Up on the Roof Read online

  Table Of Contents

  Other books by A.L. Brooks

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  About A.L. Brooks

  Other Books from Ylva Publishing

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  www.ylva-publishing.com

  Other books by A.L. Brooks

  Miles Apart

  Dark Horse

  The Club

  Acknowledgements

  First, as always, a massive thank you to the lovely publishing team at Ylva—Astrid, Daniela, and Andrea for their tireless work; Lee for an awesome editing experience; and Amanda and Paulette for copy-editing and proofreading (and dealing admirably with the Britishisms!).

  Thanks to Glendon for the great cover. I know we went back and forth a few times but I love the result.

  To my fabulous beta readers—Katja, Erin, Tara, and Sarah—you women rock! You made me work hard at this one, but I think we all agree it was worth it.

  A huge thank you to the British Indians and Pakistanis I interviewed about their reality of being second-generation LBGTQ people in Britain. It was heart-breaking to realise that the stereotypical rejection by traditional, first-generation parents was, unfortunately, still far too true for so many of you. I wish it weren’t so, but I’m glad that some of you have, at least, seen a softening in your parents’ stance in relation to your sexuality/gender since you first came out to them. Let’s hope that time will see yet more progress on that.

  And lastly, to my partner, Tanja, thank you for your continual support and love in your role as my number one fan.

  Dedication

  To all the LGBTQ people let down by their birth families—I hope you have a chosen family to give you the love you deserve.

  Chapter 1

  Thunk!

  Lena whipped her head round, and her book tumbled out of her hands to the floor. Both cats bolted out of their beds and shot under the small table in front of where the fireplace used to be, their tails and backs arching.

  That was definitely the sound of something large hitting her front door. Lena’s heart pounded as fear crept through her. Was she being burgled? It was eleven o’clock on a Saturday morning—could burglars be that bold? Before she could move from her chair, she heard another thump, then…laughing?

  “Up your end.”

  “Up yours, bitch.”

  Both voices were female, and loud, and tinged with mirth.

  A third almighty thump on her door and more laughter.

  “Shift it, you great lump.”

  “Shut up, I’m doing the best I can.”

  Curious now rather than alarmed, Lena stood, walked slowly across the room and down the narrow, curved staircase that led to her front door. Her heart was still racing, despite the laughter coming from the other side of the door. She pressed her eye up to the peephole. The fish-eye view revealed the backside of a woman bent over the end of a sofa. Extending her gaze beyond this alluring sight, Lena spotted another woman on the other end of the sofa. Both women were snorting with laughter as they attempted to manoeuvre the sofa around the small landing at the top of the communal staircase.

  Like most Victorian conversions in London, the building that housed Lena’s flat was far from regular in its layout. On opening the front door of the building, visitors were met with stairs and, to one side, the door to a ground-floor flat. At the top of the stairs, which curved in a sharp bend two-thirds of the way up, was a landing area that had the doors to Lena’s flat and her neighbour’s. But, due to a quirky design of the converted building, when Lena opened her front door, she was greeted with another flight of steps to her loft flat. So while she had a front door on the same level as her neighbour, she lived a level higher than them. And that front door was currently being battered by each move the women made with the sofa.

  While the noise and disturbance was irritating, Lena tried to take some comfort from the fact that the clumsy sofa-turning attempts meant someone was finally moving in to the flat below. It had been empty for a couple of months, and although not one to seek the company of others that often, there had always been comfort in knowing someone was down there, especially at night.

  Satisfied she was not under attack, she turned to make her way back up the narrow stairs to her living space, when a quite different sound caused her to freeze and sent her irritation rocketing.

  Screech!

  It was the unmistakeable sound of something sharp scraping across her front door.

  A sound that was followed by a gasp from one of the women outside her door, and a loud, “Oh, shit.”

  Lena turned back, breathing deeply in a vain attempt to control her agitation, and pulled open the door.

  Facing her, wearing horrified expressions, were the two women, the sofa wedged between them. Lena’s gaze followed theirs to the deep scratch gouged across a span of about twelve inches of the door. The flakes of paint it had carved out were already dropping silently to the floor like snowflakes.

  Lena stared at the door for a moment, words refusing to form in her brain despite the anger that was churning in her stomach. She lifted her gaze to meet that of the woman nearest her. She was tall and solid-looking—a big-boned girl, as Dorothy from the ground-floor flat would say. She had blonde hair tied up in a long ponytail and pale, almost translucent skin. Her extraordinary blue eyes were wide with fear. She was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, the shirt covered in swirls of colour in geometric designs that Lena was sure would give her a headache if she looked at it for more than a few moments. Holding the jeans up was a studded belt that was clearly the offender responsible for the damage to the door.

  Lena’s gaze dropped momentarily to the belt then back up again.

  “I’m so sorry,” the blonde whispered. “I got pressed against the door, and when I tried to sort of slide away from it—”

  Lena held up a hand.

  “We’ll pay for it!” the woman said quickly, and looked at her companion, who was nodding vigorously.

  This one was equally as tall as her partner in crime, but skinny, with short-cropped hair and deep brown skin, a few shades darker than Lena’s own. She was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, and they highlighted the trim body and almost flat chest, which Lena only noticed because of the words “You’re next” emblazoned across the front of the T-shirt.

  Exhaling slowly, Lena brought her gaze back to meet the blonde woman’s eyes.

  “Yes, you will.” Lena’s voice was clipped, each word snapped out with precision.

  “Sorry,” the blonde said. “Not the best way to be introduced, but—” she twisted around, balanced the sofa on one thigh, and stuck out a hand “—I’m Megan, your new neigh
bour. And this is Jen.”

  Lena swallowed. She didn’t like to touch people, strangers. You never knew where their hands had been. Inwardly grimacing, because she knew shaking hands was the polite thing to do, she quickly clasped Megan’s warm hand and shook it for a few seconds. The handshake was firm, and Lena only just avoided blushing at the sight of well-formed biceps in Megan’s arm that flexed with each movement of their joined hands.

  “Lena,” she said, averting her gaze from Megan’s mesmerising eyes.

  “And I promise I’ll pay for that to be fixed. It’s not much damage so it shouldn’t be too difficult to sort out.” Megan gestured at Lena’s front door as their hands parted.

  Lena bristled at Megan’s oh-so-casual brushing off of the horrendous scar that now marred her front door. Fighting every one of the instincts that made her want to wipe her hand on her jeans following their handshake, Lena forced a smile, if only to avoid this confrontation getting any more uncomfortable than it already was.

  “I will get some quotes and be in contact,” she said, turning back to enter her flat.

  “Um, sorry, could I ask a favour?”

  Lena sighed and looked back at Megan over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows in question.

  “Well, um, it’s just…I think this whole manoeuvre would be a lot easier if you could leave your door open for a minute. It’ll give us a bit more room to swing in, if you see what I mean.”

  Lena glared at her. “If you cause any more damage—”

  “We won’t! I promise. We’ll be really careful, won’t we, Jen?” Megan looked meaningfully at her friend, who nodded vigorously again.

  Then, one-handed, Megan began unbuckling her belt.

  “What are you doing?” Lena asked, her eyes nearly popping out of her head at the sight of the rather attractive woman pulling her belt out from the loops that contained it.

  Megan smiled. “Just being careful.” She threw the belt gently on the sofa in front of Jen, who shook her head, laughing.

  “At least those hips of yours are big enough for the job,” Jen said. “Unlike my own.” She gestured at her significantly thinner body, and Megan grinned.

  Lena’s cheeks blazed as she dared to glance down at the enticing strip of abdomen that was revealed now that Megan’s belt-less trousers had settled down onto her hips. The view was even more distracting after Megan turned round—the top of what looked like some very lacy underwear was clearly on display when Megan bent slightly to juggle her end of the sofa.

  Lena blinked rapidly and stepped backwards into her flat. She hopped up the first couple of steps and perched on the edge of the third, quietly watching the two women as they—carefully—moved the sofa around the turn, making the most of Lena’s open doorway to give them a bit more wriggle room. She winced at every move they made but had to admit they were being solicitous. This time.

  Finally, they had the sofa lengthwise down the passageway, and Megan glanced through the doorway at Lena.

  “Thanks. All done. Really sorry again—let me know when you’ve got the quotes and I’ll get that sorted for you.”

  “Thank you,” Lena said stiffly, and without another word closed the door. She inhaled a deep breath, her mind a swirl of confusing thoughts about the two women she had met. She glanced down at her hands to find them shaking slightly and remembered the handshake. Barely holding back a yelp, she sprinted up the remaining steps and rushed into the bathroom.

  After washing and rinsing her hands three times—once more than usual because who knew what else Megan had touched while she moved her possessions in—Lena finally relaxed for the first time since the drama had started. She made herself a fresh cup of Earl Grey tea and returned to her book. The cats had snuck onto the sofa in her absence, trying their luck again, and she shooed them off. They glared at her before slinking off to their beds in the corner of the room.

  After brushing their hair off the sofa, she pulled her inhaler from her pocket and took a quick puff. As she sat down, she sighed heavily. The interruption to her day had unsettled her but if she returned to her routine quickly, everything should be okay. Routine was important. Without it, life was too…messy. And Lena didn’t do messy.

  Megan stared at the closed door, then turned to look at Jen.

  “Wow,” Jen mouthed.

  Megan merely nodded. The entire incident with Lena had unsettled her in ways she couldn’t quite interpret. At least, not when she had a sofa to move, a sofa that was getting heavier each minute they weren’t actually moving it.

  “Come on.” She grunted as she shifted its weight in her arms. “Let’s get this thing in there.”

  Jen nodded and Megan moved backwards, shuffling along the tight space of the passageway and wincing as the sofa brushed solidly against the walls.

  “It’s okay,” Jen said quickly. “No marks.”

  “Thank God for that.”

  Finally, they were through Megan’s new front door and into the flat. The space was open-plan, with a large lounge, a small kitchen in one corner, the bathroom next to that, and two doors on one side of the lounge that led to the bedrooms. It was by far the biggest place Megan had ever lived in, and she was excited about having the extra space. Her last home had been a cramped studio so moving into so large a flat, even if the rent did push her funds a little, felt like heaven.

  After dumping the sofa unceremoniously in the rough area Megan needed it, both she and Jen arched their backs and let out loud groans.

  “At least we got the worst bit done first,” Jen said, rubbing at the small of her back and looking around the room.

  “Definitely,” Megan agreed. “Boxes are going to be a piece of cake after that.” She flexed her arms, working out the slight ache in her biceps. One advantage of being a fitness instructor was that she’d never needed any professional help in moving home. With Jen’s equally impressive strength, honed from years of working in a bar and lugging barrels of beer around in the cellar, they made a formidable team.

  “This is a great-size room.” Jen wandered over to the front window to glance down at the street below.

  “Want the tour before we head back down to the van?”

  Smiling, Jen nodded. “Totally. Show me your palace.”

  Megan snorted. “Hardly that, Jen. But yeah,” she said, before Jen could jump in, “I know, it’s bigger than your place.”

  “Just a bit!” Jen laughed.

  Megan was glad Jen kept her response light—Jen’s place was tiny and more than a little tatty around the edges. She knew Jen was envious of Megan’s move, and also that Jen had been subtly angling to take up residence as a tenant in the spare room. Something that Megan had equally as subtly been pushing back on. The whole idea of getting the bigger place was to have some space, and she didn’t need another person, even her closest friend, invading that.

  The tour took a few minutes, as they not only checked out each empty room but discussed Megan’s plans for furnishing each space.

  “And, of course,” Jen said, as they walked back into the lounge, “you know you have a hot neighbour too. Couldn’t be better really.” She grinned.

  Megan shook her head. “Trust you to spot that in the middle of that embarrassment.”

  She had to be honest with herself though—she’d also noticed Lena’s subtle beauty, despite the iciness of their meeting. Deep brown eyes with eyelashes that went on forever, and a cute face, golden brown in colour, which hinted at an Indian heritage. Her dark hair was shoulder-length and had been half pinned up at the back, leaving tantalising wisps to drape over her ears and brush her cheeks.

  Megan had only dared the briefest of glances at Lena’s body, but it looked proportioned in all the ways that set Megan’s heart racing: full breasts, even fuller hips and thighs, and Lena’s height was a good few inches shorter than Megan’s five feet nine. Megan was a sucker for a smaller w
oman—someone she could enfold in her embrace, their head tucked under her chin.

  “Are you seriously trying to tell me you didn’t notice her hotness?”

  Megan cursed her pale skin as the blush rampaged across her cheeks. “No,” she muttered. “Of course I did. I am laughing, though, because, as usual, your libido took more notice of events, no matter what the hell else was going on.”

  Jen laughed. “And yours too, I’m guessing.”

  Megan’s blush deepened as she remembered in vivid detail what Lena looked like. Cursing under her breath, she poked Jen in the arm as her friend laughed even louder.

  “Yeah, okay. She’s very attractive. But come on, chances are she’s straight. And maybe a little uptight based on how she was with us. So, let’s ignore the eye candy and get on with unpacking that van, yeah?”

  “All right, Megs. Whatever you say.” Jen moved past Megan towards the front door. “But I wouldn’t be so sure about her being straight,” she said, smiling. “I’m pretty sure she plays for our team—her eyes were all over me.”

  Yes, they were. As usual, the hot ones are always more interested in you than me.

  When she’d first become friends with Jen, it had been hard to take that everywhere they went, women flocked to Jen’s side, and Megan felt like a background extra in a Hollywood blockbuster. She didn’t exactly have an abundance of self-confidence, and Jen’s dazzling personality and—some might say—arrogance around women only dented that more. But gradually, over time, their deepening friendship allowed Megan to open up a little about her feelings, and Jen, to her credit, tried very hard to remember to take them into account. Mostly.

  Sometimes, however, she couldn’t help herself, and not for the first time Megan wished she had even an ounce of Jen’s confidence and self-belief.

  Trying to shut out the image of the beautiful woman who lived upstairs, and who apparently only had eyes for Jen, Megan let out a breath and followed her friend out to the hallway.

  Chapter 2