Page 69 of The Jealous Girl

‘Someone’s here to see you,’ she added, sounding slightly bemused.

A pause.

‘What?’ Ben’s voice came back, thick with surprise.

Soft thuds and shuffling sounds floated down, followed by footsteps.

The woman gave me a half-smile, before disappearing down the hallway.

Barefooted, wearing only a pair of blue jeans, with a towel draped around his shoulders, Ben bounded down the stairs towards me.

‘Who is it⁠—’

He stopped. His gaze locked on me.

I smiled. Finally, a friendly face. Someone who I could turn to. Rely on.

Except…

I studied his expression. It didn’t look all that friendly. In fact, he looked angry.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’

I blinked, and instinctively took a step back, his words landing like a punch.

‘I need your help⁠—’

‘My help?’ Ben let out a laugh, harsh and hollow.

I flinched. He acted as though my request was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard.

That wasn’t the response of someone who I’d once considered a friend. Why was he being so hostile?

‘You think you can just turn up here at this time in the morning and⁠—’

‘What?’ I glanced at my watch and my eyes widened. 7.11 a.m. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. I’ve been up all night; I had no idea what time it was. I didn’t think to⁠—’

Ben snorted. ‘You didn’t think about someone else? Yeah, that sounds about right.’

‘I—I’m sorry,’ I repeated, stunned by his hostility. ‘I made a mistake.’

‘Yeah, a big mistake, coming here.’

‘I…’ I didn’t know how to respond. My sleep-deprived brain couldn’t piece together what was happening. ‘You’re the only person that I could go to.’

Ben stared at me with disbelief. ‘You seriously think I would help you with anything after what you did?’

‘What I did?’ I shook my head. What was he talking about? What had I done?

‘You got me fired.’

I froze. My brain seized. I couldn’t even begin to process his accusation.

‘Fired?’ I repeated slowly.

He glared at me, his hatred almost tangible now.

‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘I would never⁠—’