by CJ Laurence
***
The actual event itself was quite good. Delicious food and good wine kept everyone entertained, along with speeches from Paul and Mr. Collins.
Paul looked incredible. It was hard to take my eyes off him. He looked every inch the dashing Prince Charming in his black suit with his crisp white shirt underneath. He took his jacket off after the food, loosening a couple of buttons on his shirt, which only made him look even more irresistible. I knew what he was hiding under there, and despite the perfect man sitting beside me, my mind seemed intent on being traitorous this evening.
We were sharing a table with Molly, Chris, and a couple of others from the admin office. As the clapping subsided to the speeches and the music started, Scott’s phone started ringing in his pocket.
“It’s my Dad,” he said, looking at the display. “I need to take this.”
I nodded to him, kissing him quickly before he wandered outside to take his call.
The waitress came over offering more wine, which I chucked back as if I were a fish. Still nervous, and reeling from my confession to Scott, I needed it.
“Molly,” I said, motioning for her to take Scott’s seat next to me. “I need to tell you something.”
“One minute,” she said. “I’m going to wee myself.”
She dashed off to the toilet, leaving me giggling at her. She had managed to down nearly a whole bottle of wine during dinner. I wasn’t surprised she needed the loo. I was more surprised this was the first trip she’d needed.
“Care to dance?”
I looked up, my breath hitching in my throat as I stared into Paul’s familiar sapphire eyes.
I blushed and found myself nodding. Despite my earlier confession to Scott, I couldn’t help but still feel a physical attraction to Paul. Occasionally my mind would wander, wondering what a relationship with Paul would be like. It never lasted long before reality hit home, though, and the idealistic thoughts evaporated into nothing like a mirage in a desert.
He settled us on the dance floor, and curled his arms around my waist. My heart pounded against my ribs, my body reacting as it remembered his touch.
He leaned into me, his breath tickling my neck, and whispered, “You look beautiful tonight.”
Goosebumps flooded me, my mind choosing to remind me of all our times together. Merging into the throng of people around us, I couldn’t help but give in, just for a minute.
“You know that could have been you sat next to me tonight.”
He sighed, a sadness passing through his eyes for a brief second. “I know. Let’s not go there.”
“I told him I loved him tonight.”
He took a step back, eyes widened. “Did you mean it?”
“I…what kind of a question is that?”
“A simple one. Do you actually love him?”
“I think so.”
I couldn’t believe I was thirty and still clueless as to what real love felt like.
He pulled us back together, twirling us around the floor in a spectacular fashion. “If you think so, then you don’t. You will know love when you find it.”
My heart beat hard as my mind shouted, It’s you! It’s you!
On the next exuberant twirl, my heel snapped. Had it not been for Paul’s quick reactions, I would have fallen flat on my face.
If only he’d been there to catch me when I fell for him.
I brushed the thoughts away, refusing to indulge myself anymore. I was getting carried away, lost in the moment. I couldn’t allow myself to become swept up in the romanticised atmosphere we were in. I was with Scott and we loved each other. That was how it was and how it would be.
“You okay?”
I nodded, taking my shoes off. “I’m going to go change these.”
“Don’t be silly. The floor is clean. Just go barefoot.”
I gave him a withering glance as I tiptoed across the wooden floor.
“Honestly,” he said, chasing after me. “It’ll be fine. There’s no point in going up four floors just for a pair of shoes for a couple of hours.”
“I’m not attending a fancy anniversary dinner barefoot, Paul. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I made my way towards the elevators, shaking my head at his ridiculous suggestion. I fumbled my room key out of my bra as I waited for the lift to bring me to my floor. The metal floor was cold on my feet, and I wanted the warmth of the corridor carpet. Finally, the doors sprung open, allowing me some respite as I savoured the feeling of the short carpet underneath me.
Room 408. It was on my right hand side. I slid my shoes under my arm and pushed the key in the lock. Swinging the door wide open and still grinning from Paul’s daft idea, I stepped inside. My brain didn’t quite register what my eyes reported back, not for a few seconds anyway.
Then, a blood-curdling scream filled the air. I collapsed on the floor at the sight in front of me—Molly bent over in front of Scott, begging for more.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The solid wooden door was my only support at this moment. My entire body turned to jelly. My chest heaved for breath as I started to hyperventilate.
“Shit.”
Scott’s voice floated around the outer edge of my consciousness, not really registering in this surreal haze. It wasn’t until his familiar hands wrapped around me that I snapped out of my swirling fog.
“Get off me!”
I scrabbled backwards across the soft carpet. I kicked my legs out at him, desperate to keep distance between us.
“Kyra, I’m so sorry. You were never meant to see this…”
I attempted to stand but my legs gave way. Huge, racking sobs grasped me. I couldn’t even manage basic functions. My entire being was consumed with the burning image of my best friend and my boyfriend, together.
I fell out into the corridor, and Scott reached for my hand. Hysteria took over me and I screamed at him to stay away. My vision blurred, streams of tears pouring from me and soaking my chest. Helplessness grasped me, my shocked body refusing to allow me the means to run from this twisted scene.
A shrill ping sounded through the air, silencing Scott’s pleas with me. As I sat with a spinning mind, a pair of strong, muscled arms wrapped around me, lifting me into a much needed, comforting embrace.
The familiarity of Paul’s warm chest only pushed more tears from me. He nestled me into his shoulder, stroking my hair in a soothing rhythm whilst whispering reassurances into my ear. Pressing his lips to the side of my head, I melted right there as it dawned on me what a huge mess I’d made of everything. It was my sheer desperation for wanting something, needing something, which had blinded me to the most obvious thing right in front of me.
Scott’s voice growled from behind me. “Don’t kiss my girlfriend.”
Rage began to burn through me at his statement. I turned around, still leaning against Paul for support. “I’m not your fucking girlfriend. I think you effectively ended that the second you stuck your dick in her.”
Molly appeared in the room doorway, arrogance swarming all over her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe.
“Oh, didn’t you know, Scott? They were at it for months before you arrived.”
Paul glared at her, and then pulled rank. “You, young lady, are fired.”
“Nice try, handsome. You can’t fire me for personal reasons outside of work. I’ll take you to the Union if you do.”
“No, but I can fire you for gross misconduct. Namely using company property to send explicit emails to your lover here.”
Her smirk fell from her face like a stone dropping through water.
“And I think I’ll also be calculating all the time you took to write and send over three thousand emails.” He gave her his own conceited smirk. “And I will be removing the equivalent pay from your last wage packet.”
My own confident smile appeared as my knight in shining armour saved me in spectacular fashion. The fact he had known about this cut me in two. I couldn’t
really be mad at him because he’d tried to tell me several times but I’d ignored him, refusing to believe it.
A quiet voice spoke through the piercing silence. “I see it’s all blown up in your faces finally.”
We all turned to see Chris stood at the entrance to the stairwell. I had no idea how long he’d been stood there or how much he’d heard.
Molly struggled for breath as she stammered, “You…knew?”
“Of course I knew. It’s hard not to hear your fiancée’s lovemaking noises in the middle of the night coming from the room next door.”
Molly’s face turned a new shade of red before tears started to fall.
“Don’t. I know what you’re like, Molls. I know I’m nothing compared to him.” He gave Scott a glare of disgust. “I told myself it was just a fling. I was grateful when he moved out whilst we were on honeymoon. I thought that was the end of it. Evidently not.”
I stepped forwards, Paul’s grip loosening on me as I spoke to Chris. “You knew? And you didn’t tell me? How could you?”
The betrayal from Chris hurt more than I thought it would. I would have expected him to be an ally of mine, not theirs.
“I didn’t know how to tell you, Kyra. I’m sorry. When he moved in with you I thought that was him finally getting serious with someone. I figured there was no point in upsetting the apple cart now he was playing happy families. I didn’t realise they were still going to be at it once we got back from honeymoon.”
He gave the pair of them a menacing stare before throwing his wedding ring at Molly.
“Chris…”
“Fuck off.” He disappeared back down the stairs, the slam of the door signifying his feelings.
I turned to my best friend and my now ex-boyfriend, wanting answers.
“How long has this been going on?” I asked, trying to control the quiver in my voice. “When did it start?”
Molly glanced down at the floor. Scott squirmed and shuffled from foot to foot.
“I don’t think we should do this now,” Scott said.
I turned to Paul, scanning across his face. “You know everything. Tell me.”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?”
I nodded, stubbornness taking control.
“They were emailing from when Molly returned from Barbados engaged. It evolved from there.”
A stab of pain shot through my heart. I stared at Scott, my voice barely audible. “Why? Why get involved with me in the first place?”
He licked his lips, glancing up at me before looking at the carpet. “It was her idea. She thought if I got with you, it would stop it between us. It didn’t. It got worse because she got jealous.”
The brazenness of his words ripped a new hole inside me. Then I remembered his words that day we’d gone for coffee. Looks like I may as well just do it, then.
I gasped and I clutched at my chest. Tears began to form once again as I couldn’t help but ask the inevitable. “Did you…in my house…?”
Their silence was enough for me. Weakness swamped me once more. Scooping me up in his arms, Paul took me back to his room. I buried my head in his chest and cried myself to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I woke the next morning curled inside a pair of strong, familiar arms. The heavenly scent of Paul’s aftershave combed over me. I glanced up to see his handsome face inches away from mine. For a brief second, I questioned why I was inside his embrace. Then it hit me. Like a freight train.
I peeled myself from his arms, careful not to disturb his sleep. I wanted my stuff and I wanted my phone to call my brother, but of course, that was all in that room.
Taking a deep breath, I took the apprehensive walk down the corridor. As I approached the door, I realised I didn’t have my key. I swore under my breath before noticing the idiots hadn’t removed my key from the lock the previous night.
Taking the same path I had done only hours ago, I opened the door. Seeing them both cuddled up against each other left puncture wounds in my heart so great, I may as well have been bitten by a lion.
Scott was awake, and carefully slid out from Molly’s sleeping form. He shuffled over to me, his face full of hope. “Hi…”
“I came for my stuff.”
“I just want to explain myself. I do have feelings for you—”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Ky…” He reached a hand out to touch me.
I batted his hand away, growling at him. “Don’t touch me.”
His eyes flashed with hurt and he took a step towards me. “I meant it when I said I loved you.”
I stood my ground, ready to punch him if he took another step. “Good for you. Unfortunately, I don’t love you.”
“But last night…”
“Yeah. Thinking about it, I don’t think I ever really loved you. I just loved the idea of what I thought you could give me.”
He stepped back, tears springing in his eyes.
I carried on, my vicious tongue putting him in his place. “My true desires have always laid elsewhere. You were just a welcome distraction when I couldn’t have them.”
His attention flickered behind me. I followed his gaze to see Paul stood in the doorway, dishevelled hair and streaks from my mascara staining his shirt.
My heart jumped at the sight of him. It had always been him and it would always be him.
He came to me and cupped my cheek with his hand. “What are you doing?”
“I wanted my stuff.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I’d have got it for you.”
I gazed into his lucid blue eyes, hypnotised already. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Scott spoke from behind me. “What the fuck is this? It’s him, isn’t it? What you were just talking about?”
I turned to him, anger rising. “That’s nothing to do with you.”
“Have you been sleeping with him whilst we were together?”
I laughed, not quite believing he had the cheek to ask. “Are you seriously asking me that right now? No, Scott. I haven’t slept with him since we’ve been together, but being brutally honest, it was hard to resist temptation.”
A blank expression passed over him for a few seconds before he smirked. “Well, I guess you can now say you fulfilled the complete role of a PA.”
Before I knew it, Paul flew from behind me, punching Scott square in the face with a sickening crunch. He crumpled to the floor, crying and holding his hands to his face.
Molly jumped up from the bed, screaming as she scrambled down to Scott. She yelled at Paul, fighting Scott’s hands from his face to reveal streams of blood and a broken nose.
“I’m going to have you done for assault,” she said, sobbing.
Paul chuckled. “Good luck with that one, sweetheart.”
He stepped over the mess on the floor, grabbing my bags as I instructed him where my stuff was. I collected a few bits from the bathroom to my left, stifling my beaming smile at Paul breaking Scott’s nose. God, it was satisfying.
I emerged from the bathroom, grinning at Molly’s tear ridden face. “Have a nice life, Molly.”
“Oh, I will do now I’ve wrecked yours.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve made it better.”
She stood up, her eyes glistening with a dreamy haze. “Don’t you see? He chose me over you. For once I’m not in your shadow, watching everyone kiss your feet. This time it was me. Someone wanted me and not you.”
I frowned, the reality of her words leaving me dumb founded. “What about Chris? He loved you, you bimbo.”
“Pffft. He had no backbone. He was getting boring.”
I raised my eyebrows, shaking my head in disbelief. “You really are a piece of work. Whatever. I’m done.”
Paul took my hand, leading me from the room without so much as a second glance.
Chapter Thirty-Five
I spent the next couple of days with Ash. I couldn’t quite face the reality of going home just yet. He had been li
vid with what Molly had done. Ben and I had to physically restrain him from going round her house to give her what for. Paul had told me to take as much time off as I needed.
I woke this morning feeling determined. I begged Ash to take me to my house, which, when he saw what I had in mind, he would regret. As I opened the front door, the reality of them being in here hit me square in the face. How would I ever get over this? How could I ever trust anyone again? I rummaged around for my shed keys, grinning to myself before marching outside. Taking the full can of petrol and a box of matches, I placed them in the middle of the garden.
I bounded up the stairs, scooping up Scott’s clothes before starting myself a lovely little fire. As the flames licked at his expensive clothes, an overwhelming sense of glee washed over me, fuelling me further.
Ash sat on the bonnet of his car, arms crossed, saying nothing. I darted back inside, grabbing anything Scott related to feed the roaring blaze outside. My next move startled Ash into action as he watched me shove one of my sofas out the door.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m getting rid of anything they might have had sex on. I don’t know what I could catch.”
He pursed his lips, glancing at me with concern when I brought the second sofa outside and took it to its fate. I rushed upstairs and ripped the mattress from the bed. The duvet and pillows were next to be thrown to their death along with the rest of my sheets. I didn’t care they were clean; they’d probably still suffered seeing Scott and Molly like I had.
The more things I burned, the more images I saw of them doing it in my house. It drove me crazy, and I battled furiously to force the unbendable mattress down the stairs.
I threw it onto the unforgiving fire and collapsed on the ground with huge, racking sobs. The heat burned my face but I didn’t care. I wanted the fire to consume all the pain inside me as well as everything I’d fed it.
Ash dragged me away from the fire. “Pull yourself together. What are you going to do now you’ve burned all your furniture?”