Lovers Leap by JL Merrow

Author:JL Merrow [Merrow, JL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2015-12-15T16:00:00+00:00

Michael had just . . . left. Rufus couldn’t believe what was happening. Had happened. Past tense. Done. Dusted.

Fucked up beyond all hope of recovery.

He stared at the front door. Was it his imagination or was it still vibrating from the force of Michael’s anger?

Rufus just couldn’t believe his life had gone from positively perfect to fatally fucked up in, like, an instant. Less than an instant. A nano-instant. A pico-instant, even.

“Dad?” he said in a voice that sounded like it could have belonged to any kid who’d just passed his fifth birthday.

Dad pulled him into a one-armed hug. “There, there,” he said, sounding uncomfortable but determined. “I’m sure it’s all for the best. I don’t think he was the sort of person you could have been happy with.”

“Oh, love.” Shelley came and hugged him on the other side. Rufus blinked rapidly. He was not going to cry.

Shelley was still speaking. “I couldn’t believe it when Gerald told me what he’d done to that poor young woman. He seemed like such a nice young man.”

“But . . .” Rufus struggled to make his voice work properly. “He said him and Trix had only been together a couple of weeks.”

Dad shook his head. “I don’t think that can be true. Why would she propose after only a couple of weeks? Why would they even go on holiday together after so short a time?”

“I don’t know! Maybe she’s the love-at-first-sight type? Or she, like, got to know him a bit and then just knew she didn’t want to risk him getting away. Ever? I mean, I know that happens.” Rufus’s face went hot, and he hurried on. “Maybe she’s always just really wanted to get married? You didn’t even give him a chance to explain!”

“Now, that’s not true, love,” Shelley said, stroking Rufus’s hair. “It was him what stormed off like that. We’d of listened to him, wouldn’t we, love?”

Dad coughed. “Yes, of course. Quite unreasonable of him, really. As if he was just looking for an excuse.”

Oh god. So it was Rufus’s fault he’d gone. “It’s cos of me not wanting to leave the island,” he told his Crocs.

“Think so, love.” Shelley put her head on his shoulder, which was at least less painful than the knife she’d just shoved in his heart. “Think he thought you’d be the one going to see him all the time. And that’s not fair, is it?”

“Yeah, but . . . neither is me expecting him to come over here all the time, is it?” He’d been so stupid.

“You can’t help having a phobia,” Shelley said angrily.

Rufus’s insides felt all hot and prickly.

“And the last thing you need,” Dad chimed in, “is someone who’s not prepared to show some basic understanding of your situation. Or hold a reasonable, balanced discussion on the matter.”

“Why would you want to be going over to the mainland all the time, anyway? You’re happy here, aren’t you, love?” Shelley asked.

Rufus nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak.

“Of course you are,” Dad said.

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