Night Fires by D. H. Sidebottom Read Free Book Online Page B

Betty’s.”
    He snorted. “Wankers.”
    I nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Anyway, thank you.”
    “Will you stop saying bloody thank you?”
    I sighed and shut my mouth, and we continued to eat in silence. The wind had got up and the only sound was it raging around the house but the silence between Carter and me was comfortable, and if I was honest, it was nice to have someone to sit at the table with and share a meal, even if we didn’t talk. Carter was how he was and if I decided to take offence every time he barked something at me then I’d be in a constant state of irritation. I realised it was just how he was - blunt. It wasn’t something done nastily or even meant to insult, he just said it how he saw it.
    “So, you rewired this place yourself?” Carter suddenly asked, making me jolt after the bout of complete quiet.
    I nodded, sucking in an extra-long noodle. Carter’s eyes dropped to my mouth and I felt my cheeks flush with the attention. I knew I had sauce on my chin and I spent the next thirty seconds inwardly panicking at how to wipe it off without bringing attention to it.
    Grabbing a napkin, I placed my fork down. “I’ve done most of the renovations myself. I enjoy it, and it’s therapeutic.”
    “Therapeutic,” he mused quietly. “And what would you need therapy for, Alice?” He was mocking me.
    “Don’t think no one else has suffered apart from you, Carter.”
    His eyes widened at the acid tone in my voice and he rested back into his chair, peering at me with a glint of anger as he placed his cutlery down. “I wasn’t being flippant. I was asking why you feel the need for therapy.” He leaned forwards, resting his crossed arms on the table. “I was asking for something, anything , about you. You’re the most closed person I know, and I was just looking for an opening.”
    I immediately felt stupid and lowered my eyes. “There’s nothing about me that you need to know.” I was honest. I wasn’t being rude or trying to shut him down. There was just nothing I could tell him that seemed appropriate, especially over Chinese at the dinner table.
    Tipping his head sideways, he shook his head as he studied me. “I don’t need to know anything.” He leaned even farther forwards. “But maybe I want to.”
    I held his gaze and swallowed when my throat felt scratchy and thick. “What do you want to know?”
    A small smile flicked at his lips. “Tell me something nobody knows.”
    Lowering my eyes, I whispered, “It’s my birthday.”
    He appeared stunned with that small revelation, staring at me with wide eyes as he leaned back into his chair again. “Why aren’t you celebrating?”
    Finally lifting my eyes, I gulped back the lump that had grown from the scratch and stared straight at him. “Because I have no one to celebrate with.”
    When he just stared at me, I shrugged. I felt stupid and vulnerable. I’d always hated attention on myself, for more reasons than one, but Carter’s deep stare made my bones tremble.
    Once again he leaned over the table and before I could move his fingers touched my jaw and his thumb swept leisurely over my cheekbone. His caress was barely there but I could feel it seep inside me, right down into the core of me, the empty part where my soul should reside, had it not left me a long time ago.
    “Nobody?”
    I shook my head slowly. “Nobody.”
    His gaze became suffocating, like he was boring inside my head to find my secrets, yet I couldn’t look away. He was connecting with me, for some unknown reason, but I could physically feel the warmth trickling through my veins, attempting to reach the cold fibres that had frozen long before.
    “Then happy birthday, Alice,” he finally whispered. His fingers remained on my face, the tips gently brushing my skin as his thumb traced a path back and forth over my cheekbone.
    “Thank you.” It wasn’t a whisper. It wasn’t even said on a wispy breath, but he heard it and gave me a very small nod.
    His smile