Here To Stay

by Mark Edwards

but it’s as if you’ve shut her away in here and forgotten about her.’

‘But if she’s had a fever for ten days, she seriously needs to see a doctor. She should be in hospital.’

Something was wrong here. I just couldn’t figure out what. Though whatever it was, I was certain Chloe needed medical attention of some kind.

He stuck the thermometer in his pocket before I could see the reading.

i bet.

‘I haven’t eaten yet and I’m starving. Let’s order a takeaway.’

side eye.

‘Wait. Are you really not worried about Chloe? You don’t think we should take her to see a doctor?’

‘Unlike you. You seem awfully keen to help her.’ ‘What do you mean by that?’

no literally like what

‘Perhaps you should sneak her out of the house.’ ‘Who, Gemma?’ ‘No, silly. The sister. Chloe. Take her to the hospital.’

rt like what

‘Hmm. Then perhaps you should bring a doctor to her.’ Now there was an idea.

but George assured me he loved them as objects of beauty and nostalgia and didn’t care about their price tags.

The therapist I’d seen briefly when I was in my twenties told me it was because my childhood had ended so abruptly. I hadn’t been given the chance to leave the nest in a normal, natural way.

Part of you is still stuck there, the therapist had said. Unable to grow up.

but from what I’ve seen there are two types. The type where everything is out in the open, where they argue and shout and slam doors, and where disagreements are dealt with loudly and quickly. And the other type, where no one really says what they mean, where everyone tiptoes around and emotions are kept buried.’

‘The Knotweeds are the second type? Sorry, the Robinsons.’

lol

‘Actually, they’re a mixture. Jeff and Lizzy aren’t shy to speak their minds, but the kids ...

He looked like he wouldn’t mind at all, but I felt uncomfortable talking about it.

lol

‘Of course. I get up when the cock crows.’

you get up when the what does WHAT?

But I couldn’t get over the fact that she was drunk so early on a midweek evening.

‘I decided it would be deliciously decadent to have a glass of wine in the tub.’ I picked up the bottle. It was empty. ‘More than a glass.’

She tried to wink sexily at me but she was so half-cut it looked more like she had a bit of grit in her eye.

LMAOOO

Ever since her parents had arrived, she’d been drinking every night.

but now I wondered: did she have a drink problem? I would need to talk to her about it, but not until she was sober.

‘Have you reorganised those appointments yet?’ I asked, taking a glass from the rack and filling it with water. He smiled, but I could tell the question irritated him. ‘What appointments?’ ‘To look at houses.’

he be blowing me acting like he dont know shit

He was planning what they were going to put in their new home.

insert the facepalm emoji

I tried not to think about what Jeff had said about finding sick women sexy.

He blinked at me and I wondered what he was thinking. Possibly that everything had been better when it was just me and him. Before Gemma came along, trailing her family in her wake.

And why hadn’t she come downstairs yet?

I had to believe that. Because if I didn’t, I would have to admit that I’d made a terrible, stupid mistake.

Your drinking, I wanted to add, but decided to leave that for later.

‘Hmm.’

And at precisely eight o’clock, George came out of his front door.

‘Here. Banana loaf, as promised. Now, where’s the patient?’

‘Good morning!’ I whirled round. Lizzy was standing outside her bedroom door in a pair of pink satin pyjamas.

ugh

But you can examine me if you like.’ She touched his arm again and I could have sworn he blushed.

bye this is going so left

She was dressed, for a start, in jeans and a soft purple sweater. Like Lizzy, her hair appeared newly washed and she was wearing make-up, just enough to be noticeable.

is this a joke?

I was glad he’d glimpsed her the night the Robinsons arrived or he might have thought me mad or a liar, making the whole thing about Chloe’s illness up.

‘Good enough to start looking at houses?’ The smile she gave me was very different to the one she’d given George. Colder. Reaching no further than her lips. ‘I’d say so.’

But I saw Chloe lean towards him, to whisper something into his ear. He nodded gravely, then said something in return. Lizzy was talking so I couldn’t hear exactly what George said but it sounded like, ‘. . . get you help.’

But her smile had completely slipped away now, her eyes narrowed, darting between Chloe and George. Had she seen Chloe whispering in George’s ear too? It seemed like it.

‘From the way Elliot has described her behaviour, I do think she might be struggling with her mental health.’ Lizzy shot me a filthy look.

‘In fact, Chloe is an adult,’ he said. ‘I’ll give her the numbers myself.’

I wanted to go down, to talk to him before he went, but a stronger impulse kept me upstairs.

Jeff raised his voice and this time I heard what he said, loud and clear. ‘What else did you tell him?’ I couldn’t make out her response.

My good mood deflated. ‘Oh.’

I froze, the noise of the busy restaurant fading to be replaced by a low droning noise. My good mood evaporated. ‘Bees,’ I said.

bye cause i was rey say oh lord he rey start tripping cause the ppl captured bees but he acting like that cause he allergic to them. they did that shit on purpose bro

They make their own honey here and use it in loads of their dishes.’

bye thats so fucked up

‘She saved my life,’ I said, automatically.

ok we get it

Without realising it, since my brush with death I had developed a phobia, one that was perfectly understandable, I thought.

‘Are you sure they can’t get out?’ I asked. ‘Quite sure.’

quite sure

‘Scared,’ Lizzy said with a tut. ‘Of a bunch of bees.’

bye i just said that in my head