Take My Hand by Nicola Haken Read Free Book Online Page B

usual. “Are you taking care of her?”
    “Rachel doesn’t need taking care of, Mum.
She’s-”
    “Oh, Emily, stop being so self-centred!” See
what I mean about the interrupting? Sometimes I honestly can’t work out why she
bothers to talk to me at all. She clearly isn’t interested in anything I’ve got
to say. “Of course she needs taking care of. She’s disabled!” She sounded
utterly disgusted with me. Again, that wasn’t out of the ordinary.
    “Well I need to go now. I’m swamped with
charity admin today. You’re father wanted to know how you were so I’ll pass on
that you’re fine.” My ‘father’ wanted to know how I was doing – not her.
Not the only woman in the world who’s supposed to love and worry about you
until the day they draw their last breath. Most of the time I rolled my eyes
and silently laughed off how little I actually meant to her. But some days
– days like today, when I’m feeling both overwhelmed yet proud of myself
with this life I was creating – it cut a little deep.
    It’s those days, where just hearing her voice
makes the back of my eyes sting and my bottom lip wobble.
    “Okay. Bye, Mum.”
    I doubt you’ll be surprised to hear she hung
up before I’d even muttered that goodbye – let alone offer her own.
Blinking away the tears before they had chance to fall I straightened myself up
and shook myself off defiantly, refusing to think about the ache in my chest
for another second. Then I went back to weighing up my outfits in preparation
to meet with Jared.
    If I’m honest, things are growing a little
stale with him. I can’t work out why it’s not working. In theory I should be
head over heels for him. He’s cute, he’s thoughtful and he can keep me laughing
so long I get face-ache but… something’s missing. I guess I’m just not experienced
enough to know what it is yet. Rachel thinks I should bin him off and start
again but that seems a little cruel to me – he’s done nothing wrong as
such. Instead, I’ve decided to give it another week and if I still feel the
same, maybe suggest we just be friends. Can a guy and a girl be just friends?
Or am I being naïve?
      I
can also tell he’s getting impatient in the S word department. He’s not said as
much but his hands keep wandering that little bit further whenever we’re making
out and quite frankly it’s getting embarrassing having to keep batting them
away. It’s just not doing anything for me – just like it never did with
Rhys. I mean I wasn’t expecting fireworks or little birds to start singing in
my ears or anything but I assumed when a guy was panting and shirtless as he
kissed me, I’d feel something stirring inside me. But to be honest I
can’t seem to stop myself wanting to whip out my Kindle and get back to Dean
Holder.
    Maybe my vajayjay is broken.
    After settling on the jumper dress, I was
just putting the finishing touches to my makeup (which I’ve become rather good
at lately) when Rachel appeared in the doorway.
    “Right, Emily…” Uh oh. She means business.
“I’ve been looking through this list and you’ve yet to achieve one fucking
thing on it. I’m not happy, Ho,” she scolded, waving the laminated New Life
list in the air.
    “Um… sorry? ” What else could I say?
    “I don’t need sorry I need you to put some
effort in. Starting tonight.”
    Double uh oh…
    “K so you’re going out with Jared again which
offers the opportunity to cross off a heap of things on this list. Now you’ve
got the option of either getting wasted, having sex numerous times with him, or
my personal favourite… Number 24 – painting a guy’s toenails.” Rachel
winked at me and I remembered the playful argument we had when she listed
Number 24. How was getting a guy to let me do girly things to him going to
change my life? In the same way Number 30 and 42 were I suppose.

 
    · Eat a raw potato
    · Drink cider on all fours from
a doggy bowl

 
    The more I think about it, the