Sidequest for Love

by L.H. Cosway

  Now she smiled. “So, there’s going to be a next time?” she asked, circling back to my earlier foolish remark.

  “Uh, sure,” I replied, trying not to grimace. I’d made it seem like I was dying to see her again, and she’d barely been here a few minutes.

  “Cool,” she said, her smile deepening. “I was beginning to worry you’d lost interest in me since I hadn’t heard from you in two days.”

  I scratched my head. “Right. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy with work.” And fretting over whether or not you’re using me to get close to the man you really want. “I also wanted to let you decide if you really wanted to see me again without being pushy. Honestly, I’m surprised you want anything to do with me after what I did,” I said, hoping that if she were concealing a hidden agenda, then this might lead her to reveal some of her true feelings about the situation.

  “Well, maybe I’m crazy, but when you explained everything, it just made so much sense to me. And I could relate. If I’d been in your position, perhaps I would’ve done the same thing.”

  “I doubt you’ve ever had to pretend you were someone else. You’re beautiful,” I said because it was the truth.

  “Thank you, that’s very kind, but I didn’t always look like this. I was very overweight as a teenager. I still have to exercise all the time and watch what I eat to maintain a healthy balance.”

  My eyebrows rose, and a few things became clearer. Was this why she hadn’t outright rejected me at the café the other day? She knew how it felt not to fit society’s conventional beauty standard? Or, in my case, to not be over six feet tall with a jawline that could cut glass and muscles bigger than my head.

  “I guess we’re not necessarily what people think we are when they look at us,” I finally replied.

  “Definitely not,” she agreed.

  We continued chatting and were almost done eating when the door that led to the gym opened. Callum and Isaac emerged, looking like they’d both just showered after a morning of exercise. I glanced at Annabelle, but she didn’t seem to display any kind of overt reaction to seeing Callum.

  “Hey, Neil,” Isaac said, looking from me to Annabelle. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Isaac, Callum, this is Annabelle. Annabelle, this is Isaac and Callum,” I said, introducing them.

  Annabelle shot me a little smile. “You know I already know who they are, Neil.” She stood and reached out to shake both of their hands. “I’m a gigantic fan of the show.”

  Callum shot her the practiced smile he used during interviews and events. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan.”

  “Oh, the pleasure is all mine. I actually started doing parkour because of you guys. Obviously, I’m nowhere near your skill level, but it’s a fun hobby.”

  “Well, I’m glad we inspired you,” Callum replied, then glanced at me. “We’re heading out for lunch. I was going to ask you to join us, but it looks like you’ve already eaten.”

  “We could always grab dessert, couldn’t we, Neil?” Annabelle said sweetly, then chuckled. “Those tiny veggie bowls never satisfy my hunger.” There was a note of eagerness in her voice that set off some alarm bells, but I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was meeting two of her idols. Of course, she’d want to go and have lunch with them.

  Annabelle glanced at me then in a sort of pleading way. “Sure,” I said. “Dessert sounds good.”

  “Great, let’s go. I’m starving,” Isaac replied.

  We grabbed our things and made the short walk down the street to the same café where Annabelle and I had first met two days ago. When we were seated at a booth in the back, I noticed she was quick to slide in next to Callum. She removed her denim jacket, revealing the tight, low-cut workout top that matched her sculpted leggings. I watched as she picked up the menu and scanned it.

  “Oh, wonderful, they have vegan desserts. I think I love this place already.”

  “We eat here a lot since it’s so close to the gym,” Isaac told her.

  “Is that so?” Annabelle chirped.

  “Yes, and Neil practically lives here,” Callum added. “If he’s not at the gym, I always know where to find him.” A pause as his attention went between us. “So, how did you two meet?”

  It was probably stupid of me, but I hadn’t been ready for this question. Luckily, Annabelle swooped in with an answer. “We met at the supermarket. I was looking for the oat milk, and Neil was happy to point me in the right direction. We hit it off from there.”

  “That sounds like something that happens in romcoms rather than in real life,” Isaac commented, and Annabelle laughed softly.

  “I know, right? It was the perfect meet-cute.”

  I noticed Callum’s brows furrow a little in confusion. I’d told him I met a girl online but that we’d yet to meet in person. Clearly, he presumed correctly that Annabelle was this girl and that we’d finally taken the plunge to meet. Her fake story about bumping into each other at the supermarket didn’t match up.

  He shot me a questioning look, but I just shrugged. It was possible, after all, that she was a completely different person to the internet girl since I’d never told him her name.

  “What about you and Leanne?” Annabelle asked, snagging his attention. “Did you both meet on the show, or did you know each other from before?”

  So, she was aware of their relationship. That benefit of the doubt I’d given her earlier was wavering thin.

  Callum’s easy demeanour grew somewhat wary. I knew he liked to keep details of his relationship as private as possible these days. Though, he had asked her the same question, so it didn’t come too out of left field. I, on the other hand, was beginning to wonder if Annabelle’s lack of enthusiasm to tour the gym and meet the cast earlier was carefully woven to lure me into a false sense of security. There was just something about how she looked at Callum that deepened my suspicions. She seemed far more alert when she spoke to him than when she spoke to me.

  “We met on the show,” Callum answered, not giving any further details.

  “It must be difficult to have your relationship viewed and judged by millions of people. I’m in awe of how you both manage to make it work.”

  “It certainly wasn’t easy in the beginning,” he replied.

  “Shall I go up and put in our orders?” I said, wanting to change the subject. This whole situation was weird enough without Annabelle interrogating Callum about his and Leanne’s relationship. I looked to Annabelle as I explained. “Ordering is self-service here.”

  “Oh, okay. I guess I’ll get the vegan apple pie with cashew cream.”

  Callum and Isaac both told me what they wanted, and I went over to put the order in. When I returned, Annabelle had somehow managed to sidle even closer to Callum and was peppering him with parkour-related questions. I slid back in next to Isaac as he bent to whisper in my ear, “I’m sorry to break it to you, but I think your girl has a thing for Callum.”

  I stiffened and sighed. So, Afric had been right all along. She had to have been if Isaac had come to the same conclusion and he’d barely spent half an hour in Annabelle’s company.

  “Yeah,” I replied in a quiet voice. “I think you might be right about that.”

  Isaac shot me a commiserating grimace as I racked my brain for ways to make a clean break with Annabelle and also make things up to Afric. I never should’ve doubted her.

  Afric

  “I’m so jealous,” Yellowshoes complained. “You have no idea how much I wish I could join you guys this weekend.”

  “I wish you could, too,” I replied. “We’ll meet in person one day, though. I promise.”

  “If you’re so desperate, why don’t you book a last-minute flight?” TheBigSix suggested. “Life is all about being spontaneous.”

  “I can’t. I have to work. If I didn’t, I might actually be tempted to book that flight, no matter how costly.”

  A few weeks ago, there’d been a reported UFO sighting in a rural part of Cornwall. This w
eekend, me, TheBigSix, and several of our U.K.-based extra-terrestrial enthusiast online friends were going to travel down there, camp out for a night, and see if we could catch a glimpse of said UFO. I was glad for the distraction since Neil had been giving me nothing but radio silence for two days now. And sure, two days wasn’t long in the grand scheme of things, but it was when it came to Neil and me. I’d gotten far too attached to our constant communication, and I missed him like crazy. Though, admittedly, I was still hurt and upset that he didn’t believe me about Annabelle. That he’d chosen her. Maybe it was silly of me to think that whatever bond we’d built over the last few weeks could be more important to him than his precious Annabelle.

  Okay, so I was harbouring some bitterness.

  I guess sometimes people simply refused to see the truth even when all the signs were staring them right in the face. They wanted the lie far too desperately. It was probably why all those online romance scams managed to lure people in.

  The thought of Neil desperately wanting a picture-perfect happy ending with Annabelle cut through me like the new sword TheBigSix had just won for himself after a wager with a ghoul in Greenforest Tavern. My minor crush had clearly transformed into something much, much more serious, and I was feeling particularly morose about it.

  I chatted some more with TheBigSix about our planned trip to Cornwall, then logged off for the evening. I had a headache, and my mind was racing, which usually meant I needed some time offline to clear my head. I’d just hit play on my guided meditation app when there was a knock on my door, followed by Sarita announcing, “You have a visitor.”

  I bolted upright in my bed. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Neil,” came a voice I hadn’t heard in two days.

  Just like that, my body filled with nervous energy as I forced myself to lie back down. Feigning nonchalance, I replied, “It’s okay, Sarita, you can send him in.”

  “I’m not your butler,” she grumbled while I closed my eyes and followed the mediation, taking measured breaths in and out. I heard my door open and close a moment before Neil asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I could ask you the same question,” I replied evenly.

  I heard him emit a tired sigh before I felt a weight lower onto my bed. “I came to apologise. I was an idiot, and I’m prepared to grovel for forgiveness.”

  Well, that was quite the statement.

  I opened my eyes. Neil sat on the edge of my bed, his shoulders slumped. My phone continued to emit the sounds of a trickling stream, leaves rustling in the wind, and birds chirping in the distance.

  “Oh?”

  He looked like he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. He’d clearly been agonising over something, our argument most likely, and I had to resist the urge to pull him into my arms and hug him tight. I hated seeing him so sad.

  “You were right about Annabelle,” he said, looking forlorn.

  By contrast, relief filled me, but I kept my composure.

  “What brought you to this conclusion?”

  His gaze finally met mine. I’d missed those brown eyes. “She came to the gym today to share lunch with me.”

  A brief, sharp stab of jealousy went through me, but I tamped it down. Clearly, their lunch date hadn’t gone well, given the fact he was here now apologising.

  “I designed it as a bit of a trap if I’m being honest. I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said about her using me to get close to Callum, so I decided to test the theory. I invited her to the gym for lunch, and things were going fine. Then, Callum and Isaac came out having just finished their training and invited us to join them at the café down the street. It was clear we’d already eaten, but Annabelle practically jumped at the chance, saying she was in the mood for dessert.”

  I scoffed. “I’ll bet she was.”

  Neil frowned. “Again, I feel like such a fool for not going with my gut and listening to you in the first place. I was too busy being flattered by her acceptance like an idiot. We arrived at the café, and Annabelle sat right up close to Callum, peppering him with endless questions and even asking him about his relationship with Leanne. I was mortified. Even Isaac said it was obvious that Annabelle had a thing for Callum. Callum didn’t seem to notice, probably because he’s used to women being all over him. Anyway, after we ate, we parted ways. Annabelle mentioned coming to the gym for lunch again next week, and I panicked and agreed. She’s clearly using me to spend time around Callum, and now I have no idea how to cut ties with her. She has too much dirt on me.”

  “Well, if you ask me, she sounds like an absolute bitch.”

  “Afric, I’m still the one in the wrong—”

  “You came clean to her, and now she’s using the situation to her advantage. She’s a manipulative bitch, plain and simple. She clearly sees that you’re too nice and too scared of her outing you to refuse her.”

  “Maybe I should just tell Callum the truth and face whatever consequences come after.”

  “You could do that. I’d advise you to take a few days to think about it first, though. Confessing is a big step.”

  Neil nodded, his face drawn in thought. A long moment of quiet fell before he asked, “What can I do to make it up to you?”

  “Nothing. I’ve been fuming mad, of course, but I do get why you didn’t listen to me. You wanted the fairy-tale.” Bitterness pinched at my gut. “Annabelle is beautiful and sexy, and she said she wanted to date you. I can’t fault you for saying yes.”

  “That’s not why I said yes.”

  A flutter of hope went through me. “It isn’t?”

  Neil shook his head. “I’ll admit it felt good to think she might like me enough to forgive my lies. It stroked my fragile ego, and that’s probably why I said yes. But all those feelings I thought I had for her simply weren’t there when we met in person. I didn’t feel any kind of connection, not like …”

  “Not like what?” I asked, a little too eagerly. I was still lying down, but my heart was hammering in my chest. It filled me with an unnecessarily large amount of relief and giddiness to know that Neil hadn’t fancied Annabelle when he met her in real life. He hadn’t felt a connection to her, and for whatever silly, sentimental reason, that made me ridiculously happy.

  “Not like I should have felt if I truly cared about her,” he finished, and something about his tone told me that wasn’t what he’d been about to say. He paused to eye me, a look of agony on his face. “Can you forgive me? I promise I’ll never doubt you again.”

  “You should doubt me. I’m not perfect. I just so happened to be right about this. And yes, you’re forgiven. I’m glad you came here. I’ve missed you.”

  Neil reached out and traced a finger along my arm. I held my breath for a moment, the simple touch lighting fireworks in my belly. “I’ve missed you, too,” he murmured, then quietly continued to stroke my arm with his fingertips. A few moments passed, nature sounds filling the room before he said, “This is really nice.”

  “It’s a meditation app. This one is my favourite. Nature sounds of the forest.”

  “It’s very peaceful.”

  “Come and lie down. Meditate with me. After the day you’ve had, you obviously need some relaxation.”

  There was a flash of heat in his eyes, there and gone in less than a second, and a little thrill simmered through me. Silently, he slipped off his shoes and walked around the bed before lowering himself into the empty spot next to me. His head rested against the spare pillow, and I turned my head slightly to the side to take him in. Our shoulders were touching, but I didn’t move away. I savoured the barest hint of contact. Neil stared at the ceiling while my eyes traced the faint lines on his forehead, the swoop of his nose, and the jut of his chin. Without thinking, I reached out and removed his glasses. He finally looked at me, his expression questioning.

  “You should take these off. They must give you tension on the bridge of your nose and behind your ears.”

  “They do, actually. How did you know?”

 
; “Lucky guess.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered, and I felt like he was thanking me for more than just removing his glasses. I placed them behind me on the nightstand, then rested my head on my pillow again and closed my eyes.

  “I’m going on a trip to Cornwall this weekend,” I said.

  “Why are you going to Cornwall?” Neil asked, sounding curious.

  A faint smile shaped my lips. “One of the locals claims they spotted a UFO the other week. I’m meeting up with a few of my online friends to see if we can catch a glimpse of it for ourselves.”

  I sensed him shaking his head, though his voice held only affection. “Of course, you are. What exactly did this local see?”

  “Unidentified flying object. He says there was a lit-up, spinning object in the sky above the field where his cows graze. He claims it darted clear across the sky, faster than any man-made aircraft could possibly travel.”

  “So, this is the account of a farmer?” Neil asked, his tone teasing. I remembered the first time we met when he claimed the only people who ever saw UFOs were those who lived out in the middle of nowhere who were bored and trying to drum up some entertainment for themselves.

  “Just because he’s a farmer doesn’t mean he isn’t credible.”

  “It definitely doesn’t make him credible either, though.”

  “You should come with me,” I blurted on impulse, then opened my eyes to look at him. His eyebrows shot up. “I mean, we need at least one sceptic to balance out the group, so you’d be doing me a favour.”

  “I don’t know. I might not be able to take the time off work at such short notice,” he said.

  “I’m sure Michaela will be happy to cover for you.”

  He rubbed his chin, thinking about it. “Hmm, getting out of London and away from Annabelle for a while does seem like a good idea. How are you getting there?”

  “I was going to take the train.”

  “I could drive us,” he offered.

  My heart leapt. “So, you’ll come?”

  “Sure. Someone has to prove to you that aliens don’t exist.”

  “Ha! I think you’ll find I’ll be the one proving you wrong,” I said, pausing for a moment before I continued. “I didn’t know you owned a car.”