them…g-getting naked on the s-sofa…” She sobbed loudly.
“Shh, Shh, babe,” I soothed. “Listen, tell me where you are now, and I’ll come get you.”
“I’m on Crown Street, near that dentist place you went to for your braces when you were younger.”
“Okay. Okay. Let me call Zack, and we’ll come get you. Just stay there.”
“Thanks, Kez,” she whimpered.
I smiled. “No problem. Love you, babes.”
Evie sniffled again. “Love you too.”
I hung up and dialled Zack’s number, giving the quick version of what was going on and asking if he could come and pick Evie and me up. He said he’d be ten minutes, which gave me enough time to walk down to Crown Street to find Evie.
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I left the bathrooms and found Brogan still sitting at our table. For some reason, I’d half-expected him to leave. He looked up at me with concern when I reached the table.
“Everything okay?”
I shook my head. “My best friend just caught her boyfriend cheating, so I’ve got to go and get her.”
He frowned. “Want me to pound him for her?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why would you do that?”
His expression hardened. “I don’t like guys who cheat.”
Both my eyebrows went up now, and he scowled.
“Don’t look at me like that. I sleep around, but only because I never get serious with any one girl. If I found a girl I liked enough to keep, I wouldn’t go around behind her back. I’m an ass, yeah, but I’m not that fucking stupid.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. But look, I really have to go. So…”
“Wait.” He stood and grabbed my hand as I turned to leave. Then he looked down at where his fingers met mine and said, “I still have questions. Will you come by mine tonight? Just so we can talk? I promise it doesn’t need to be anything else.”
I groaned, and he turned those compelling eyes on me again.
Fuck. I sighed. “Alright, alright! I’ll be round about seven. And it will be just talking, you got me? Nothing else. You ask your questions, I answer, I leave.”
He nodded, looking half-amused and half-irritated. He let go of my wrist. “Fine. I’ll see you tonight.”
I snatched my hand back and ran out the door, feeling like my blood was sizzling in my veins. Damn him! And damn me for agreeing to meet him again—at his flat, no less! Was I a masochist or just stupid? At the minute, I wasn’t sure. Pushing thoughts of Brogan aside for the time being, I pelted down the street toward Crown Street and focussed on how to help my best friend get over yet another broken heart.
Chapter Fourteen
** Kester **
It took almost two hours, half a box of Kleenex, and a tub of Chocolate Brownie ice cream for Evie to cry herself out. Then I gave her some aspirin and a hot water bottle, and tucked her into bed. I stayed by her side, reading a book, until she fell asleep, then turned off the light and closed the bedroom door quietly behind me as I left.
By then, I was hungry again, having only eaten a Subway sandwich and a few spoonfuls of ice cream all day, so I whipped up some buttered toast and a bowl of Frosted Cornflakes, too tired to try and make anything more complicated. Not that I could cook much anyway. By the time my stomach was full and the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, it was quarter to seven.
I glanced out the window and saw it was already pretty dark outside, the streetlamps flickering on, and Mr Palmer from down the street was taking his yappy little dog for its evening walk. I thought about giving Zack a call to hitch a lift to Brogan’s, but then I remembered he’d mentioned he had a date, and he wouldn’t be happy if I interrupted. So I resigned myself to walking, grabbed my keys, which had a two-inch long metal dragon-claw key-ring on it. Not quite a knife, but at least it was legal and could be used to gouge someone’s eye out if I really needed to. I scribbled a note for Evie
“Shh, Shh, babe,” I soothed. “Listen, tell me where you are now, and I’ll come get you.”
“I’m on Crown Street, near that dentist place you went to for your braces when you were younger.”
“Okay. Okay. Let me call Zack, and we’ll come get you. Just stay there.”
“Thanks, Kez,” she whimpered.
I smiled. “No problem. Love you, babes.”
Evie sniffled again. “Love you too.”
I hung up and dialled Zack’s number, giving the quick version of what was going on and asking if he could come and pick Evie and me up. He said he’d be ten minutes, which gave me enough time to walk down to Crown Street to find Evie.
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I left the bathrooms and found Brogan still sitting at our table. For some reason, I’d half-expected him to leave. He looked up at me with concern when I reached the table.
“Everything okay?”
I shook my head. “My best friend just caught her boyfriend cheating, so I’ve got to go and get her.”
He frowned. “Want me to pound him for her?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why would you do that?”
His expression hardened. “I don’t like guys who cheat.”
Both my eyebrows went up now, and he scowled.
“Don’t look at me like that. I sleep around, but only because I never get serious with any one girl. If I found a girl I liked enough to keep, I wouldn’t go around behind her back. I’m an ass, yeah, but I’m not that fucking stupid.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. But look, I really have to go. So…”
“Wait.” He stood and grabbed my hand as I turned to leave. Then he looked down at where his fingers met mine and said, “I still have questions. Will you come by mine tonight? Just so we can talk? I promise it doesn’t need to be anything else.”
I groaned, and he turned those compelling eyes on me again.
Fuck. I sighed. “Alright, alright! I’ll be round about seven. And it will be just talking, you got me? Nothing else. You ask your questions, I answer, I leave.”
He nodded, looking half-amused and half-irritated. He let go of my wrist. “Fine. I’ll see you tonight.”
I snatched my hand back and ran out the door, feeling like my blood was sizzling in my veins. Damn him! And damn me for agreeing to meet him again—at his flat, no less! Was I a masochist or just stupid? At the minute, I wasn’t sure. Pushing thoughts of Brogan aside for the time being, I pelted down the street toward Crown Street and focussed on how to help my best friend get over yet another broken heart.
Chapter Fourteen
** Kester **
It took almost two hours, half a box of Kleenex, and a tub of Chocolate Brownie ice cream for Evie to cry herself out. Then I gave her some aspirin and a hot water bottle, and tucked her into bed. I stayed by her side, reading a book, until she fell asleep, then turned off the light and closed the bedroom door quietly behind me as I left.
By then, I was hungry again, having only eaten a Subway sandwich and a few spoonfuls of ice cream all day, so I whipped up some buttered toast and a bowl of Frosted Cornflakes, too tired to try and make anything more complicated. Not that I could cook much anyway. By the time my stomach was full and the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, it was quarter to seven.
I glanced out the window and saw it was already pretty dark outside, the streetlamps flickering on, and Mr Palmer from down the street was taking his yappy little dog for its evening walk. I thought about giving Zack a call to hitch a lift to Brogan’s, but then I remembered he’d mentioned he had a date, and he wouldn’t be happy if I interrupted. So I resigned myself to walking, grabbed my keys, which had a two-inch long metal dragon-claw key-ring on it. Not quite a knife, but at least it was legal and could be used to gouge someone’s eye out if I really needed to. I scribbled a note for Evie
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