The Gap Year

Chapter 38

The headlight of a moped which was climbing tiredly up the mountainside blinded me as it passed us on the opposite side of the road, its light acting like a camera flash, leaving behind only the image of the dimming candles of the haunted lanterns, each one representing the fading memory of a life taken from us too soon.

'I didn't know you owned a car.'

'I don't, it's, um, Adonis's.'

'I don't care whose it is.' I spoke honestly, just secretly thankful to no longer be walking home.

Pressing my face up to the window of the passenger's side of the car I closed my eyes feeling neither the need or the inclination to speak. We would just have to sit in silence. I have neither the physical or emotional strength for anything more, and with each bend of the road we navigate through I can feel the storms of an increasing headache gathering.

'Are you okay?' Harry asked hearing the weight of my sigh.

'It's just my travel sickness, it's always bad along this road.'

'I heard it's always bad in most places.' He laughed earning a glare from me. 'Your travel sickness.' He added. Like I actually needed the clarification.

'Just take the bends more carefully, okay?' I sighed once more, and unfortunately not for effect this time, for now I was required to lean forward, trying to rest my head into my knees attempting to ease the motion of the car.

'Maybe it was something you ate at the restaurant?' Harry suggested.

Great, now I'm remembering my meal, that last piece of squid laying languid in my mouth, an over kneaded ball of pink mush, and then Liam's lamb, all the garlic seeping from it greasily.

'You're gonna have to pull over.' I ordered. 'Now.' What was taking him so long, can't he see that i've covered my mouth and I'm about to gag?

'Just hold it until I stop, okay?' He panicked, 'Adonis will kill me if you're sick in his car.' Like I care about that. Still, luckily for the tattered leather upholstery of Adonis's ostentatiously oversized Mercedes and any future love making which may occur upon it, Harry pulled over and I flung open the door, the after thought of this most disastrous evening spewing out across the chalk dusted ground.

'Are you okay?' He asked yet again. Do I look okay, I've just emptied my guts in front of the person I was only days previously caught in an amorous tryst with? I shrugged feeling his hand touching annoyingly at my hair, an awkward attempt to offer comfort.

'Emma, you're shivering.' He needed to quit with the sudden oh so caring act, but now that he'd pointed it out I sure was shuddering at the chill which was quickly moving through me like a rapid wave, leaving in its wake a blanket of goosebumps which were too eagerly stinging along the length of my forearms.

'I think I'm running a fever.' I offered, my diagnosis more for the benefit of Harry's obvious worry than anything else.

'You don't usually get that with travel sickness, right?'

'No you don't.' I rolled my eyes at him in disbelief at his stupidity.

'Don't roll your eyes it me.' He snapped, angry at my rudeness, 'I'm just trying to help you here. You might be seriously sick. Have you got anything else other than the puking and shivering?'

'I think I'm starting to get a sore throat too.' I grasped at my throat, coughing pathetically, 'and I've got a raging headache.'

'Right, that's it I'm taking, you to see Liam.'

'Why?' I'm aghast.

'Because he's a doctor!' He was getting frustrated at my lack of compliance.

'He's not even qualified. Plus I know more than he does anyway.'

'You've not even started the damned course yet! There could be something wrong with you so I'm not even going to tolerate listening to any more of your arrogance.'

'I've just got a virus.' My temper was rising in sync with my body temperature, 'I just need to go home and rest.'

'Well, that might be so but I'll let Liam confirm that for us.'

**

'Which apartment is his?' Harry gestured up to the top floor of the pink painted building which we were now parked outside of. Noting the rusted row of balconies I grimaced; why on earth would anyone think pastel pink would be an appropriate choice of colour to render a building with and why would Liam, a nearly doctor, have found himself living in such an establishment.

'I don't know.' I spoke truthfully, embarrassed to admit to Harry that I had never been to Liam's home before, in fact I'd never actually been anywhere with Liam that either he or Dave the Head Rep hadn't also been present at.

'Well it's certainly not the one with the red lacy bra pegged to the balcony.' He laughed.

'It could be.' I jumped to Liam's defence, annoyed by the way Harry always refers to him as "Dr Dishwash". Not that I know why I'm so keen to protect the honour of someone who all but abandoned me up a mountainside.

'Well, if you're that confident we can start by knocking on the door to that apartment then.'

Despite my continuing protests that Harry was still being totally over the top by bringing me here, he had somehow managed to drag me from the car and plonked me down, now standing outside the lingerie decorated apartment.

'Panties too.' He was almost squealing, pointing to the black thong which lay strewn across the marble floor, visible since the door to the apartment had been left open on to the kitchen.

'Oh Liam...' He called teasingly to whoever might be inside. There was lots of fumbling before to my admitted surprise Liam appeared hurriedly from the bedroom, his torso still naked as he pulled desperately at the waistband of his shorts.

I looked at Harry, my mouth wide open; his face too told of disbelief that he was actually right, that this was Liam's apartment.

'Emma!' Why did he look so flabbergasted?

'Who is it Liam?' A female voice called from the bedroom causing Liam's face to turn to the same vapid pallor as my own. 'Are you coming back to bed?' The voice continued.

Propelled forward by what can only have been an overwhelming curiosity to find out just who he might have in there, I forgot all etiquette and somehow found it to appropriate to barge past Liam and towards his bedroom, a combination of intrigue and worry flooding me when I recognised who it was.