Clash (The Forever Duet #2)

by Jennah Thornhill

  Chapter Eighteen

  Neil

  Seeing Serena behind Bonnie has made my balls shrivel up and die. I cup them in my palm just to make sure they’re still there. I don’t get much time to think about it, though, because Bonnie has a hold of me and is dragging me through to the living room. I come to a stop, crashing into her, and cautiously I look up. Why the fuck didn’t I ring her first? Oh yeah, because I’m a twat and like to surprise her.

  “Serena,” I say in a cheerier tone than I’m feeling, “long time no see.” I force a smile, but I’m sure it looks more like a grimace. I feel like a child standing here and facing punishment from the headteacher. Her hands are on her hips and she does not look amused. She looks more like a bulldog chewing on a wasp right now.

  “Start talking, Montgomery.”

  Dropping to the sofa, I rest my elbows on my knees and run my hands through my hair; tonight, has turned out so much different to what I thought it would.

  “Shall I pour us some more wine, maybe?” Bonnie tries to lighten the situation with alcohol—I’m not sure that’s wise though.

  “This is to do with you, too, so no. Someone needs to start fucking talking. You do realise this is making me wait even longer for food, so come on.”

  “Fine.” I pipe up. “Me and Bon have been seeing each other.”

  Serena’s eyes go wide.

  “You’re just gonna blurt that shit out?” Bonnie asks, shocked.

  “Bon, how do you want me to tell her? You weren't going to do it!” This fucking shit is messed up. We’re adults for fucks sake. “Look, Serena, we would have told you, but we weren't even sure at the time where we wanted to take this.”

  “And now?” She eyeballs me, waiting for an answer. She’s a little scary. “Well, Is it serious? For fuck’s sake. You have a girlfriend, Neil.”

  Don’t I know it. I don’t say that out loud, though. “Please don’t bring Sarah into this. For one, you don’t even like her—but I do know how you feel about cheating and shit, and I’m not the kind to do this—but Sarah and I haven’t been close for, well, a while.”

  “And that makes it okay to screw my best friend and break her heart does it?”

  “What?” So now she just assumes I’m an arsehole. “Who said I ‘ll break her heart? Serena, just because you were hurt does not mean every situation will end that way. Give me a little credit.”

  “Neil, someone always gets hurt in these situations.” Her eyes fall downcast.

  I’m guessing she’s remembering her own situation before Dylan. A scorned woman and all that.

  “And I don’t need her coming to the office and starting shit.”

  While Serena and I have a stare off, Bonnie aggressively pushes herself up from the settee.

  “This,” she shouts over us, “isn’t getting us anywhere.” She looks at Serena first before turning to me. “Why don’t you go for now. Leave it to me.”

  “You shouldn’t do this on your own,” I state quietly.

  “Maybe not, but I think it’ll be better.” Taking my hand, she drags me from the room back to the front door. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Promise?”

  She nods, not taking her eyes from mine.

  I’ve never seen Bonnie like this before. I have an urge to take this away from her and deal with it my own way, but I know I can’t. I probably shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself, and so with my hands framing her face, I tenderly steal a quick kiss. “Make sure you do.” Stepping back over the doorstep, I turn back to take one last look at her and mouth, “I’m sorry.”

  “This is on both of us. Now, get lost and let me see if I can make this right with my best friend.”

  I get in my car but wait for her to shut the door before I pull away from the curb. Once she’s disappeared from sight, I make my way to Dylan’s.

  “Hey, dude,” Dylan says as he opens the door to me.

  I walk straight through to the kitchen and grab a beer from the fridge. Twisting the cap off, I throw it in the bin before taking a long pull from the bottle. I gasp for breath as I move it from my lips, holding it up in front of me and slamming it down.

  “You okay?”

  “Define okay. Do you mean, am I okay because your girlfriend has gone round to see her best friend, which by the way happens to be the girl I’ve been—”

  “Shagging.”

  “No, you fucker, not shagging.” I turn to him, “I think a lot more of her than that.”

  “Hang on. Did you just say Serena went to Bonnie’s and she caught you there?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Oh bollocks! That means I’m in for it next. I tell you now, I value my fucking balls, and I don’t fancy wearing them as a bow tie and”—his finger stabs me in the chest— “I’m not taking any backlash from this. She’ll hurt me more than fucking you for keeping it a secret.”

  “Oh, chill out, and stop being a pussy,” I tell him. I can’t deal with his whining right now.

  Dylan shoves me out the way of the fridge door and grabs himself a beer, twisting off the cap and gulping it down.

  “I think I love her.”

  The mouthful of beer Dylan has taken spurts out of his mouth. With the back of his hand, he wipes the remnants away while he chokes. “Seriously?” he asks on a swallow.

  “Seriously. I think I love her.”

  “Fuck me, Neil. I’m not really surprised, if I’m honest, but I think you have one other problem to sort out first, mate, before you start with declarations of love.”

  “I know. I need to end it with Sarah. Saying that, I’m pretty certain we’re done anyway: she kicked me out before I went over to Bonnie’s. Some fucker is messing with us, mate. She got a note telling her to ask me who I was sleeping with. When I got back from the office, she was waiting for me with it.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Bonnie’s had a note, too. I have to do what’s right. I don’t know who the fuck it is, but I’ll find out. And when I do, they can fucking look out.”

  Bonnie’s probably gonna chop my dick off for telling Dylan, but I had to. We work better together, and together we will find the fucker.

  Swigging off the rest of my beer, I smack the top of his arm. “Look, say whatever you need to Serena. I don’t expect you to take the fall for me. I’ll take care of this, I swear.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”

  With a small chuckle, I put the bottle down on the side and walk back through the kitchen, stopping at the door and leaning against it. “I’m off. Thanks, mate.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You never do.” Laughing out loud at my own joke, I leave Dylan’s and set out to put this shit right.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Bonnie

  I couldn’t hate myself any more than I do right now.

  I’m a terrible person, but mostly I’m a terrible friend.

  The disappointment on Serena's face hurts more than if someone had told me I couldn’t design my fashion line anymore. I could tell Neil hadn’t wanted to leave my house, but I have to fix this—explain to her what’s been going on properly without Neil and his bluntness.

  I’m one hundred percent sure that if she could have gotten away with it, she would have cut his balls off right here in the middle of my living room.

  “You have a lot of fucking talking to do, and I don’t want the watered-down version. I want to know everything. You’ve been keeping shit from me... of all people. Your best fucking friend.”

  I can hear the hurt in her voice, and it breaks my heart. We’ve been best friends for so long that she’s practically my sister from another mister.

  Walking past her, I don’t say a word. I need wine for this. Picking up my half full glass from the table, I practically gulp the lot down in one before heading to the fridge and pulling out the open bottle and pouring myself another one. With that done, I sink onto one the
chairs at the table and twirl the stem of my glass between my fingers. I can see Serena standing in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest, waiting for me to say something. I just don’t know where to start.

  “You can look at me like I’m shit; I deserve it.” My voice is barely audible, but she hears me and comes to sit across from me.

  “You aren’t shit, Bon.” She leans forward and takes my hand in hers, making me look her in the eye. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s been going on.”

  She’s going for soothing, but it doesn’t help—it doesn’t make this any easier. Letting the stem of my glass go, I pick it up and swallow down the contents, enjoying the fruity flavours as they slide down my throat. Pressing my lips into a thin line and then dipping my tongue out to wet them, I give her hand a squeeze and start to tell her everything.

  “Remember the night you came here—the night he punched that guy out for touching you in the bar and Neil brought me home?”

  She shudders but answers. “Yes.”

  “Well, he did bring me home. Only, one thing led to another, and before we could stop it, we were fucking.”

  “I bloody well knew it. Dylan said Neil’s excuse for being here was bullshit.” She slams a fist on the table, making me jump. “Shit, I’m sorry. Please, carry on.”

  “It was only supposed to be a one-night thing—a mistake—but then we’ve been working together, and shit has developed. Feelings have become involved—well they have for me, anyway.” I tip the remaining wine from the bottle into my glass, taking yet another mouthful before I continue. “I’ve tried to stop it, I really have. It wasn’t supposed to get this far, but honest to God, Serena: the man is so far under my skin, I’m not sure where I begin, and he ends. If I listen to my heart, it’s telling me that I love him, but my head…My head is so messed up, I think it would be best if he just went back to Sarah.” Tears begin to trail down my cheeks: it’s the first time I’ve admitted to myself that I love him and, talk about shit timing, I had to go and tell Serena at the same time.

  “Oh, Bon. You’ve got yourself into a right mess, haven’t you?” She lets go of my hand and comes around to stand in front of me, pulling me into her arms so my head is pressed against her belly. Serena hugs are usually the best kind—with a Serena hug any shit storm never seems so bad—but this time, I don’t even think her comforting me when she should be berating me is going to help.

  Sniffling, I pull away from her and wipe my face on my pyjama top sleeve as she sits back down. “Oh, it gets better, believe me,” I tell her with a raise of my eyebrows. I tell her all about the note I’d received through my letter box and how I think it’s just someone trying to be a knobhead.

  “Bon, that shit is serious. You can’t just ignore it.” Worry lines crease her forehead, and I can tell she’s scared for me. “It’s fine, I haven’t had another one since, and if I’m honest, whoever it was, was just taking a wild shot. They don’t know anything because no one knows—only me, Neil and—” I stop talking, not wanting to drop Dylan in the shit, but Serena being Serena, she picks up on the fact that there is someone else.

  “And who, Bon? Who else knows about you two?”

  Fuck!

  There’s no getting out of it now. I say a silent apology to Dylan and his dick when I whisper, “Dylan knows.”

  “What the fuck, Bon? How does he know, and I didn’t?”

  Oh, she’s pissed.

  “He’s not stupid. Plus, he caught us kissing one time.”

  “That fucker. He’s known and he hasn’t said a word to me.”

  I think she’s actually more pissed at Dylan than she is me right now. “Look, Serena. Don't be mad at him, please? If anything, he didn’t tell you because he wanted to protect you: he knows how you feel about cheating, and he probably didn’t want you to think less of me or Neil.”

  She looks at me and purses her lips. “I’m not promising anything.” And that’s all I get before I hear a noise coming from my front door.

  For fuck sake, what now?

  We both get up from our seats and go to the door. Lying there on my hallway floor is another envelope like the last one I received. My hands start to shake this time as I pick it up and open it.

  “Bon, what is it?”

  Pulling the piece of paper from the envelope, I don’t answer her as I read what’s written in bold letters:

  Just because Sarah now knows about you two, it doesn’t mean you get to live happily ever after. Sluts don’t get to be happy.

  They pay for their sins.

  A shocked gasp leaves me, and I have to put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from throwing up. Sarah doesn’t know. If she did Neil would have told me. Then it hits me: the realisation. That’s why he came over. He knows Sarah knows about us.

  “Bon, talk to me.”

  I know Serena wants me to answer her, but I can’t. Speech is something I’m incapable of right now.

  My stomach starts to recoil on a loop, and I can no longer control the puke that’s threatening to evacuate my body. Letting the note drop to the floor, I run straight up the stairs to the bathroom, collapsing to my knees and proceeding to empty the contents of my stomach.

  What the fuck have I done?

  Chapter Twenty

  Neil

  Abandoning my car outside the house, I lock it up as I make my way to the front door. With my hand on the door handle, I pause for just a second, giving myself a breather and run over in my head what I need to say to Sarah. Pressing down on the handle and barging through the door, I almost fall over all the shit that’s on the floor.

  “What the fuck?” Running my gaze over my luggage. “Sarah?” I shout walking through the house.

  She strolls in from the kitchen, looking innocent.

  “Are you going somewhere?”

  “Me? No. But you are.”

  In all honesty I could look at this as a get out of jail free clause because she’s done the hard part for me—she’s even bagged my stuff up, I should be thankful—but me being me, I can’t leave it here.

  “Sarah—”

  “Do me a favour Neil and get out. Go to your whore or wherever it is you're going to go.”

  “Can’t you let me explain?”

  “Why, so you can tell me more lies? No thanks. Spare me your excuses.”

  My phone begins to ring in my pocket, but I ignore it for now and whoever it is hangs up—it’ll be Bonnie anyway. I’ll ring her back. “You know, Sarah, have you ever given any thought to the fact that this is partly your fault? If you weren’t such a hateful bitch, it wouldn’t have come to this.”

  My phone rings again immediately.

  “Shit!” I growl at the offending ringing.

  “I suppose that’s your whore, now.” Her eyes roll and she goes back to the kitchen.

  “Sarah!” I shout, pulling my phone from my back pocket. When I look at the screen, though, it’s not Bonnie's name: it’s Serena’s. Answering the call, I hold my phone up to my ear. I don’t even get a chance to say hello before Serena speaks.

  “You need to get your ass back here, ASAP.”

  “Serena, what’s going on? Can’t you give me half an hour at least? I said I was gonna sort this.” I speak in hushed tones. I don’t need Sarah to know I had this planned.

  “Neil,” Serena says firmly, “Bonnie needs you.” With those final three words, she hangs up on me. What the fuck? I slide my phone into my back pocket and waver for just a second. I’m stuck between finishing this here and getting it over with and going straight back to Bonnie. If she doesn’t need me, Serena wouldn’t have rung me—she would have dealt with it. Fuck it!

  As I head back towards the front door, Sarah’s voice stops me. “You’ve got until tomorrow to come get your shit. Any later and some poor homeless man is going to get all your things.”

  “I’ll be back don’t worry.”

  Running out of the door and getting into my car, I put
it in gear and get to Bonnie’s as quickly as the speed limits will let me.

  Serena pulls open the door before I’ve even got to the top of the path.

  “What’s going on?”

  Rushing down the hallway, I push through the door and into the front room I was standing in less than an hour ago to find Bonnie curled up on the settee in the foetal position.

  “Bonnie.” I dart over to her, crouching at her side and softly lifting her chin. Her eyes are red from the tears she’s already shed. “Baby. What the fuck has happened? Has someone hurt you?”

  Serena comes to stand at my side and shoves a piece of paper in my face. I glance between Serena and Bonnie before taking and open it out.

  I read the words written, and in my anger, I screw it up in my fist, throwing it across the room. Everything in me wants to hit something, but then I see the despair on Bonnie’s face it brings me back to earth a bit. I swear, when I find the bastard who’s doing this, they had better have him protected because I can’t promise I won’t fucking kill whoever it is.

  “Bonnie. Look at me.”

  She lifts her head and looks into my eyes before moving from the settee and into my lap, throwing her arms around my neck.

  I hold her close to me as tightly as I can. “I promise no one will hurt you. I swear to fucking God.”

  Feeling her tremble as her cries wrack her body wounds me. I’m so fucking angry right now.

  Standing with her in my arms, I tell Serena I’m taking her upstairs and that I’ll be back.

  Serena holds the door open for me and I carry her through the gap and up the stairs, laying her down in the middle of the bed.

  “Don’t go. Please don’t leave me.”

  “I just need to speak to Serena and then I’ll be back with you. I’m not leaving this house, okay?” Her hands loosen and she drops her arms to her side giving me a small nod. I stand upright, and when I’m about to turn away to go back down to Serena, Bonnie stops me, tugging on my hand.

  “Neil. Who’s doing this to us?”

  “I have no idea, sweetheart, but I’ll find out.” Lifting her hand and tenderly kissing her knuckles, I give her a soft smile. “I won’t be long.”