“You look so damn apathetic today.” Elly comments, then she puts the photo back in her bag carefully and sighs noisily.
“That’s not true, I just don’t know him well enough to make a judgment.”
“You really don’t have to know him to make a judgment about him – he’s the most handsome man in the world!” She stresses the final few words, waving her hand to emphasise what she’s saying. Elly has always been like this: she’s very passionate, light-hearted and a little bit insistent. I wonder how she hasn’t clashed with Jasper yet. He’s always so uptight and demanding.
“Yeah, I know. Okay, he’s an interesting man. Happy now?”
“That doesn’t sound like an honest comment, but it’ll do for now.” she replied, then she pulls a perplexed expression.
“What?” I ask after a while. She doesn’t seem to want to stop staring at me with her intense, blue eyes.
“Nothing, you look well rested today, but you’re still so grumpy. Maybe something has changed in the apartment?”
“Nothing has changed, unfortunately, Elly. Let’s just not talk about that, I want to forget about Jamie while I’m at work.” Thinking about Jamie makes me mad – I don’t even have to be with him to feel like this!
“Okay, okay. If you don’t want to vent about it, that’s fine. But I still think it will be good for you.” she insists with a slightly patronising tone.
“I just hate him, okay?” I burst out. I’m losing my cool. “He invited some of his friends to my apartment last night without even asking me. He doesn’t seem to realise that the apartment is mine and it will be even if we have to co-habit. He’s making me hate the apartment, he’ll end up stealing it away from me like he did my father’s company.”
“That’s not as bad as you make it sound – it will be alright so long as he doesn’t bring a hooker to the apartment.”
“Please tell me that you’re joking and you don’t really think that?”
Elly giggles, she’s obviously enjoying my burst of anger more than I am. What on earth did I do wrong to deserve all this? Did I expect too much from Dad? I only wanted to be appreciated by him and to enjoy my favourite apartment. Why did neither of these things happen? Why does something always have to go wrong in my life?
“Come on, don’t be too negative. If Jamie still looks like I remember him, you’re sharing your apartment with a good-looking man. Many women would pay to be as lucky as you.” she says, still giggling a little. I’m pretty sure that Elly saw Jamie only once and from a distance. I have no idea why she’s so confident in her opinion of Jamie. I have talked about him many times, but I never spoke highly of him.
“Do you reckon? Well, they can have him. Jamie is an arrogant, insensitive and irritating man. He’s the one who has convinced my father that he’s the perfect candidate for inheriting the company, and not me. He’s the one who has decided to introduce a hundred different new ranges which have taken over the traditional ones. He has so much power now that nobody can kick him out, even if they wanted to. The company would crumble without him. If any woman wants him, let her have him. For free.”
“Wow, you hate him with a passion, don’t you? If I didn’t know you so well, I’d say that maybe you’re a little attracted to him.”
“Well, thank goodness you do know me, then.” How on earth did she even conceive this idea? Jamie is the most hateful man I’ve ever known. He may be handsome, but what does that matter if his personality is awful?
“Okay, let’s change the subject,” Elly says. She’s smiling. I look at her, fearing another irritating question. “Considering that you don’t like staying in your apartment that much, do you fancy going out for a drink after work? It would be fun to have a girls’ night out and it would help you to relax a little. You’re overstressed.” Her expression is bright.
I think about it for a second. I don’t like the idea of leaving the whole apartment for Jamie to enjoy tonight, but it would be great to switch off from the routine a little. I will also avoid seeing Jamie’s face for the day, which is always a bonus.
“Okay, that sounds like a good idea.”
*
The streets are crowded tonight, even if it’s cold and rainy. The street lights are so bright that I almost forget that it’s past 9 p.m. already. Elly pulls me towards the first little road on the left hand side, she’s convinced that’s where the first pub is she wants us to try.
“Here,” Elly says happily towing me along. She seems to walk very comfortably in her high heels, while my feet hurt already. She’s a natural in heels, she could be wearing trainers. I’m a little jealous of her.
“There it is!” Elly exclaims. We’re standing in front of a very colourful, bright sign. ‘Cocktail bar’. That’s a bit of a lame name for a pub, isn’t it?
“Are you sure this is the place?” I ask doubtfully, looking through the glass on the front door. It looks very dark inside, if not a little creepy. I hope it’s better inside than it looks from here.
“Yeah, come on in!” Elly replies, and she pulls me towards the front door. This place has negative energy.
When I step inside, I’m a little surprised by the warm atmosphere. I wouldn’t have thought that this place would feel even remotely welcoming, but it does.
We walk past the curtain that separates the hall from the rest of the pub, and a whole new world opens up in front of my eyes. I freeze for a moment and remain speechless. The room is well lit and the bar counter stretches all the way across it. It’s made with some of those modern glowing materials. I love it! The stools look like small, black rocks in a sea of light. I’ve never seen anything like it before. A number of tables are scattered across the room, apparently randomly, but actually carefully arranged so there is enough room for people to move around freely. The most incredible feature is the loft, which stretches across the bar, it’s held up by glowing, metallic beams. There are some smartly dressed people enjoying their drinks up there, chatting over the soft music which permeates everywhere.
“This is amazing!” I exclaim, my eyes taking in the surroundings.
“I told you, this place is awesome. You need to trust me more often!” Elly says, then she drags me to the bar.
We sit on two of the stools at the bar, and we wait for the bar tender to serve us. Elly has a cheeky smile on her face. Does she want to hook up with him?
I turn towards the bar tender again while he’s preparing my drink, and I can’t help but thinking that he’s actually not that bad. He’s tall, well built, he has scruffy, long, ginger hair and some facial hair, which gives him an almost macho appearance. I’m not certain whether he’s just shabby or whether he intends to look like that, but he’s quite attractive.
“So… you wanted to come here for the bar tender?” I ask Elly. In the meantime, she hasn’t stopped staring at the guy while drinking through her straw.
“What do you mean?” she asks; her face has become visibly flushed. She starts giggling with the straw between her lips.
“Nothing, you just seem to be enjoying staring at the bar tender.”
“Don’t you find him handsome?”
I have déjà-vu – I’m pretty sure she’s asked me the same question this morning.
“Yeah, he’s not bad.” I comment, trying to look away from him to avoid being rude.
“Hmm, I think I’m starting to get the hang of you.” Elly reflects, looking at me thoughtfully now.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Her thoughtful expression terrifies me. “It’s just a hunch, I need to figure out whether it’s true or not.”
“You’re confusing me.”
“I can’t tell you any more, I want to find out whether what I think about your personality is true or not.” Elly explains. Then she looks away from me and raises her hand to attract the bar tender’s attention. “Two more Long Islands, please.”
I keep my eyes on her for a few seconds. She doesn’t want to tell me any more. Alright, I’m not
that interested anyway: I agreed to go out to have fun, not to lose my mind trying to understand Elly. I take my cocktail decisively. “I like Long Islands!”
Elly and I enjoy the rest of the night at the bar, one drink after the other. We try out some of the most delicious cocktails, many of which I’ve never heard of before. Elly gets a little tipsy and she tries to chat up the bar tender. He seems very polite and he might be interested in her. She smiles and winks at him, then he turns to prepare a tray for one of the waitresses who serve at the tables.
“If Jasper fired me, I would love to work here!” Elly exclaims, she keeps staring at the bar tender even while he’s busy. I can read on her face how much she wants him right now.
“Ha, that sounds like a plan.” I mutter. It’s always good to have a back-up plan in life.
“If you ever end up working here, let the boss know that the moving floor sucks.”
“What moving floor?”
“This moving floor!” I reply, pointing to the floor on which our stools are standing. It has started to sway and move around after yet another drink. Elly lowers her eyes and then looks back at me.
“Okay, Ashley. It might be a good time to go.” She announces, standing up confidently.
“Noo, why? I want another one of those drinks. They’re so good!” I moan as I lift up my empty glass. She takes one of my arms and rests it on the bar, then she helps me off the stool.
“We’ve had enough tonight. We’ll come back another time.”
“Nooo! Hey, you. I’m talking to you, Mr bar tender. Give me another drink!” The guy behind the bar smiles at me, then Elly drags me away. I guess I have to accept the fact that I won’t get another drink tonight.
“Let’s go back home. It’s late and you’re struggling to stand up straight.”
“I’m fine, let’s go somewhere else.” I reply as I hold on to her and she tries to prop me up.
“Yeah, of course we will.” she says sarcastically, grabbing my handbag.
“No, that’s my bag!” I complain, holding it close to my chest protectively. “I really like this bag and I don’t want it to be stolen away from me like my company and my apartment.”
“Oh, Ashley, stop being silly. I need your apartment keys. I’m going to call a taxi, okay. You take the keys.” In the meantime, we have reached the main road outside the pub. I scowl at Elly for a moment, then a taxi stops in front of us and the driver invites us to get inside. What does this old man want from us? He keeps glancing at me in the rear view mirror with an expression of disapproval on his face. What on earth does he want?
I grumble and turn towards the window as Elly talks to the old man. This taxi ride is starting to feel a little psychedelic: thousands of lights rocket in front of my eyes, the city looks even more magical than I remembered. Floating shadows stretch over the pavements and the roaring of hundreds of cars echoes in my head. The nightlife looks like a lot of fun here, why are we trapped in a taxi instead of joining in?
The old man stops by a dark building, and Elly forces me out of the taxi. She’s very annoying tonight!
“We’re home, Ashley.” Elly says while I try to balance on my feet. I waddle towards the pavement, while Elly talks briefly to the taxi driver. Maybe she fancies him as well!
A moment later she’s next to me again, holding a hand against my back to keep me steady. She accompanies me to the entrance of the dark building. I seem to remember this building; its shape is somewhat familiar. Elly begins to fiddle with my keys; how did she steal them from me?
“Those are my keys!” I shout, then I jump on her, trying to get the keys back. She dodges me and focuses again on the bunch of keys to find the right one. She tries to fit a couple of keys in the lock, but neither seem to work.
“How the fuck do you open this door?”
“I don’t remember…” I mutter, and I draw my face close to hers ominously. She grumbles and decides to press the buzzer on the side. I hear a metallic sound, then the door opens slowly for us.
“How did you…?” I’m speechless.
“I pressed the buzzer, you dumbass.” She pulls my arm around her neck and drags me inside. Who’s the man sitting all by himself at night down the hall? Oh, yes! It must be Gregory.”
“Hey there, Mr Gregory!” I shout. Elly calls the lift down and, when the doors open, she pushes me in. I turn round and I see Gregory’s confused expression before the doors close to take me to my apartment.
We stop at the front door and Elly starts to panic again while she tries to find the right key.
“Don’t fall on the floor, please.” she begs me, then she focuses again on the keys. “Which one is it, Ashley? Try to remember, please!” she grumbles. Just then the door opens almost magically.
“Wow!” I stare at the front door in amazement. “You really have magical powers!”
“Yeah, of course I do.” Elly has begun to sound a little impatient now. “Thanks for opening the door. It would have taken me a whole night to find the right one.”
“What happened to her?” The hateful man – the one who’s trying to snatch the apartment off me – sounds alarmed.
“She’s had a few drinks tonight, that’s all. She’s not used to drinking.”
“That’s not true, I love my orange juice!” I slur my words, then I almost stumble onto the floor. Jamie stretches out his arm to pick me up just in time and saves me from breaking a wrist or a leg.
“Can you take care of her? The taxi driver is waiting for me downstairs.” Elly has decided to abandon me with my enemy. That’s how much she cares about me.
“Yeah, don’t worry.” Jamie says. He lifts me off the floor and holds me in his arms. For a moment, it feels like flying!
“Thanks!” he says, and he pushes the door shut with his foot using way too much force. Jamie ignores the fact that the slamming noise scared me and heads towards the stairs.
“What made you think that it was a good idea to get so drunk?” Jamie asks sternly. He seems to be annoyed with me. His eyes are particularly intense and his face looks even more attractive than usual tonight. His ridiculously long, curly fringe keeps covering most of his forehead.
“I’m absolutely fine, mate!” I protest defiantly. Jamie takes me to my room, then I wriggle away from him to jump on my beloved bed. That’s all that I want right now.
“Be careful!” he warns me as I jump out of his arms to reach my blanket.
“I’m okay.” I reply, lifting both of my hands. “I’m woooonderful!”
Jamie gets closer to me and helps me under the blanket. His scent stuns me, it’s more seductive than I remembered. It must be the drinks! I try to recollect how many drinks I’ve had tonight. One, two, three, it must be at least four or five, I can’t remember. My fingers may not be enough to count them all. The bar tender was really good at making those drinks.
“What are you doing?” Jamie asks, so close to me. He’s pulling a funny, confused expression and I can’t help but laugh.
Without realising and without me even wanting to, my eyes glance at his lips for a moment. They suddenly look so inviting. Would it be wrong to want to kiss him for a split second?
I let my instinct guide me, I’m driven by an unknown desire that I’ve never felt before. I lean forward towards him to reach his lips. I feel his soft, warm lips for a moment, his kiss is irresistible. For a moment, he seems uncertain about whether to kiss me or pull back, then he gives in and moves his lips rhythmically with mine. I’m overwhelmed by that sweet kiss and I close my eyes, fully immersed in that vortex of emotions and flavours. Then Jamie finally pulls back and I sink my head into the soft pillow. That kiss was so short that it’s almost irritating.
“You kiss well,” I mumble sleepily. It feels like a dream. I hear him chuckle.
“You taste of alcohol!” he replies, amused. Then I feel him get up from my bed and hear the sound of his feet as he walks away.
“You’re not going to remember this tomorrow, right?” he asks me
at the door. He sounds nostalgic, a little resigned.
I hear him but I don’t have the strength to answer, because I’m falling asleep.
5
This is the king of all headaches. What on earth did I do last night?
I try to sit up on my bed, but it’s almost impossible this morning. I feel like I was hit by a train. I push myself up by balancing my weight on my elbow and I try to reach my watch to look at the time. What time is it? I didn’t hear the alarm go off, but I don’t even remember if I set it last night. I don’t know how I got to bed yesterday either, or what happened.
I’m going to have to blame Elly and her stupid ideas for all this.
I draw closer to the bedside cabinet. I can’t believe my eyes: 8:40 a.m.? That’s impossible! It must be 7:40 a.m., it can’t be almost nine. Then panic starts to take over, I try to ignore the wave of nausea that grapples my stomach. The room is still dark and I fumble blindly for my shoes on the floor. I’m desperate for my bag and my phone, too. The phone won’t lie. My fingers finally touch my bag, I pull it towards me, I rummage in it in search of the phone. When I feel it, I pull it out and turn it on in front of my eyes. Okay, I need to go to the toilet. Right here, right now.
I dash to the bathroom – the only place where I can be sick without worrying about staining carpets or blankets. I lean towards the toilet and… eugh, I don’t even remember what I ate last night. When I finish, I see the reflection of my face in the mirror. It’s not very well lit, but I can still see the reflection of a tired, messy version of me. I’m so pale! I don’t want to know how many drinks I had last night.
I wash my face and then I brush my teeth, I want to get rid of the horrible taste of alcohol in my mouth. When I’m done, I rush to my room and try to find my phone again. Oh god, it’s really late, but I want to know what happened yesterday. I call Elly.
The Inheritance: A feisty, giggle-inducing romance Page 5
