by Claire Gough
He slides his hand along my cheek and to the back of my head, pulling my lips to his. I have to admit, this is a great subject change. As soon as his lips touch mine, all other thoughts fall out of my mind.
Fin parks the car and we walk to the door of The Driftwood.
“I’ll just grab a jacket and we’ll head back out,” I say.
“Any idea where?”
“Nope. I don’t really care, either.”
He smirks. “Glad we’re on the same page.”
Walking up the stairs, I frown when I see people moving in the lounge. I open the door, hearing laughter. One is my aunt Jill. I recognise her laugh. I turn to look at Fin standing just behind me. He has the same amused expression on his face when we both realise the other laugh is Cole's.
“Hello?” I say, peering around the door. The guys are sitting at two of the tables. Jill is at a table near Alistair, who is on the computer. I can’t help but think he's sorting out my paperwork I abandoned last night.
Jill puts her hands on her knees and grins as I walk into the lounge, dragging Fin behind me.
“Hello, sweetheart.” She beams.
When I notice all the bags on the floor next to the guys, I grin.
“Freeport?” I ask. Brad smiles. I think even Jay gives a small grin.
“Yeah, Bee told me about it, so I took the guys,” Brad replies.
I smirk. Bee does indeed love the Freeport Shopping Centre. When she’s not occupied with one guy or another, I get dragged there most weekends.
“Yeah, we caught a tram there. I feel like we got this whole experiencing Blackpool thing nailed.” Cole smiles. I find it hard not to stare at that smile because it’s such a rare thing for me to witness.
“Good.” I smile back politely, trying not to show the fact I know Fin and Cole have issues. I wonder what? Was it over a girl? What else would two male friends argue over? What if Cole slept with Fin’s wife?
I know I am letting my imagination run wild. I just hope it doesn’t show on my face.
“Did the two of you have a lovely day?” Jill asks, her attention turning to Fin.
“Yeah. It’s been great.” He squeezes my hand.
“I’m just going to grab my jacket,” I say, rushing out of the room.
Down in my room, I already feel the gnawing in my gut that Fin’s minutes here are quickly running out. I can’t believe I wasted two whole days after he arrived trying to fight this thing between us. Those two days are going to nag at me even more when he leaves. I had a chance to spend time with him as soon as he got here, but I chose to fight it. How stupid was I?
I find my white denim jacket, re-apply some lip gloss and perfume, then jog back upstairs.
Everyone is still talking about the things the guys bought. I stay in the shadows of the door, knowing Fin hasn’t seen me yet. I love watching him when he has no clue I am. He’s so relaxed and natural. Right now, he's smiling at Brad, who is telling him about an old sweet shop where he spent £30. I walk into the room, making my way around the tables to get a bottle of water from the kitchen.
A hand lands on my arm, a pulse of electricity flying through me, stopping me dead in my tracks.
“Save me, Alex. Please!” Fin pleads. I look down at him, seeing his smirk. “The guys are talking about going clubbing.”
I stare at his face. He looks scared, even though he’s smiling. I’m not sure whether that’s because he doesn’t like clubbing or he doesn’t like the idea of them tearing him away from me for the entire night.
“Ah, no way, Fin. You’re not getting out of this. We've hardly seen you all week,” Cole says, shaking his head.
Fin turns to face him. “I’m not trying to get out of it…” He turns back to me. “I’m just asking Alex to come with me.” He smiles a sweet, apologetic smile. He knows this wasn’t how I saw us spending our Friday night together. We had talked about a nice, quiet meal, not going to a club surrounded by drunken people, with loud, irritating music you can’t talk over.
“Bee is coming, too.” Brad smiles, like that will convince me. Fin is still looking up at me from his chair, pleading.
“Yeah, okay.” I give in. Spending time with Fin is my number one priority right now, whether it’s just the two of us or all of us.
“Yes!” Fin smiles and pulls me onto his lap.
I wrap my arms around his neck as he squeezes my waist. I don’t need to look over at my aunt right now to know she's grinning. I have never even held hands with a guy in front of her before. She already knows Fin means something to me. I wonder if she realises she'll be helping me mend my broken heart when he leaves Sunday.
“So whose idea was it to go clubbing?” I ask.
Everyone looks at Cole. Of course, the only single guy left wants to go clubbing. I’m guessing he'd like some female attention himself.
“Why do I need to save you from clubs. Why are they so bad?” I ask Fin, still sitting on his lap.
“Because they’re loud, filled with desperate, single people trying to cop off with each other in every dark corner, while the DJ plays some crap dance songs that all sound the same.”
I nod and laugh. It’s like he's said this speech many times
before. I’m guessing he said it to the guys when they started badgering him into going tonight. I actually agree with everything he just said. I’m not a huge fan of clubbing myself. I was twenty-one before I finally let Bee drag me to a club and I hated it. Still, it might not be that awful if Fin’s with me.
I try to look happy and like I’m enjoying myself, but it’s hard. The only reason I am even trying is for Bee. I know she loves getting ready to go out more than actually going out. I knew she would be bouncing off the walls when she got here. She showed up with bags full of clothes and makeup, then two pairs of heels to go with whichever outfit she chooses.
I watch her as she talks, putting on her makeup, her face close to my mirror, which has fairy lights pinned around its oval edge. Having a bedroom with no windows means I had to improvise on the lighting, so I tried to make it like a Broadway mirror. I hardly ever use the main light in here. I have fairy lights all over the place. There’s a set of pink net lights hanging over my bed, some others around my computer desk, and some along the edge of the shelf to the right of my desk.
I’m perched on my bed, swinging my bare feet, only half listening. My mind is on Fin, wondering what he's going to wear. I know it doesn’t matter. Whatever he wears will turn me into a bumbling mess.
“And then the purple cow said to the little green rabbit, ‘How do you cope with such a spaced-out best friend?’”
I blink a few times at Bee. What?
“Alex, you’re not even in the room, are you?” Bee snaps, putting her red lipstick down. I shake my head, trying to put myself back in the room, but it’s hard when I don’t want to be here.
I already have my hair and makeup sorted, but I’ve yet to pick out an outfit.
“Sorry. I am trying,” I say, looking up at her. Her expression changes from one of anger to one of pity.
“Oh, honey.” She bites her bright red bottom lip, realising I’m panicking about Fin's imminent departure.
“How do you do this?” I ask. She needs to tell me how to not feel like this. How to go out, have fun, and not care that the guy I’m falling for will be gone in a day.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s just...who I am, I guess.”
I stand in front of her. “Then can I be you? Because I don’t want to feel like this. Just for tonight, let me be you.” I ask, making her grin. “Please!”
I know I basically just told her I am falling for Fin when I said I wouldn’t. I made the damn rule, but I am having a hard time keeping it. Right now, I don’t care if she knows it or not.
“Well, well, well. How the tables have turned.” She turns to dig through her bag on the edge of my dresser. She turns back to me with what I recognise as the pink hip flask I bought her for her eighteenth birthday, and hands it to me.
I look blankly at the flask in my hand. “And what am I supposed to do with this?”
“Well… If you were me, you'd take a swig and get the party started.” She shakes her hips.
I look at her in her shiny silver dress, her straight black hair flowing down her shoulders, her red lips turned into a grin. I have always admired Bee’s carefree spirit and confidence, and I wish I could be like her tonight. I want to feel relaxed instead of weighed down by everything I have going on. My feelings for Fin, how I feel about losing him, the B&B I haven’t told anyone about. I just want to forget about all that tonight.
I unscrew the flask, putting it to my nose.
“Don’t smell it!” she yells, making me jump. She laughs. “Just take a swig.”
I cringe. For all I know, this could be battery acid or nail polish remover. I shrug. What’s the worst that could happen?
I swig the liquid, eyes going wide. My god! It’s vile! I’m pretty sure it is battery acid. I swallow the best I can, my throat and tongue now burning. Bee starts laughing. I don’t know how I’m meant to get rid of the taste that’s now stuck to my tongue. I run my tongue along my mouth a few times. Bee grabs the flask and takes a swig. I watch her. She doesn’t choke, cough, or sputter like I did. She screws the lid back on.
“Bailey, what the hell is that?” I bark. She doubles over with laughter. I have the urge to wipe my tongue on the back of my hand just to get rid of the taste.
“Come on. You are me tonight. You do what I do.” She takes hold of my shoulders and pushes me to my wardrobe. I’m still trying to feel my tongue.
“And I am dressing you tonight.”
I let my arms drop to my side. I give up. I surrender to her completely.
“Okay,” I sigh, defeated.
“Yes!”
She starts searching through my wardrobe. I chew on my lip as I worry about handing myself over to Bee for the night, but she is always happy and has fun in every situation. I love that about her. She makes everything enjoyable, so what harm could it do being her for just one night?
I look in the mirror, relieved. It had crossed my mind that being Bee for one night meant I’d have bright red lips and straight hair. Instead, she dressed me to look like me. She even helped curl the ends of my hair to give it a wavy look.
“So… Are you ready to be me?” she asks over my shoulder as we both look into my mirror.
“I think so.” I look at the white dress I’m wearing. Apparently, she chose this dress because the white brings out the blue tinge in my otherwise grey eyes.
I run my hands over the fabric. It’s a white cotton, halter-neck skater dress, a silver belt pulled tightly around my waist. I must say, Bee made a good choice. She has done a great job of keeping me happy and carefree, but my mind is now wandering back to Fin. I wonder if he'll be happy with her choice.
“You’re going to knock him out,” she whispers, then turns off the music she insisted on blaring. She looks at her phone. “The guys are ready.” She picks up my little silver bag and slides it onto my shoulder, then drops a pair of silver heels at my feet. I am so not ready for tonight. I may look ready, but my head and heart aren’t.
“Come on,” Bee says because I’m still standing in front of the mirror. She hands me my perfume bottle, then shakes my shoulders a little. “Remember. You’re me tonight, which means more smiles.”
I smile and turn to face her, then slide my feet into the heels and spray on the perfume.
“Nearly ready. Here.” She holds out the flask again.
I hold my hands up. “Oh no. Not the battery acid again.”
She sighs. “Is that something I’d say? Drink up.”
She shoves the flask into my hand. I look at it. What have I got to lose? I’m already dreading tonight, and I could do with a little liquid courage. Taking a deep breath, I tip it up, taking the biggest gulp I can, trying not to choke as it burns all the way down my throat.
“Bleh!” I sputter, sticking my tongue out and handing the flask back. Bee swigs it effortlessly, then throws the flask on top of her pile of crap next to my door, which she'll pick up when she’s sobered up…probably next week.
I take a few deep breaths as I walk up the stairs. I shove my phone into the tiny silver bag. I don’t even remember buying this tiny thing.
“Have fun, sweetheart!” Jill calls from the lounge of our living quarters.
“I'll do my best!” I call as I walk out the door.
Bee has abandoned me, probably in search of Brad. I turn and shut the door to the living quarters, my heart pounding in my chest.
When I turn to head into the lounge, I stop, my breath catching in my throat. Fin is leaning against the door frame.
“Wow,” he whispers, standing straight, both hands in his black trouser pockets. He has on a long-sleeve black shirt, which is tucked in, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He’s gorgeous! He looks completely flawless.
Breathe, Alex!
I take a huge gulp of air. His chestnut hair isn’t messy tonight. It’s swept across his forehead. The top button on his shirt is undone, making my temperature rise. As I stand there, blatantly drooling over him, he walks over to me.
“Alex…,” he breathes out, placing his hands on my hips. I look up at him as he lowers his head to rest it against my forehead. The smell of his aftershave makes my head spin. “You look beautiful.”
He doesn’t give me time to say anything his lips are on mine. He hasn’t ever tried to kiss me in the guest house before, where my aunt or any guests could see us. I’m guessing neither of us care about boundaries right now, though, not when our time together is getting shorter.
I slide my hands around his waist and up his back, pulling him to me. He pushes me against the door behind me, his tongue softly meeting mine.
He pulls away, his eyes searching my face as he smiles. “Alex, why do you taste like whiskey?”
Oh… That’s what the battery acid stuff was. Riiiight, I do not like whiskey.
“You don’t really drink,” he says, repeating my own words back to me.
I don’t usually drink, but being around him this week, I guess I have been.
“I’m trying something new.” I smile up at him.
“We all ready?” Jay asks, sticking his head out of the lounge. His black hair is perfectly gelled back. He looks like something from the fifties. He gives a cheeky grin when he sees us in each other’s arms.
“Yeah.” Fin sighs, then looks at me. I can see he doesn’t want to go.
“Come on. It could be fun,” I whisper.
“At least I’m with you.”
I slide my hand into his as everyone comes out of the lounge. Bee drags Brad, who grins at me and Fin as he’s hauled past us, Cole and Jay following. Fin grabs his leather jacket and we bring up the rear.
I knew this was where we'd start the night off. The guys have never been to Blackpool before, so I’m guessing they asked Bee where they should go.
We stand at the back of a queue at Revolution, the vodka bar. Bee loves it here. She also knows I hate it. It’s loud, but it’s usually empty at this time. Bee likes to come here and do weird flavoured shots before going somewhere else to dance.
Everyone seems to have gone off in pairs again, leaving me alone with Fin. As I open my mouth to tell him he looks gorgeous in that shirt, Bee suddenly appears. She bounces in front of me, holding a shot glass filled with some sort of bright orange liquid. She doesn’t say anything. She just grins and thrusts the glass toward me without spilling a drop. When I go to sniff it, she actually lets me. It smells sweet.
“What is it?” I yell over the loud music.
She raises an eyebrow. “That’s not a question I’d ask,” she hollers back, giving me a cheeky grin.
I shrug and drink the orange liquid. It tastes… It tastes like pear drops. My eyes widen, making her laugh.
“Thought you'd like that one.” She disappears just as quickly as she arrived.
I
look up at Fin, who just stood and watched the whole thing. He frowns at me curiously, then bends down, putting his lips to my ear, making me shiver.
“I thought you said you didn’t drink much?” he asks for the second time tonight. I shrug as the queue moves.
Once we’re finally served, we end up at one of the huge white tables next to the dance floor, which is nearly empty. I sit on one of the high stools next to Fin. He has a pint in his one hand as he leans his elbows on the table. It’s hard for us to talk over the music, but we’re doing the best we can. Bee provides entertainment, forcing Brad to dance. He looks awkward, like he isn’t drunk enough to dance yet. I’m so grateful he's here or that would be me right now. I see Cole and Jay talking to an obvious hen party by the bar. I think Cole has made it his mission to get laid tonight, and seeing as Fin and Brad are occupied, he's dragging Jay around, who looks really uncomfortable. Maybe he’s worried his girlfriend will find out. He is on edge, but he's dutifully playing the role of wingman. I wonder if Fin or Brad would be playing that role if they had never met us.
Fin and I talk about the B&B, and I tell him about the email I received thanking me for the offer. He smiles, about to say something, when Bee again bounces over with yet another shot glass containing a green liquid. She grins at me, not saying a word. I gesture to my vodka, lemon, and lime. She just shakes her head and pushes the shot glass closer. Shrugging, I pick it up and drink it.
“Oh… Gummy bears?” I ask. She just laughs and drags Brad back to the dance floor.
Fin leans toward me. “Alex… Are you okay?” The only way you can talk in here is by putting your lips directly on the person’s ear.
“Fine. Why?”
“Well, Bee is buying you shots and, for some reason, you’re actually drinking them.”
“I'm just loosening up, I guess…” I shake my head before putting my lips back to his ear. “I just feel so weighed down right now, Fin.”
He nods and turns to face me. I see a brief moment of pain in his eyes as he sips his drink.
