by G. Bailey
I can’t help myself when I say, "Well, at least we know she enjoys it, the screaming is a good reaction, I think." I laugh when Emilia’s face goes bright red.
"Right, on that note, I’m off, so I’ll see you later, Al," she says, picking up her coat and bag. One look out the window at the pouring rain, and I know she will need the coat.
“See you later,” I say, and she gives me a small hug before walking to the door.
I wave goodbye and go back to my laptop. I spend way too long trying to write something useful before slamming it shut and leaning back in my chair. I don’t know what’s wrong with me at the moment, not even dancing is chilling me out like it used to. I now run a dance class every Saturday morning, since my old instructor became pregnant and left. I love it, and recently, I convinced Izzy to come to one of my classes. Let’s say that it didn’t go well, she dances like a fish on land, literally flopping about. A few more weeks and, hopefully, I can teach her some things. I wasn’t very good when I started, either, but I like to think I am now. Thankfully, with the new extension at the gym being built, we have a bigger room, which is, for now, unused, and it’s where no one can look in. The number of creepy guys who would look through the windows in the old room was annoying.
I decide to call my older brother, Tristan, to see if he is okay. I'm really worried about him recently because he has been arguing with my dad, so he blocks me out. Things are getting worse because he keeps turning up with black eyes and bruises. Tris just pretends that he argued with someone over a girl, but I know when he is lying. I grew up with the little fucker; he could never lie to me. His ears always go a little pink and he messes with them. I’m thankful he never grew out of that, even if he is now eighteen. There are only ten months between us, my mum got pregnant really quickly with me after his birth. We used to be really close, but these last few years he has pulled away from me. The same time during which he decided to get many tattoos and several piercings.
"Hey, my handsome, single brother. Are you going to settle down soon? I would like a sister," I say, winding him up slightly. I really think there may be someone because, recently, I haven't seen any one night stands leaving the house, and he hasn’t been coming back too late. People have told me my brother is good-looking, I really don’t know if he is. My brother has short, black hair, a swimmer’s build, and prefers to wear messy clothing. Somehow, he manages to sleep with most of my classmates anyway.
"There isn't anyone who could cope with you as a sister, and hello to you, too, Allie," he mutters, sounding tired.
"Well, I think there is. We shouldn't have secrets, you know. We made that pact when we were like seven," I say.
"We are not kids anymore, Allie," he says, making me feel like sinking into my seat.
"I know," I say quietly, reminding myself that my only blood relative who gives a shit is being cold with me. It’s bothering me because he is usually always there for me or happy to speak to me, but he isn’t now. I don't get it.
"Sorry, Allie, it's just Dad doesn't want you involved, and I agree. There’s a lot going on, and–" he stops with a groan, and I can hear him moving around in the background.
"Involved in what?" I ask, getting angry with him. I feel like we are just repeating the same conversation time and time again. Tristan never kept big secrets from me growing up, and I always told him everything. Our mum was gone, doing god knows what, but I know she couldn't handle being around us. Dad popped in when he wanted to because of work. We had a live-in nanny who hated us, so we decided to look after each other.
"Allie, don't. And another thing, stay away from Elliot King," he says, in a warning tone I’m not used to hearing from him. At least, not around me.
"Why? I'm best friends with both his sister and sister-in-law," I mutter, not knowing why he cares.
"He is bad news, Allie. Promise me you won't get involved with him," he tells me.
"We don't even talk, so don't worry," I say, thinking back to when he took my hand at the hospital, telling me that whatever happened, we would handle it together. I was so scared about the chance of losing my best friend that I didn't realise I needed the support until Elliot gave it to me. He held me close and made me feel safe, a feeling I’ve never had around Elliot before.
"Fine, just stay away from him. I have to go. Dad’s home tomorrow, can you be here?" he asks, knowing I won't say no.
The thing is, I’m sure my dad does care about me. I've heard him shouting at Tristan, but he always stops when I'm near. I seem to have a calming effect on him. I wonder if it's because I look like my mum, whom I know he never got over leaving him. Sometimes, I see him looking at me and not really seeing me. He always tells me I’m a lot like her; I have her personality. But I can’t be too much like her. I would never leave my children with nannies all of their childhood and go off to marry other guys. I regretted checking my Facebook last night, when I saw that she had gotten divorced again. That’s husband number five gone.
"Sure, see you then," I say eventually. I put the phone down before he can reply.
The living room has two large, glass windows, which lead onto a balcony overlooking the University Park. It’s filled with people running to class, and it makes me feel lonely. I have great friends, but they have their own lives. And now Tristan and my dad are distant with me. I try to distract myself from my thoughts by looking at the balcony; it is currently filled with potted herbs and flowers, a thing Emilia likes to do.
"Hey, sexy Allie," Gage says, sitting down next to me at the table and making me jump out of my skin. I didn’t hear him come in.
"Hey, Gage," I mutter, turning to smile at him. It's a shame he’s such a vain guy, as he is good-looking with his short, blond hair, with his nice, tight clothes showing off his toned body, and I’ve seen him walking around shirtless. He has a sexy six-pack. Gage plays rugby with Tristan and, more recently, Blake. I think playing like they do keeps them in really good shape, but, unfortunately, makes Gage love himself too much.
"Why don't you let me take you out tonight, sexy Allie?" He runs his finger up my arm as he speaks.
"I told you I'm behind on coursework, so I can't," I say, which isn't a total lie. I have some coursework that I need to do, but I'm not behind on it.
"Well, why don't I just make you dinner? We could cuddle in my room, or yours." He winks, which really doesn't work for me.
"No, really, I am busy," I say, and I'm so lucky when, at that moment, Blake walks in carrying his shopping.
"Want some help putting that away? I want your advice anyway on a birthday present for Harley," I ask, referring to the oldest King Brother. Despite me and Elliot hating each other, I get along really well with the rest of his family. Mainly because of how close I am to Maisy and Izzy. I think my cooking has a lot to do with it as well; I always try to bring some kind of food over.
"Sure, and oh, Gage, Gina Louis was looking for you. Something about leaving your wallet at hers last night," Blake says with a small smirk. He knows how much Gage has been hitting on me, and he doesn't think Gage is a good guy for me. Blake has become more of an overprotective brother than Tristan. The only problem is, he wants me to be with Elliot and has told me that on more than one occasion.
"Err, thanks," Gage mutters with a glare in Blake’s direction. I watch as he turns to me and opens his mouth to say something. I walk off before he can say anything. I head toward Blake and take a shopping bag from him.
"So did you really want advice, or an escape?" He chuckles as he puts the bags down. I put mine down and start pulling out food to put away.
"An escape. Harley asked me to make him a birthday cake as a present. Typical." I laugh, rolling my eyes as I put the milk away.
"He is a smart man; I want the same in a few weeks, just so you know. So, have you talked to Elliot recently?" he asks.
Blake ducks when I throw a loaf of bread at him, which I just pulled out of the bag.
"Will everyone stop trying to make us get together? It isn
't going to happen,” I tell him with a glare, and the bastard just laughs.
“It's because everyone can see how much you want each other. The only ones who don't see it are you two," Blake says as he pulls out some chocolate bars.
“Anyway, what cake do you want? I think your favourite one was the chocolate fudge, right?" I ask. He shakes his head at me. He knows I’m changing the subject, and I watch as he moves his messy, blond hair out of his eyes. I have to tell him he needs that hair cut soon.
“Anything you make is great, Allie, and one day, you will see I’m right. I’ve known you both long enough,” he says, turning to put some freezer food away.
I think back to when I was thirteen.
"Hey, Elliot is looking at you again," Maisy, my best friend, whispers to me. I blush brightly thinking of the hottest guy in school. Elliot King is perfect with his black hair that is always messy and wavy. Every girl is talking about the King twins, but Sebastian is dating Maisy now, so Elliot is the only one left. There’s a younger brother, too, but he isn’t in our year.
I look over at Elliot, who is sitting with his younger brother, Luke, chatting. Elliot looks good in anything; even our blue uniform tops. As if he feels me looking, his eyes turn to meet mine. Dark-green eyes, like all the Kings have, lock onto my blue ones. I wave slightly as he grins at me.
"I think he likes you," Maisy says, getting my attention.
"I don't think so," I say, looking over at her as she eats her lunch.
"Well, I know you like him." She winks, and I laugh.
"You might know me too well."
"You’re my best friend," is all she says. I look over at Elliot one more time, wishing I had the courage to just go and speak to him.
I didn't know then, but that would be the last day Elliot ever smiled at me, because the next day he would hate me.
I shake my head, pulling myself out of my memories to answer Blake.
"He hates me. I hate him, so no, you’re very wrong. There isn’t a future for us."
"There's a fine line between love and hate, Allie. Haven’t you ever heard that?" Blake says before answering his ringing phone. I ignore his answer because it might be nearer the truth than I will ever admit.
54
Elliot
"Your ribs look worse today, man," I hear my brother Luke say as he comes into my room. I pull my shirt on, groaning at the movement.
"Yeah," I mutter, thinking about the fight last night. The fucker kept going for my ribs in a failed attempt to get me down. Luckily, I learnt years ago how to block out pain.
"A few drinks tonight will help you forget the pain," Luke says, leaning against the door. Luke is wearing a green shirt and black jeans. His hair is shaved on the sides, and he is the only one of my brothers who likes to keep a beard. He has tattoos covering both of his arms and is a slight bit taller than me. It’s weird looking at him now, less the little brother and more a man now. I guess our lifestyles make us grow up a bit quicker.
"I need more than a few." I smile at Luke before running my hands through my messy hair. Looking in the mirror at my face shows I only have a cut lip and a few bruises, so it isn’t too bad. My green eyes glare back at me as I try to shake the image of how much I look like my damn father. The thing is, he always looked too much like me. Seb looks a little like me, but I have all of my father’s looks.
"Let's go," I say, grabbing my keys as I walk out of the house to my car, with Luke following. Tonight is Blake's birthday party at his apartment, and I've been nervous all day about seeing her. Allie Lewis, the girl I’ve been thinking about for way too fucking long.
I want her. It's taken me too damn long to admit that to myself, but I will have her. If not tonight, then eventually. I have a feeling she isn’t going to make this easy for me. I’m not giving up no matter what she decides to do.
"So, I have this date next Friday, and she has a hot friend. Want to double date?" Luke smirks at me.
"No thanks," I say, driving out of our drive. I would prefer to ride my bike, but I can’t tonight with Luke with me.
"What? Come on, I can't ask Blake or Seb now. You’re all I have left." He frowns at me, which makes me laugh. I guess he could ask Harley, but I know his answer would be: hell, no.
"Like you can't handle them both on your own, Luke." I grin at him.
"That's true." Luke sits back with a chuckle. I’m sure he is clearly thinking about the next weekend and how to work the date with two girls. I shake my head, smiling.
I know there is only one, very annoying, girl I want a date with, and I'm going to get one with her. I’ve never been told no before, so she will say yes. I think she will, anyway. Allie has always been a little unpredictable. Everything that comes out her mouth is unfiltered because she says whatever she is thinking at the time. I may have tried my hardest to look like I was avoiding her, but I wasn’t. Whenever Allie was close, I was nearby, even if she didn’t know it. I never admitted to myself why that was, but I’ve always known. Allie is my little secret.
When we pull up at the party, I know it's already very busy from the number of cars I see outside. Blake is dating my sister, Izzy, and we have been friends for years. I know my twin brother is around, so I go looking for him straight away.
I spot Seb with Maisy on his lap. They are both in the open-plan kitchen and sitting on a stool, laughing with each other. Seb may be my twin, but we are not like each other. His hair is perfectly styled and kept short, a dark-brown instead of my black colour. Seb wears expensive, polo shirts and designer jeans, whereas I buy whatever I see first in a store as long as it’s black. Seb did try shopping for me a few times over the years, but once he realised I had been putting the clothes in a box in his room, he stopped. I did keep a few of the shirts, the black ones.
"Hey, how's my nephew?" I ask them straight away. I can’t help but smile as I think of little Jake. He has just started giggling at everything, which is fucking adorable. Not that I would say it out loud, that little boy already knows he has got everyone tied around his little finger.
"He is good and still cute. I'm going to call my dad to check on him," Maisy says with her eyes lighting up. Maisy looks great in her long, green dress; you wouldn’t ever guess she had a baby four months ago. Seb barely takes his hands off her, unless one of us drags him away or his son needs him.
"Not again, baby, you only called ten minutes ago." Sebastian groans, pulling her back into his lap when she tries to leave.
"Fine." She scowls at Seb, while I hold back a chuckle. Sebastian laughs, kissing her cheek.
"I'm getting a drink," I say, feeling a little jealous at how close they are. What the hell is up with me recently? Getting jealous over a relationship? I know why, and her name is Allie. Getting her to see a nice side of me is going to be difficult. I’ve been nothing but a fuck up in her life, and there’s no way I deserve her. Fuck, her brother doesn’t want me anywhere near her, and I don’t blame him. For some insane reason, I can’t walk away.
I pull a beer from the fridge and go looking for Allie. As I walk into the living area, I see Allie straight away. Holy fuck, she looks amazing in a tight, red dress, which shows everything off. I'm half tempted to lift her over my shoulder and take her home so no one else can see her in that dress. She laughs at something my sister, Izzy, says before messing with her light-blond hair. It's up in one of those buns with bits hanging out, showing the dark-brown she had dyed in underneath. She looks unbelievably sexy, and I have the urge to pull her hair out of her bun and run my fingers through it, knowing how soft it will be. I eventually get the balls to walk over, using the excuse that I want to see Izzy.
"Hey," I say to them both.
"Hey, bro." Izzy grins, giving me a side hug. She doesn't usually hug me, so she must have had a few to drink.
"Hello, Elliot," Allie politely says with a frown on her pretty face. I lock my eyes with her bright-blue ones before grinning. I can be nice to her. I slowly look at her from her red, high heels to her
soft-looking lips. I’ve just noticed she has bright-red lipstick on, and I seriously want to mess it up by kissing the fuck out of her. She has a little makeup on, highlighting her long eyelashes and framing her blue eyes.
"You look beautiful tonight, Allie," I say slowly.
She looks shocked at my statement for a second before she laughs. "How much have you had to drink tonight?" she asks.
I lean closer, so only she can hear.
"I've only had one, and you’re still the hottest girl in the room." I lean back when she looks at me in confusion. I notice that Izzy has left us.
"What's up with you?" she asks with her hands on her hips. The sight is making me hard as a rock, and I move closer. She keeps her normal glare for me on her pretty face as she moves back until her back hits the wall. I follow until I'm standing right in front of her, and I can't help but smell how amazing she smells, like vanilla.
"Angel, I think I'm just waking up. Go out on a date with me," I whisper. I lean close enough to kiss her cheek and push a strand of hair behind her ear. She blushes and pauses for a second as our eyes meet. Something changes in her mind because she pushes me away, looking angry.
"Are you crazy? You've made my life hell, and now that you’ve decided I'm hot, I’m meant to what? Just jump into your arms? Fuck off, Elliot," she says loudly and walks away from me while my eyes follow her amazing ass. I groan to myself, thinking how fucking badly that went, but I have no idea how to fix it. I drink the rest of my beer as I watch the room.
"That didn't go well, man." Blake laughs as he stops next to me, and I gather he must have overheard our conversation.
"I knew she wouldn't be that easy." I laugh a little, but I’m still looking in the direction Allie went.
"The good things in life never are, but I know Allie, and she wants you. You’ve just have to work on your game, man." He smirks.
"Yeah, but I've cocked up a lot in the past with her. No amount of sweet words are going to make her forget that," I mutter. I take another full beer off the side and open it with the bottle opener on my keys.
