Page 20 of Stoney Gazes for Helpful Gorgons

"Not really." I pull back and sniff.

"Yeah, dumb question."

"I'll be fine, though. I know that." I wipe away the rest of my tears, realising as I do that I've smudged my eyeliner. I'm going to need to redo it before I rejoin the party. "I should save this for next time we're at the pub," I say, putting the twenty-pound note on my bedside table.

He raises an eyebrow. "Not tonight?"

I shake my head. "I think Granny would like knowing I used some of it to buy a drink for someone helping me with all of this."

"If you're sure..."

"Definitely." I sniff, realising I feel a lot better than I did when he first came into the room. "I'm really glad you're here tonight."

"Me too," he responds with a genuine smile.

"You're coming to the club with us, right? Or do you hate dancing?"

"I like dancing," he assures me. "But I'm not very good at it."

"Great, because I'm not either. We can show each other our terrible moves."

He chuckles. "I look forward to it."

"But I need to fix my make-up before I go back out there. Otherwise people will start thinking I'm a panda shifter instead of a gorgon."

He cocks his head to the side and studies me. "Yep, I see it."

I swat his arm gently. "You're supposed to say I look fine."

"You look like you've been hard crying."

"So does your shirt." I grimace as I notice the wet patch I've created. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be, it's fine."

"At least I didn't get any of my mascara on it."

"See, could be worse. It'll dry quick enough, and it's not like half the people in the kitchen haven't spilt on themselves, they'll just assume I'm clumsy with my drink or something."

"Good point."

"I'll see you out there." He smiles at me and gets up, heading for the door with a surprising amount of comfortable ease, like he's been in my room dozens of times instead of this being the first one.

I watch him leave, feeling better after our talk and my cry. I knew inviting him was a good idea, even if I didn't actually intend to end up breaking down on him. At least he doesn't seem to mind, and I'm sure there'll be a point in time where I can return the favour.

Chapter 9

JACK

The music is so loud that it vibrates through me and I find myself wishing I had earplugs in, my ears are going to be ringing well into tomorrow. But there's also something fun about it, especially with the slight haze of a few drinks buzzing around my system.

Rhea leans in so she's close enough to shout over the music. "You're right, your dancing is terrible."

"Like yours is any better!"

She laughs and pulls back, shimmying from side to side and waving her hands in the air. I don't think I've ever seen her like this, which isn't much of a surprise considering how we met. It makes me wonder what it would have been like if we'd met before.

But that's a useless thing to think about. We didn't know each other then, and we were different people. Sort of. I don't feel like I'm a different person since losing Mum, but I'm aware that I have a different outlook on life.