“Why would he want to see you?” she asked finally, but her voice was husky. She had to push away those memories. The past didn’t matter anymore.
“I’ve got to tell you this, Sophe. He behaved like he knew everything,” she muttered, tossing her red hair behind her.
Sophia’s heart was pounding in her chest, her father was in London. He had no idea what she was up to.
“What do you mean that he knows everything?”
“I don’t know how, but apparently he knows that you met that prison leaver outside the office and he doesn’t like it. He told me to tell you that you have to stop embarrassing yourself.” Ramona paused and finished her drink in one go. “I asked him straight out about this, but he just told me that he always keeps an eye on his girl. Then he laughed and left. I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Sophe.”
“I can’t believe this,” Sophia breathed out, clenching her fists. “Someone must have said something to him or he hired someone to follow me.”
Her mind was racing and her palms were damp with sweat. How could he know that she’d seen Harry outside probation? She was miles away from home, unless he’d hired someone to keep an eye on her. Her father was capable of doing things like that.
“I don’t get it, why would he waste money on that? He knew that you were fine. Maybe he knows someone who works with you and they saw you with your prison leaver.” Ramona smiled, but Sophia wasn’t laughing. Suddenly her body felt numb and the hair on her skin shot straight up. Was it possible that her father had a contact in Probation?
“I think I am going to be sick,” said Sophia, pushing away the food. She’d completely lost her appetite.
“Don’t be sick, mon chere. I told him that if you are seeing someone then it’s progress for you. Oh, and also I told him to keep his big fat Arabic nose out of your business,” added Ramona, looking proud of herself.
Chapter Twenty Four
“Oh my God, you didn’t?” hissed Sophia.
“Of course I did, he got slightly mad and told my mother that I was crazy,” she chuckled. Sophia covered her face in her hands. If her father knew that she was seeing the offender who she was supposed to be working with, this was the end of her.
“I think I should go back to London, otherwise he might even show up here to ...”
“No,” said Ramona, raising her voice. “You are staying here and introducing me to the guy that made you come during your first sexual experience.”
Sophia went completely red when a woman that was sitting next to her looked at her, raising her eyebrows with disgust. Ramona just didn’t care that people could hear her, and Sophia wanted to bury herself under the table.
“We are no longer seeing each other and there is no way I am going to introduce you to him after what happened in the lobby. We are meeting Mason for dinner on Sunday and that’s the end of this conversation,” said Sophia firmly, trying to calm down. She looked around, feeling paranoid that someone was watching her.
Ramona pursed her lips together, looking wound up. Her cousin was living on the excitement. She was arrested last year because she was caught having sex in the toilet cubicle of a coffee shop. She just didn’t care about the consequences.
“Oh, mon chere, you are so boring, I think he could be the best person for you, that Mason sound so plain”
“Then why do you even hang out with me?”
“Because I love you and you need a great friend like me. Besides, let’s forget about what I said and let’s hit the club tonight. I read in the guide that this city has an awesome dance club,” continued Ramona. Sophia wouldn’t even try to change Ramona’s mind about going out later. She couldn’t miss that kind of opportunity to have fun.
After the meal, feeling slightly tipsy, the girls went back to the hotel. Sophia had a shower anxiously wondering if her father was really doing what she suspected. Then she got ready, straightened her hair, and put make up on. Ramona, as usual, had a very short ivory dress on, her red hair was styled in a bob. They didn’t know much about the Irish city, so they went to the city centre and found a few clubs that Ramona wanted to check out more closely. Once they were inside she kept buying Sophia shots of vodka. They had a really good time, dancing and getting drunk until late. Sophia didn’t remember much of that night. Her head felt heavy and her mind was buzzing when her head touched the pillow.
In the morning she felt worse than she had ever anticipated. The summer daylight was pouring into the room and she felt sick and dizzy. She needed a drink; her throat was burning with thirst. She got up and dragged herself to the shower.
Sophia couldn’t believe it when she left the bathroom and her cousin was already sitting on her bed looking glamorous. She’d always wondered how Ramona always managed to look so good even during the worst hangovers.
“There you are! I thought you were going to drown down there.”
“How can you be ready? I thought you were dying in your room. I feel like shit,” she complained, looking for her clothes.
“I have trained myself well. Besides, I wasn’t that drunk last night. It’s a shame that we didn’t see any handsome Irish meat.”
Sophia grinned, shaking her head. She quickly put on her underwear and her maxi dress. Her hair was sticking up in every possible direction and it was impossible today to brush it, so she put it in a ponytail.
“What time is that dinner?” asked Ramona, not lifting her head from the phone.
“At five in some restaurant in Belfast. If we leave now then you might have a chance to meet Vanessa.”
“Yeah, definitely. I need to know who my favorite girl in the world is living with.” Ramona beamed, and sent Sophia a quick wink.
“Vanessa is cool, she should be at home. I will text her.”
“To be honest I am not in the mood for anymore sightseeing, so let’s just pack and get the hell out of here.”
Sophia nodded; she wasn’t feeling well enough to walk around galleries today, so she was glad that they were leaving. She was exhausted and was trying to figure out Ramona’s secret. It took them more than half an hour to pack everything. They checked out after twelve. On the way back to Belfast, Ramona stopped and got a coffee. They reached Vanessa’s apartment early in the afternoon. Her housemate was already waiting for both of them. The introduction went pretty well, and surprisingly Ramona got on with Vanessa really. They both picked on Sophia who just waved her hand.
“I think you should join us for dinner with Sophia’s new date,” suggested Ramona, smiling.
“Yes, I don’t know why I haven’t thought about this earlier. I am going to introduce Mason to Ramona, so why don’t you come as well?” asked Sophia, feeling silly that she hadn’t already invited Vanessa.
“I am off tonight, so I guess that shouldn’t be a problem,” beamed Vanessa. Ramona clapped enthusiastically.
“That’s settled then, first we are going to meet Mason and then we can hit the club. I need to end this trip in the arms of some hot Irish guy,” cheered Ramona. Vanessa giggled and Sophia rolled her eyes.
“So do you also think that Sophia is stupid for ditching that hot, naughty boy for Mason?” asked Vanessa.
Oh boy, they are already starting, thought Sophia.
“Have you seen him?” asked Ramona in disbelief. Sophia was going to say something, but Vanessa was already worked up.
“He has amazing tattoos on his arms and his eyebrow is pierced,” smirked Vanessa.
“Vanessa, please shut up! Seriously, I thought that you were my friend.”
“Stop talking, Sophe. So tell me, how does he look? Oh my God, I want to know everything!”
“Well you can’t,” muttered Sophia, but Vanessa wasn’t listening to her. She still wanted to know everything.
“He is tall, muscular with dark hair, and he has that look of a bad boy. I bet that he must be amazing in bed.”
Vanessa and Ramona were raving about Harry. Vanessa was right, Harry was perfect, but not for her. She had to force t
hem both to stop talking about him and threatened to go out by herself. They finally shut up when they were approaching the restaurant. Mason had suggested Indian food. Sophia spotted him straight away, he was sitting in the far corner drinking a beer.
“Sophia,” said Mason, getting up and kissing her on the cheek.
“This is my cousin, Ramona, and my housemate, Vanessa.” Mason gave them a charming smile. As Sophia suspected, Ramona didn’t like her date already. She could tell from the look on her face. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t over enthusiastic either. Mason was pleasant, ordering drinks for everyone straight away. He was holding Sophia’s hand under the table, caressing her palm with his thumb. He was making an effort, trying to impress her friends.
They had a starter and then the main course. The food was delicious, and after a second glass of white wine, Sophia ignored Ramona’s bad mood and concentrated on having a good time. She hadn’t thought about Harry at all, but she knew that she could not avoid him on Monday.
“So, Mason, what are you going to do when Sophia has to go back to London?” asked Ramona with her sweet voice smiling. Sophia kicked her under the table, but Ramona ignored her.
Mason ran his hand through his hair and placed his hands together.
“I don’t want to push Sophia into anything right now, but I have been planning to go back to the UK for a while now,” he explained in a calm, steady voice. Sophia swallowed hard, hoping that Ramona would finally let it go.
“So you would move with her to London? That’s quite a serious statement. After all, you haven’t been going out for that long,” continued Ramona, smiling flirtatiously. Mason arched his eyebrow and wrinkled his forehead with effort.
“I am aware of that. I don’t really want to dwell on this right now, it’s still early days.” He shrugged.
“Of course it is. So have you got any family left in Bristol?”
“Yes, my parents are still alive. My sister lives in California.”
For the rest of the evening Ramona was trying to find something that she didn’t like about Mason, but she failed badly. Vanessa was on her phone most of the time, probably texting Timothy. Sophia kept a straight face, but she wanted to kick Ramona. She wasn’t going to make a scene with her cousin, but Mason was responding to all her questions really well. In the end Ramona insisted on having a quiet drink in the bar and told Mason straight that it was only girls this time. Sophia gave Mason apologetic look and promised to call him later.
“I don’t like him, mon chere,” said Ramona once they sat down in the bar. Vanessa went to get drinks.
“I didn’t expect you to like him. I am the one that is dating him,” snapped Sophia. She was really annoyed with her cousin.
“Oh come on, don’t be a wimp. I am just giving you my honest opinion. He is just too perfect and we both know that perfect people don’t exist.”
“I don’t even know him that well yet. I will make my own choices, Ramona. Sometimes I wonder why you treat me like a child.”
“I am just worried about you that’s all. Your parents locked you up in a mental institution for a year, isolating you from everyone. You don’t know how guys are. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wanted to get into your knickers.”
“Can we change the subject? I really have had enough of this. I am fine, Ramona. I might be damaged inside, but I got over it.”
When Vanessa came back with the drinks the atmosphere was less tense and Ramona finally let go of the conversation about Mason. Sophia kept thinking that she was making the right choice. Mason was the guy that her parents would accept. He would look after her and maybe with time he would even understand her scars.
Sophia had a few more cocktails, and at midnight the girls decided to call in a night. Ramona was lost in the company of a blond Irish dancer and she said that she was all right to stay.
“Your cousin is crazy, but I like her,” remarked Vanessa when they both finally went back to the apartment
“She is insane and she drives me mad, but I can always rely on her,” said Sophia, remembering when Ramona came over after therapy and kept telling Sophia that she still had a lot ahead of her, that her life would get better. Her parents didn’t want Ramona in their house, they kept saying that she was a bad influence on their daughter, but Ramona didn’t listen and never left Sophia alone.
Chapter Twenty Five
Harry couldn’t sleep. He had been tossing and turning all night, beating himself up over what he had done. He was so angry with Patrick that he didn’t tell him what he was signing himself up for. He couldn’t look at himself in the mirror. He had never ever crossed the line. He became a man that took part in an armed robbery, a social outcast. He wasn’t better than any other guys that came to see Sophia in probation. He didn’t do anything to prevent beating up the security guard, he just bailed out and left like a coward. The greed blinded him, he went against everything that was right and failed. Someone used that battered warehouse for storage, all the items inside were expensive. It was no wonder why Patrick wanted Harry.
He didn’t think about the consequences. Patrick and the rest of the group were probably furious that he bailed out on them. He finally dozed off in the early hours of the morning. When he woke up, he took a shower and gave his mother her medication. She looked better than most days, but still not right. He needed to make himself busy. Tomorrow he was going to see Sophia, He was hoping to speak to her in the private room so he could finally asked her about the other day and about that prick that she kissed.
This wasn’t over, Harry thought, she was going to be his not matter what. At midday he changed and went to do some grocery shopping. It was Sunday, so he needed to hurry up. In his mind, he was constantly going over and over the events of that night.
After he was done with the food shopping, he went to see his cousin, Mark, to find out if there was any job that he could hang on to. The rumors about his company weren’t good; apparently people were talking about redundancies. The unemployment in Belfast was high and Harry knew that it was going to be difficult to find something, especially with a criminal record. Harry had been looking, but he couldn’t leave his mother alone to go to work. He left Marks’s house at quarter to six in the evening, and he decided to drive through the old neighborhood where he and his brothers used to hang out. It was one of those dangerous areas filled with drugs and gangs. He parked his car by the supermarket and decided to find his old mate, Calvin, who normally knew people on construction sites.
The streets seemed deserted today. Harry nodded to a few guys that he knew. He knew where to find Calvin, he was normally drinking outside of his local pub. Harry decided to take a short route through the main estate, walking between the houses. He knew this area like the back of his own hand, he just had to stay away from junkies that were scraping for some blow. He walked in through the road between the houses, thinking about short construction contracts, he needed the money, but there was some other things that he had to consider.
“Hey, Harry” someone called from behind him. Harry turned around, seeing Patrick with two other guys that he didn’t recognise.
“Patrick.” Harry nodded, tensing his shoulders and turning around to face the man that he wanted to avoid. The street was narrow, and the group approached Harry. Patrick was scanning him with calm, reserved expression. He smiled, but there was something in this smile that Harry didn’t like.
“We just wanted to ask you a question, you know about the other night,” sang Patrick, twisting his jaw. “I wanted to know why you decided to bail on us?”
Harry’s eyes darted around, every muscle in his body was alerted that something wasn’t up. He didn’t like the way the two large guys were looking at him. He was quickly surrounded and he knew that the only way out would be to fight for his life. Patrick stopped smiling and clenched his fists with rage. His pupils dilated.
“You know the answer. I don’t do shit like that, Pat.”
Patrick was shaking his head, steppin
g in front of Harry who didn’t move. He couldn’t show them that he was intimidated or afraid. He could take Patrick on his own with one swift movement, but there were two other guys with him and he could have sworn that he recognized one of them. They called him big Jonny, because no one ever challenged him, although whoever did never saw the light of day again.
“I thought that you were more like your brother. He never complained and did what I asked him to,” said Patrick, sounding disappointed. In a split second he nodded, looking at the guys beside him. They stormed towards Harry before he could react, before he could defend himself. He wasn’t ready for the first punch, but picked himself up and swiped the larger man off his feet before he was obscured by the complete darkness. He felt the crushing pain in his skull and then passed out.
***
Beautiful Pain Page 16
