Found by Drew, page 5
Hayden. The name rang a bell, and I searched my brain for who he was. The lightbulb pinged on with satisfaction when I remembered it was her high school sweetheart, and the guy was the complete opposite of Alex. Hayden had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes; he was the kind of guy who just blended into the crowd. I felt somewhat vindicated that he’d been traded in for someone so mediocre. I wasn’t proud to say I was happy at the extra hurt that must have caused him.
“You mean like you used me? Because believe me, Alex, that hurt doesn’t fade easily,” I levelled at him, sniffing and wiping my eyes on the cuff of my sleeve.
“I’m so sorry, Lia. Please, just give me a second chance. That’s all I’m asking,” he said with puppy dog eyes, desperation written all over his face. And I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.
“Alex.” I sighed. I had to make sure I thought this through. “How do I know you won’t hurt me again? I don’t… I couldn’t cope with that again,” I said, stifling a sob that threatened to break free as I recalled all the tears I’d shed over this man.
“I can’t promise anything, but I can tell you this. When we got together, I was only doing it to get Melinda back. I know I shouldn’t have used you like that, but I was crazy about her. But the more time I spent with you, the more it felt right. I should never have taken her back. I should’ve stayed with you. I fucked up, Lia, big style, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you since our first date. I don’t know what this is, but please, I’m begging you, give me a chance to make it right.”
I stared at the man in front of me, the broken shell of the confident, handsome charmer I’d fallen for all those years ago. I believed him when he said he’d fucked up, believed his promises, thought he deserved a second chance. Love wasn’t safe, I knew that, but I also knew you had to grasp it whilst it was there because once the opportunity passed, who knew just how long it could be before you got it again. In the seconds I stood silent, I could see his face becoming more desperate. I watched as tears started to leak from his ocean blue eyes. My heart ached for him. It wanted to hold him and make his pain vanish. I knew then what my decision had to be, even though I knew it would be an unpopular one. All things considered though, you don’t date people to make your friends happy, you do it for yourself. Right then, what I wanted more than anything was to help him and give him a chance.
“God knows why I’m doing this, but yes. One last chance, Alex, but I swear if you fuck this up again, you’ll be watching your balls for the rest of your life.” If anyone asked me what was going through my head right then, I couldn’t have told them. I was pleading temporary insanity on account of the fact the man was too good in bed and had the best puppy dog eyes I had ever seen.
“Thank you, Lia. You have no idea what this means to me,” he replied, wiping his eyes and downing the last of his tea. “Now, why not start as you mean to go on? Come watch them in the shower?” he asked, his bushy eyebrows lifting in typical Alex fashion.
I’d always been taught to make guests feel welcome; even the unwelcome ones as Alex had been that morning. If I was going to be reckless and let him back into my life, I figured I might as well enjoy the ride while it lasted. Handing him a large towel from the airer, I headed back to the bathroom and beckoned him to follow. I’d missed this.
SIX
It had been six weeks since the girls’ night out, and Annie still wasn’t talking to me properly. I knew she was pissed off with me, but no matter how many times I tried to explain how I felt to her, she just kept telling me to be careful. She was keeping her opinions to herself, and I couldn’t blame her, not after the mess she’d had to mop up last time. I missed her like crazy, but I was equally annoyed with her. As far as I was concerned, she shared some of the blame in this for not stopping me when I dragged Alex home that night. It was a poor excuse, and I would never tell her to her face, but I couldn’t be completely honest with myself and admit I’d jumped back into bed with the man who’d broken my heart. The growing distance between me and my best friend hurt more by the day, but I was a stubborn bitch, and it would take something big to make me swallow my pride and admit my mistake. Until then, we were maintaining some weird pretence of a friendship.
I had gone round to hers as soon as Alex cleared out that morning and told her everything that had happened. I explained how we had talked for hours and put our differences behind us; told her snippets about the sex, but I’d not shared details about the shower he’d pushed for when we first woke up. Annie was like the sister I’d never had, but there are some things even she shouldn’t be privy to. Sure, he’d lied, he’d cheated, he’d broken my heart – but he’d changed. I believed him when he said it was a mistake; I couldn’t be the only one who could see that. Although, if you spoke to Annie, or even Jimmy, I’d taken leave of my senses the moment he had weaselled his way back into my life. I’d been on the receiving end of a mouthful of just how many ways I was being stupid that my mother would have been proud of.
Alex and I had decided to take things slowly. I mean, I wasn’t stupid. I remembered the hurt, but there was a connection between us I couldn’t deny. I knew I should walk away. I questioned myself every time I was alone, which thankfully wasn’t often, but I always found some way of justifying my decision. Deep down, it was probably something to do with the sex, but I wasn’t ready to admit to myself that I was a) quite that shallow, or b) could be so easily won by a large cock and a guy who knew how to make me come with the force of a freight truck.
There was a sharp yet familiar knock on the door, and I jumped, spilling cold tea all over my favourite hoodie. Glancing at the clock, I cursed the way time had run away from me again. It seemed the moment I retreated into my thoughts, time sped up inexplicably.
“Balls, give me two minutes!” I shouted, hearing a chuckle from the other side of the door.
I mopped up the rest of the tea from the kitchen side with my sleeve and then tugged the hoodie over my head as I walked towards the washer. I threw it in, grabbing a silk dressing gown as I headed for the door. Out of habit, I checked the spyhole and smiled when Alex’s cheeky grin came into view. The guy was stunning, and I couldn’t resist him, especially when he was armed with my third bunch of flowers this week, a bottle of rosé, and a box of my favourite chocolates. I opened the door and stood back, peeking my head round it to give him a quick peck as he walked in.
“Evening, beautiful. Good day?” he said, heading straight for my little kitchen to put his gifts down. I fell into my usual routine of checking out his ass whilst he bent over for a vase, resisting the urge to slap it like I had earlier that week. One smashed vase was enough for the time being. “Put your tongue back in and get some glasses out, Lia.”
Damn, that man did things to my body I couldn’t explain. Calming my desire to drag him straight off to bed and laughing at how he seemed to read my mind, I revelled in the happiness I felt. The pain of the previous weeks seemed a long time ago, the gaping holes in my heart sealed tight once more. Reaching high into the cupboard, I squealed when I felt his lips graze the skin on show as my robe fell open.
“Alex! I nearly dropped the glasses!” I pouted, placing them at the back of the counter just seconds before he lifted me up and perched my ass on the edge of the granite work surface. The stone was cold through my thin robe, but the heat coming from where our bodies touched stopped me from getting a chill. His mouth was on mine within seconds, his tongue falling into a familiar rhythm and setting my mouth on fire. The heat travelled down to the top of my legs and I could feel my arousal begin to flare.
“Fuck the glasses, Lia. I’ve been waiting for this all day,” he growled into my throat, his hands pulling open my dressing gown and moaning when he saw the new matching underwear set I had picked especially for him. I knew he loved the colour green on my pale skin, and I wasn’t below pulling tricks like this out of my wardrobe to get my own way. “Oh, doll, that colour looks awesome on you.” Alex almost sounded like he was purring at me, and I could feel his cock growing as he pushed his hips into mine.
Before I knew it, his hands were under my backside, lifting me and wrapping my legs around his muscled back. I hooked my heels together and put my arms around his neck, giggling as he carried me towards the bedroom Score one for the green lingerie. I just hoped he wouldn’t rip it off like the last set. I had a limited budget for pretty underwear and I’d be broke in a matter of weeks. It was the height of wedding season. I should have been rushed off my feet with flower orders. I’d changed premises though, and it hadn’t been the wisest move. If work didn’t pick up soon, I’d be homeless, but at least I’d have enough bras to last me several weeks without a washing machine.
Our hunger for each other was satisfied before too long, and the ever-attractive rumbling of stomachs reminded us it would be a good idea to get food. Being in that lazy, easy going phase of our relationship, a takeout in the form of pizza was unanimous. We’d always been laid back, but tonight it seemed different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but as we tucked into our pizza, something felt strange. I found myself wondering what I’d done to deserve three bunches of flowers, countless boxes of chocolates, and his high libido. If I wasn’t mistaken, men usually pulled stunts like this when they had something to hide, or butter the woman up over.
Alex noticed my mood. “Everything all right, doll?” he said through a mouthful of Cajun chicken pizza and cheesy garlic bread. The man ate like an animal that hadn’t been fed in weeks. Definitely a quality I didn’t admire in him, but that night, it annoyed me more than usual.
“Sure. I’m just thinking too hard. It’s been a long week, and I’ve got a lot on my mind with work, you know?” I deflected his concern with a quick kiss. Yes, something felt strange, but if I couldn’t even put it into words for myself, how on Earth could I explain it to him? He’d just think I was some crazy bitch who couldn’t accept happiness when it was staring her in the face.
Under the pretence of refilling our glasses, I headed into the kitchen for some space. It was only when I went to pour the remainder of the wine I realised I’d left the glasses on the coffee table. Balls. Plastering a smile across my face, I walked in and pretended I’d always intended to get the bottle instead. I grabbed my glass and snuggled up in the corner of my leather sofa, taking the opportunity to watch Alex for a short while.
He was definitely on edge. His left leg was twitching, and he kept looking at his watch. I knew something was up, but what was it? The penny dropped and I bit my lip to stop the loud curse and revelation that was dancing on the tip of my tongue. How could I have fallen for this twice? My stupidity raged at me. I had no choice but to silently curse my naivety.
“Am I keeping you from something, babe?” I prompted, watching his face for any tell-tale signs of lies. One of the perks of this being a second go at our relationship was the fact I had a pretty good knowledge of his expressions and behaviours. This made spotting his lies much easier. I felt relieved that at least something was swinging in my favour.
“No, it’s nothing. Well… some of the guys were going out. I told them I’d rather be here with you though.”
Oh, he had played the charm just right, but I spotted him flicking his fingernails on his left hand. What was he lying about? And how could I find out? My senses were on full alert, and I began to wonder if I had made the biggest mistake of my life. The rose-tinted glasses were starting to shatter, and it was as if I was seeing things clearly for the first time in weeks. I felt like there were massive neon signs saying ‘stupid’ flashing all around my apartment. Somehow, and God only knew how, I needed to hold on to the pieces of myself and not fall apart before him in the next five minutes. My heart felt like it was preparing itself for the end, beating ever faster as my panic increased.
“Well, if you’d rather join the guys, I don’t mind, hun. I’ve got some drawings that need finishing anyway, and I could do with trying to drum up some more clients too.”
I was impressed with how easily the lies flowed off my tongue. As my nan had always said, give a man enough rope and he’ll hang himself. The best way to find out what he was up to was to let him go, but I was going to need Annie’s help. I just hoped there was enough of our friendship left.
Alex jumped like he’d had a cattle prod shoved up his arse, and after a very quick kiss, he grabbed his coat and bolted for the door. A rushed goodbye and a promise to make it up to me was shouted back, and I placated him with smiles and waves.
Throwing on some clothes and downing my wine, I dashed over to Annie’s, thankful my bestie lived just a stone’s throw away. Doubt filled me as I stood before her door. Taking into account my behaviour over the last few weeks, Annie would be well within her rights to slam the door in my face.
“Anns! Annie! I know you’re in there! You’ve just checked in on your sofa with wine. I need you!” I shouted through the keyhole.
I could’ve just let myself in with my key, but considering the way things had been for the last few weeks, I didn’t feel comfortable barging in. Annie could be a cantankerous little bitch when I invaded her space unannounced, and that would be doubly true if she were already pissed off with me. I didn’t have time for one of her rants if my hunch was correct.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing and grumbling about fair weather friends coming from the other side of the door, but it opened, and I tried my best to ignore her snide comments. If she’d pulled a stunt like this, I’d have been the same, if not worse. My head was awash with emotion; shame, guilt, anger - I just wanted to rewind back to before I ever let Alex into my life. Hindsight was a beautiful thing.
“Lover boy done a number again? Or are you here to ask me to be a bridesmaid?” she snapped at me, but it was clear on her face she was pleased to see me.
“Good to see you too, you moody bitch! He’s up to something, and I need my trusty sidekick to come on a little espionage mission with me. You can be the Robin to my Batman, the Sam to my Optimus, the…”
“Enough with the comic book shit, Lia! You totally overdo it with that nerdy chick stuff sometimes, you know that? Give me five. I need to get changed.” Annie headed back into her apartment, placing her barely touched glass on the counter on her way. I dived in and downed the wine in one, slamming down the empty glass a little too hard on the surface. Annie’s face was a picture as she turned to see what had caused the noise.
“Oh, no you don’t! He’s just left. We have about two minutes before we’ll lose the trail and I am so not ready to let him screw me over again.” I grabbed her arm, slammed the door shut behind us, and dragged her all the way down to the garage under our block. “We’re taking your car. Now get in and drive.”
Quite what I was thinking was beyond me, but credit to Annie, she went along with my plan without a word. She tailed Alex like a pro, leaving a fair distance and cars between us, like we’d seen in the movies. Annie kept up a steady stream of small talk, distracting me from the crushing reality hurtling towards me. By the end of this evening, I would most likely be in a heap, sobbing my heart out over Alex. Again.
After a short drive, he pulled up outside a bar I knew he had often visited when he was seeing Melinda. For some reason I’d never fathomed, she loved the place. It was a dive, known to the locals as a hotspot for affairs of all kinds, and somewhere most respectable people steered clear of. Thinking about it, that said all that needed saying about them. Annie pulled up in one of the bays on the other side of the road and we watched through the rear-view mirror as Alex preened and messaged someone on his phone. I shifted my gaze to the door and laughed despite myself at the individual who walked out.
“Lia, is that…” started Annie, her mouth in that ‘O’ shape with the buggy eyes to match. One of those times, I really needed to get a picture of her face like that. This was not the time for candid camera moments.
“Fuck a duck. The lying bastard is back with her,” I fumed. My temper was usually non-existent. I buried things, and I buried them deep, but when I finally blew my top, well, let’s just say Pompeii had nothing on me. My vision turned red and my ability to function coherently flew out of the window.
Without really thinking about what I was going to do, I opened the door and charged across to where he was groping and trying to impregnate the skanky bitch with his tongue in broad daylight. And all of this just minutes from my home. I was ready to swing for them both, and they’d better run, fast.
A hand grabbed my arm, and just in time. In my haste to smash Alex’s face in with my handbag, I’d nearly walked out in front of an oncoming vehicle. The driver hit his horn and shouted, ‘drunken slappers’, but that didn’t bother me. What did was the fact the sound had disturbed Alex and Melinda’s on-street sex show. They were now looking in my direction, frozen to the spot with that slack-jaw look you get when you’ve been caught red-handed. I could almost hear the cogs whirring in their heads, trying to figure out how I knew they were there, how much I’d seen, and what I was going to do next.
Before I could even reach them, Melinda had thrown the first punch. Well, it was more like a half-hearted slap you’d give someone in a play fight. I’d show her how to do them properly and leave her with the marks to prove it if I got the chance.
“Alex, darling, you forgot something in your hurry to leave,” I purred at him, smiling like someone possessed. His face was a picture, and I saved it to my memory for future reference. I’d need all the things I could to get me through the next couple of days. The cracks were beginning to appear in my heart again. I could feel the pieces I’d delicately balanced together after the last time slowly falling apart.
“I, ah, this, er… This isn’t what it looks like,” he stuttered, trying to find the words to explain away the fact that his hand was still on the small of Melinda’s back and his eyes were searching for any kind of escape.
