Page 98 of Outlier

I shook my head.

“I-I shouldn’t have done that,” I whispered, and Mike frowned down at me.

“Please, love,” he said, a desperate quality to his voice now. He lifted a hand towards me, but I flinched away, causing what looked like actual pain to cross his expression.

“We won’t work,” I said in my firmest voice, annoyed that I couldn’t quite keep the shaky element out of it.

“We bloody well will,” Mike growled in a stubborn tone. “I’mnotgiving up either.”

I have to admit, this surprised me. When I’d informed Mike that our relationship wasn’t going to work, I had expected him to back off, like he had before—this time, guilt-free because he’d made some effort, but secretly relieved that he wouldn’t have to be someone’s carer. Then we’d go our separate ways.

I had not anticipated him growling at me and not accepting my very reasonable arguments.

He tried again. “If this is about Margot and the money, then?—”

“No,” I snapped. “This is about the fact that you need to be with someone who you don’t have to look after. You need someone strong.” My throat closed over, and I had to blink rapidly so that my eyes wouldn’t well up.

Judging from Mike’s expression, I wasn’t all that successful.

“Vicky, baby, please. You’re talking rubbish.” Mike’s voice was softer now, but no less bossy. “If that’s the only problem, then?—”

“I love you,” I whispered, and he froze in shock for a moment before the tension drained from his expression, and his face broke into a huge smile as he reached for me again, only for it to drop when I stepped back out of his reach.

“Vicky, you know I love you too. We can?—”

“I love youtoo muchto burden you with someone like me.”

He was far from smiling now. In fact, he looked absolutely furious.

“What the bollocks are you on about now?”

“Goodbye, Mike,” I told him as I backed up to my door.

Mike glowered at me. “This isnotover, love,” he said in that stubborn voice.

“I’m not going to change my mind, Mike.”

“We’ll see.”

Chapter 32

Love it. Love you

Mike

“What the fuck?”I muttered as Ollie, Felix, and I walked into The Badger’s Sett.

“Thank Christ you’re here,” said Jimbo. “I can’t bloody well deal with this. Look at the state of them! And there’s that bloody pony,in my pub! The fat bastard’s done a shit by the bar. I know we’re not classy like those posh joints you kids go to in London, but we don’t want actual horse shit on the floor.”

“Bloody hell,” said Felix as he rubbed his hands down his face. “This escalated quickly.”

“My husband!” shouted my sister. “My big, beautiful soon-to-be-husband! He’s here!” She stood up as if to go to him, but then swayed on her feet. “Ooh, head rush.” She collapsed back down into her seat like a ragdoll. “He’ll probably need to carry me,” she told the rest of the table of women. “He does that sometimes, you know.” She lowered her voice to a stage whisper, which was almost louder than her speaking voice. “It’sverysexy.”

“I like it when they do that,” said Lottie, who was staring at Ollie with a dreamy expression on her face.

Lottie didn’t even have alcohol as an excuse, as she didn’t drink.

“I really, really like it too,” said Vicky, which was a surprise, seeing as she looked like she was asleep on Claire’s shoulder. Her eyes were closed, and there was a small smile on her face. “It feels warm and safe. It might be my favourite.”