Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,40

smiles back at me, pushing my hair out of my face. It’s a tender moment considering what we just did. The urge to kiss him has me leaning forward eagerly. He glances down at my lips.

The door swings open, hitting hard and loud against the wall. We both jump apart guiltily. Ella is stood staring at us both, eyes nearly exploding from their sockets.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ She demands, looking between the two of us, her jaw aghast.

‘Ah, thank god,’ Clooney says, jumping up for the door. ‘I’ve been locked in.’ He runs like the room’s on fire.

I try so hard not to be hurt that he ran so quickly at his first chance, but the guy gave me my first orgasm. He’ll always hold a special place in my heart because of that.

Ella is still standing against the open door, her face searching mine for an explanation.

‘Well, are you going to explain, or what?’ she demands, tapping her foot impatiently.

I shake my head, hoping to bring myself back to reality.

‘I don’t have time now. Just grab something to put in the door until we get it fixed.’

I want to be alone to bask in all of the strange sensations running around my body, before my sensible reality comes crashing back.

She disappears for a second and then comes back to slot a book in the door jamb. ‘That’ll do it. But this is not over. I want details and I want them soon.’

Chapter Twenty-One

Tuesday 13th October

Me and Clooney are avoiding each other. It’s been easy while I’m working at the funeral home, but with living with him and working together in the evenings, it’s still been tough. Neither of us have been able to look the other in the eye since the bathtub incident.

Ella didn’t believe me when I said nothing happened. Said she knew I’d had an orgasm just from the glow of me. I just played ignorant and said we’d almost kissed. Far more PG. I’ve never discussed sex with her and I’m not about to start now. Especially about the guy we both live with.

The fact that we didn’t kiss on the lips, but did all of that other stuff just makes it even weirder. I can still feel the tingling sensation in my skin as he touched me. My stupid crush on him has only developed. Whenever there’s some little tart flirting with him over the bar, I can’t help but want to glass her in the face. A tad dramatic some would say, but that’s how crazy he makes me feel. Why the hell did I have to fall for a fuck boy? Someone so obviously unattainable.

To add to that stress, it seems that I’ve officially lost my mind. Ever since the scenario with the hearse I’ve been hearing voices whenever a new body comes into the chapel of rest. I’ve tried desperately to ignore it but... well, they’ve started to notice. Okay, I know I sound mad, but stick with me here.

Let’s just say for a crazy second that I’m hearing their spirits or ghosts, whatever you want to call them. Well, I try to ignore them, but they’ve started saying things like ‘You can hear me, can’t you?’ It’s getting harder to evade them.

I don’t know whether they talk to each other or what, but it’s starting to scare me. I mean, should I go to the doctor? Get some anti-depressants or something? I feel perfectly fine otherwise. Have I inherited the gift? Not that I’d call it a gift, more like a bloody curse.

I spent the last few days devouring great Aunt Breda’s diary and she got herself into some sticky situations over this supposed gift. I could definitely avoid any extra drama in my life right now.

Anyway, as I walk into the pub that night I’m ready to pour myself a large glass of wine and sink into a hot bubble bath. Dammit, Clooney has ruined baths for me. I can’t think of one without the other. Instead I find Ella already sat at the bar, a finished bottle of wine next to her.

‘Ella?’

She grunts back. Now I look closer I see her shoulders are drooped and her eyes distant. Clooney raises his eyebrows behind the bar as he dries a glass with a tea towel. ‘She’s been like this all afternoon.’

Ugh, just what I need.

‘For Gods sakes, Ella. We can’t be drinking the small profit we’re making,’ I say, exhaustion making me almost slur. Here I am