Chapter Thirty-Eight- The Cheaters’ Awakening

I woke the next morning due to the bright sunlight that was streaming in through my window. I had forgotten to draw my blind the night before. I moaned pitifully, turning to hide my face in Dougie’s chest.

Hang on…

I jerked back; stared at the sleeping form next to me. Damn, damn, damn it to buggery! What the hell had it done?! Well, I could remember with perfect detail what I had done, but why had I allowed myself to do it…? What kind of best friend had sex with the other’s boyfriend? My stomach did a slow roll, making me feel queasy. I had slept with Dougie! But what about Harry? What about Danny?

I felt a hand slide up my chest and I looked down to see Dougie staring back at me, having woken up whilst I’d been thinking. His lips curved slowly, “Morning. You okay?”

“What the hell did we do…?”

He rolled his eyes, “You want a full description…? We vented, Tom. You said you’d give me New Year…”

“I wasn’t thinking.”

“You’re always bloody thinking,” he muttered darkly. “That’s the problem.” Then he moved his hand up to cup the side of my face gently, “Please, Tom… Just let me have this and then we can go back to normal. This was all we needed…”

He leant in cautiously, closing the gap between us and giving me a short, sweet kiss. I sighed softly in the face of his nervous glance; my arm sliding around his waist as I pulled him closer to me. The kiss was gently and soft, but he grinned wickedly as he pulled away from me for a second time. “I knew you’d agree.”

Then I was suddenly on my back and his mouth was crushed against mine again. This kiss was rougher; more passionate. Our tongues clashed as he pressed down upon me in a desperate bid for intimacy. I slid one hand down the curve of his back leisurely- loving the feeling of flesh against flesh.

“Tom, are you awa-?” We both froze as the door opened.

“Mum!” I cried.

“I am so sorry!” she squealed, her face bright red. “Danny, I-” It was only then that she realised who was smiling at her sheepishly from on top of me. “Dougie?!”

“Hey, Don,” he said casually, like she hadn’t just walked in on blatant fornication. He propped himself up slightly so he was meeting her gaze more comfortably. “How are you?” I hadn’t heard her call her that in ages. Ever since he had become ‘serious’ Dougie, it had always been Ms. Donaghue.

My mum cleared her throat, “I’m okay, thank you. How are you?”

“Very well, thank you.” His smile turned charming as I tried to hide in the pillow, “Still seeing that lovely baker?”

She nodded, trying not to look directly at us, “Yes. I’m going to go downstairs now and… leave you to get dressed.”

I continued to burrow into the pillow as the door closed, “I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Did what?”

I turned my head back to stare up at him incredulously, “What do you think? Started a conversation with my mum whilst lying on top of me!”

“Come on… She’s a big girl. She’s seen it all before.”

“You could’ve rolled off me first!” I snapped, pushing him off forcefully now.

He snorted in amusement, “Please! Like anything could have covered up what we were doing! Give Don some credit…” He lay back against the pillow himself; closed his eyes, “Oh, well. I’m guessing that’s us, then.”

“You should go.”

“Mm,” was his lazy response. “Let me recover from the rejection first…”

I shoved my elbow into his ribs, “This is not the time for your stupid dramatics!”

“I don’t need to be dramatic.” He stretched out on the bed, his lips curving in content. “You’re doing a fine job of that for the both of us.”

I rolled my eyes, swinging my legs out of bed, “Oh, shut up. When you’re ready, you can get dressed and go. I need to go and talk to my mum.”

“Sure it wouldn’t be wiser to give her some time to steam?” he asked, cracking open an eye and watching me through it.

I shook my head, “Nope. Sooner’s always better with her.”