Page 12 of Pretty Mess

“That’s good.” I relax a little. He’s Tyler’s best mate and he’ll keep him steady.

Worry fills his face. “Where are you staying?”

“With a friend.”

“Shall I ask Ben if he’s got space for you?”

I immediately shake my head. “No, don’t do that. He’s not got enough room for me. I’ll be fine.” He looks unconvinced, and I offer him a weak smile. “I mean it. It’ll be easier if I travel light for a while.”

I step away, and panic fills his face. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going back to my mate’s flat. I need to work out what to do now.”

“I’m sorry, Wes.”

“I know. Maybe rather than saying that you should be working out how to make things right. Get a payment plan in place and sort it out, Tyler.”

“I love you.”

I pat his cheek. “A text every night. You promised.”

“I will.”

I walk away, leaving him a lonely figure on the bench. I’m so fucking grateful he’s alive and not seriously injured, but myfears for the future are now so much worse. Every breath hurts as I walk back to Julian’s flat, and my belly is churning with nerves. How the hell am I going to sort out all this money I now apparently owe?

I let myself into the flat and hear music playing. I pause at the door for a second, letting the peace of the place ease my soul before heading into the lounge. Julian is seated at the table, papers and folders spread out in front of him. He’s revising for finals. Something I should do, I think, but then remember that there might not be much point to it anymore.

He looks up as I appear and puts down his book. “I thought you’d left.”

I sink onto the huge sectional sofa. “No, I went to meet my brother.”

He stands up and settles on the sofa next to me. “Is everything okay? I don’t want to pry.”

I give a hoarse laugh and rub my eyes. “Pry away. You probably deserve to know with you putting me up last night.”

“I don’t deserve anything that isn’t yours to give.”

The simple words stop my free fall. I take a deep breath. “Short story. My brother has apparently developed a gambling habit, and he must have worked really hard on it, because our debts are now huge.”

He sinks back, his eyes concerned. “Shit.”

“Yep. He gambled our house away.”

“How can he do that, if it’s both of yours?”

“It wasn’t. My mum left it to him, but that’s only because she didn’t make another will after I was born. It must have slipped her mind, and then she died.”

“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t display emotion, but I can tell he means it.

“Thank you. My brother always acted like the house was ours, but it wasn’t.”

“So, you’re not on the hook for it?”

I give a short laugh. “No, but I am in hock for the credit cards he took out in my name to the tune of forty grand.”

“Fuck,” he breathes.

“That’s not even the worst, if you can believe it. He’s spaffed my master’s savings up the wall too. He’s emptied my bank account.”