The Ruby Riot Series: Box Set Part 76

35.

FLEUR.

We don't emerge from my bedroom until late afternoon, and that was only because we ordered pizza. Anne looks up from her laptop as I walk into the room.

"Oh, you are alive then?" She quirks a brow.

"Just... um... taking a day out."

"Right. I did wonder if Will had murdered you, I mean with all the screaming..." Anne fights down a smile and looks back at her work.

"I do not scream!" I say with horrified indignation. Do I?

"No, of course not." The smile grows, as I'm sure the pink does on my cheeks.

Will appears at the bottom of the stairs. His green eyes are smudged with tired marks and hair mussed, but I only notice his naked chest. I never stare at semi-naked men the way some girls do but I guess I can make Will an exception to that.

"Your t-shirt is over there," says Anne with a smirk, indicating his discarded clothing hung over the chair.

"Cool. Thanks."

"Nice tatt," she remarks as he pulls on his shirt. "I never thought I'd find a half-naked Campbell in my house."

I remain silent. It's one thing to be s.e.xually liberated, another to be s.e.xually liberated in a small house in earshot of my friend. Anne is teasing, isn't she? I grapple for a subject change.

A large bunch of flowers sits in a vase in the middle of the small dining table, pinks roses with a white spray. "They're lovely," I say to Anne.

She glances at Will. "You have a romantic boyfriend."

Will straightens. "What?"

"Where are they from?" I ask.

"Delivered this morning. They're definitely for you." She sighs. "Wish somebody would buy me flowers."

I pick up the card resting on the table next to the vase.

Thanks for the other night. It was special. When can I see you again?

My heart thumps hard against my chest as I re-read the unsigned note. Will takes the card from me and studies it, his face impa.s.sive.

"Are you sure they're not for you?" I ask Anne.

"No. Kyle was here when they were delivered and he said they weren't."

"Maybe he's lying?"

"Somebody is," says Will in a low voice.

I swallow. "They're not from you?"

"No." He tosses the card on the table.

"Oh."

Anne's mouth parts, and she closes her laptop. "I might go upstairs..."

As she wanders upstairs, I slump onto the chair by the table. "I don't know who they're from, Will."

"Really?"

"Really."

He rests against the counter and crosses his arms. "Ethan?"

"No, why are you paranoid about him? He cheated on me! I wouldn't lower myself to go back to him. Especially as I have a guy who treats me like you do."

"Guys don't randomly send girls flowers!"

"Maybe somebody is trying to cause problems?"

"Who?"

"I don't know! Fans of yours?" Shaun. This is b.l.o.o.d.y Shaun. "It happens, right?"

"Something in your eyes tells me you're lying, Fleur. Was I away too long? Somebody else step in?"

"What? No! Will, don't be ridiculous!"

The tension thickens. Surely, he doesn't believe I cheated on him; he was only away a few days. "Tell me the truth, I can take it."

I stand and pull at Will's arms, but he's closed off. "Will, please. This is crazy." I touch his face. "Why would I want somebody else?"

"Lots of reasons."

"No reasons! Do you really think I'd do this?"

"I don't know what to believe." The look he gives me hardens. He's already made up his mind that I'm lying.

"I swear I have no idea who they're from!"

Will puffs air into his cheeks and scouts around the room for his boots. Without a word, he pulls them on and checks his pockets. "I should go. I need to think about this."

"Will. Let's talk. Don't let whoever did this screw things up!"

"No," he says in a flat voice and stands. "I need to go."

"Don't be like this."

"I came back to London and found my girlfriend has flowers from another guy! How do you expect me to react?"

"I don't know who they're from! Somebody is s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with us, Will!"

"Why would somebody do that? And how would the person know where you live?"

"You keep telling me you're famous! Fans do weird things, right?"

"Nice excuse, Fleur."

Last night forged further the closeness I've never had with a guy before, a step into Will's world and his into my heart. How can he doubt me like this? Does Will know so little about me, he thinks I'd behave like this. I bite down the accusation that he used to, and I should be the jealous one, but I don't. What would be the point?

I could go to Will, hold him, and hope he sees the truth in my eyes; but he won't look at me. He's closed down.

"I'll talk to you later when I've got my head around whatever the h.e.l.l is going on between us." I watch in shocked disbelief as Will pulls open the front door, steps away from my perfect day, and closes it quietly behind him.

I don't know who sent the flowers, or why; but this is not ruining what I have with Will.

In a fit of fury, I tear the heads from the flowers and throw them in the bin outside. Then I stand in the cold and stare at the clear winter sky, head spinning from a mixture of exhaustion and emotion.

What the h.e.l.l do I do? I understand his reaction because if I were in Will's shoes, I'd be suspicious too. The level of trust in our relationship isn't there yet, which is partly my fault for not telling Will about Shaun. If Will knew what was happening, he may not have jumped to this conclusion. But can I tell Will about Shaun? If Will loses his temper when somebody upsets me, how the h.e.l.l will he react to the Shaun problem?

No. I'm not leaving this. I refuse to let Will brood on the situation and to follow his trail of thought to the wrong conclusion.

A couple of hours later, I'm outside his small house in Greenwich, stomach flipping over and over as I wait for somebody to answer the door. What if Will's shock has turned to anger? Nate answers and looks at me through bleary eyes.

"Fleur?" He rubs his face. "Thought you were already here with Will."

"No."

"Ah." He steps back and opens the door further. "I'll see if he's around."

The house is littered with bottles and empty fast food boxes and I stay near the front door as Nate pushes a pizza box from the sofa. "Sit."

"Thanks."

"William!" yells Nate suddenly. When there's no response, he yells again.

"What?" an equally loud voice calls back.

"You have a visitor!" Nate runs hand through his hair and eyes me warily. "So, yeah. I should get you a drink?"

"I'm fine."

"Right."

We both sit. Nate folds his arms and I chew a nail as we refuse to look at each other. This time I don't feel animosity, but awkwardness. "So, how's uni? Haven't been there much. Well, you knew that. Um," he asks.

"Great. Thanks. How was your trip to Edinburgh?"

"Yeah. Good."

"I enjoyed the concert last night."

The stilted conversation continues; and in this moment, the twins become separate to me, visually. Not just the hair, but Nate's manner. His facial expressions are less open to me, and he has different habits. He flexes his fingers, scrunches his nose. Little things that make him Nate and not the twin I'm in love with.

This is also the moment I'm convinced Will's love for me goes beyond the physical l.u.s.t. They share the looks and the body, but Nate's eyes don't hold the tenderness that Will's do.

I worried I might be attracted to both twins; at first that wasn't possible because of Nate's att.i.tude to me, but now he's friendlier, he's still a different man however much he looks like Will.

Footsteps thud down the carpeted stairs and I turn my head. Will.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey."

Awkward conversation looks set to continue, with both the twins.

"Ah. I understand." Nate grabs a plate of toast from the low table and heads upstairs. "Good luck, man. I warned you, didn't I?"

Will steps aside to allow his brother past. "Why did you come over?"

"To be mature about the situation."

"And what's the situation?" he asks, voice cold.

"Something is happening with Shaun."

Will straightens. "What the h.e.l.l? You're with that douche?"

"What? No! You know what I think of him!"

Will narrows his eyes. "Shaun sent you the flowers?"

"I think so. I can't be sure."

"Why would he if you're not... with him? That makes no sense."

"He's messing with me, Will. I don't think he took my no very well."