Fracture by Heleyne Hammersley

Author:Heleyne Hammersley [Hammersley, Heleyne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

I still felt slightly dazed when we finally left the hotel and had to face the baking streets. It was as though the world around me were a film set or a backdrop to the reality of my life. Nothing mattered, nothing felt as real as what had happened in the room, in the bed. I felt like a newborn infant taking my first steps in an adult world. I couldn’t quite get my bearings even though we’d spotted a car hire company just around the corner the previous evening. The heat added to the disjointed feeling making me feel as though I was swimming through syrupy water. In contrast, Alfie was buzzing. She seemed energised and refreshed, her hangover a distant memory. We reached the end of the street and I hesitated, unsure which way to turn.

‘Come on,’ Alfie grabbed my hand and pulled me round the corner. ‘Don’t stand there looking like a cheap whore, I might have to make you an offer.’

‘More than you could ever afford,’ I joked.

She grinned and pulled me towards her. ‘You have no idea what I can afford,’ she whispered, kissing me gently on the mouth.

It should have been sexy, being kissed in broad daylight in the middle of the street. It should have felt defiant and deviant, a way of shouting ‘fuck you’ at the conventional world, but there was something sinister in her voice that made me pull away. The dangerous glitter flashed briefly in her eyes, almost imperceptible, before it was replaced by humour.

‘Name your price, darl, and I’ll have it for you in a couple of hours,’ she drawled in a voice that wasn’t her own.

‘Car hire. Now,’ I insisted, trying to cover the mix of embarrassment and amusement that warred within me. Alfie just laughed and followed me down the street.

It was surprisingly easy to hire a car. I’d expected lengthy security checks and forms in triplicate but all it took was a cursory glance at my driving licence and a quick swipe of a credit card and I was the temporary keeper of a light blue ‘compact’. Alfie waited outside, claiming a recurrence of her hangover but she was eager to inspect the vehicle as soon as I climbed inside.

‘It’s a bit small,’ she said, craning her head round to inspect the back seat.

‘What did you expect?’

I thought we could drive back in style, maybe a soft top or a jeep.’

‘Driver’s prerogative,’ I announced, starting the engine and adjusting the mirror. ‘I want something I’m comfortable with, not something that draws attention to us or something that needs a huge parking space.’

‘Oh well,’ she grumbled. ‘I suppose it’ll have to do, for now.’

I didn’t like the implications of ‘for now’ but I chose to ignore the comment. I was beginning to realise that Alfie sometimes said things just to wind me up and I didn’t want her to know it sometimes worked.

It felt good to be driving again; I’d never had a car of my own

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