Bad Blood

12.

It had gotten late by the time we'd finished boxing things up. I didn't feel like traveling home just yet. I was exhausted and couldn't face leaving the house until everything was finished. There was still the furniture to rehome. I know it seemed ruthless to just empty the house so close to her death but it felt like that's what people did. I couldn't keep the house standing with all her things there, it would've been burgled. And I certainly couldn't bring myself to tell Olivia where I'd been. Or work. I was going to be in so much trouble.

I yawned and collapsed onto the sofa besides Dan.

'I'm gonna order pizza, do you want one?' I announced. We hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning. Dan glanced down at his watch.

'Yeah sure.' He didn't seem convinced by his own reply. He had done me a massive favor by helping me all day, not to mention arriving in the middle of the night. My buying pizza was a token of my gratitude but I didn't want to force him to stay any longer.

'Do you need to go?' I asked.

'Nope. I just didn't realize how late it was. Should I go pick up some beers?'

'That would be amazing. A nice cold beer after all our hard grafting today.' And then I suddenly remembered I still only had the clothes I'd worn the previous day to work. I'd been wearing them for twenty four hours. 'Can I come with you to the shop, I need some bits.'

'Sure.'

I felt strangely nervous getting into a car with Dan. I didn't know why, but it felt odd watching him drive. When I'd last known him, he'd been just a child. And now he was all grown up and driving. He must've caught me watching him.

'What?' He laughed nervously.

'Nothing.' I fiddled with some buttons on the radio to distract myself and got the music to play. To say this guy was famous and probably quiet rich, his car was a bit rubbish. It was a small black Golf, nothing fancy. I was sure the engine didn't sound right.

'Oh no.' He sighed. I was confused. He pointed to the radio. I was still confused, until I heard his voice coming through the speakers. 'Turn it over.' He begged. I refused and turned it up. I sang along, badly, to the few words I knew. I could see him torn between cringing and laughing.

'Come on!' I teased him, pushing his shoulder. He hung his head and started singing along to his own song but over exaggerating. I laughed madly at him. 'This is you! You're famous Danny.'

'Its mad. I only started singing properly in uni and then suddenly I'm in a band and we're like...big and, I dunno, it's weird.'

'I remember that talent show.'

'Oh god, yeah. That was bad.'

'And now you're up on stage every night in front of thousands of people and stuff.'

'Alcohol.' He said simply.

We whizzed around Tesco with a trolley, picking up some snacks, beer and my much needed changes of clothes. I rang for a pizza as Dan bought the shopping, he refused to let me pay, and we were home just in time for it to arrive. I had a quick shower, got into my new pajamas with my wet hair hanging down my back and then we tucked into the food and drank beers whilst watching some BBC period drama. It had been a nice evening, despite the last few days events. It got to midnight and I decided to head for bed. Then the sleeping arrangements cropped into my head. The night before, we'd shared my bed. As we had done years ago. And I had been massively upset that night. I didn't know if he expected to sleep in with me again.

'Theres the spare room, if you want to sleep in there?' I offered, testing the water. He was just picking up the empty bottles and boxes to throw away as I was on the stairs.