Month of Mist (1/3); Effy/Sid; NC-17
Title: Month of Mist (1/3)
Fandom: Skins
Rating: NC-17 (for sex & language)
P/C: Effy/Sid, mentioins Tony/Michelle, Michelle/Sid & Sid/Cassie
Summary: As Tony handed Sid an old bottle of gin while he cried and bitched on, Effy decided that it was definitely time to start drinking.
Warnings: Underage stuff. The usual Skins warnings. :)
This had to be the most irritating shit she had ever encountered.
All her subtle planning may have worked, but it seemed that life always had a bleeding monkey wrench to throw in the wanking gears. Effy had perfectly balanced the ridiculous world around her and now that stupid blonde bint had gone and run off.
Effy watched her brother half-heartedly comforting his best friend. She and Tony shared nearly everything with each other, so it was easy for Effy to read between the lines of what was going on (not that it wasn’t just as easy when it wasn’t Tony she was dealing with).
Tony had expressed a still simmering anger towards Sid, even after he (or rather, she) had gotten Michelle back for him. Tony didn’t know too much about her part in the Michelle/Sid/Tony/Cassie business and Effy liked to keep it that way. She didn’t want her brother to think she was manipulating the situation for her own benefit (though she hadn’t really expressed her hatred of Westfield vehemently to Tony, who thought she was taking the fall for Pandora).
As Tony handed Sid an old bottle of gin while he cried and bitched on, Effy decided that it was definitely time to start drinking.
***
Holding her liquor had been one of Effy’s strong suits since she was twelve.
She was alone in her room, trapped, unable to get out after her parents had thrown a fit about her expulsion. But as she guzzled more and more unmixed liquor, the last of her VSOP, finishing off her vodka, even breaking into her emergency store of tequila, she pushed beyond her limit.
Effy had only been falling down stupid drunk once or twice in her whole life. Tony had told her that once had been the first time they had gone out together and she had almost been raped in the bathroom, had Michelle not intervened, beating the shit out of the stupid chav who had had his trousers down and Effy bent over a sink. Tony had always been quite proud of that story.
Effy took another swallow of tequila and realized it would be very difficult for her to stand. But there was a pull in the back of her mind (and admittedly further south) to go find...
No her mind said. The last time was a complete fluke. He got back with that skinny bitch. And he didn’t even remember it the next day.
But in spite of all this mental protest, Effy left her room, stumbling towards Tony’s. It was barely eleven o clock at night, but Effy had heard the door close almost an hour ago. Sid had probably left with Tony, but it was still worth checking for.
And somehow, the stars, God, whatever the fuck, were aligned or smiling or some shit like that, and Sid was right there, lying in her brother’s bed. Alone. Effy’s eyelids fluttered and she grinned slowly.
She sort of fell onto the bed. Sid rolled over, reeking of gin and cigarettes and Effy’s mind registered that he was still wearing all of his clothes. Lightweight she thought.
“Sid.” She meant for it to come out as a whisper, but it turned into more of half shout. He rolled over and groaned looking up at her. “You’re-” She fell on him a bit, her mouth missing his and winding up on his chin.
She shifted, kissing him, sloppily. Sid talked against the kiss. “Mmmy iiin eee oood ooo isss.”
She pulled away, laughing. “What?”
“I said, I don’t think we should do this Effy.”
“You didn’t care last time.”
“I was drunk then.”
“You’re drunk now.” She straddled him, hands on the fly of his jeans. “Effy…”
She kissed him again, the talking having sobered her somewhat. Sid moaned. Effy’s hands had traveled lower, undoing his fly, her hand in his pants and snaking into the hole in the front of his boxers. She could feel him getting hard between her fingers. She shifted and took her underwear off under her school skirt. She guided Sid between her legs. “Wait..Effy…” She slid him into her, as deep as he would go. He almost gave out a scream, but she covered his mouth with her hand.
He closed his eyes. He was making a marginally funny face. Effy spread her legs wider, as wide as they’d go, and she leaned down to where he was laying and nipped at the skin on his neck. He was mouthing something that she couldn’t quite make out. She leaned closer, and heard…
She pulled her head away from his face. She continued to fuck him, but had lost all sense of pleasure she had been taking out of it. When he finished, she rolled off of him. He stuck his arms out and tried to pull her toward him. She permitted herself to be held for a moment, if only to see what it was like.
Then she wiggled away.
She changed into her pajamas and curled into her bed, still slightly disturbed that Sid had been whispering her name.
*
In the morning, she had a bit of a hangover, but she faked her normal apathetic masque. She grabbed some water in the kitchen and found Sid there as well, with her mum and Tony.
She avoided his eyes.
“Morning Eff,” Tony smiled at her. She turned away from him after giving him a brief smile and caught a glimpse of Sid out of the corner of her eye. He smiled at her a bit. It was nervous.
Effy pretended she hadn’t seen. She grabbed some toast and sat down next to Tony.
*
Sid kept trying to catch her eye but couldn’t. She was completely ignoring him. Tony left to go upstairs. His mother busied herself with the dishes then seemed to give up about half way through. She cursed under her breath and left the room, lighting a cigarette on the way out.
Effy heaved a sigh. She got up to leave as well and Sid caught her arm. He’d been thinking of something to say since he’d woken up. “Hey,” he started. “What is it?” Effy said, impatient. “It’s just…I…I owe you….something.” He smiled at her again, which only led to her rolling her eyes at him. “Oh really? And what’s that?”
He smiled nervously again. “An orgasm.”
Effy let out a groan. She pulled free of him and walked out of the kitchen. “Get a clue, Sid.”
He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Fuckin hell. If that wasn’t the worst fucking…It sounded cute in my head!” he yelled after her.
*
When she heard that, Effy actually smiled, hidden at the top of the stairs.
*
Effy didn’t have anywhere to go as school was almost over and she’d been expelled. Her parents were still trying to decide what to do with her. Effy considered leaving, going to another country. She thought of all the travel magazines tucked under her bed. Tokyo, New York, Paris, San Francisco. Maybe if she went far enough away, all of this bullshit would stop mattering. She could get an apartment of her own or something and go to a public school in whatever city she was in.
She pulled the hood of her big grey sweater over her head and lit a cigarette, both to fight the cold of the mist settling around her. She thought about Sid’s ridiculous line this morning. Truth be told, she’d heard worse from Jake. And none of his lines had any underlying sweetness.
She wound up out by Tony’s college, after walking in random directions for about an hour. Bristol was a shit city, nothing to do, really, just take drugs and drink and pretend you were the most amazing thing on the planet in the most fabulous place on the planet.
She saw the green and, on it, Sid and Maxxie. They were talking in low voices. When Sid saw Effy, he said something to Maxxie and got up, jogging towards her.
“You busy?” she asked, taking a drag off her cigarette and handing it to him. He shook his head, indicating that she should keep it. “No, I’m not busy, just….uh…just got some fucked up news.”
Effy raised her eyebrows. “It’s Chris. He’s dead.” Effy’s eyes went a bit wide.
“Yeah…that’s why…you know.” He looked at his trainers. Effy appraised him silently. So, Cassie had done a runner because Chris had died? Tony had told her about the dinner with the four of them a few nights before she’d left. The story had made Cassie sound fucking batshit and now, to Effy’s mind, it was only confirmed. “I…uh..Fuck, Eff, I’m just fuckin out of it right now.” Tears were leaking out the corners of his eyes. “You probably think this is so fucking pathetic.”
Effy gave him an irritated look. “He was your mate wasn’t he?” Sid nodded. “Well then why the fuck wouldn’t you cry. Just because I don’t have that many people I’d cry over, doesn’t mean I don’t think other people should fucking cry when their friends die.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Wanker.”
She looked around, checking to see that no one was watching. She threw her cigarette into the grass and crushed it with the toe of her sneaker. She stuck her hand out to him. Without a pause, he took it.
She led him away from the college, back towards home.
*
“So I guess I’ve paid you back.” Sid lay next to her in her small bed. She smiled but didn’t say anything. She was too tired.
“You know, this is the third fucking time she’s done this.” Sid stared up at the ceiling. Effy continued her silence; she was, after all, practiced at it.
“I’m fucking done with her. Every time she runs off like this it’s like…like…you know what I mean, right?”
“Like you’re so completely inadequate as a boyfriend that she just left and didn’t think twice about you? Like she didn’t even love you enough to stick around?”
Sid nodded, tight-lipped.
They lay that way for a little while.
*
Sid stared up at the ceiling, tracing the cracks in it with his eyes.
“Sid?”
“Yeah?”
Effy turned her face towards him. “Last night. When we were fucking.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you say my name while we were having sex?”
Sid tore his eyes away from the ceiling. “You heard that?”
“Yes, I heard it. I have ears.”
Sid turned his eyes back to the ceiling and shrugged. “I dunno. Polite innit?”
Effy didn’t answer. She was also looking up at the ceiling. Suddenly she got out of the bed. She walked to her closet and pulled a dress over her head. She took her hair out of its tie and started to brush it, bulking it up. She grabbed a tube of lipstick and painted a coat of it on. She drew a thick black rim around her eyes and tapped silvery-purple powder on her eyelids. Sid watched all this slightly confused.
She pulled on her boots and started to leave. “Hey!” Sid called at her, grabbing her by the wrist. “Where are you going with no knickers on?”
Effy pursed her crimson lips and gave him an impatient look. “I have to go pick up. Jake found a guy who’s a good for cheap ecstasy.”
Sid slid hid hand up her skirt. “You know, you don’t have to do that.” He slipped his index finger inside her and Effy gave a little sigh. He took it out and pushed it up against her clit, replacing his index finger with his middle finger. She spread her legs a bit further apart. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
She looked at him, suddenly panicked. She pushed him back down on the bed and threw a blanket over him. He rolled himself up in it and squinched himself into a ball, trying to look as much like a pile of bedding as he could. He heard her opening the door.
*
Tony stuck his head in.
Effy stared at him. “What do you want?”
“Have you seen…”
He stopped. “Have I seen what?” Effy tried to box him out, keeping him from looking into her room.
“What the fuck is that Ef?” He pointed to a spot on the floor. Sid’s ridiculous beanie was sitting on her floor, on top of a pile of her clothes.
He looked at her, angry. “Well?”
“Forget it Tony. It’s not important.” Effy tried to rebuff him, nonchalant, as if what she was doing shouldn’t matter at all. He pushed past her into the room. “What the fuck Sid?” he shouted, throwing the blankets back.
Sid stared up at him in shock. “Uh…hi Tone…”
“Get the fuck out of here! Right now, you fucking bastard! First Michelle and now my sister? What, are you trying to fuck your way threw all the girls who are actually important to me? Is my mum next?”
“Get out Tony! Right now!” Effy shouted at him. Tony whirled around to face her, disbelievingly. He and Effy had had their fair share of fights, but she had never shouted at him like that. “Leave.”
“Fine. Fine you wanna sit around up here being a fucking drop-out and fucking my ex best friend, you do that. You just fucking do that.” Tony stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Effy sat down on her bed. She didn’t say anything. Sid got up and pulled his pants on. “I…I think I should go yeah?”
Effy didn’t look at him. “Yes.”
He pulled his clothes on and walked out.
*
Later on, Effy left her room to go find Tony. He was in his room, lying in bed, reading.
She sat at the foot of his bed. He looked at her. The two of them sat in silence.
“I talked to Michelle,” he finally said.
Effy waited patiently for the next part of this pronouncement. She thinks you’re a slut. She’s jealous of you and Sid.
“She said I needed to apologize to you for being a complete bastard.” Effy grinned at him. She slapped his thigh lightly. “How is it that you get away with fucking everything?”
Effy just kept grinning. “I learned from the best.”
“So are you and Sid like, going out now?” Tony rested his book on his chest.
Effy shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s just sulking over Cassie.”
Tony frowned. “But he likes you, doesn’t he?” Effy shrugged again. “He must, if he was willing to make me as angry as he knew that I’d be.” Effy gave him an incredulous look.
“He fucked Michelle, Tony.”
“Only after his dad died. And do you honestly think I care about Michelle more then I care about you?” She gave him a wry smile. Tony looked at her, and smiled a little. Effy leaned back, so that she was lying across his stomach, her hands folded over hers.
“I’ve liked him for a long time, Tony,” she said finally.
“Yeah. I know. Always going for the losers.” He smiled at her and she grabbed the book and smacked him in the head with it.
He snatched the book for her and hit her in the stomach with it. She laughed and dodged, rolling over onto his legs. He grabbed her and threw her down. They continued with their friendly grappling for a few minutes, the both of them laughing like little kids.
When they finally stopped, both of them lying next to each other Effy asked, “Do you think it’s stupid?”
Tony shook his head. “No. I’ve never known you to do anything stupid. But then again, this could be the exception that proves the rule.”
Effy smiled and rolled her eyes at him.
Fandom: Skins
Rating: NC-17 (for sex & language)
P/C: Effy/Sid, mentioins Tony/Michelle, Michelle/Sid & Sid/Cassie
Summary: As Tony handed Sid an old bottle of gin while he cried and bitched on, Effy decided that it was definitely time to start drinking.
Warnings: Underage stuff. The usual Skins warnings. :)
This had to be the most irritating shit she had ever encountered.
All her subtle planning may have worked, but it seemed that life always had a bleeding monkey wrench to throw in the wanking gears. Effy had perfectly balanced the ridiculous world around her and now that stupid blonde bint had gone and run off.
Effy watched her brother half-heartedly comforting his best friend. She and Tony shared nearly everything with each other, so it was easy for Effy to read between the lines of what was going on (not that it wasn’t just as easy when it wasn’t Tony she was dealing with).
Tony had expressed a still simmering anger towards Sid, even after he (or rather, she) had gotten Michelle back for him. Tony didn’t know too much about her part in the Michelle/Sid/Tony/Cassie business and Effy liked to keep it that way. She didn’t want her brother to think she was manipulating the situation for her own benefit (though she hadn’t really expressed her hatred of Westfield vehemently to Tony, who thought she was taking the fall for Pandora).
As Tony handed Sid an old bottle of gin while he cried and bitched on, Effy decided that it was definitely time to start drinking.
***
Holding her liquor had been one of Effy’s strong suits since she was twelve.
She was alone in her room, trapped, unable to get out after her parents had thrown a fit about her expulsion. But as she guzzled more and more unmixed liquor, the last of her VSOP, finishing off her vodka, even breaking into her emergency store of tequila, she pushed beyond her limit.
Effy had only been falling down stupid drunk once or twice in her whole life. Tony had told her that once had been the first time they had gone out together and she had almost been raped in the bathroom, had Michelle not intervened, beating the shit out of the stupid chav who had had his trousers down and Effy bent over a sink. Tony had always been quite proud of that story.
Effy took another swallow of tequila and realized it would be very difficult for her to stand. But there was a pull in the back of her mind (and admittedly further south) to go find...
No her mind said. The last time was a complete fluke. He got back with that skinny bitch. And he didn’t even remember it the next day.
But in spite of all this mental protest, Effy left her room, stumbling towards Tony’s. It was barely eleven o clock at night, but Effy had heard the door close almost an hour ago. Sid had probably left with Tony, but it was still worth checking for.
And somehow, the stars, God, whatever the fuck, were aligned or smiling or some shit like that, and Sid was right there, lying in her brother’s bed. Alone. Effy’s eyelids fluttered and she grinned slowly.
She sort of fell onto the bed. Sid rolled over, reeking of gin and cigarettes and Effy’s mind registered that he was still wearing all of his clothes. Lightweight she thought.
“Sid.” She meant for it to come out as a whisper, but it turned into more of half shout. He rolled over and groaned looking up at her. “You’re-” She fell on him a bit, her mouth missing his and winding up on his chin.
She shifted, kissing him, sloppily. Sid talked against the kiss. “Mmmy iiin eee oood ooo isss.”
She pulled away, laughing. “What?”
“I said, I don’t think we should do this Effy.”
“You didn’t care last time.”
“I was drunk then.”
“You’re drunk now.” She straddled him, hands on the fly of his jeans. “Effy…”
She kissed him again, the talking having sobered her somewhat. Sid moaned. Effy’s hands had traveled lower, undoing his fly, her hand in his pants and snaking into the hole in the front of his boxers. She could feel him getting hard between her fingers. She shifted and took her underwear off under her school skirt. She guided Sid between her legs. “Wait..Effy…” She slid him into her, as deep as he would go. He almost gave out a scream, but she covered his mouth with her hand.
He closed his eyes. He was making a marginally funny face. Effy spread her legs wider, as wide as they’d go, and she leaned down to where he was laying and nipped at the skin on his neck. He was mouthing something that she couldn’t quite make out. She leaned closer, and heard…
She pulled her head away from his face. She continued to fuck him, but had lost all sense of pleasure she had been taking out of it. When he finished, she rolled off of him. He stuck his arms out and tried to pull her toward him. She permitted herself to be held for a moment, if only to see what it was like.
Then she wiggled away.
She changed into her pajamas and curled into her bed, still slightly disturbed that Sid had been whispering her name.
*
In the morning, she had a bit of a hangover, but she faked her normal apathetic masque. She grabbed some water in the kitchen and found Sid there as well, with her mum and Tony.
She avoided his eyes.
“Morning Eff,” Tony smiled at her. She turned away from him after giving him a brief smile and caught a glimpse of Sid out of the corner of her eye. He smiled at her a bit. It was nervous.
Effy pretended she hadn’t seen. She grabbed some toast and sat down next to Tony.
*
Sid kept trying to catch her eye but couldn’t. She was completely ignoring him. Tony left to go upstairs. His mother busied herself with the dishes then seemed to give up about half way through. She cursed under her breath and left the room, lighting a cigarette on the way out.
Effy heaved a sigh. She got up to leave as well and Sid caught her arm. He’d been thinking of something to say since he’d woken up. “Hey,” he started. “What is it?” Effy said, impatient. “It’s just…I…I owe you….something.” He smiled at her again, which only led to her rolling her eyes at him. “Oh really? And what’s that?”
He smiled nervously again. “An orgasm.”
Effy let out a groan. She pulled free of him and walked out of the kitchen. “Get a clue, Sid.”
He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Fuckin hell. If that wasn’t the worst fucking…It sounded cute in my head!” he yelled after her.
*
When she heard that, Effy actually smiled, hidden at the top of the stairs.
*
Effy didn’t have anywhere to go as school was almost over and she’d been expelled. Her parents were still trying to decide what to do with her. Effy considered leaving, going to another country. She thought of all the travel magazines tucked under her bed. Tokyo, New York, Paris, San Francisco. Maybe if she went far enough away, all of this bullshit would stop mattering. She could get an apartment of her own or something and go to a public school in whatever city she was in.
She pulled the hood of her big grey sweater over her head and lit a cigarette, both to fight the cold of the mist settling around her. She thought about Sid’s ridiculous line this morning. Truth be told, she’d heard worse from Jake. And none of his lines had any underlying sweetness.
She wound up out by Tony’s college, after walking in random directions for about an hour. Bristol was a shit city, nothing to do, really, just take drugs and drink and pretend you were the most amazing thing on the planet in the most fabulous place on the planet.
She saw the green and, on it, Sid and Maxxie. They were talking in low voices. When Sid saw Effy, he said something to Maxxie and got up, jogging towards her.
“You busy?” she asked, taking a drag off her cigarette and handing it to him. He shook his head, indicating that she should keep it. “No, I’m not busy, just….uh…just got some fucked up news.”
Effy raised her eyebrows. “It’s Chris. He’s dead.” Effy’s eyes went a bit wide.
“Yeah…that’s why…you know.” He looked at his trainers. Effy appraised him silently. So, Cassie had done a runner because Chris had died? Tony had told her about the dinner with the four of them a few nights before she’d left. The story had made Cassie sound fucking batshit and now, to Effy’s mind, it was only confirmed. “I…uh..Fuck, Eff, I’m just fuckin out of it right now.” Tears were leaking out the corners of his eyes. “You probably think this is so fucking pathetic.”
Effy gave him an irritated look. “He was your mate wasn’t he?” Sid nodded. “Well then why the fuck wouldn’t you cry. Just because I don’t have that many people I’d cry over, doesn’t mean I don’t think other people should fucking cry when their friends die.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Wanker.”
She looked around, checking to see that no one was watching. She threw her cigarette into the grass and crushed it with the toe of her sneaker. She stuck her hand out to him. Without a pause, he took it.
She led him away from the college, back towards home.
*
“So I guess I’ve paid you back.” Sid lay next to her in her small bed. She smiled but didn’t say anything. She was too tired.
“You know, this is the third fucking time she’s done this.” Sid stared up at the ceiling. Effy continued her silence; she was, after all, practiced at it.
“I’m fucking done with her. Every time she runs off like this it’s like…like…you know what I mean, right?”
“Like you’re so completely inadequate as a boyfriend that she just left and didn’t think twice about you? Like she didn’t even love you enough to stick around?”
Sid nodded, tight-lipped.
They lay that way for a little while.
*
Sid stared up at the ceiling, tracing the cracks in it with his eyes.
“Sid?”
“Yeah?”
Effy turned her face towards him. “Last night. When we were fucking.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you say my name while we were having sex?”
Sid tore his eyes away from the ceiling. “You heard that?”
“Yes, I heard it. I have ears.”
Sid turned his eyes back to the ceiling and shrugged. “I dunno. Polite innit?”
Effy didn’t answer. She was also looking up at the ceiling. Suddenly she got out of the bed. She walked to her closet and pulled a dress over her head. She took her hair out of its tie and started to brush it, bulking it up. She grabbed a tube of lipstick and painted a coat of it on. She drew a thick black rim around her eyes and tapped silvery-purple powder on her eyelids. Sid watched all this slightly confused.
She pulled on her boots and started to leave. “Hey!” Sid called at her, grabbing her by the wrist. “Where are you going with no knickers on?”
Effy pursed her crimson lips and gave him an impatient look. “I have to go pick up. Jake found a guy who’s a good for cheap ecstasy.”
Sid slid hid hand up her skirt. “You know, you don’t have to do that.” He slipped his index finger inside her and Effy gave a little sigh. He took it out and pushed it up against her clit, replacing his index finger with his middle finger. She spread her legs a bit further apart. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
She looked at him, suddenly panicked. She pushed him back down on the bed and threw a blanket over him. He rolled himself up in it and squinched himself into a ball, trying to look as much like a pile of bedding as he could. He heard her opening the door.
*
Tony stuck his head in.
Effy stared at him. “What do you want?”
“Have you seen…”
He stopped. “Have I seen what?” Effy tried to box him out, keeping him from looking into her room.
“What the fuck is that Ef?” He pointed to a spot on the floor. Sid’s ridiculous beanie was sitting on her floor, on top of a pile of her clothes.
He looked at her, angry. “Well?”
“Forget it Tony. It’s not important.” Effy tried to rebuff him, nonchalant, as if what she was doing shouldn’t matter at all. He pushed past her into the room. “What the fuck Sid?” he shouted, throwing the blankets back.
Sid stared up at him in shock. “Uh…hi Tone…”
“Get the fuck out of here! Right now, you fucking bastard! First Michelle and now my sister? What, are you trying to fuck your way threw all the girls who are actually important to me? Is my mum next?”
“Get out Tony! Right now!” Effy shouted at him. Tony whirled around to face her, disbelievingly. He and Effy had had their fair share of fights, but she had never shouted at him like that. “Leave.”
“Fine. Fine you wanna sit around up here being a fucking drop-out and fucking my ex best friend, you do that. You just fucking do that.” Tony stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Effy sat down on her bed. She didn’t say anything. Sid got up and pulled his pants on. “I…I think I should go yeah?”
Effy didn’t look at him. “Yes.”
He pulled his clothes on and walked out.
*
Later on, Effy left her room to go find Tony. He was in his room, lying in bed, reading.
She sat at the foot of his bed. He looked at her. The two of them sat in silence.
“I talked to Michelle,” he finally said.
Effy waited patiently for the next part of this pronouncement. She thinks you’re a slut. She’s jealous of you and Sid.
“She said I needed to apologize to you for being a complete bastard.” Effy grinned at him. She slapped his thigh lightly. “How is it that you get away with fucking everything?”
Effy just kept grinning. “I learned from the best.”
“So are you and Sid like, going out now?” Tony rested his book on his chest.
Effy shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s just sulking over Cassie.”
Tony frowned. “But he likes you, doesn’t he?” Effy shrugged again. “He must, if he was willing to make me as angry as he knew that I’d be.” Effy gave him an incredulous look.
“He fucked Michelle, Tony.”
“Only after his dad died. And do you honestly think I care about Michelle more then I care about you?” She gave him a wry smile. Tony looked at her, and smiled a little. Effy leaned back, so that she was lying across his stomach, her hands folded over hers.
“I’ve liked him for a long time, Tony,” she said finally.
“Yeah. I know. Always going for the losers.” He smiled at her and she grabbed the book and smacked him in the head with it.
He snatched the book for her and hit her in the stomach with it. She laughed and dodged, rolling over onto his legs. He grabbed her and threw her down. They continued with their friendly grappling for a few minutes, the both of them laughing like little kids.
When they finally stopped, both of them lying next to each other Effy asked, “Do you think it’s stupid?”
Tony shook his head. “No. I’ve never known you to do anything stupid. But then again, this could be the exception that proves the rule.”
Effy smiled and rolled her eyes at him.