Consumed (5 page)

“I was angry. Can’t even remember what set me off.”

“You dumped me because you were in a mood?” she asked. Her facial expression pointed out how she felt about this - her tone of voice backed it up.

“I remember being gutted a few hours later. I wanted to call you and explain...I had made a mistake...I...”

“You had made a mistake?” Lara pounced on his words.

Joel nodded. “That’s how I felt. Wished I could take the text back.”

“You didn’t think to call me? Talk to me?”

“Would you have answered even if I had?”

“Probably,” she pointed out, “even if it were just to shout at you.”

“Fair point.”

“And you don’t remember w
hy you sent me the text?”

“That’s the really tragic thing about it,” he laughed - more of a laugh of embarrassment. “So...Have you been seeing anyone?” he asked. Joel already knew the answer. Their mutual friends often let slip how miserable Lara had been since they stopped going out - which made Joel distance himself from them. He didn’t need the extra feelings of guilt tied in with his feelings of stupidity for sending the text in the first place. He had been doing okay, since leaving Lara, as he rarely saw her; it was easier to put her out of mind, although it still hurt. Since picking her up, though, with the others - slowly he had begun to remember the reasons why he had originally dated her, despite the fact she had been giving him a hard time. He could forgive her for treating him badly that morning. He knew, as soon as he pressed ‘send’ on the text message, it would upset her.

“Have you been seeing anyone?” she asked.

He shook his head. She didn’t need to know about the series of one-night stands he had ‘enjoyed’ since splitting with her. Lara didn’t know the girls he had slept with so there was no danger of her ever finding out and it would only cause her more upset.

“You should have just called me,” she said. “We could have talked...”

“Just didn’t seem fair.”

“I loved you,” she pointed out. “Some nights I hated you and some nights I wished you would have called. I loved you,” she repeated.

“Well...I love you,” he said throwing all caution to the wind.

“What?”

“Seeing you today just makes me realise what a mistake I made...The old feelings I had for you - they’re still there...”

“I don’t believe it...”

“I know, right..Who would have thought it?”

“No, look!” she pointed further down the road towards an oncoming truck.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Okay, I do like you,” Michael said as he suddenly span around to face Charlotte. Charlotte stopped dead.

“That’s good to know, I like you too,” she said. She always knew Michael had the potential to be a little quirky but today she was seeing him in a whole new light.

“No...I mean obviously I like you but I meant to say...I like you. You know, more than a friend.”

Charlotte smiled as she felt her face redden. She wasn’t so much blushing at the sudden announcement of feelings towards her, more so because of the way they were being made clear to her. Michael, the quirky bull in a china shop. Next up she wondered whether he was just going to follow-up his ‘love’ for her by reaching in and trying to fondle a breast.

“Well?” he asked. It was clear from his facial expression that he was hoping she was going to return the sentiment but she just stood there with the very same nervous smile on her face.

In Charlotte’s mind she had often wondered how this conversation would have gone. She pictured Michael to be capable of being extremely charming and romantic - especially considering he was often thought of as being some kind of modern-day Casanova amongst their friends who often told tales of his amazing ability at pulling the members of the opposite sex on crazy nights out. Now she could only picture him, in a club, sneaking rohypnol into the ladies’ drinks and waiting for them to fall unconscious so he could get his leg over. She opened her mouth, as though about to give him his answer, when she was suddenly disturbed by the sound of a horn - coming from across the field, back on the main road.

“Someone must have shown up,” she pointed out, with a barely audible sigh of relief that she hoped Michael didn’t pick up on. “Quick!” she about turned and started to run back towards the road - hopeful that all mention of the previous conversation would disappear, forgotten, by the time they rejoined the rest of the group.

By the time the two of them crossed the field, the ‘help’ had already pulled up; a large pick-up truck with a car already being towed behind it. The driver, and his passenger, jumped out.

“Well, well, well...Isn’t this a turn-up,” said the passenger; the same man whom Joel had refused to help at the petrol station earlier.

“Shit,” Joel muttered under his breath.

“What seems to be the trouble?” asked the other man - the driver of the truck.

Even if the stranger they had met earlier at the petrol station hadn’t mentioned the fact he wanted to call for his brother, you’d have been able to tell they were brothers just by looking at them. The only difference between the two of them was that the brother with the tow truck looked older. He had more specks of grey in his dark hair - longer hair than his brother’s at near shoulder length.

“We ran out of petrol,” said Dan.

“Too bad, petrol station is miles away,” said the younger of the brothers - the one they had abandoned earlier.

“Hush now, Johnny,” said the other brother.

“Stephen...These fucks...” Johnny fell silent as his brother, Stephen, shot him a look.

“You’ll have to excuse my brother,” said Stephen. “He’s been stuck with his car most of the night.”

“Because they wouldn’t help me....” Johnny moaned under his breath.

Joel spoke up, “Look we’re sorry. As you can see, we clearly didn’t have the petrol to help out. We didn’t even make it to our destination!”

“There you go,” said Johnny, “they apologised.” He addressed Joel, “Although, had you helped him...You’d have been a lot closer to the nearest petrol station...”

“We don’t know the area, we’re only over this way because we got lost,” said Joel.

“Regardless, it doesn’t matter...Doesn’t change a damned thing now, does it?” Johnny continued, a smile on his face. “Anyway, as you can see, I’m already helping my brother out...Unless of course you’d like for me to leave his car here whilst we tow you to a petrol station?”

Dan could tell by the expression on Joel’s face that he was desperate to agree that this was a good idea; leave the car there and tow them to get some fuel. He jumped in before Joel had a chance to annoy the strangers so much that they’d just leave them there stranded, “How about you give us a ride to the nearest? We could just hitch a lift until one of us has enough phone signal to make a call...Get some help? Or, if we happen to get to a station first, we could jump out there?”

“No petrol stations where we’re going,” said Johnny. “We only live a little way from here. Sorry.”

Johnny turned away from the group and returned to the passenger seat of the tow truck. Once in, he slammed the door behind him.

Stephen made an excuse, “You’ll have to excuse him. He always gets cranky when he’s tired and hungry. He’s right, though, we only live down the road. Tell you what, I could drive him home...I could dump his car...Come back for you and take you where ever you want...How’s that grab you?”

“Or we could come with you...Make a call from your place, if that’s okay, and then...You wouldn’t have to come back out. If you only live down the road, we could walk back...” said Michael - sensing that neither brother would return for them.

“Or we could get someone to collect us from your place?” Dan offered.

Stephen turned his attention to Hayley. “Come back to our place?”

“Probably be easier that way,” Michael said.

Hayley shifted uneasily under the continuing gaze of the stranger.

“I’m not sure,” said Stephen. He looked back to Michael. “I’ll have to check with my brother. You okay to wait a minute?”

“Sure,” said Dan.

“Thanks,” Stephen walked over to the tow truck and jumped in next to his brother. He closed the door behind him so none of the group - watching on - could hear what was being said.

“Of all the people to show up,” said Joel.

“Just play it cool,” Dan told him. “We need to make the best of this situation. Unless...Unless you’d rather be sitting here for the rest of the day?”

“No, I’d rather be at the camp-site,” he said. He fired Michael a look to remind him that this was all his fault. Michael smiled.

The driver’s door opened and Stephen stepped down onto the road.

“Okay - hop in,” said Stephen. “You might have to sit on each others’ laps but...Should be enough room for you all to squeeze in,” he continued.

“What about our stuff?” asked Joel.

“Your stuff? Yeah, we aren’t going to fit that in,” said Stephen. “Seriously though, look around...It isn’t going anywhere...We’ll be back in about thirty minutes or so...I’ll take you back to my house...We’ll off-load my brother’s car...We’ll come back and tow you to the nearest petrol station. Your stuff will still be here...”

“I’ll wait here,” said Joel, “at least we won’t all have to squeeze in together...One of us should wait.”

“Up to you,” said Stephen, “I’m not going to twist your arm to come. All of you can stay, if you want...”

Joel turned to the rest of the group, “I’ll wait here...”

Dan stepped over to the tow-truck, “I’ll come with you,” he told Stephen.

“Me too,” said Hayley.

Stephen smiled, “So that’s settled...Unless anyone else wants to come along for the ride too?”

Charlotte stepped forward, “I’ll come,” she said - not because she felt it was necessary to go, she just wanted to get away from anymore awkward conversations with Michael.

“Okay, jump on in then,” said Stephen. He opened the back door of the tow-truck so his new passengers could climb aboard. Dan was first in, followed by Hayley and Charlotte. Stephen closed the door behind Charlotte and climbed into the front seat.

The engine of the tow-truck kicked into life as he wound down the window to talk to Joel, “So we’ll be back in about thirty minutes. You guys just hang tight and don’t go anywhere.”

Joel nodded.

“Thank you,” said Lara. She felt as though someone should say it and it was clear Joel wasn’t going to be the first in line to offer up some thanks for reasons unknown to her.

“My pleasure,” Stephen smiled. “What kind of human being would I be if I had just left you guys stranded?” He gave Lara a wink as the tow-truck pulled away from the conked out van.

“What was all that about?” Lara asked Joel.

“What?”

“You were rude. They’re helping us out and you were rude.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You were a little bit,” Michael chipped in.

“You know what, I don’t want to hear from you - this is your fault. Go for a walk, or something,” Joel told Michael.

“What’s wrong with you?” said Lara. “You’re like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde...One minute all nice - sweet even...”