‘There’s nowhere for you to sleep in the house.’

  Channing frowned. ‘How many rooms are there?’

  ‘It’s not the point. I’ve got building work going on.’

  ‘So I’ll stay in your room then.’

  ‘No, you won’t.’

  ‘Why not?’ Channing persisted.

  ‘Because I don’t want you to.’

  Channing squinted at her as if in discomfort. ‘It’s because of that woman you’ve got staying with you, isn’t it?’

  The hairs on Teal’s neck rose. ‘You’ve been to my house?’

  ‘Don’t worry. I haven’t said anything to her … yet.’

  ‘You’re crazy, do you know that? What’s there to tell?’

  ‘About us.’

  ‘Channing, there is no us—’

  ‘You made love to me,’ she said accusingly.

  ‘I was drunk. It was a mistake—’

  ‘No, it wasn’t. I could tell by the way your body responded to me. It was more than that. It was—’

  ‘No, Channing. It wasn’t anything. You need to put this fantasy you’ve got about us out of your head.’

  ‘Do you think you are going to get rid of me that easily? You’ll always be a part of me.’ Channing pulled aside the strap on her top to reveal a red heart-shaped tattoo with Teal’s name written in the centre. ‘See?’

  Teal’s hands trembled at the sight and she quickly hid them under the table. Oh my God. What the hell is going on in her mind? ‘I’m deadly serious, Channing, you need to stop this madness. Can’t you see what you’re doing isn’t normal?’

  Channing didn’t look hurt, embarrassed or upset by her remark. She pursed her lips slightly as though she were trying to read Teal. ‘And what’s normal? Fucking a whore you barely know—’

  The pressurised volcano in Teal’s head exploded. Whether it was the fact that Channing had turned up out of the blue or that she was being disrespectful about Carissa, Teal was done with her crap.

  ‘Enough! Just fucking stop. If you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to call the police!’

  Channing stared at her with a ghost of a smile on her lips and Teal had to wonder whether she was high on something. She looked totally zoned out.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere. You need me.’

  Teal pushed herself to her feet, knocking the table in the process. She instinctively reached out to catch her drink from tipping over. ‘Need you? The only thing I need, is for you to keep the fuck away from me.’

  ‘You always act irrationally when you’re tired. Go and get some rest. We can talk again tomorrow.’ Channing’s top lip curled into a snarl. ‘When I get to meet your whore.’

  A chill ran down Teal’s spine. All of a sudden, she felt the need to be at home. To make sure Carissa was safe. ‘Go home, Channing. Go back to Devon and leave me the hell alone.’

  Leaden sky loomed over head when Teal exited the pub. Adrenaline powered her legs as she ran across the road and headed for home. She cursed herself again for not telling her next-door neighbour in Devon to not give her current address out to anyone, especially Channing.

  Apprehension slowly built in the pit of Teal’s stomach. The whole episode in the pub had unnerved her. Channing was unpredictable and the fact that she already knew about Carissa frightened the life out of her. It wasn’t as if Channing had been violent in the past, at least not with her, but she could be vindictive. An incident involving Channing suddenly sprung to mind. It had been the first week she had stayed with Teal. Channing had been talking about her ex-partner when she quite innocently said, ‘Mel always said she wanted to be famous and now she is.’

  It wasn’t until weeks later, when Teal ran into an old friend, that she heard someone had leaked an explicit sex tape of Mel online. Teal didn’t know for sure if Channing had been the one responsible for releasing it, but Mel not only lost her job as a teacher, she ended up having a mental breakdown. Luckily for Teal, her one and only sexual encounter with Channing had happened in her bathroom and thankfully no phones had been present at the time.

  Teal reasoned she might be paranoid but something, call it her sixth sense, told her that Channing’s sudden appearance in Bibury was not going to be a pleasant one, and Teal needed to do everything she could to ensure both her safety and more importantly, Carissa’s.

  Her first thought was to book Carissa into a Bed and Breakfast until the renovation was completed, but she decided against that. It made more sense to have Carissa under the same roof as her.

  With her head in a spin cycle, Teal walked into the house and almost immediately she could feel something was off kilter. The atmosphere seemed different somehow. At first, she put it down to her heightened emotions but when she saw Carissa she knew it was something else. Carissa sat on the edge of the window sill looking at her phone. Hearing Teal’s entrance, she looked up and when their gazes met, Teal noted a sadness in her eyes. A tightness around her mouth. Something had changed. What, Teal didn’t know but Carissa was different. Had Channing actually been round and had words with Carissa?

  ‘Hey,’ Teal said with a false cheer she didn’t feel. ‘Everything all right?’

  ‘Yeah fine,’ Carissa said flatly. ‘You?’

  ‘Yeah couldn’t be better.’

  They both started to talk at the same time.

  ‘Sorry, you go first,’ Carissa said with a tight smile.

  Teal knew she wouldn’t be able to relax with Carissa beside her in bed that night. She needed to be alone while she tried to figure out her next move. Knowing how intuitive Carissa was about her mood, she would no doubt ask her what was bothering her and Teal, being unable to lie, would have to tell her about Channing. That she could be planning something. Until Teal knew what Channing’s motives were for being there, the last thing she wanted to do was scare Carissa unnecessarily.

  ‘I was just going to say, I’m going to have an early night by myself tonight,’ Teal said.

  Was that disappointment she saw in Carissa’s eyes? she wondered.

  ‘No worries. I’ve already set up your makeshift bedroom in the living room,’ Carissa said.

  ‘Oh, okay. Good,’ Teal said. Though she was pleased she didn’t have to explain herself about her decision to sleep alone, she still felt slightly put out that Carissa was one step ahead of her.

  ‘If there’s anything else—’

  ‘No. It’s all good.’

  ‘In that case, I’ve got some things to be getting on with,’ Carissa said. ‘I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.’

  Carissa walked in the direction of the stairs and Teal stared after her. What the hell is going on? No kiss or cuddle. Was she cooling to the idea of their arrangement already? Surely not. Carissa had been fine with the way things were the previous night. What could have possibly happened in the space of a few hours? As tempting as it was to go after Carissa and find out what was wrong, Teal remembered their rules: no questions.

  Teal pushed aside the discomfort and headed to her own room. She shut the door behind her and took out her pad and pencil to distract herself. She flopped down on her bed and using the emotion building up inside her, Teal started to draw. She drew without thinking or planning. When she was finished, Teal stared down at the completed piece that was supposed to be an abstract drawing. But while the picture had an imperfect facial structure, what it really was, was a drawing of Carissa.

  The woman she couldn’t get out of her head, or her heart.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Carissa didn’t know which one woke her up. The intrusive harsh light from the security bulb situated outside the window, or the hushed voices that weren’t as quiet as they thought they were. Yawning, she slid out of bed and padded towards the window. It was probably people spilling out from the pub. Opening the blind slightly, she glanced through the wooden slats. The front garden was flooded with a pool of light and there was a woman wearing a baseball cap at the end of the path. She was talking animatedly to someone who was hidden behind the bush near the gate. Thinking someone had probably been desperate for a pee in the garden, Carissa was just about to withdraw and go back to bed when the woman’s companion came into view. Teal?

  Mouth slightly open, Carissa was intrigued to know who the woman was. Her arms flailing about the place gave Carissa the impression the conversation between her and Teal was a heated one. Teal doesn’t know anyone from these parts. But then Carissa suddenly remembered Teal’s strange behaviour when she returned from the pub. Was that when Teal had met the woman? Tears pricked her eyes. Has she tired of me already?

  The woman reached out to touch Teal’s face and Teal automatically batted her hand away. The woman tried again and Teal repeated the same action. Were they having a lover’s tiff?

  Suddenly, Teal wagged her finger in front of the woman’s face and to Carissa’s surprise the woman smiled as if she was enjoying baiting Teal. Next thing, Teal pushed past the woman and hurried up the path. She heard the front door close gently, then Teal’s footsteps until they receded behind her bedroom door. Guessing that Teal wasn’t going back outside, Carissa slowly closed the blind and returned to bed. Her mind scrambled, as she tried to figure out what she had just witnessed. For some reason the woman had angered Teal. It was a side that Carissa hadn’t seen before. Not that she thought Teal was an angel who was never pissed off, but there was something extreme in the way in which the woman seemed to rile her.

  Carissa strained her ear when she heard the faint sound of a mobile phone ringing in the room down below. Then there was silence. Then the phone rang again for a few seconds. It rang intermittently for a few minutes until there was only silence. Carissa could only put it down to the woman from outside calling Teal. Deciding sleep was going to be impossible, she switched on the lamp and found one of her design books. It was better to focus her mind on something positive, she reasoned. The only other option was to storm into Teal’s room, ask her what was going on and who the hell that woman was. That she couldn’t do.

  All because of a bunch of stupid rules.

  ***

  Despite not getting much sleep the previous night, Carissa awoke at seven o’clock. She felt sluggish as she rolled out of bed. This was one day she wasn’t looking forward to. What with Lara, and then Teal’s late night encounter outside, she wished she could just stay in bed for the day. Not even the prospect of starting on the bedrooms upstairs lightened her mood.

  Carissa needed to get to the B&B where Lara was staying and sort things out with her.

  Putting on her dressing gown and slippers, Carissa shuffled into the kitchen. The smell of fried bacon and coffee made her stomach queasy. Her mouth felt like sand and she was in urgent need of water. Carissa grunted something unintelligible as she crossed the floor to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. She poured herself a glass and took four large gulps.

  ‘Morning,’ Teal said but didn’t bother to look up from the newspaper she was reading.

  The atmosphere was tinged with tension and Carissa could only put it down to the confrontation between Teal and the mystery woman she had spotted in the early hours of the morning.

  ‘Everything all right?’ Carissa slipped onto a seat opposite Teal. She hoped the open question would encourage Teal to explain what had gone on. Not only the woman but her elusive attitude.

  ‘Yep. You?’ Teal asked, pointing her knife enquiringly at Carissa’s glass. It was not her choice of words that startled her, but the tone.

  For a brief second Carissa remained silent before saying. ‘Just thirsty.’ She set the glass down on the table. ‘Must be all the dust.’

  Teal gave a small nod and turned her attention back to her paper.

  Carissa sat back in her seat not sure what to say. Their once easy companionship was no more. It seemed an invisible shield had been erected between them. It wasn’t that Teal was being rude per se but she wasn’t exactly being friendly. Teal was keeping her at arm’s length. Like a stranger. An employee.

  Carissa waited a few more minutes to see if Teal would speak again and when she didn’t, Carissa quietly returned to her room where she showered and dressed. It was eight o’clock by the time Carissa left the house and made her way to the Bed and Breakfast where Lara was staying.

  ‘I didn’t think you’d come,’ Lara said as she entered the communal living room where the owner of the B&B had asked Carissa to wait.

  They stared at each other for a moment and Carissa thought how strange it was to be in this position. The one where she held the ball in her court. Throughout their entire relationship, it had always been Lara who had held the power, who’s decision always tipped the scales. Inside she rejoiced at this shift of balance. ‘We need to sort things out.’

  ‘I know. That’s why I came back.’

  ‘Do you really think we can just pick up from where we … where you just walked out?’

  ‘That’s your problem, Cass, letting go of things from the past.’

  Carissa mulled over her words. Did Lara really think it was that simple? To banish her deeds from the past in one puff. If that was the case, millions of people wouldn’t be sat on therapists’ sofas. They would be out there getting on with their lives instead of being caught in a perpetual cycle, all because some selfish, self-serving person decided to fuck them over. And then to put their shitty behaviour on them by telling them they must get over the past. If it wasn’t so insulting, it would have been funny.

  ‘How can you say that? You hurt me. You—’

  ‘Yes, I get you were hurt. But it’s over with now. It’s not going to happen again.’

  ‘And you think I believe that?’

  ‘I give you my word.’

  Carissa snorted. How can she bear to look me in the eye and say that? Her word? Like that means anything. ‘You really think that counts for something?’

  ‘So what do you suggest? If I leave, Cass, there’s no turning back. I’m gone for good.’

  ‘I understand.’

  Lara folded her arms across her chest and gave her a long searching look. ‘Do you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m going to get ready. Have a think about it. When I come back down, I’ll accept whatever decision you make. Okay?’

  Carissa relented as she sank into one of the floral armchairs when Lara left the room. Now alone, she grew apprehensive. If, in her heart of hearts, Carissa had really wanted Lara to leave her alone, she had to wonder what she was even doing at her B&B in the first place. Wouldn’t she have just closed the door in Lara’s face as soon as she had seen her? Or was she subconsciously hedging her bets, so that when things came to an end with Teal she would have someone, even if it was Lara, waiting in the wings for her. Even as the thought occurred to her she realised how sad that made her. Hadn’t she learnt anything about herself since Lara had walked out? What was it going to take to make her realise that she had to work on her own insecurities, her own list of issues, before she put herself in such a vulnerable position again.

  Carissa had managed to dig herself out of the hole she had found herself in, but that was only because she had met Teal. Jumping from one relationship to the next was not how she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

  Yet, despite all of this inner dialogue running around her mind at a dizzying speed, she couldn’t help but think how different things could be now with Lara. After all, Carissa’s personal circumstances had changed. She had a job now. And I met Teal. It was a bittersweet thought. Carissa might have met her but she could never have her—not in the way she wanted. Her mind flashed to their love-making. She tried to drown out the sultry noises Teal made. Tried to stop the sound from spreading to all parts of her body with a warm glow.

  Teal was not the answer to her situation with Lara. That decision had to be made independently of anything else. Carissa rubbed her hands over her face, more frustrated than ever. She couldn’t trust her emotions at that time.

  Lara was right in one sense, if she made the wrong decision there would be no turning back.

  With this in mind, Carissa left the B&B and rushed back to Teal’s house. She was just going to be straight with her. To tell her how she felt. If Teal didn’t feel the same that was fine. At least she had given it a shot. Entering the house, adrenaline pumped through her veins. An argument formulated in her mind for why they should break their rules. Starting with the fact that …. Carissa stopped in her tracks as she pushed open the door to Teal’s makeshift bedroom. Standing there was the woman from the previous night.

  Chapter Twenty

  Teal’s muscles tensed even harder when the door flew open and Carissa appeared. Her eyes registered an array of emotions. Shock, horror, dismay, sadness and finally disbelief.

  As Carissa started to pull the door shut, Teal found her voice. ‘Carissa, wait.’

  ‘No, it’s okay. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have barged in like that.’

  ‘It’s fine.’ Teal side-stepped Channing and moved towards Carissa, wondering how the hell she was going to explain Channing’s sudden appearance. She could have kicked herself for not being honest the night before. It would have made things a whole lot easier. Now, it looked like she was being underhanded.

  Carissa was already backing away. ‘I was just wondering where Nicole was.’

  Channing turned around abruptly and her expression hardened the second her eyes landed on Carissa. Standing there, Teal was at a loss what to do.

  ‘I won’t be a minute,’ Teal said to Channing as she took hold of Carissa’s elbow and ushered her out the door and down the hallway.

  Carissa shrugged Teal’s hand off. ‘You could have given me some kind of warning, Teal. Letting me find out like this is pretty heartless.’

  Teal spoke in a hushed voice. ‘Find out what? This is not what it looks like.’

  ‘I think it’s pretty obvious what it looks like and it’s no problem. I have no issue with it. Remember. We’re free agents. We do as we please.’