by Amiee Louise
“Get the fuck off me J.D., Sam’s got his own mind. He knows what you’re like.”
J.D moves closer to me and backs me into the wall.
“He doesn’t need you in his life. I know he has stupidly fallen in love with you, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. But I’m not going to stand by and watch him get his heart ripped out again. Just walk away, you fucking little whore.”
I struggle with J.D., and he tightens his steel grip on my arm. He is so close I can feel his warm alcohol breath on my cheek.
“I know about you and Sam, J.D, I know you manipulated him into having sex with you,” I whisper, and his eyes widen in shock. It takes him a few seconds to process, and then he straightens, rolling his shoulders.
“I wasn’t the one who did the manipulating, sweetheart; he was more than a willing participant if my memory serves me right.”
He smiles maniacally, and I pull my arm away from him.
“Get the fuck away from me. How could you do that to him?” I spit out.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about; you’re just a naïve and pathetic little girl who happens to be flavour of the month. He’ll find someone else soon, and he’ll move on when he is bored.”
I look up defiantly at him. “You don’t fucking scare me.”
He laughs bitterly. He grips me around my throat and pins me to the wall.
“Well, you should be fucking scared, you little slut.”
I hear a voice come out of nowhere and J.D loosens his grip.
“Hey, get the fuck away from her, J.D.,” Lucas shouts in his thick American accent, and my heart is pounding so hard. I feel like it might jump out of my chest, and I begin to think I am way out of my depth.
24
Peyton
“What the fuck is going on? Are you OK, Peyton?”
I look at Lucas and nod. He is looking extremely handsome tonight; his dark brown hair is spiked into a faux hawk, which sets off his flawless bronzed skin. He is wearing dark-blue jeans, a black vest, and a black suit jacket, which emphasises his broad muscular shoulders. I can’t say I have ever noticed him before because he is the quietest member of the band, but tonight he is certainly excelling himself.
“Lucas, I’m fine, honestly,” I say quietly. I start to shake, and Lucas puts his arm around me.
“Jesus Christ, what the fuck have you done to her, J.D.?”
“I haven’t got time for this shit now, Lucas,” J.D. says intolerantly and storms off down the corridor, ignoring Lucas’ question.
“Hey, it’s all right. I’ve got you, honey. Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Lucas’ warm, concerned, blue eyes regard me intently, and his voice is soft and soothing.
“He-he threatened me. He has been doing it for weeks,” I manage to choke out, and he stands in front of me gripping both of my arms, as if he is checking me over.
“Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m fine, thank you so much for riding to my rescue.”
He laughs. “Just call me … What is it people in England say? A knight in shining armour?” I laugh genuinely. “If he threatens you again, come and find me, honey. He can’t get away with this.”
I nod, grateful that he believes me, and he witnessed it first-hand.
“Lucas, please don’t tell Sam,” I plead. He is about to protest but stops himself; he makes a cross over his heart and blows me a kiss. I smile shyly.
“Come on, honey, let me get you a drink. You look like you could use one.”
I go back into the club with Lucas, and the party is in full swing. There is a sea of people dancing on the dance floor and people standing in groups chatting. I spot Danny talking to a tall guy with highlighted hair, and I decide to leave him to it. I go to the bar with Lucas, and Ruby bounces over to me.
“There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere, babe!”
Lucas gets me a large glass of white wine, and I take a big gulp, relishing the warm fuzzy feeling the alcohol creates in my stomach.
“Thanks, Lucas.”
Lucas smiles and brushes my arm. “Remember what I said, honey?”
His concern is welcome, and I appreciate that at least one member of Sam’s band actually believes what J.D. is capable of. Ruby looks at me and narrows her eyes.
“What was that all about?”
I shake my head. “It’s nothing, I’ll tell you later, babe.”
Ruby and I chat for a while, catching up on the night so far, leaving out the part where J.D threatened me. We go onto the dance floor and dance to our favourite club tunes. I get a few more drinks in me and feel comfortably tipsy.
I go off down the corridor and into the toilets. I hear raucous laughter from the office that Sam and I were in earlier. I walk to the office and curiously listen at the door.
“So she knows you’ve been in rehab, so fucking what? Lighten up; she doesn’t need to know that you still do the occasional bit of Charlie, dude.”
I recognise the voice as Brody. Brody laughs, and my eyes widen, I cannot believe what I’m hearing.
“You know, you and I were close before she came along. It’s like she has your balls in a vice or something, slowly squeezing the fucking life out of you,” Brody slurs.
“I love her so fucking much, Brody. She has changed me for the better, I gave up all this shit for her. This is the last fucking time; I can’t carry on lying to her, she is going to find out that I was in there for more than drug addiction and it’s going to fucking crush her, it will destroy us for good this time.”
Sam’s voice is barely audible. Destroy us? What could he possibly mean by that?
“Come on, Sammy, you can’t honestly believe that. Live a little. Some of the best night’s we’ve had have been while we’re off our faces. Why end the party now? Just because of the old ball and chain? It was never like that with Lyla.”
Who is Lyla? I can’t bring myself to listen to anymore. I fling open the door to the office and see at least a dozen white powder lines all over the desk. Brody and Sam are leaning over sniffing line after line of cocaine through rolled up twenty-pound notes. Brody looks up.
“Oops! Caught red-handed by the missus!”
He giggles, and Sam looks wide-eyed in my direction. My eyes are glazed over.
“This is fucking awkward!” Brody laughs again, and his eyes are glossy.
“Baby, please, wait I can explain.”
I look at Sam in disgust and raise my voice. “No, you don’t get to call me baby.”
He steps towards me, and I shake my head.
“Don’t fucking bother, just stay away from me, Sam,” I shout, turn around, and storm off down the corridor. I hear Sam shouting after me, but I don’t turn around, and I don’t bother going back into the club or saying goodbye to Danny and Ruby. I go straight out into the street, and the cool air hits me. I suddenly feel a little more drunk than I realised.
“Do you need a taxi, Peyton?”
Skip smiles, and I nod, not meeting his gaze. He flags down a black cab, and it pulls up at the kerb.
“Thanks, Skip.”
He salutes and smiles. My feet are screaming in my heels; I knew I should never have listened to Danny’s style advice. I take off my shoes and step into the taxi. As I close the door of the taxi, I see Sam standing in the entrance of the club running his hands frantically through his hair. I can see his deeply wounded expression and what looks like a heated exchange between Skip and him as the taxi drives away with me sat in the back.
“Where to, love?” the driver’s voice cuts through my whirling thoughts.
“Give me a sec, please just drive.”
The driver nods. I get out my phone and dial the first number I think of.
“Hey, honey bunny,” Seb’s soft, soothing voice fills my ear, and I let out a sob. “Honey, talk to me, is everything OK?”
I clear my throat. “Can I come over please, Seb?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “Of c
ourse you can, darlin’, you know that you’re welcome anytime day or night.”
Relief washes over me.
“I’m in a taxi now.”
“OK, I’ll see you in a little while, honey.”
I sniff. “Thank you so much, Seb.”
“You’re very welcome, sweetheart. See you soon, bye.”
I hang up the phone and lean back heavily in the seat.
“Canonbury Street, Islington, please, mate.”
The driver smiles. I let the tears flow freely, and my phone starts ringing. I see Sam’s name flash up, and I quickly disconnect the call. I don’t want to speak to him; at this moment, I’m not sure if I ever want to see him again. He lied to me, he told me he was in rehab for drug addiction, and then I find him sniffing cocaine. My head is all over the place. My phone starts ringing again—it’s Sam again. I disconnect the call again and switch off my phone.
Soon, we are pulling up outside Seb’s apartment. I pay the taxi driver, pick up my bag and shoes, and exit the taxi. I press the buzzer, and I am buzzed in straight away. I go up one flight of stairs and Seb is waiting on the bright open landing for me with bare feet. As soon as I see him, I break down in tears in his strong, safe arms.
“Hey, shhh, it’s going to be all right. Come on inside, honey.” He takes me inside and closes the door behind him. “Sit down; make yourself comfortable, I’ll get you a drink.”
I sit down on his large corner sofa. Seb’s place is a plush, spacious, light, and airy four-bedroom apartment. It has made a feature of the modern brickwork, teaming it with clean white walls and wooden flooring throughout.
“Tea, coffee, water, wine, whiskey, or vodka?” Seb leans in the kitchen doorway.
“Vodka, please, babe, I need it.”
He nods and pours us both large glasses. He brings the drinks out and puts them down on the table in front of the sofa before he sits down next to me.
“Do you want to tell me what’s happened, honey?”
I take a long pull on my vodka and enjoy the burn in my throat.
“Where do I start?”
Seb smirks. “The beginning usually helps, babe!”
I smile.
“First of all, Callum turned up with Savannah, Sam’s sister, and the woman he cheated on me with. She started spreading her poison and generally being a complete bitch. She told me that Sam had been in rehab.”
Seb lowers his gaze, avoiding eye contact.
“You fucking knew, didn’t you?” I snap.
“I thought you knew already, babe.”
“Apparently, I’m the only one that didn’t.”
I drain what is left in my glass and Seb raises his eyebrows.
“I’m assuming there’s more?”
I nod. “We had a massive row; he turned it around on me basically telling me that he thinks Callum is the third person in our relationship.”
I look at Seb, trying to decipher his reaction.
“Maybe he is right, babe. You have been seeing a lot of him lately. He is your ex because he cheated on you.”
I shake my head.
“We had a heart to heart a few days ago. He explained everything, and about why he freaked out when he found out I was pregnant. He was actually honest with me for once.”
Seb takes a sip of his drink before admitting, “I didn’t think that boy knew how to be fucking honest.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“I came here because I needed to talk, not to be judged, Seb.”
He puts his glass down and holds his hands up.
“I’m not judging, babe. I’d never judge you, I’m just being honest. Would you prefer it if I lied to you?”
I shake my head and get to my feet. I need another drink to finish relaying the rest of the night to Seb.
“Where do you keep your vodka, babe?”
He laughs throatily and shakes his head. “In the kitchen, honey.”
I walk barefoot across the floor and into the kitchen. I can feel Seb’s eyes burning into me as I am walking. I grab the bottle and go back into the living room, sit down on the sofa, and tuck my legs underneath me, making myself comfortable. I pour myself another large glass of vodka.
“Don’t you think you should slow down, babe?”
I shake my head. “I’m nowhere near drunk enough to deal with all of this shit, Seb.”
I take a long gulp of my drink, and Seb regards me intently.
“I can’t stand seeing you this way, Peyton, fucking rock stars.”
His jaw tenses and he frowns. I turn to look at him. I take in his strong masculine jawline, sharp, rugged features, and his deep-blue eyes. It feels as if I am just seeing him for the first time.
“Why can’t all men be like you, Seb?”
He laughs, and he leans back on the sofa.
“Because the world would be a very boring place, honey.”
I put my glass down and stroke his rough, stubbled cheek.
“You’re kind, sweet, caring, and honest, and the gentlest soul I know.”
He cocks his eyebrow. “If you want to carry on stroking my ego, I’ll gladly sit back and let you, but you won’t remember any of this in the morning.”
He smiles. I scoot closer to him and rest my head on his shoulder. He puts his muscular corded arm around me and kisses the top of my head.
“Everyone said that we were perfect for each other, why didn’t I listen?”
A tear escapes from my eye, and I wipe it away.
“Please don’t say stuff like that, babe.”
I look up at him. “It’s true; I’ve been ignoring someone who’s been under my nose for years.”
“I’ve wanted to hear you say that for years. I guess I just stopped hoping, but when you called earlier, I literally had to stop myself from coming to get you and riding to your rescue.”
I run my finger down his chest; he leans down and kisses me passionately on the lips. His lips are so warm and soft; I instantly lose myself in the kiss. He lays me down gently on the sofa, and I find myself kissing him back, enjoying the feel of his lips on mine. I grip his t-shirt and pull him closer to me. I can feel his erection straining against me, and he pulls away quickly. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. We are both breathless and flustered.
“Fuck! Shit! I’m so sorry. That shouldn’t have happened, honey,” he curses, and I drop my gaze. He pulls me upright and gets to his feet.
“I’ll call you a taxi.”
He leaves the room, leaving me on the sofa speechless and in complete shock at what just happened. Seb and me, me and Seb, we kissed. An actual full-on snog, I kissed him back and actually enjoyed it. What the fuck?
25
Peyton
I wake the next morning with a banging headache and a mouth that feels drier than Gandhi's flip-flop. I don’t remember getting home last night and the after-effects of drinking last night are setting in. I wake to the phone ringing constantly and the buzzer of the flat ringing. I don’t have time to dwell on my hangover; I go out into the living room to investigate. As I open my bedroom door, I hear Ruby pick up the phone and shout in frustration.
“Just fuck the fuck off!”
She looks at me and narrows her eyes.
“That fucking phone and that buzzer haven’t stopped ringing since half past seven this morning. That shit should be illegal on a Saturday morning.”
I put my hand to my head.
“I’m so sorry, babe,” she says on a sigh. I know Ruby doesn’t function unless she has at least a full eight or nine hours sleep.
“Are you going to tell me what the fuck happened last night? I was so worried about you; you just left without a word. I was calling you for ages.”
The phone starts ringing again and even I am getting sick of hearing it. We both leave it to ring, and Ruby goes into the kitchen to make us some coffee. The answering machine picks up a message.
“Hey, honey, it’s Seb. I wanted to apologise for last night. I d
idn’t mean for that to happen. Anyway, there’s press camped out outside the shop. I know it’s your day off, but I just thought I would warn you. Call me please, darlin’, let me know that you’re OK. Bye.”
Ruby leans over the breakfast bar and raises her eyebrows.
