Rumours

by Claire Ayres

  “I have to earn a living.”

  “Maybe, I can steal you away later?” He continues to whisper, his breath sending bolts of electricity through her body. Blair doesn’t find her reactions to Mark normal at all.

  “Maybe you can. Now, I have to be professional.” She touches his hand, a lingering touch, before turning to look him in the eye, he steals a kiss and they both stand caught in each other’s web for several minutes.

  As she starts to walk away she feels his hand squeeze her ass and her whole-body tenses with anticipation.

  “Blair, Hi!” Jess rushes over and kisses Blair’s cheek, while Luka strolls up behind his fiancé and gives Blair a hug.

  “Good to see you both. Are you still happy with the plan we talked about?” Blair asks looking them both in the eye.

  “Absolutely, we give you free reign to walk around and take pictures as you see fit.” Luka smiles

  We also discussed it and should have some fun, after all the formalities are over at about 10 pm relax and have some fun.” Jess says, glancing over at Mark as she finishes her sentence and smiling coyly.

  “But...”

  “No arguments Blair. We want photos to remind us of the night, we don’t need photos of everyone off their faces. You are a friend now as well, you should enjoy yourself too.” Luka says and Blair merely nods. This is not normal practice. In the rare event, a couple doesn’t need her all night she would leave, not stay for the party.

  Jess rushes to see somebody who has arrived with a delivery, while Luka leans in to say something privately to Blair.

  “I’ve not seen my best friend smile the way he has been the past few weeks, ever. I think it may have something to do with you. So, whatever you’re doing keep doing it.” He turns and walks away before Blair can respond, leaving her open-mouthed and speechless.

  ◆◆◆

  “Are you sure you can’t sneak away?”

  “Mark for the hundredth time I’m working.” Blair can’t help except start to laugh, she’s been walking around for the past couple of hours, catching people deep in conversation, laughing, dancing, and in some intimate moments. Every now and then Mark pops up on her elbow, begging her to sneak away, to dance, for a kiss. It’s annoying and distracting and terribly adorable.

  “Luka said they’ve given you some time off.” He continues, kissing her cheek.

  “Not yet though, how about I promise to dance with you when I am finished? Will it stop you pestering me?” His eyes are thoughtful as he considers the proposal.

  “You can only dance with me, and you have to come home with me.” He responds. Blair bites her bottom lip and then nods her head, his confidence is a turn on. He takes her head in his hands and kisses her deeply. “Now, go back to work, and hurry up.” As he walks away he turns and winks. Blair wonders how far gone she already is.

  Going back to her job, Blair walks around and captures perfect moments with her camera. While walking the party she sees a girl sitting alone at a table, she takes a few shots of her, she is a young red-head, beautiful, and clearly lonely. Blair decides to go and speak to her for a few minutes.

  “Hi, I’m Blair.” She says holding her hand out.

  “Oh, Um, I’m Quinn.” They shake hands and Blair notes Quinn is shaking.

  “Are you OK? You seem uncomfortable.” Blair asks sitting down in the chair next to Quinn.

  “Yes, well no, I’m not sure why I came really. I’m not good with social situations.” Blair nods.

  “I understand, I try to avoid them, well normally. I usually do my job and then go home. I met someone recently who has been making me push my social boundaries a bit. I can admit I’m not very comfortable with it even though I am enjoying it.” Blair explains with a smile on her face and Quinn smiles at her.

  “You’re Mark’s new girlfriend, aren’t you?” Blair’s heart stops at the title of girlfriend, is she his girlfriend? Have they reached this point already? No, they haven’t labelled anything, and it’s been a few weeks of fun.

  “Oh, I don’t think it’s that serious.” She tries to laugh it off, while Quinn looks at her eyebrow raised.

  “If a man like him, looked at me the way he was looking at you now I’d be over the moon.” She says.

  “I guess…” Blair trails. Then thinks of something. “Look, do you mind me interfering a little. I hate to see you sitting here alone all night.”

  “Well, that depends, what are you going to do?”

  “Nothing bad.” Blair smiles, waving at Mark from across the room.

  “Oh no, what are you doing.” Quinn is flushing and sinking into her seat.

  “Hello, ladies.” Mark is grinning.

  “Mark, this is Quinn, she’s here alone and as you know I have to work, do you think you could introduce her to a few people?”

  “Of course, hey you play the clarinet, don’t you?”

  “Hi, yes I do.” Quinn is softly spoken and Blair squeezes Mark’s hand in thanks.

  “Quinn, I look forward to meeting up for lunch,” Blair says before she walks away leaving the two of them knowing Quinn is in safe hands.

  ◆◆◆

  The speeches are finished, and Blair has packed her camera up. Standing to the side, a position she’s used to taking because of her job, see everything yet don’t be seen, a man comes to stand next to her. His very distinct facial features tell her is somehow related to Luka.

  “What’s a beautiful girl like you doing standing alone?”

  “Oh, don’t tell me that line actually works on women?” She laughs, and he smiles, a smile identical to Luka’s, it’s almost disturbing.

  “Sometimes, I’ll admit it does. I’m Niccolo. Luka’s more handsome brother.” He takes her hand and kisses it in a very gentlemanly gesture.

  “Wow, smooth, Niccolo.” She giggles. “I’m Blair. No relation.” He roars with laughter, possibly overplayed a little, she thinks to herself.

  “Can I get you a drink, Miss Blair?”

  “No thank you, I’m good.” She turns her eyes back to the dancing, Mark is leading Quinn around the floor, having taken her request to look after the girl seriously and a smile spreads across her face seeing how he was incredibly kind putting his own needs behind what she asked of him. He caught her eye and his smile was equally large and genuine. His eyes creased at the effort of smiling so hard.

  “You know Mark?” Niccolo asks

  “Yeah, I met him the same time I met Jess and Luka.” I say, “He’s a nice guy.”

  “Oh, Shit! You’re her, aren’t you? Well, now I get it!” He exclaims making no sense at all

  “I beg your pardon?” I turn to look at him, a question written all over my face

  “You’re the one Luka told me about, the one who’s tamed, Mark. I have to say I didn’t believe it at first. Now that I’ve met you though, I get it. I mean, you’re beautiful and look at you giving me shit as soon as I came to stand next to you, you’ve got fire in you, he needs the challenge.”

  “I’ve only known him a few weeks, I’d hardly refer to me like I’m a lion tamer, and I doubt Mark needed taming.” Tonight, Blair has been referred to as his girlfriend and now the one who’s tamed him. She feels uncomfortable with the way other people are making decisions about a relationship she hasn’t even defined yet.

  “Look, Mark has played around and fucked up in the past, he’s a solid guy though, like family to us. To see him happy, smiling the way he is,” he nods at Mark dancing across the room. “it’s a bloody miracle. You must really be special.”

  “He told me fucked up in the past. I don’t care about past mistakes. If he really is a genuinely good person now.” Blair says. Glad Mark was honest with her.

  “He told you about it? Fuck he must really like you, he hates to talk about how he fucked Luka’s relationship up!” Blair takes a second to register what Niccolo is saying.

  “Wait, what did you say?”

  “Well, you know…he slept with Luka’s girlfriend, got caught
red-handed…”

  She didn’t hear the rest of what Niccolo said it faded into the background as the reality that she was in deep with a man who had cheated and screwed up his best friends life sunk in. She felt the colour drain from her face and wasn’t aware of her feet moving, or her hands booking the Uber. Somehow, she collected her camera, got in the car and arrived home without speaking to another person or crying, definitely no crying.

  ◆◆◆

  When Blair knocked on Dean’s front door she wasn’t entirely sure what reaction to expect, they might be best friends but it was past midnight, she had gone home initially and then after fretting around her flat she had walked over to his place. When he opened the door and saw her standing there her tangled hair, make-up free face, her baggy sweater and jogging bottoms, and a frown creased his face, he simply stepped back for her to come in without saying a word.

  When she was inside and the door closed he enclosed her in his arms and she held him her face in his chest. He smelled safe, like home, and his arms were strong and comforting, one of his hands caressing her hair while he whispered words of comfort in her ear. Still, she refused to let tears fall standing there holding him for ten minutes without speaking or letting her emotions out. Eventually, she pulled away, looking at Dean who held her face gently in his hands.

  “Want a cup of tea? Then you can tell me what part of the world ended and sent you knocking on my door in the middle of the night.”

  Blair nods and takes his hand while they go into the kitchen, sitting at the table while he makes a cup of tea. She balances her feet on the edge of the seat, wrapping her arms around her knees, with her chin resting on top.

  “Here you go, what’s going on?” He places her tea next to her and sits on the chair adjacent. She puts a hand out needing some comfort.

  “I’ve been a fool. Again.” She says, fighting the tears threatening to fall.

  “What do you mean?” Dean frowns, his handsome face pulled tightly.

  “Mark, I believed everyone telling me he’s a nice guy. I believed him telling me how much he liked me.” She says and Dean realises what she is saying.

  “What did he do to you B?”

  “Nothing directly. Ah shit Dean, I found out something about him, his past.” She says. “He cheated, with his best friends girlfriend.” She looks at Dean and all the pain she has buried for three years pours out of her eyes. Dean pulls her to him and hugs her, letting her feel her pain knowing someone who loves her has her back.

  “Has he done anything to hurt you directly though Blair?” He asks her after several minutes.

  “No, he’s been lovely, I know it’s only been a few weeks. I can’t trust a cheater. I can’t get into something with a cheater.” She looks at Dean with determination in her eyes.

  “The past doesn’t determine someone’s future, you know that. And judging by how he and Luka were at the meal, they fixed everything between them. That should tell you an awful lot about the kind of person he is.”

  “No, he’s still a cheater.” Her voice raising, fire is burning in her eyes.

  “How does he make you feel, Blair?” Dean looks at her, his eyes burning into her.

  “It doesn’t matter, the only thing which matters is he is a cheater and I’ve been an idiot to let him anywhere near me.” Her voice shakes and the unshed tears in her eyes speak volumes.

  “Don’t lie to me, Blair. You told me how you felt just over a day ago, it shines out of your face. I could see as soon as you two met how much chemistry there was between you. His situation is different to yours don’t tar him with the same brush as Scott. He doesn’t deserve it. Scott was a complete asshole, he still is.” Dean brushes a piece of hair out of her face.

  “I don’t think I can trust him.” She says and lifts her head up, their eyes locked in an honest battle.

  “Don’t torture yourself after you have found someone you could love because he made one stupid mistake in the past. One. What Scott did to you wasn’t one mistake it was meticulous and cruel. There is a huge difference you need to understand it Blair.”

  Blair nods, placing her mug back on the counter and covering her mouth as she yawns the events of the evening catching up with her.

  “Come on you need to get some sleep. The spare room is a mess but you should be able to get to the bed. OK?” Dean leaves her in his spare bedroom and goes back to his own bed.

  Blair sits in the darkness of the room her emotions churning knowing deep in her heart she can’t let a man into her heart who has the ability to cheat even once. For some reason, knowing her and Mark are over is making her heart ache more than when she ended things with Scott.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mark

  I’m sitting silently at my parent’s dining table, waiting for our food to be served. They, of course, have staff for such menial tasks as serving food and eating a meal far more of a pantomime than it should be. Seraphina hasn’t spoken more than two words, “Hello, Mark”, since I arrived two hours ago. She’s a timid young thing, no more than nineteen and not a girl who has grown into her womanhood yet. What my parents are thinking I have no idea.

  I would rather be anywhere except here, truth is, I want to be figuring out what is going on with Blair. She disappeared last night after we had made plans to go home together. She offloaded Quinn onto me then did a runner. Each time I try to call her I just get the standard the phone you are calling is not available message, she must have her phone turned off. I keep thinking did I say something to spook her, although I haven’t told her what was actually going through my mind about our relationship if you can call it that, I haven’t hidden the fact I’m in it for the long haul. I’ve made it clear to her she is the person I want to commit to. I’m tangled in knots trying to understand how she has disappeared.

  “Mark, dear?”

  “Sorry, Mother, what were you saying?” I shake off my thoughts and bring them back to the table where our food is being served.

  “I was telling Seraphina you have a lovely penthouse apartment in London.” My Mother says, and Seraphina glances at me through her eyelashes, looking slightly afraid. Quite rightly too, I’m the big bad wolf, certainly not suitable for a young thing like her.

  “I do, it’s being leased right now.” My Mother gasps, in disgust while my Father almost drops his silverware.

  “How could you let some unknown person live in your property, Mark?”

  “Quite easily, Father. It does me no good sitting empty while I’m living in Bristol.”

  “I have no idea what possessed you to move to Bristol anyway.” Retorts my Mother, shaking her head.

  “My friends are there, and a good job. I love being there. It makes me very happy. And I’ve met someone.” I can’t believe I’ve said that, my parents will be incorrigible if they think I have a girlfriend. My life will not be peaceful, until I’m married, I want to annoy them, shock them, and deep down I know how I feel about Blair could be real, even if she has gone missing.

  “What do you mean you met someone, Mark?” My Father looks at me pointedly. “You’ve never shown an interest in having a girlfriend or settling down before.”

  “I didn’t want to.” I respond, the trick with my father is to hold his gaze and not back down. Never show a weakness. “I met this woman and knew immediately she was special. Nothing about that has changed.”

  My parents exchange nervous glances, then my Mother scratches her neck.

  “Son, there’s something we need to tell you.” She says, looking at my Father. They are up to something, or they’ve done something. Something which is going to piss me off. Big time.

  “Son, we thought you were going to be single forever, we arranged for you to marry Seraphina. It’s all arranged.”

  “No! No fucking way!” I roar! Leaping up the heavy oak chair part of this ancient dining set smashes to the floor behind me. I turn and look at Seraphina. “No offence love,” I say to her and she shrugs her shoulders, clearly having been f
orced down this road by her own elitist pushy parents.

  “Mark, can’t you see what a wonderful match this is, our two families….” My Mother pleads, her flush rising across her face. I can tell she isn’t on board, this is all my Father.

  “There is no way you will get me to do this, there is nothing you can say which will convince me to go along with it.” I stand up and throw my napkin on the table.

  “Son, this is for your own good.” My Father, interrupts.

  I pick up my coat, not waiting for the help to do their job and I leave. Grateful to Luka for letting me borrow his car again, I slip into the driver seat pulling out of the gate and take off at full speed, driveway gravel spewing behind the tires as I go.

  ◆◆◆

  A couple of hours later I’m back in my apartment, I didn’t stop to speak to Luka when I dropped his keys off. I try calling Blair again and it goes straight to voicemail again.

  “Blair it’s Mark again. I know I keep calling it’s because I’m worried about you. I’m not sure what happened or didn’t happen, I want, no I need, to talk to you find out what happened and clear the air. I miss you. Fuck I really miss you, Blair, I can’t be separated like this, not after how well things were going.”

  I hang up, staring at my phone and willing it to give me a magical answer before I toss it to the side, playing the conversation with my parents through again. They actually expected me to marry a teenage stranger. I shake my head before deciding to head to the gym and get my frustrations out on a punching bag.

  Mark: Hey Mate, I’m heading to the gym if you want in.

  Luka: Give me ten minutes and I’ll be with you.

  I get changed into my gym kit by which time Luka has let himself in.

  “Hey, Buddy. You ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” I pick up my keys, phone and water. Then we make the short walk from the apartment block to the gym.