The Mighty Storm (The Storm 1)

“What?”

“Hide. You need to hide in the bathroom. Will is here outside the door.”

I run around gathering up his clothes. I shove them in his arms, and try to pull him off the bed. He’s reluctance is apparent.

“You want me to hide in the fuckin’ bathroom?” His tone is less than encouraging.

“Ssh, keep your voice down, he’ll hear you.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” he says audible.

Oh no.

“Please, Jake. I can’t let him find out this way. Not when he’s come all this way to see me. I will tell him, soon. But not like this. Please.” I try to urge him off toward the bathroom again.

Another knock. Louder, more insistent this time.

Jake glances in the direction of the knocking, then looks back to me giving me a hard, unforgiving stare.

I stare back with pleading eyes.

He gets to his feet and storms in the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

My head is an absolute mess.

I quickly make my way toward the door. Smoothing my hair down, I take a deep breath, then swing the door open.

“Surprise!” Will and Simone sing in unison.

“Arghh!” I cry out in fake-Oscar-worthy-surprise.

Will throws his arms around me, enveloping me into a big hug.

His scent washes over me, musky and minty, and I almost break down crying on the spot.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he says, holding me tight.

“I missed you too,” I murmur. I can’t stop the tears that fill my eyes.

Guilty tears.

“You took your time answering the door.” He holds me back, looking at me like he’s drinking me in.

He looks so happy.

Oh God.

“Sorry, I was sleeping.” I somehow manage to get the words out of my clotted throat.

“A late one huh?”

“Mmm.”

Simone pushes her way in hugging me. I wrap my arms around her.

I’m so glad she’s here.

Will moves past us, wheeling their little suitcases into my suite.

“Hey, gorgeous,” she says. “The flat has been so quiet, and so clean without you.”

I hug her tighter.

“Hey, you okay?” She holds me back appraising me with her eyes.

“I’m just happy to see you.” I hug her again.

Releasing her, I follow Will into the living room, Simone behind me.

Okay, so Jake is trapped in the bathroom, and I somehow have to get them out of here for a little while, so he can get of there and back to his own suite.

“Holy shit!” Simone exclaims from behind me. “This place is huge.”

I shrug, smiling through tight lips.

My eyes keep flickering in the direction of the bathroom door.

Jake is in there. In the bathroom. Wearing just his boxer shorts. I hope he’s dressed into his clothes.

Not that it will make the slightest bit of difference if Will finds him trapped in my bathroom. It’ll be pretty clear what he’s doing in there.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuckety fuck.

What am I going to do?

After setting down the suitcases, Will comes back over to me and wraps his arms around my waist and plants a kiss firmly on my lips.

I squirm a little.

I wonder if he’ll be able to smell Jake on me? Freeing myself from his kiss, I lean back away slightly.

He stares down at my face. “Are you okay, darling?”

“Of course.” My voice is a little strangled, and I’m dying under his gaze. I feel like I’m going to crack any minute.

“This is okay isn’t it? Simone and I turning up to surprise you?”

“Of course it is!”

Simone is wandering around checking the place out.

“This bedroom is massive!” she exclaims, poking her head through the door.

Don’t go in there. Please don’t go in there.

She’s gone in.

Crap.

I can see her over Will’s shoulder moving around, checking things out, looking at the view through the window, which is right next to the bathroom door.

Don’t go in the bathroom. Don’t go in the bathroom.

I see her hand reaching for the door handle.

Fuck.

What am I going to do? I’m trying to think quickly, but I’m frozen. Nothing’s working. Every function in me failing right when I need it most.

Then everything slips into slow motion, and I freeze solid in Will arms as I watch in absolute horror, as Simone pulls open the bathroom door.

“ARGHH!” she screams.

Fuck.

Shit.

Bollocks.

“Simone are you okay?” Will asks, concerned, turning in my arms.

I keep a firm hold of him.

This is it. This is the exact moment that everything is over.

If I’d have known this was going to be the last time I held Will, then I’d have held him with a lot more conviction. I’d have taken in everything about him. Because when he finds out Jake is in there, he’s never going to forgive me. He’ll never look at me the same again.

Simone is silent for what seems like forever. I tentatively hold my breath, waiting for her response, feeling like my head may explode any second.

“I’m fine!” she hollers, but her voice sounds a little strangled.

Then I hear the bathroom door close.

I exhale.

“It was just a spider. A massive spider in the bath. Frightened the shit out of me,” she says, coming back into living room.

“Do you want me to get rid of it?” Will asks, turning in my arms.

“No!” Both Simone and I say in unison.

Will looks between the two of us puzzled.

“I like spiders,” I say quickly.

“You do?” Will focuses his inquisitive stare onto me.

I instantly heat under his gaze.

“It’s gone. It bolted when I screamed at it,” Simone tells him, saving me from his quizzical stare.

I meet her eyes briefly. One, slow blink, thanking her.

She nods gently, and sits down on the arm of the sofa.

“So how did you know what room I was in?” I ask, releasing myself from Will’s hold, but he keeps his arm around my waist, keeping me close.

Will answers, “Well, we wanted it to be a surprise, and we figured you’d be up on the top floor, so we asked the security guy who was out by the main door guarding it, I’m guessing Jake’s security people – who looked none too pleased to see us up here might I add, but then we told him we were looking for you, that we’d come to surprise you and he showed us to your room.”

It worked I was surprised. And so completely screwed. Literally and figuratively.

“Good thinking.” I force a smile. “So when did you decide on this?” My voice is wobbling all over the place.

I need to get them out of here, just long enough so I can get Jake out of the bathroom. It’s the only current working thought in my mind.

“A few days ago.” Will leaves my side and sits down on the sofa.

Crap, he’s getting comfortable.

I stay where I am. I can’t seem to stand still. I‘m practically hopping from one foot to the other.

I wrap my arms across my chest.

Simone keeps flickering glances my way, but I can’t bring myself to look at her. The shame is burning up my face.

“I knew you were stressed about the whole Jake affair article,” Will says.

I nearly choke on my own spit, quickly turning it into a cough, I cover my traitorous mouth with my hand.

Will doesn’t seem to notice and continues on regardless, “And I know today is the last day of the tour so I thought I would come out and watch the gig – if that’s okay with Jake and the guys obviously.”

“I-I’m sure it will be.” My voice is so squeaky.

This is just getting worse and worse.

“So well, I called up Simone to see if she fancied coming too, and here we are.”

He was being thoughtful. And I was sleeping with Jake.

I’m going to Hell. Straight to Hell.

“I got us seats on the same flight back as yours tomorrow night so we can all fly home together,” he adds, smiling.

“Sounds wonderful.” I force a smile. “So I bet you guys must be starving,” my voice lifts. “Why don’t you go downstairs and get some breakfast, the food here is amazing. I’ll just get dressed and I’ll meet you down there in ten.”

“Yeah, I could do with something,” Will says, putting his hand to his stomach. “But we’ll wait for you, darling … go get changed.” He tips his head in the direction of the bedroom door.

“I need to shower.”

“It’s fine we’ll wait.”

I flick a ‘help me’ glance at Simone.

“We’ll be waiting bloody ages Will, you know what’s she’s like and I’m starving. Let’s go down now and get a table, and Tru can join us once she’s ready.”

“Okay,” Will says hesitantly.

He gets to his feet and comes over to me, tipping my chin up with his thumb and forefinger, he plants a kiss firmly on my lips.

“We’ll see you down there, and don’t be long. I’ve been away from you too much already.”

“I’ll be ten minutes max.”

Simone squeezes my hand on the way past. I almost break down on the spot.

I wait until I hear the door close behind them before I move.

I go into the bedroom, and slowly open the bathroom door.

Jake is sitting on the edge of the bath, dressed in his clothes, and he doesn’t look happy. But then I didn’t expect he would be.

“I’m so sorry…” I start, but he cuts me off.

“Did you know he was coming?”

“No.” I look at him surprised.

He gives me a look of disbelief.

“Seriously, as if I’d have you here in my bed if I knew he was coming.”

He stares at me for a long moment. My stomach is knotted and my body wired. I can’t stop fidgeting.

I go over to him, kneeling down between his legs. “I am so very sorry.”

“Why did you make me hide in here?”

I give him a puzzled look. “Because I didn’t want him to walk in and find you in my bed.”

He narrows his gaze at me. I feel hot and uncomfortable under it.

“So you’re not going to tell him about us?”

“What? Yes, of course I am.”

I think. Maybe. I don’t know.

“So go tell him.” He gestures towards the door with his hand. “You know where he is. Go tell him now. I’ll wait here for you.”

“Jake…” I get up off the floor, sitting on the toilet. “He’s flown all this way to see me. I can’t just go and tell him about you and me ten minutes after he’s arrived.”

“You promised me last night that you would tell him. He’s here now so what better opportunity is there. You didn’t want to tell him on the phone – well now you don’t have to.”

I run my hands through my hair and blow out a breath. “Be reasonable, Jake.”

“I think I’ve been pretty reasonable overall, and patient. So very fuckin’ patient, but it’s wearing thin.”

I look down at my toes.

He sighs loudly, then gets up and storms out of the bathroom.