Gut Feeling (19 page)

‘What the fuck!’ Dave glared at them all.

Ash shivered with the site of his anger, making her feel like a naughty schoolgirl again.

‘Mate, I have no idea how that happened,’ said Pete, ‘the shelf just fell off the wall.’

‘It’s true, Dave,’ said Ash.

‘Ash, come out in case you get cut,’ said Dave.

She walked carefully over to him, taking his hand to avoid stepping on the shards of glass, and crossing into the hallway.

‘Go and watch TV,’ said Dave. ‘I’ll clear this up. Iss, you go too.’

Issi stared at him. ‘Who died and made you boss?’

‘Do not even start with me, Issi.’

‘Why… Can’t I clear up just as good as a man or something?’

Peter interrupted their argument. ‘Do me a favour, you two, and shut up. Issi just go and keep Ash company for me please. You know he gets grumpy in the mornings. Don’t wind him up.’

Issi glared at Dave as she walked past, knowing full well that he wasn’t grumpy but still mad at her about Sassy.

After a while Dave walked into the front room, holding two cups of coffee.

‘Peter’s making you one, Iss,’ Dave tried to sound polite and civil.

Issi got up and strolled out to help Peter, not really wanting to be around Dave.

‘What’s up, honey?’ said Ash. ‘D’you not like her any more?’

‘She’s OK—just gets under my skin sometimes, that’s all.’

‘She was telling me about a friend of hers…’ Ash went on. Was it her imagination or did Dave seem to tense as she said this? ‘She said I could go out with them for a drink.’

‘What? Why?’

‘Are you sure everything’s OK, Dave?’

‘Yeah, hon. Just don’t think she’s your type.’

‘Well maybe I’ll leave it then.’

Dave felt a tug of guilt; it wasn’t for him to control her social life. ‘No, go if you want to—I’m just being a dick, babe. Take no notice.’

Dave flicked the channel over, trying to deflect the conversation. He pulled her under his arm, kissing the top of her head and Ash snuggled close.

‘What d’you fancy doing on your last day off?’ he said.

‘Not much. Maybe I could make you lunch at mine, to say thanks for yesterday?’

‘I could think of a better way to say thank you.’

Ash pinched his side and laughed.

‘Me and Pete need to head into work for a bit, but I’ll meet you at yours later,’ he said.

Dave left Ash in the flat and then headed off to the yard, shortly followed by Peter. Once Ash was dressed she let herself out, thrilled to use her new keys.

‘See ya, Iss.’

‘Bye, hon. See ya soon.’

Ash stepped out of the communal door on to the top step, breathing in deeply through her nose, feeling a wave of contentment as she turned to lock the door with her new key.

After putting down the roof of her car, she jumped inside, scorching her legs on the hot leather seats. Heading off down the road she could see a queue of traffic building at the end. She patiently sat waiting to be let out.

Suddenly her mobile rang and she saw Dave’s number flashing on the screen.

‘Ash, babe, have you left my flat yet?’

‘Yeah why? . . . I’m only at the end of the road though.’

‘Ah good, would you mind popping back to the flat and getting a DVD for us to watch at yours tonight? I bought one the other day called
Gray
Mist
. It’s sitting on the windowsill in the living room.’

‘I’ve seen that advertised. It’s meant to be really scary.’

‘I know my plan is to watch it behind a pillow.’

‘You big wimp. I’ll go back and get it, babe.’

She turned around, accelerating back up the road and pulling into the space she had just left. She made her way up the stone steps, smiling to herself, unlocking the communal door with her key. Once upstairs, she opened the front door, calling out to Issi at the same time, but hearing no answer. She walked into the living room over to the windowsill to retrieve the
Gray
Mist
DVD.

She picked it up, stopped and listened for a second as she thought she could hear talking. It sounded like Issi talking on her phone. Deciding to leave without saying anything, she started walking towards the front door. She stopped, hearing her name being mentioned. Taking a few footsteps up the hall where Issi was talking on the phone in her bedroom, not wanting to get too close as the door was slightly open, she strained to hear the whole conversation.

‘Yeah Dave—Pete’s twin brother.’

There was a bang and rustling inside the room, making it hard for Ash to hear. Ash stood still, trying to hear more of the conversation, growing apprehensive that Issi might come out at any minute.

‘Yes way. She was in his bed.’

Whose
bed?
Ash’s thought, trying to hear over the clanging of things being moved around inside the room.

‘Where Ash—’
bang,
rustle,
bang
‘—Ibiza.’

Oh
my
God
, Ash thought as her head spun at the thought of hearing any more. This was a conversation about Dave when she was in Ibiza. She lost the thread for a moment as Issi clambered around the room.

‘Yeah Dave. She was giving him a blowjob—’
scuffle
bang
. . .

Ash steadied herself against the wall.

‘Some drunken girl in a bar—her name was Sassy.’

Ash quickly stepped backwards, hearing Issi approaching the door.

‘OK, yeah, speak soon. Bye.’

Walking fast but as quietly as she could, Ash dived down the hall, out of the front door and down the steps, running to her car starting it frantically.

‘Hello?’ Issi stepped out of her bedroom, hearing a noise in the hall, but there was no one there.

‘Pete, Dave, is that you?’ She wandered down the hall to have a look but found nothing—no sign that anything had fallen and no one had come in.

‘Weird.’ Issi walled back up the hallway and into her bedroom again.

* * *

Outside Ash sat in her car, not quite knowing what to do or think, trying to make sense of the conversation she had heard. Sassy, a random girl from a bar, had actually given Dave—
her
Dave
—a blowjob. The thought of it cramped her stomach with pain. Over and over, she played the conversation out in her head.

I
did
hear
it
correct.
Of
course
I
did
, she thought,
I
heard
it
with
my
own
ears
. . .
Sassy
—
what
kind
of
name
is
that?

‘Oh God this cannot be happening,’ she sobbed.

She started her car, driving slowly down the road with no destination in mind, driving aimlessly around the streets of South London, eventually finding her way over to the other side of the Thames and finally ending up at Rachel’s flat in Belgravia.

Her make-up running down her face with every teardrop, she stared at the red door, waiting for an answer.

‘Hey babes,’ said Rachel cheerfully as she opened the door, then stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Ash’s face.

‘Oh my God—what’s happened?’

Gemma rushed up behind her, peering over Rachel’s shoulder. ‘Babe, honey, is it Lee? Has he done something?’

‘Come inside,’ Rachel ushered her through the hallway to the kitchen.

Ash slumped on to one of the kitchen chairs, placing her head in her hands as she leaned on the table, trying to speak.

‘
Dave
. . .
Dave
. . .
is
fucking
. . .
chea
. . .’

‘Dave? What has he done?’ Rachel stood next to her, rubbing her back.

‘Cheated,’ she managed to sob.

‘
What?
’ howled Rachel.

Gemma stood staring at Rachel in amazement before turning back to the coffee-maker.

‘Are you sure, Ash? What happened?’

‘Issi… Issi… wa… wa… Was talking on the ph… phone and I heard… her…’

‘OK in your own time, sweetie, no rush. Let me get you a tissue.’

Ash jumped at the sound of her mobile ringing. She looked at it mesmerised, watching Dave’s name flashing on the screen.

Gemma quickly picked up the phone with Ash watching, as if she were having an out-of-body experience. ‘Fuck off you pig!’ Gemma slammed down the phone, looking at Ash’s face crumple up again, ready to cry.

‘Why me? Why me?’

‘Oh babe.’ Gemma rubbed Ash’s back.

‘I’m sorry, Gem.’

‘Whatever for babe?’

‘I kn… know you’re upset about Z… Zane this must be hard for you to see.’

‘Ash, don’t be silly. You be as upset as you want. Zane is a twat and good riddance to him.’

A few seconds later Ash’s mobile rang again.

‘Don’t,’ Ash raised her hand, stopping Gemma from picking up the phone.

‘Just leave it to ring,’ she sobbed.

Rachel placed a box of tissues on the table, sitting down. Ash picked up the phone, switching it off then took a deep breath in.

‘I overheard Issi on her mobile, telling someone that when we were all in Ibiza, Dave met a girl in a bar.’ Ash took a moment before continuing. ‘The girl came back to his house and gave him…’ her stomach clenched tight ‘ . . . a blowjob.’

‘
No
. . .’ Gemma gasped.

‘Oh my God—what an asshole,’ Rachel said, reaching out to hold Ash, giving a sideways glance to Gemma.

‘Sassy,’ Ash spluttered.

‘Sassy, is that her name?’ said Gemma.

‘Yeah.’

‘What kind of name is that?’ added Rachel.

‘The blowjob kind,’ Ash’s voice quivered.

‘Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry.’ Rachel couldn’t bear seeing her friend so broken up once again with heartache.

‘Me too, Ash. Can I do anything for you?’

‘Can I stay here tonight? With you two?’ She glanced up at Rachel.

‘Yes, stay as long as you like. Maybe I should call your work to see if you can take some extended holiday. I could tell them you have a bug. They’ll never know.’

‘Oh I don’t know. What if they found out I’m not ill?’

‘They won’t. Gem can look after you while I’m at work.’

‘Er, I don’t know if I should do that… it’s not right.’

‘Ash, you never take time off work. They would never suspect you to be lying. I can say you got a bug last night and you can have a few days off, then say it was one of those forty-eight hour bugs.’

Ash’s shoulders dropped. ‘Maybe.’

‘Good that’s settled then.’

* * *

Later that evening they all jumped into Rachel’s jeep, heading over to Ash’s flat so she could pick up some things—a washbag and a few days’ clothes—to stay. It was dusk.

She didn’t take long, rushing back down the steps into the jeep ready to head back. A small white van pulled into the close and Ash’s heart jerked, making the blood pound round her body as she realised it was Dave.

‘Oh, oh God, it’s Dave,’ Ash said, hitting the floor of the jeep.

‘Stay down, I’ll talk to him.’ Rachel got out of the jeep, walking back towards the flat in the hope that Dave would stop his van away from her jeep where Ash was hiding under the dashboard. Dave did just what she had planned: he jumped out of his van next to where she stood. In a frenzy he didn’t even notice Gemma in the jeep.

‘Is Ash in?’

‘No.’

‘Where is she?’

‘Don’t know.’

‘Something has happened.’

‘No shit, Sherlock.’

‘What? What is that supposed to mean?’

‘Why don’t
you
tell
me
?’

‘Tell you
what
? What is it?’ Dave raised his voice in frustration.

‘Try
you
, you cheating pig.’

‘
What!
Cheating?’

‘Oh bugger off, I don’t have time for this.’ Rachel stormed off, jumping into her jeep.

‘Wait!’ he shouted after her.

‘Tell it to Sassy, you cheat!’ She put her foot down, wheel spinning off down the cobbled road, knocking Ash’s head against the dashboard.

Dave stood very still, watching Rachel’s Jeep speed off down the road, trying to work out why or how Rachel knew the name of the random girl in his room.

* * *

Dave slammed the door of his flat, storming up the hall to the bathroom where Issi was standing in front of the mirror, blusher brush in hand, applying her make-up. She saw Dave in the reflection over her shoulder, standing in the doorway.

‘Hey, get out, you pervert!’

‘So what was your plan then, Iss?’

‘Plan—what plan?’

‘Why did you tell Ash about Sassy?’

‘What the fuck you on about?’

‘Don’t lie.’ Dave could feel his blood boil as his voice rose.

‘Don’t shout at me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘OK, OK, just be straight with me, Iss. What did you tell her?’ By now Dave was pacing the doorway, hands on his hips, to keep them from hitting something.

‘Dave
, what are you on. I don’t know what the fucking hell you are talking about?’

‘Just
fucking
tell
me!
’

Issi stepped backwards quickly, her heart skipping, not knowing what to say, staring straight into his eyes.

The front door slammed. ‘What’s going on?’ Peter walked up to his brother, poking his head round the bathroom door to see who Dave was shouting at. He looked at Issi, fixed against the far wall, looking concerned. ‘Well, is anyone going to tell me? Dave, what’s up?’

‘She has told Ash about Sassy and I wanna know why.’

‘Iss? Is this true?’

Issi, feeling slightly more empowered now that Peter was there, stepped away from the wall, straightening her blouse. ‘Right, well, like I said, I didn’t tell Ash about Sassy.’

‘Then how does she know?’

‘I don’t know, for fuck’s sake, but it wasn’t me.’