Playing Games (Endgame Series Book 3)

by Cara E Holt

  Chapter 3

  WE STEP OFF THE TRAIN onto the platform, and I breathe in the air. I am home. I love living with my dad and the family, but this place will always be home. I am and will always be a northern girl.

  Izzy grins in excitement as she tugs her small case beside her. She nudges my shoulder. “I’m so excited for this weekend.”

  I smile at her enthusiasm. “Come on, we need to get our connecting train to my hometown.”

  We head to the platform for our next train and sit and wait. I pull out my phone and text Grayson and tell him we are at Manchester Piccadilly train station. A few minutes later our connecting train arrives and we make the short fifteen-minute journey to my hometown.

  The house was only a two-minute walk from the station. As we turn the corner of the street, my steps falter when I see my childhood home.

  Izzy remains quiet for a few seconds. “Are you okay?”

  I nod. “It’s just strange seeing my home for the first time in so long.” With a sigh, I pull myself together. “Come on.”

  I put the key in the lock and we walk inside. The familiar smell of home assaults my senses. I had grown up in this house and I have so many happy memories. I leave my case in the hallway and silently walk into the front room. It is empty now, aside from two sofas and a small television. All the ornaments and things that made it home had been packed into storage after the funeral. At the time, I was not in a place where I was ready to go through it all and decide what to keep and what to throw. So it is all there waiting for me, for when I’m ready.

  “It’s so light in here.” Izzy says as she takes in the room. “I love that wallpaper.”

  I smile, following her eyes towards the chimneybreast that is decorated in a grey and mustard pattern. My mum and I had shared a love of interior design, we loved nothing more than spending our weekends browsing the home décor shops. We had loved going to antique fairs together and finding furniture that we could up-cycle and paint.

  “Come on, show me your old bedroom.” Izzy urges me excitedly.

  Walking into my old bedroom feels so strange. It was my safe haven for all of my childhood. In this room, I spent hours devouring books and dreaming about my future. All the things that made this room mine are away in storage but there are still some posters on the walls, one is a poster of one of Dominic Sherwood from one of my favourite television series’ and the others are posters of places around the world I wanted to visit.

  Izzy silently takes in my bedroom before throwing herself down on my old bed. “Even though most of your things aren’t here, I can imagine you in this room. It has that Everly feel to it.”

  I furrow my brows, smiling. “Okay. I’m not sure what you mean, but thanks.” I gesture to out onto the landing. “You can use my mum’s wardrobe for your things. There’s no bed in there, so I thought we could both bunk down on the sofas in the living room.”

  “Perfect idea.” Izzy says with a soft smile. “I’ll go unpack then and leave you to it for a while.”

  I silently thank her for giving me some space. This is my first time back here since I packed up and moved down south. I’m hit with a roller coaster of emotions since arriving. A mix of both happy memories and those more dark and sad. I keep expecting to hear my mum shout me down for tea or hear her singing as she washes up in the kitchen.

  A few weeks ago my dad asked me if I’d had any more thoughts about my plans for the house. In truth, it is something I have avoided thinking about, but now I am here, I realise I can’t just keep leaving it here feeling empty and unloved. I have a few options. I can rent it out, I can sell it, or I can move back here once I finish college and go to a local university. I know I need to decide and soon, so I’m hoping being here this weekend might give me a sign of what I should do.

  After we unpack, we head out and make the short walk to the supermarket to stock up for the weekend. I text Grayson to let him know we have arrived at the house. I also give my dad a quick ring and let him know we arrived safely. I roll my eyes and share a smile with Izzy when he advises me on making sure we lock up before we go to bed. I think my dad is nervous about my first trip away from home, and I love him for it.

  Just as we are leaving the supermarket, my phone rings and I smile when I see Courtney’s face on the screen.

  “Hey Court.” I greet, balancing my phone between my chin and my shoulder.

  “Are you here yet?” She asks me, her tone full of excitement.

  “Yeah, we arrived about an hour ago. We have just been to the supermarket and are heading back home now.”

  Courtney screeches down the phone. “I can’t wait to see you! I’m going to make my way over and then we need to plan the weekend. We are going to have an amazing time.”

  I chuckle at her enthusiasm. “I can’t wait to see you either. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Laters,” she replies before hanging up.

  When we arrive back at the house, it is to find Courtney already sitting on the doorstep waiting for us. As soon as she sees me, she throws herself at me, making me drop the shopping bags to the floor. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tight.

  “You cut your hair.” I observe, as I lean back to take her in.

  She nods. “Don’t you think it makes me look sophisticated?”

  I chuckle. “You look cute.”

  She pulls her face. “Cute is not what I’m aiming for. I want to attract older, more mature men now, not school boys who talk about nothing but football and gaming.”

  I tug gently on one of her chin length dark waves. I have always been envious of Courtney’s olive skin. Her mum is white British and her dad is Indian and she is the perfect blend of the two. She is also extremely bright and a total whizz at Maths.

  Courtney looks over my shoulder and she smiles warmly at Izzy. “You must be Izzy?” She releases me and sweeps Izzy into a hug. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you. Does that sound crazy?”

  Izzy smiles. “Not at all. I feel the same about you. I’m so thrilled Everly’s brought me with her this weekend.”

  Courtney places an arm over Izzy’s shoulder, and she winks at me. “Ladies, we are going to have a great girl’s weekend. Oh, by the way, I hope it’s okay if I stay over?” she asks, gesturing to the backpack on her back.

  I shake my head, smiling. “Like you even need to ask. We’ll bring the mattress down off my old bed and then we can all camp out in the front room.”

  An hour later we are sitting eating chocolate and crisps, all sitting around the low coffee table in the front room on cushions. Courtney has been filling me in on all the local gossip and it honestly feels like I haven’t been away.

  “So,” Courtney says, waggling her eyebrows, “tell me about this hunk of a boyfriend of yours.”

  I smile and sigh. I can’t help breaking out into a shit-eating grin whenever I think about him. “He’s great. We’re great.”

  Izzy chuckles. “The two of them are sickeningly in love. The way he looks at her is just...” she sighs as she searches for the words to describe it, “it’s the way every girl dreams a guy will look at her, with total love and adoration.”

  I bat her comment away with my hand and scoff. “You can talk. You and Dom are just as bad.”

  Izzy grins. “Dom loves me, but it’s not in the all-consuming way Grayson feels about you.” Izzy smiles at Courtney. “You have to see it to understand what I mean.”

  Courtney shakes her head, laughing. “Well, enough with the boy talk. This is a girl’s weekend. So, tonight, Jake Trentham is having a party at his house. His parents have gone off on another camping trip so I thought we could head over there, drink and dance the night away and then tomorrow night, maybe a girly night in? We can do face masks and manicures and watch old cheesy eighties movies like dirty dancing.”

  “That sounds perfect.” I agree and Izzy nods her head in approval, chewing on a mouthful of food.

  Later that evening I am changed and ready to
head out. I’ve opted for jeans and a purple peplum top. My wardrobe now has more labels in it than it ever has before, so I’m careful to choose a less expensive-looking top as I don’t want to give people around here the idea that I’ve changed. Just as I’m about to head downstairs, my phone buzzes and a photo of Grayson appears on my screen. He’s dressed in a navy suit and he looks every inch the perfect male specimen. His brooding face makes my heart flip, as does the caption which says ‘miss you more than words.’

  Grinning from ear-to-ear I message him back, sending him a photo of me with the caption. ‘Miss you too, Posh.’

  My grin quickly fades when memories of his dad giving me the cheque and trying to buy me out of Grayson’s life surface. What kind of man tries to bribe his son’s girlfriend to leave him? I think he was honestly shocked when I didn’t take the cheque. It definitely reaffirmed the low opinion he clearly has of me. I also have to wonder what his game is? Why does he want me gone? And why is it important enough that he’d offer me that much money to do so?

  “Everly, the taxi’s here. Get your arse downstairs now.” Courtney’s voice bellows up the stairs, pulling me from my troubled thoughts. Like it or not, I am going to have to decide what I tell Grayson when I get home. Maybe I’d chat to Izzy about it. She knows what a dick his dad is and she might be able to help me decide what to do about it.

  WE ARRIVE AT JAKE TRENTHAM’S house, which is on a quiet estate about a five-minute drive away. His house is a simple semi-detached and probably worth a fifth of the houses my new friends live in. We head inside and the music pumps through the walls, even the hallway is full of people and we have to push our way through. Courtney guides us through until we reach the kitchen and she finds a bottle opener and opens our drinks. Izzy had looked at us confused when we’d loaded a carrier bag full of cider and she’d asked would there not be drinks at the party. I’d laughed and told her she wasn’t back home now and at parties here, no one could afford to supply the drinks for everyone and they expected you to take your own.

  “Come on, let’s find Jake and say hello,” Courtney says, shouting in my ear over the music. She takes my hand and Izzy takes my other and follows behind us. We head outside into the back garden and find Jake sitting with a group of people on a decked area towards the back.

  “Hey Jake. Look who I’ve brought along,” Courtney announces loudly, pulling the attention of everyone with Jake our way.

  Jake grins as he recognises me. “No way! Is that Everly Taylor?”

  I smile and feeling self-conscious; I nod my head. “It sure is.”

  Jake shakes his head, smiling. “Man, I haven’t seen you since school. How you been?”

  “Good. I guess,” I reply.

  Jake nods and his smiles softens to one of sympathy. “I was sorry to hear about your mum.”

  I shuffle my feet as I feel the sympathetic looks on everyone’s faces. “Thanks.”

  Jake springs up from his seat and comes between Courtney and me. His eyes land on Izzy and he smiles a lazy, flirty grin her way. “Who is the redhead?”

  Izzy rolls her eyes but smiles. “I’m Izzy. I’m friends with Everly.”

  Jake nods. “Nice accent.” He turns back to me. “You mixing with the posh people now, girl?”

  I chuckle. “Yeah, something like that. Izzy’s great though, trust me.”

  Jake nods, and he gestures in greeting with his head to Izzy. “Now I have someone who I know will want to see you. Come on.” Keeping his arms around us, he guides us inside and through the kitchen to a second lounge area.

  “Hey Ty, look who I found.”

  My heart flips a little when my eyes meet those of Tyler Kingston. He’s sitting down at a large l-shaped sofa with a group of other guys and girls. Tyler Kingston was a guy I’d had a huge crush on for about three years at school. He had been in the year above me at school. God, I’d had it bad for him.

  Tyler no longer looked like a boy, but a man. He is muscular and has an array of tattoos on his arms. His mid-brown hair is bleached blonde now, and it actually really suits him and gives him even more of a bad-boy aura than he’d always had. Tyler Kingston is was every inch the bad boy, always in trouble at school, and like Grayson he has this confidence and arrogance about him that draws you in.

  I feel Tyler’s eyes skim me up and down, and he gives me a relaxed smile. Nothing ever fazes him, and you never can tell what he is thinking behind those blue-grey eyes of his.

  “Long time no see stranger,” he says, tipping his beer bottle to me in greeting.

  The girl sitting closely at his side, with her hand possessively on his leg, glares at me.

  The last time I had seen Tyler it had been at a party and we’d been talking in the kitchen of whoever’s house we were at and he’d suddenly reached out and pulled me against him and kissed me. Shortly after that my mum was diagnosed with cancer and I hadn’t seen him since that night.

  Tyler smirks at me and it’s almost as if he can read my mind and he knows that I’m thinking about that kiss. I doubt he’d given it a second thought since. Tyler attracts girls to him life a moth to a flame. Girls are drawn in by his bad-boy image,

  “Right, we are going dancing,” Courtney announces, pulling me from my thoughts. She ducks down from under Jakes arm and takes my hand into hers. “Catch you later, Tyler,” she tells him.

  “Oh you will,” he replies, his slow, sexy smile lingers on my face as I’m pulled away.

  “Who was that?” Izzy asks with arched brows.

  Courtney chuckles and beats me to it. “That was the guy that my friend here had a huge crush on for years.”

  Izzy’s eyebrows rise even higher. “You sure have a type.”

  I roll my eyes. “Come on, guys. We all have stupid crushes.”

  Courtney grins. “She was obsessed. She would watch him from afar at parties and point blank refused to try to speak to him. When they were introduced, she just blushed and mumbled a barely there hello and scuttled off as quickly as she could.”

  Izzy tilts her head, looking at me. “I can’t imagine you being shy around a boy. I mean the moment you met Grayson, you were in his face challenging him.”

  I shrug and pick at the label on my bottle. “I was younger then, less hardened by the world.”

  ‘Dancing time ladies!” Courtney shouts as we weave into the lounge area that is packed with people dancing and couples dry humping each other.

  After about twenty minutes of dancing, my bladder screams at me for relief and I leave the girls and take off to find the bathroom. I climb the stairs and step over a couple that are eating each other’s faces off in the middle of the stairway. As I’m heading up the stairs, Tyler is making his way down and he grins when he sees me.

  “If you’re heading for the bathroom, the queue’s huge.” As he gets level with me, he snags my hand into his and guides me back downstairs. “Come on, there’s another loo down here that I don’t think anyone else has discovered.” He leads us through the hallway and the kitchen and into a small laundry room and closes the door behind us. He gestures with his head to another door in the room. “There you go, no queue.”

  With a quick thank you, I head inside and empty my bladder. Is he waiting for me out there? If so, I hope I had pee’d quietly if he was out there.

  When I step back out. Tyler is leaning against the washer. “So, how long are you home?”

  I lean against the worktop opposite him, and our legs almost touch the room is so narrow. “Just the weekend.”

  He nods, chewing on his lip, while he continues studying me. “Do you remember the last time we saw each other?”

  I scoff, smiling. “I do. I’m surprised you do.”

  He tilts his head and his brow wrinkles. “Why’s that?”

  I shrug, darting my gaze away from him. “I imagine you kiss a lot of girls at parties.”

  He lets out a deep, throaty chuckle. “I remember kissing you. Trust me.” He suddenly takes a step forward until there is no sp
ace between us and places his hands on my hips.

  I put out a hand on his chest, to stop whatever it is he is thinking of doing. “I have a boyfriend now.”

  He sighs, smiling. “You do, huh? That’s a mighty shame.” He reaches out and runs his thumb along my bottom lip. “Is it serious?”

  I lift my head up and meet his eyes. “It is.” It’s hard to believe that I’m here turning down the one boy that I’d obsessed over for years.

  He nods his head, studying me intently. “I’m not a good person, Everly Taylor. I don’t care if you have a boyfriend. I’ve wanted you for some time and I still want you now. There’s something about you that intrigues me. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to know what you look like in a morning wrapped up in my bedsheets.” He leans his hips against mine and takes both my hands in his. “And I’ve been told that at one time you wanted me too.”

  I sigh. Timing is a bitch. Two years ago I could only dream about this moment and two years ago I’d have reached up on my toes and kissed him and asked him to take me home and do bad things to me, but that was before. Before a guy with piercing blue eyes came into my world and made me feel things I’ve never felt with anyone else.

  I gently pull my hands from his and sigh. “You’re right. At one time, you were all I wanted, and I’d have done anything to hear what you just said, but I love my boyfriend. He’s everything to me and I won’t risk that in order to live out my schoolgirl fantasies.”

  He nods and smiles. “I guess I should have made you mine when I had the chance then. Your boyfriend’s a very lucky guy. I hope he knows that.” I startle when he reaches out and puts his hand in my jean pocket and pulls out my phone. “But I’m ever the optimist, so I’m going to put my number in your phone,” he tells me. He takes my finger and places my thumb on the screen and then types his number in. “If things don’t work out with prince charming, call me.” He hands me back my phone and with a quick kiss to my forehead he is gone, leaving me breathless and in shock. Tyler Kingston has just told me in no uncertain terms that he wanted me, and I knocked him back. Oh, the irony.