Killing Cupid by Mark Edwards, Louise Voss Page A

She has nice legs, like a Barbie doll’s. All the men in the pub looked at her when she stood up.
    ‘Another drink?’
    I checked the time on my phone – ten thirty – although my decision wasn’t time-dependent, since I’d already decided I wanted to go home. ‘Better not. I’m a bit wrecked, to tell you the truth.’
    ‘Want a lift? My car’s just across the road. It wouldn’t be a problem.’
    I laughed – how ironic, in retrospect. Why did I not just accept? ‘No, it’s fine, thanks. It’ll only take me five minutes to walk.’
    There was a moment’s awkward hovering at the door of the pub. I didn’t know whether to shake her hand, or kiss her cheek, and it seemed that nor did she. In the end we grinned at each other and waved self-consciously.
    ‘See you next Wednesday, then.’
    ‘Yeah. Thanks for the drink, neighbour. Bye.’
    Kathy vanished round the corner, pulling on her coat and simultaneously fishing around in the pocket for her keys as she walked. She strikes me as a multi-tasking kind of person. I wondered if, once the course was over, we could be friends and decided that it was quite possible. It would be nice to have a mate – I nearly said ‘girlfriend’ – living locally, none of my other friends do.
     
    Then I began to walk home, across the swimming pool carpark, and that’s when I got chased.
    Oh God, what if it is the same person who sent the card, and the flowers, and the underwear? That means he’s been in my house. What do I do? Should I tell the police? Have I got a stalker? I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or flattered. I know for sure I’d be terrified, if I really believed I had. No.
    It’s just not possible.
     
     
    Chapter 10
Alex
     
    Wednesday
     
    Seeing them together tonight made me feel sick. The way they were laughing, leaning close together across the table, looking so happy in each other’s company. It was bad enough seeing that she'd accepted Kathy as a friend on Facebook while ignoring my request, but this was a more visceral disappointment. It should have been me in there with Siobhan, having a drink with her, telling her about myself, swapping smiles. It should have been me! She told me a lie: that she wasn’t allowed to socialise with students. That hurts more than anything – maybe even more than the fact that she chose Kathy over me.
    Why do the people we love always have to disappoint us so?
    I hope Siobhan isn’t going to go off with Kathy and embark on some crazed Sapphic affair. I don’t think Siobhan’s a lesbian. I’ve seen the way she looks at me – it’s a look that says ‘I like men’, even if she hasn’t realised exactly how she feels about this man yet. But I still feel so betrayed. After following them from the college to the pub, I looked in through the window and had a clear view of them. My stomach lurched and I only just stopped myself from vomiting.
     
    After they’d said goodbye I followed Siobhan for a little while, just wanting to be near her. Needing to gain strength from her proximity. But she almost saw me – I had to duck into the shadows – and then she ran off.
    Oh, Siobhan, I don’t hate you now. I still love you. I still want us to be together. So no, my sweetheart, my angel, I don’t blame you. Of course not. It’s that bitch Kathy. I blame her. She persuaded you to go to the pub with her; maybe even coerced you, nagged you until you felt you had no other choice.
    I wonder if you were wearing your new underwear tonight, Siobhan. Kathy didn’t know about that, did she? About the delicious silk you were wearing beneath your clothes. That was our secret. You and me.
    I can picture you taking it off: slipping off the shoulder straps in front of the mirror, your breasts buffed to even greater softness by the smooth touch of the silk; then sitting on the bed and pushing down the rest of it, kicking it aside, a wicked look on your face. And I’m there with you, like a shadow. You can’t see me, Siobhan,