Found by Drew, page 6
“It bloody well is what it looks like,” she snapped at him before turning to me. “You lost, you stupid bitch.” Her face made it clear Alex wouldn’t hear the end of this - he’d pissed off both his booty calls with one big mistake.
“Looks like you and your little skank here are in need of a room,” I spat, beginning to shake with anger. Annie hovered behind me, letting me get this out of my system whilst keeping an eye out for anything else that could cause trouble. We’d be talking about this one for years. As far as impromptu road trips went, it was monumental.
“And what are you going to do about it, you little tramp? Can’t you just accept defeat and realise he wants to be with me? That he’s been with me ever since your ‘special time’ or whatever it is you call it,” sneered Melinda.
Her reedy voice pushed me over the edge, and I was ready to do time for the bitch. I laughed, a cold sound filled with venom and hatred. I wasn’t normally a violent person, but Melinda made my blood boil. And as for calling me a tramp? Bitch needed to look in a mirror. She was seriously pushing my patience. I could feel Annie’s anger building behind me and knew if I didn’t sort it, she would.
“You’re welcome to him. You two deserve each other. Just make sure you dig your claws a little deeper this time so he can’t go ruining anyone else’s happiness apart from yours. Oh, and Alex, don’t you dare come near me again. We’re done. For good this time.” I was fighting the tears, but there was no way I’d give either of them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I imagined a switch in my head that would turn off all emotional responses and flipped it with all my might. Now was not the time for me to fall apart. That could come later.
Alex turned to Melinda, whispered something, and pushed her towards the door. She was reluctant, her pouty frown threatening to leave deep wrinkles across her forehead.
“Lia, I’m sorry. Please, let’s… can we go inside and talk?” Alex reasoned, switching the charm to full blast. Melinda tutted and swiped at him with her handbag.
“Are you for fucking real? Talk with her? Alex, just finish it once and for all and tell her and her lap dog to piss off. They’re ruining our date night.” Her whines were childish, and I realised they suited each other, at least then they wouldn’t make anyone else miserable with their selfish ways.
He was never going to find his way inside my heart again. I’d finally come to my senses, and it felt good to be done with all his crap. The small relief I felt at having seen the real him was far outweighed by the pain, but I grasped onto that small ray of light. It gave me the strength to finish what I’d started because, this time, there really was no going back.
I laughed, a harsh bark that didn’t sound like me. “You can have all of him, Melinda. I’m gone. Goodbye, Alex, and by the way, you forgot this.” I smiled at him, reaching my hand towards my pocket. It was empty, but he had no way of knowing that. With the speed of a snake coiled and ready to strike, I curled my fist and brought it flying towards his perfect face. I caught him on the cheek with a satisfying crunch, then turned on my heel and flounced off with as much sass as I could muster. Annie, clapping and cheering like she was at a boxing match, followed me back to the car.
We drove off, but only after recovering from fits of laughter. We watched in tears as Melinda fussed over his face, and Alex leaned against the wall, shell-shocked. It was only as we got closer to home I realised the crunch hadn’t been his cheekbone, but my hand. Pain radiated from my knuckles to my wrist, a dull ache which left me cursing under my breath every time I put pressure on it.
“Annie, how’d you fancy a trip to A&E?”
“Shit! Is it broken? What about your work?” Annie asked, concern filling her voice.
“Well, it bloody hurts and is blowing up like a balloon. You don’t have to graduate from med school to know there’s probably something not right with it. And what work? I’ve got no bloody customers.” I chuckled, shock setting in as the events of the evening started to sink in.
“You don’t do things by halves, girl! But it sounds like the perfect way to end our evening. Want to run home for some reading material first? You know the queues are gonna be epic,” she replied, her eyes never leaving the road.
“Nah, we’re good. We’ve got catching up to do. But I’m not joking, they’d better give me the good stuff this time ‘cos it hurts like a bitch. It’s worse than when we walked through glass.” I winced, unable to move my fingers without it causing me agony. Yup, something in my hand was definitely broken. Clever, Lia. Stupid as it was, in the grand scheme of things, breaking my hand by throwing a punch at Alex was pretty low on the list of stupid shit I’d done.
“Oh, hell no! Last time you had ‘the good stuff’ you were as high as a kite. I love you, but stopping you from jumping off the kitchen counter singing Come Fly With Me is something no one should experience once, let alone twice,” chuckled Annie, waggling her finger in my face as she navigated her way between drunks, dodgy taxi drivers, and red lights to get us safely to our local emergency hospital.
It was in that moment I realised what an utter arse I had been to Annie over the last few weeks. She really was the best friend a girl could ask for. Arriving at A&E on a Saturday with a minor, but painful injury at 10 p.m. meant we were in for a very long wait, but we didn’t care. After all, we had weeks’ worth of gossip to catch up on, and where better to do so than on uncomfortable plastic chairs whilst laughing at the drunken idiots around us?
SEVEN
“This is the final call for flight ZB946 to Cyprus. Will all remaining passengers please make their way immediately to boarding gate seven,” came the tinny announcement overhead.
Our flight, already delayed by over an hour, was about to leave without us and I was stressed beyond anything I could remember experiencing before. Hoisting my oversized hand luggage bag further onto my shoulder, I checked behind me to make sure Annie and the rest of the girls were keeping up with me. They were, just about, but if we didn’t shift our arses double time, we’d end up missing boarding, and I really needed this break. I watched as the gate numbers slowly increased, willing my legs to go faster despite the burning sensation setting in, and the calls from the girls to slow down. Well, if they would be stupid enough to wear stilettos to the airport and mess about in duty free testing perfumes and make-up for hours, what did they expect?
“There it is!” shouted Meg, and I sighed with relief as a large silver seven came into view on the wall.
“Thank fuck for that,” panted Annie “My legs are about to give out on me.”
“Passports and boarding cards, please,” said a very bored voice. The poor guy on the gate seemed ready to drop and was not our biggest fan as we staggered up to the desk, bedraggled, swearing like sailors, and fumbling for our paperwork.
I handed the documents over and smiled at the thought of sun, good books, and a few cocktails by the pool. The girls had day trips to the beach planned, but I’d hated sand ever since some little shit had flicked it in my face at school. Strange to think she was now my best friend, but that experience had left a mark, and Annie revelled in reminding me of it. No, for me, this holiday was all about clearing my ‘to-read’ list and trying to unwind my tightly coiled emotions. Annie had plenty of other things planned aside from the beach, most of which involved alcohol and the local delicacies; and not just those you’d find in a restaurant.
Stepping onto the plane, I felt my stomach drop and my heart rate speed; tell-tale signs the inevitable panic attack was about to start. Flying really wasn’t my favourite way to travel, not by a long shot. As soon as my bag was securely stowed under the seat in front of me and I’d listened to the safety briefing, it was time to plug in my headphones and switch off from the world. I’d deliberately downloaded and arranged a playlist of meditation music which would last the duration of the flight. I prayed to whatever was ‘up there’ that there would be less turbulence than the last time I flew, and that Annie would be able to keep herself occupied. With the others to keep her company, that should be easy, so I ignored their excited chatter, maxed the volume, and pulled my knees up to my chest. Resting my forehead on them and hugging them tight, I tried my damndest to sleep my way through the flight.
I hadn’t slept for long when I woke up, freezing cold, and with an arse so numb it felt like I no longer had one. Rubbing my eyes and checking the time, I squeezed past Annie and Meg. An article I’d read a few weeks ago had described how important it was to move around on a flight; something to do with preventing blood clots. It was meant more for long haul flights, but when your brain is in full panic mode thousands of feet in the air, rational thought evades you. I jiggled on the spot, trying to beat off the pins and needles coursing through my lower body.
“Lia, where are you going?” asked Annie, eyeing me with suspicion.
“Oh, I thought I’d take a quick stroll on the wing, maybe swing by the tail on my way back.” I rolled my eyes, letting out a puff of frustration. “Anns, are you for real? I’m on a fucking plane, God knows how many feet in the air, and you want to know where I’m going? Where the actual fuck do you think I’m going, nitwit?” I snapped.
Honestly though, talk about stupid questions.
“Sheesh, Lia. Who got your knickers in a twist?” Annie rolled her eyes at me.
My patience wearing thin, I knew I needed to find somewhere I could take a breath and count to ten. Pity the flight was full. It looked like the only place I was going to find peace was if I went and had a chat with the cabin crew at the back of the plane.
“I’m going to stretch my legs and get my knickers out of their twist, if that’s okay with you,” I said, flouncing towards the back of the plane. Annie’s grumbles floated after me, but I ignored them. She was hungover from her epic idea of a pre-flight party, and her grumpy arse mood was a common side effect of that condition.
As I walked, I cast my eyes over our fellow passengers. There was a cutie a few rows back who I could have sworn was chuckling at my exchange with Annie, but other than him, everyone else looked pretty normal. Well, as normal as you can be these days. Not that I should have expected any different, but my mind was working overtime. You know how it is when you get freaked out by flying. Everyone even the remotest bit shifty is the next shoe bomber or hijacker when your mind is running at a million miles an hour.
Trying to calm myself down, I smiled at the guy as I walked past. I joined the short queue for the toilet in an attempt to buy myself a little more time to calm down. Not that I wanted to go. I’d read all sorts about bacteria and air pressure issues in toilets - I really was obsessive once my fear responses kicked in. There was no fight or flight here, just facts. Too many facts.
When I headed back to my seat, I made sure not to look in cute guy’s direction. I was off men; they’d caused me nothing but trouble this year and I needed some time to get my head on straight again. Window shopping was allowed, but anything more was strictly off the cards for my own sanity (and Annie’s). She’d dealt with her fair share of snot-filled tissues and chocolate wrappers hidden in random places all over my flat, and hers. She’d threatened that she’d disown me if she had to go through it again. Whilst it was just a joke, there was no way I was risking my bestie doing a runner on me, not over a man. Poking grumpy guts a little harder than necessary on my return, I squeezed past and resumed my previous position, sleeping soundly until the pilot announced our descent.
As soon as the tyres hit the tarmac, I was unbuckling and preparing myself to fight my way into the aisle for a quick exit. I was more than ready to get off this oversized tin can. Call me paranoid, but in my mind, huge chunks of metal did not belong in the air, or on the sea, for that matter. Knocking Meg and Annie around the head with my bag in my eagerness to touch solid ground again, I forced my way into the narrow aisle, treading on what felt suspiciously like a large foot in the process.
“I’m so sorry. Nervous flyer.” I turned to face the individual I had squashed, hoping it wasn’t some poor old person who’d have permanent damage. My jaw dropped when I saw the man in front of me. He was pushing six foot, with ruffled chocolate hair, designer stubble, and the most stunning green eyes I had ever seen. They were like looking up at the topmost leaves of a dense tree on a bright summer’s day.
“No problem, beaut. Takes more than a pretty little thing like you to hurt me.” He smiled, revealing a set of pearly whites straight off a dental poster. I was a sucker for a nice smile.
Blushing like a naughty schoolgirl, I returned his smile with a crooked one of my own and busied myself with escaping the plane which felt as if it was shrinking by the minute. I left the girls behind, again, and hightailed it off the aircraft the moment the doors were open, pushing old and young alike out of my way.
“Lia, wait up,” called the girls. I slowed but kept walking at a steady pace for the still conveyor belt. That was the beauty of island airports; they were small enough to navigate alone, yet big enough to get lost in the crowds.
“There you are!” said Annie, slapping a hand on my shoulder. “Where’s the fire? I thought you’d decided to abandon us before we’d even begun to piss you off.”
“I just wanted off the plane. Flight nerves, y’know?” I bluffed. I had been freaked, but it wasn’t just the plane that was pushing my buttons and making my heart race.
“Who was the cutie? He was totally checking your ass out as you pushed past us back there.” Annie smirked, clearly scheming to manoeuvre some kind of meeting between us. The woman was a menace at times. All she needed was the tiniest spark, and boom, she’d have you shacked up and planning weddings and babies in her head in three seconds flat.
“No idea. He was just some dude on a plane,” I said, watching the cases come round the rickety conveyor with more interest than was strictly necessary. “Isn’t that one yours, Eva?” I pointed to a pink flowery case. Eva stepped forward to swing it off the belt as I resumed my watch.
I managed to deflect all talk of the plane guy as we travelled to our resort. It was about a forty-minute drive from the airport, but time flew as we started making all sorts of plans for the evening. Food and cocktails seemed to be the unanimous decision, and I was seriously looking forward to letting my hair down.
For me, this holiday was a chance to put the last few months behind me. Alex was gone, and he wasn’t coming back. It was my time now. My time to get back on track with living my life for me. I was young, free, and single once more, and it had never felt better. I smiled; I couldn’t think of anywhere better to kick start myself than in five-star luxury with my girls.
Check-in went smoothly. Well, smoother than the last time I’d gone away with this crazy bunch, and before long, we were outside a mahogany door with a brass 287 in the middle of it. Our room, or suite, consisted of two bedrooms, both with two double beds, and a well-furnished living area. The best part though, was the swim up element of the room. We had our own private pool area; perfect for someone who liked their creature comforts like me. All the joy of the pool without the hassle of trying to hold sun loungers or having to turn the volume up high on my music to drown out screaming kids. Of course, the girls would be by the main pool, scouting talent or drinking cocktails in the swim up bar. Whilst I’d pop in to see them occasionally, this was where I knew I’d be spending the majority of my holiday.
We each split into our usual pairs; me with Annie, Meg with Eva, and began our necessary preparations for the evening. Showers, make-up, packing handbags. Before too long, we were ready to hit the bars on our first night.
“Lia, are you bloody ready yet?” shouted Meg.
“Just give me two minutes,” I called back, swiping a thin layer of lip gloss and adjusting my dress over my hourglass figure.
“Wit woo! Sexy lady!” whistled Annie, signalling for a turn. I obliged and then hooked arms with her; Eva and Meg copied the gesture behind us. I turned to look at them, smiling from ear to ear.
“Thank you, ladies. This is just what I needed,” I said, trying to keep the ‘soppy shit’, as Annie called it, to a minimum.
“Oh no. You need a daiquiri in each hand, then you can thank me,” giggled Eva.
“Too right! To the cocktail bar!” Annie said with gusto, pointing her clutch bag forwards in a weird salute and dragging us all behind her.
“To the cocktail bar!” we echoed, collapsing into a fit of giggles as we walked, arm in arm, to what was already shaping up to be a perfect holiday.
EIGHT
I perched on the red leather stool, running my finger around the edge of my third daiquiri. The sensation of being watched sent a nervous tingling up and down my spine. I tried to laugh with Meg, Annie, and Eva, but at the same time, I subtly scanned the room for the source of my discomfort. I nearly fell off my stool when I saw a pair of forest green eyes staring back at me from a dark corner.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous situations I always seemed to find myself in. There I was, trying to enjoy a relaxing holiday to free my mind of all things men, and there was the cute guy from the plane. The only guy I’d given more than a cursory glance to since Alex was sitting right across the bar from me, staring in my direction like he’d never been taught basic manners. Didn’t he know it was rude to stare?
“What’s up now? I swear to God you’re never happy, woman,” asked Annie, catching my eye line and following it. “Ooooh, is that who I think it is? It’s plane guy, isn’t it?” It didn’t take long for the cogs to start whirring in her brain as she schemed her way into arranging a meeting.
I nodded, unable to form words, and my cheeks reddened. Fate was playing some sort of seriously twisted game with me, and I really didn’t like it. Just once in my life, I wanted something to be simple; a girls’ holiday with lots of booze and me and my girls. No men allowed. That was all I wanted - not some romantic fling that would break my carefully reconstructed heart back into pieces. I didn’t even want the temptation, but nothing in my life ever went to plan. Having known Annie for as long as I had, I sensed she had already started taking action on a plan to cause mischief. The woman was a nightmare at times, and I felt the familiar warning signs of a panic attack coming on as I saw her wiggle on her seat. She looked like a cat readying itself to pounce.
