The Songs of Us by Emma Cooper

Author:Emma Cooper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781472252531
Publisher: Headline Review
Published: 2018-09-19T23:00:00+00:00

22

Tom

So, where was I the last time we spoke? Oh yeah, I was home alone.

Georgie was shouting, ‘Tom? Tom?! God, this place is a mess.’ I watched her start to pile dirty plates up and turn the tap on. She was shaking her head and sniffing one of the plates suspiciously.

‘Hi.’ She spun around and I could see in her face that I was not looking my best. Not by a long shot.

‘Oh Tom.’ She turned the tap back off, went to wipe her hands on a tea towel, thought better of it and wiped them on her pristine jeans instead. ‘This isn’t just a touch of flu, is it?’ I pushed the dirty laundry off the sofa on to the floor and slumped down. ‘When was the last time you slept?’ I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my head, stretching the muscles in my neck to the right, to the left. I opened my eyes; they felt hot and sore. I squinted at her; the concern was written across her face.

‘Honestly? I don’t know.’ My voice was cracked, weak; beaten.

‘Right, go upstairs, take a shower. Shave, brush your teeth. I’ll clean down here and make a pot of coffee.’

‘I—’

‘Just do it. You’re worrying me.’ She turned her back and started looking for washing-up liquid. Sighing, I heaved myself from the sofa and went upstairs.

The water was hot and powerful but it barely registered. The noises of Georgie in the kitchen had made me feel on guard, alert. I didn’t want to feel alert; I wanted to remain numb. I realised that I didn’t want her there. I stepped out of the shower dripping, without a towel, and walked into the bedroom. Clothes were all over the place. I’m not stupid. I knew that I was a mess, I knew that I wasn’t in a good place, but I really didn’t care. A kitchen cupboard door slammed and I flinched. She needed to leave. I didn’t need rescuing; I needed to be left the fuck alone.

As I went downstairs, the noises were deafening: the washing machine clanked and slurped, the coffee machine hissed and dripped. Georgie had the radio on, the shouts and laughter of the DJ booming around the house. I tried to focus on one thing at a time but it was everywhere, the noise, the intrusion. I covered my ears but even the rustle of a bin bag crackled inside my head.

‘Enough!’ I screamed at her and then she tilted. The room tilted and then there was nothing.

‘Ouch,’ I flinched as she held an ice pack to the side of my face. My top lip was swollen and my arm hurt like hell.

‘Shhhhh.’ She held the ice pack firmly and looked at me as though I was a stranger.

‘I’m fine. Honestly. You can go.’ She laughed a cold, hollow laugh.

‘You’re not fine, Tom. You’re anything but fine. I’ve called for the doctor again.’

‘What? I don’t need a doctor. I just need some peace and quiet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.