Chasing Daisy

ask, trying to sound indifferent.
    ‘Have a quick drink with me?’ He aims his thumb in the direction of the hotel bar.
    ‘Shouldn’t you be catching an early one for the race tomorrow?’ I ask, warily.
    ‘Can’t sleep,’ he explains.
    ‘Okay . . .’ I give him a baffled look and follow him to the bar. ‘I’m not sure I really feel like more alcohol,’ I tell him when he asks what I’m having. ‘I’ll have a cranberry juice.’
    ‘Same,’ Will tells the bartender. ‘Put it on Room 516. Let’s go over here.’ He points to a table for two by a window.
    I follow him and realise I’m still wearing Luis’s jacket. I take it off and hang it over the back of the chair before sitting down.
    ‘Nice time tonight?’ Will asks.
    ‘Yes,’ I reply. ‘How was the yacht?’ There’s a frostiness to my tone, which I just can’t help.
    ‘Okay, yeah.’ He looks across at me and frowns. ‘Are you alright?’
    ‘Yes, why?’ I shift in my seat.
    ‘You seem a bit different with me this weekend.’
    ‘I’ve barely seen you,’ I bite back. ‘I don’t know how you can say that.’
    He leans back in his chair and stretches his legs out underneath the table.
    ‘Where’s Laura tonight?’ I try to keep my voice sounding casual.
    ‘In bed.’
    ‘Won’t she be wondering where you are?’
    He shrugs. ‘She’s probably asleep by now.’
    I tuck my hair behind my ears. I wonder if he still prefers it down? I glance up to see him watching me. My insides twinge with jealousy as I remember something he said to me in Italy.
    ‘Have you two been house-hunting together?’
    ‘Here? In Monaco?’ he asks.
    ‘Yes. You said you were thinking of buying a place here.’
    ‘Oh, yeah.’ He screws his nose up and shakes his head. ‘But not this weekend.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘There’s not enough time.’
    ‘I see.’ I reach forward and take my drink from the table, swirling the ice around in the glass before taking a sip. I’m wearing a skirt tonight. A short, black one. I may be imagining it, but did Will’s eyes just skim my legs?
    ‘So . . .’ He raises one eyebrow. ‘What’s going on with you and Luis, then?’
    I pull a face, about to deny everything, but something makes me hesitate. ‘What makes you think something’s going on?’ I ask, deflecting the question.
    ‘Going out together two nights in a row, you wearing his jacket.’ He nods at it hanging over the back of my chair. ‘And I saw you chatting to his family in Istanbul.’
    ‘They were nice, actually. Did you speak to them much?’
    ‘No. Not really. But you’re not answering my question.’
    ‘Why should you care?’
    ‘I don’t,’ he replies, before quickly qualifying it. ‘Well, I mean, I just don’t want you to get hurt, you know?’
    I let out a sharp laugh and cross my legs. ‘You don’t have to worry about me, Will. I have no intention of getting my heart broken again.’ Of course, I’m lying. I feel like Will is chipping a little piece of it away, day by day. It’s killing me. But I’m not about to tell him that. And if he doesn’t like the idea of me having a relationship with Luis, good. Let him suffer for a change.
    ‘What about you?’ I change the subject as he pushes his hair back and looks a little frustrated. ‘Are you enjoying having your girlfriend at this race?’
    ‘Um, yeah,’ he says awkwardly. ‘It’s alright.’
    ‘Just alright?’ I look across at him with interest. ‘I would have thought you’d be thrilled?’
    He takes a gulp of his cranberry juice and plonks the glass down on the table. ‘It’s fine,’ he says, scratching the back of his head. ‘I guess I should be getting to bed.’
    ‘Yes.’ I stand up and I lead the way to the lift. We go inside, turning around to face the doors.
    Will spies the jacket in my hands. ‘Do you want me to drop that off to Luis’s room?’
    ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.’
    ‘Are you sure?’ he asks. ‘I don’t mind.’
    ‘Will . . .’ I can’t help but laugh. ‘I’m not going to go and shag him, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
    He laughs, too, but surprisingly uneasily. ‘Okay, then!’
    ‘See you in the morning.’ I step out on the landing for my floor. I had no intention of dropping Luis’s jacket back tonight, anyway, but Will needn’t know that.
    ‘Holy bollocks Old Blighty, what time is it?’ Holly moans when I open the curtains in our room the next morning.
    ‘Time we got up,’ I reply. I’ve been