by S J Crabb
‘Well, Annie, what do you think?’
Everyone looks at me expectantly and I shake my head in disbelief.
‘I can't believe it. You're amazing Abby. This isn't me where have I gone?’
Abby and her friend, who I now know to be called Poppy, grin at each other and high five.
‘Good job girlfriend. Now for the tickets to the ball.’
They smile at us and say excitedly.
‘Right, the party is three floors up. It's just the staff and a few guests, nothing to worry about. Just remember to have fun and don't worry about a thing. If you need anything just come and find us. Although don't leave it too long, Poppy and I are usually out of it by 11 pm.’
They laugh and head towards the door. ‘Come on, we'll walk with you.’
My heart is pounding as I follow them from the room. Despite looking the best I have ever looked in my whole life, I feel sick with nerves. I don't think I can do this. Seeing Liam with April will just finish me off.
We walk silently towards the lift and all crowd inside.
I watch a look pass between the two girls and wonder what it means. They look excited and a little secretive.
The lift stops and Abby takes my hand and pulls me from the lift, telling the others, ‘We're getting off here. Poppy will take you both up to the party. My instructions are to take Annie somewhere else first.’
I look at Gina and Dick in alarm, but they just grin knowingly as the lift doors close.
Abby grins and winks at me and I follow her down the hallway. Now I know I'm going to be sick.
Chapter Forty
Abby stops outside a door and grins at me.
‘Here you go, Annie. Liam asked that you meet him here.’
She looks around and then leans forward whispering, ‘You do know he's a great guy, don't you?’
I nod and she laughs softly. ‘He's a favourite around here, most of us would do anything for him. We want him to be happy and so agreed to help.’
She winks and heads off before I can ask – help with what?
Feeling extremely nervous, I push open the door.
It appears to be a smallish room which is bathed in subdued lighting. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust as I look around. The room is empty and there is no sign of Liam.
However, as I look around me I suddenly focus on something that completely blows my mind. What the hell?!!!
All around me are photographs. It's like some crazy stalker wall, as plastered on every bit of space is me.
Photos and photos of me, cataloguing every minute of my time with Liam. I shake my head and move closer. I can't believe it. These photos are gorgeous. I can't believe it's me. The person on the wall is beautiful. Liam has captured every expression, every laugh and pure emotion and I have never looked so good. Wow, he is a master at this. Who knew he could work such miracles?
Suddenly I hear, ‘What do you think, gorgeous?’
Spinning around, my breath leaves my body, as I see Liam in all his sexy glory, leaning nonchalantly against the wall watching me. He looks super-hot, wearing a black tuxedo which makes him look just like James Bond. My legs feel weak with longing and my heart flutters at the sight of him. It's not fair, how can one person be given so much sex appeal?
He looks at me nervously and I remember that he asked me a question.
I just look at him, totally gob-smacked, for want of a better word.
‘I can't believe it; these photographs are beautiful. Did you photoshop them or something?’
Liam laughs and comes and stands beside me.
‘No, I just captured the moment. I don't think you realise just how beautiful you are, Annie. These photos needed no work. The subject was more than good enough. The camera appears to love you.’
I shake my head and carry on looking at them. ‘But why Liam? I never even saw you take these.’
He laughs softly. ‘It was easy. Every time I took photos of the happy couple, I took some of you at the same time. You were a much more interesting subject, and I got a bit carried away.’
I look at him in disbelief. ‘But why all this? I mean, it smacks of some kind of crazy stalker-ish behaviour if I'm perfectly honest. It's a good job I have been accompanied here by the Police.’
I grin and he laughs softly. ‘There's my girl.’
Something about the way he says it makes my heart lift. He is looking at me with a strange expression and I feel suddenly nervous.
‘Um, this is all lovely and totally unexpected, but why? Surely you have better things to do now that you're back with April. I know you asked me to be your date for this party, but I didn't think the invitation still stood after your reconciliation.’
Liam suddenly looks angry and takes my hand and looks deeply into my eyes.
‘There never was a reconciliation, Annie. Despite my mother's best attempts. I think I should start at the beginning, don't you?’
He leads me over to a couch and pulls me down beside him. I do notice that he keeps his hand in mine which feels nice. He looks nervous again, so I squeeze his hand.
‘Go on then?’
He smiles softly. ‘When I left you, I headed back to the wedding. My cousin Charlotte called – you remember, you were there at the time.’
Gosh, the relief is overwhelming. Charlotte!!
He carries on. ‘Well, unfortunately, their wedding night didn't quite go as planned. Eric got raging drunk and collapsed in the bar. Charlotte spent her wedding night alone while he slept it off. If only that was the worst thing that happened. The next day he recovered, and they tried to start again. That afternoon though he disappeared and when she went to find him she discovered him with one of her bridesmaids in their honeymoon suite. She was meant to be enjoying the use of the spa at the time so he thought he would be perfectly safe. Well, things went from bad to worse and they had a screaming fight. It ended up with her father punching Eric and throwing him out. She called me in floods of tears and asked if I would go back for moral support in case he came back. She was worried they had judged you harshly, and that you hated them all.’
I can't believe what I'm hearing. Poor Charlotte.
‘So why did the news channel report that you were back with April? Where does she come into all this?’
He shakes his head. ‘My mother called her when she knew I was coming back and said that I was regretting ending it. She told her to get back to the wedding and fight for me. April, meanwhile, discovered she was better off with me as her fling had gone back to his wife. She came to claim her man, and I wanted none of it. I think she spent the night in our old room while I kept Charlotte company in hers.’
I can't take it all in and just look at him in shock.
‘Wow, I mean, as wedding's go, that one will keep the staff talking for months.’
Liam laughs and then looks worried again. ‘I tried to call you. I wanted to come back so badly but couldn’t leave Charlotte. The trouble is, you never picked up, and I left you so many voice messages I thought you had replaced my number with Tosser's.’
I look at him in shock. ‘You never called me and come to think of it, I don't think I even had your number.’
Liam suddenly laughs and rolls his eyes. ‘It appears that was one small detail we both overlooked. When I realised I hadn't taken your number, I remembered you had given your business card to Aunt Kim. Luckily, she still had it, so I used the number on there.’
I am still confused. ‘But there weren't any missed calls or voicemail messages.’
Liam suddenly laughs and his eyes crinkle up at the corners that always makes me go weak at the knees.
‘Like I said, I thought you were ignoring them until I got a call from an irate truck driver called Mickey from South Shields. He threatened to come and thump my gay ass if I pestered him any more. His girlfriend discovered the messages I left and confronted him about his gay affair. Apparently, you had the wrong number printed on those cards, so you may want to change that.’
We dissolve into hysterics and laugh until the tears run down our faces. When I've calmed down, I shake my head.
‘No wonder I never heard back from any jobs. That was £12.50 wasted.’
He grins and then I remember Dick and Gina.
‘So how come my sister and her porn star boyfriend are here. What's the story there?’
Liam laughs. ‘I rang your parents after Mickey hung up and asked if you were still there. They told me you had left the day before so I asked for your number. Your mum was a little unsure whether she should give it to me, so gave me Gina's instead. When I called her, she told me you had gone home and then between us we worked out this little surprise.’
My mind is still whirring and I am finding it hard to take everything in.
‘But why all this? I get you needed a date for tonight, and of course, I'm happy to oblige. But this is all so extreme.’
Now Liam looks unsure of himself and looks a little lost if I'm honest.
‘Because I don't want you to be my Christmas girlfriend anymore. Gina told me that you felt you couldn't ever compete with April. She said you had zero self-confidence after what had happened and would always feel second best. I wanted to show you that you are far more beautiful than April could ever wish to be. Her image is carefully orchestrated by others. She is made up and styled how others want her to be. She has no personality and is always looking for the next best thing. She doesn't know how to let loose and enjoy herself and every part of her life is stage-managed. I wanted you to feel sexy and confident when you came here today. The photos are to prove to you that you are every bit as beautiful, if not more so than her. I want you to know you are the most beautiful, sexy, woman that I have ever met and I don't want to pretend anymore.’
I can't quite believe what I think Liam is about to say and wonder if I'm dreaming all this. His eyes soften and he looks deep into my eyes.
‘I want you to be my proper girlfriend, Annie. I love the fact that you are not only beautiful but kind-hearted and full of fun. You make me laugh and you rock my world. I can't stop thinking about you and if you aren't in my life then I'm not complete. Please say you feel the same?’
I open my mouth but no words come out. I try again and still I can't form words. Liam laughs at the expression on my face and leans towards me.
‘I'm just going to take that as a yes. You can't back out now because I've called it. You are now my girlfriend whether you like it or not.’
I lean towards him and whisper.
‘You sure took your time – boyfriend.’
Then no more words are necessary as he pulls me towards him and officially kisses the life out of my lips.
Chapter Forty-One
Three Months Later
‘What are your plans this weekend?’
I look at Rebecca as she hands me the Pilkington accounts. ‘I'm meeting Liam straight from work and we're heading down to Dorset for my Gran's wedding.’
Rebecca raises her eyes. ‘Your GRAN'S wedding. Wow!’
I laugh. ‘Yes, it's a bit unorthodox, but if you knew my Gran you wouldn't be surprised.’
Rebecca looks impressed. ‘Gosh, there's hope for me after all.’
I laugh as I say my goodbyes.
As I head back to my desk I still can't quite believe how things panned out. Liam and I became joined at the hip and now live together in his minimalistic flat in Notting Hill. We're some kind of cool couple, visiting bars and cafes on our days off and loitering around Art galleries at the weekend. He is still Vogue's number one photographer, but I don't care about that. He makes me feel desired and loved and I couldn't love him more.
I started work at Harris and Goldstein where Rebecca and I clicked over our mutual hatred of Mackinlay- Sanderson.
I love working here, it's everything I dreamed of finding and I'm so grateful to Gail.
She is still with Alex and they make a sweet couple. Tosser moved on, luckily, and took a job in Kingston for a rival Insurance Company. It would appear they have a larger office with lots of fresh talent to corrupt.
Heading down in the lift, I think about the weekend ahead and groan inwardly.
Gina and I are bridesmaids and Gran has chosen the most unsuitable dresses for us to wear. I think she bought them from Ann Summers online. Gina will feel at home wearing it though.
They got the deposit for their flat from sales of their porno on the dark web. Apparently, they are making a sequel to pay for their wedding. I try not to think about it if at all possible, hearing it was bad enough.
The lift reaches the ground floor and I spill out with the rest of the workers, desperate to escape London for the weekend.
As I head outside, my heart lifts as I see Liam waiting for me by the fountain. My sexy boyfriend. How lucky am I? He sees me coming and his face lights up. He rushes over and takes my bag and then kisses me relentlessly.
‘Hey, gorgeous. You ready for a weekend of crazy fun?’
I laugh and roll my eyes.
‘Sure thing boyfriend. Just promise that you won't use the photos of me in my risqué dress against me. Oh, and don't ever show them to your parents.’
Liam laughs and winks suggestively.
Despite our shaky start, I have grown to like Liam's parents. They finally accepted that he wasn't going back to April and when Liam explained what we had done they just saw the humour in the situation. Luckily, they aren't as bad as I thought. It would have been a nightmare if we hadn't got on.
We head towards the station to grab our train to Dorset.
As we walk hand in hand, I say, ‘Hey, you did remember to re-stock the brandy flask, didn't you?’
Liam laughs and pats his man bag.
‘All present and correct and filled to capacity.’
‘Thank goodness for that. I will need every drop of it to get through this weekend. You do remember what you're in for, don't you?’
Liam grins. ‘I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've missed your crazy family and I hope they don't disappoint.’
I laugh and then grin at him. ‘I wonder if Elliott will bring Barbie with him.’
It turned out to be Elliott who swapped blow-up Barbie for the sweet wrapper. My Aunt and Uncle were called into the school after he tried to get Macie Green to kiss him in exchange for it. Her parents were horrified when she brought it home and said that a boy had given it to her in return for, 'doing it' with him in the playground. Sounds like one of Delilah's problems.
Mum and Dad are still the same. I've had many a Skype call from them, consulting me over the wedding preparations and deploying me to Selfridges or John Lewis to pick up much-needed stuff for the big day. Mum has gone overboard as usual and I know it will be the most beautiful wedding because of it.
Liam is going to take the photographs, hopefully not like the lady wanted who parted with Barbie.
That was the most embarrassing afternoon of my life, as I assisted Liam when he took the adult photographs.
I don't know how he could even look through the lens at them. I just focused on a stain on their ceiling for most of it. Imagine going around there for dinner and being faced with pictures of their intimate parts.
We join the crowds of commuters all escaping the city and I hope that we get a seat at least. Apparently, we aren't the only ones heading out of town.
As we wait, my thoughts turn to the last wedding we went to together. Charlotte and Eric separated, and she is now dating a polo player from Surrey. She seems happy and Liam seems to like him, so all is good there.
Eric is still a member of his sex club, which I believe he visits most evenings. Luckily, we have nothing to do with him, which is a very good thing.
The train arrives and we join the stampede for the seats. Luckily, we manage to find our favoured spot by the window and as we sit down, Liam grins. ‘So, here we are again. A bit different this time, wouldn't you say?’
I raise my eyes. ‘In what way?’
He laughs. ‘Well, I believe we had qui
te a deception going on last time. It's all straightforward now. It should be easy this time.’
As we look at each other we grin. I watch as Liam removes the brandy from his bag and unscrews the top.
As he offers it to me, he leans in and whispers, ‘So, what shall we do this time, girlfriend? Let's make this interesting.’
As the train pulls out of the station I laugh at the wicked glint in his eye.
‘Ok, boyfriend. We've got two hours to get our story straight?’
I take a swig of the brandy and pass it back. This weekend is going to be fun.
The End
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