Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,71

no chance I’ll be able to go back to sleep again. I huff as I swing my legs out of the bed, my back creaking like a lady twice my age. Thankfully Ella sleeps closest to the window as I’m normally first up.

I grab my dressing gown and put on my fluffy unicorn slippers. A cup of tea; that’s what I need. I head downstairs flicking on lights as I go. It’s a bit creepy this early in the morning by myself. Since we were robbed, I only really feel safe when Clooney is around me. That can’t be healthy.

Oh well, I push through the heavy fire door into the kitchen, ignoring Suki who seems intent on getting in. I jump when I notice the light is already on. Clooney is sat on a stool sipping from a cup and scrolling on his phone. He looks delicious in just his black boxer shorts and a tight white t-shirt. His dark hair is in disarray, stubble on his perfect jaw. Damn. It’s like looking at a Calvin Klein ad.

‘Morning,’ he says through a yawn.

‘Morning.’ I smile, flicking the kettle on. I check my watch. It’s six a.m. ‘What are you doing up so early? Did you hear someone banging on the door?’ I quickly rub my eyes, hoping that any unsightly crusty sleep comes out.

‘No,’ he answers briefly.

He fidgets with his phone, his lips pressing together in a slight grimace. Must be reading the news with a face like that.

‘That bad, huh?’ I laugh, hoping he’s not going to hold a grudge from last night. I still don’t get how he can be so pissed at me for calling us friends.

He doesn’t laugh back. Now I’m worried.

I turn to face him fully. ‘Clooney, what is it?’ My stomach starts doing nervous somersaults.

He sighs, his shoulders loosening for a second only for them to tense again immediately.

‘Promise you won’t get mad?’ he asks, scrunching his face into a grimace.

‘Oh god.’ This isn’t good at all. A sick feeling settles in my stomach.

He quickly jumps up and pulls me by the waist so I’m sat on his stool. Apparently I need to be sat down too. My skin whimpers when his hands leave my body.

‘Just tell me, please.’ The anticipation is probably worse than the actual news.

‘Okay.’ He takes a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. ‘So it looks like my dad’s leaked that we dobbed him in for alleged improper conduct to the local newspaper. Basically it reads that we’ve gone after him, unprovoked.’

He hands me his phone. I quickly skim through the article posted from the local newspaper. It’s pretty bloody damming. Makes us out to be heartless monsters intent on ruining him, the man that was born and raised in this town.

I close the article and see the link on their Facebook page. There’s already seventy five comments. I scroll through them. None of them are good.

These girls need to go back home to England, where they belong!

These lasses should be ashamed of themselves.

Snitches get stitches.

My stomach rolls at the hate pointed towards us. All because Clooney wanted some sort of revenge on his dad. I knew nothing good would come from this.

‘Oh my god.’ I clutch my forehead, an instant headache forming.

‘I know.’ I look up to see the skin around his eyes bunched into fine crinkles. ‘I’m so sorry, Phoebe. I should have listened to you and just left it.’

Bless him, he feels responsible. I mean, he is, but at least he feels bad about it. I sigh, letting my head fall down onto the table.

‘You know what? Don’t worry about it.’

He narrows his eyes at me. ‘How can you be so calm about this?’

I sigh. I feel like all I do these days is sigh. I’m strangely numb about yet more bad news.

‘It just means we’re back to square one.’ I shrug my shoulders. ‘Luckily I didn’t raise my hopes in the first place. It’s just another sign that we should give up, cut our losses and move back home.’

‘Don’t say that.’ His voice low and full of melancholy.

I smile sadly. ‘As my mother would say, it’s what the universe is telling us.’

‘Well I say the universe is talking bullshit,’ he says with conviction, losing his temper as he bangs the worktop.

I burst out laughing. It’s strange. Him feeling so passionate makes me giggly.

He claps his hands in front of him. ‘That’s it. We’re going out.’

‘Huh?’ I go to the boiling kettle and start to