers. He usually called then. “I’ll call you back…” I said, but he continued on regardless.
“She stayed until almost lunch. And it’s love, man, it’s fucking love. I’m in fucking love with that girl.”
I watched Katie’s cheeks flush, they pinked in front of my eyes, and her mouth hung open.
“…She’s incredible. She’s so fucking funny, Carl. And she’s sweet, and cute. And fuck, the ass on her. Seriously, Carl, she’s the fucking dog’s bollocks. Next weekend it’s a double team, I’m potting the fucking brown and don’t try and stop me. You can fill her pussy, and I’ll take my time on her sweet little asshole.” He laughed to himself. “Don’t try and tell me you don’t feel the same about our pretty lady. I know you fucking feel the same. She’s it. Our fucking keeper. I just fucking know it.”
I kept my eyes on Katie’s. “She’s here,” I said. “Katie’s in the car with me.”
Silence. Then he laughed. “Nice fucking try, dickhead. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”