by G. Bailey
"I don't mind," I say, trying to move away from them both.
As I leave, I hear Elliot laugh, saying to the guy, "Don't bother with her, she isn't worth it. Just some girl in a slutty dress."
I leave the party and cry all night before waking up and deciding I don't care what Elliot King thinks. The next week at school, I tell him to screw himself, and he laughs. I swear to never cry over Elliot King again.
I get up and leave the room. I hear Blake shout ‘wait’ behind me, but I just shut my door. I was a fool to think he would ever change. I spend the next hour in my room, calming down before meeting Emilia and getting into my car. Elliot King has always been a nasty pain in my ass. The amount of times he stopped me from getting dates, got me detention, or got me in trouble at school, made me to think about causing him bodily harm on several occasions. I hated him growing up. Tristan and Maisy always told me to avoid him and he would leave me alone. He never left me alone.
"You okay? I mean, that was harsh with Elliot," Emilia asks straight away. She gently touches my shoulder.
"I don't want to speak about him. Anyway, how was your night?" I ask.
"All right, but there was a guy I didn’t expect to see there. I don't want to speak about it," she mutters with a slight blush, and we both laugh.
"Boys, huh? Who would have them?" I say to her.
"Hey, we are both single, and I think we should keep it that way." She grins, and we laugh together on the way to the shopping centre.
We walk through the shops commenting about random things before finding Maisy and Izzy sitting with Jake at a table in the coffee shop. I wave as we walk over.
"There's the most handsome man I've ever seen," I say as I walk over to Jake, who is four months old and sitting in his pushchair eating his hand.
"Hey, you two," Izzy says with a grin as I sit down. I look over at a few guys at another table as they stare at Izzy. Izzy attracts attention wherever she goes, and the best part is she doesn’t even realise. She has long, blond hair, which is so bright it’s almost white, a slim figure, and a pretty face. When I first met her, I should have guessed she was related to the King brothers. She has the King green eyes.
"We were just talking about the wedding," Maisy says with a grin. Maisy is just as pretty, a little taller than me and has long, thick, black hair, which I love. I tickle one of Jake’s sock-covered feet, making him giggle at me before joining the conversation. Jake looks like his father in his face, but has black, curly hair, just as thick as Maisy’s.
"So, the theme of the wedding is midnight blue and white. I’m wearing white, so you guys are in blue. We can choose a style at the fitting next week that suits everyone. Also, Allie, you and Elliot have the job of sorting the reception," she drops in before picking up Jake.
"What?" I glare at her across the table. She turns Jake around so he’s facing me, and she looks like she is hiding behind her son. I swear she is using Jake as a shield right now so I don’t throw something at her.
"Sorry, Alliecat. I know you don't get along with Elliot, but you’re my maid of honour, and he's Sebastian's best man. It's your job to help me with things." She grins over Jake’s head, like she is winning an award. I'll give her an award, an award of having me chase her ass around the shops while throwing random things at her. She smiles at me, and I’m sure she knows what I’m thinking.
"The wedding is in two months, how the hell am I going to plan a whole reception?"
"You’re not. You and Elliot are. I don't mind what you do, as long as everyone has food and there's a band," she replies.
Izzy laughs when Maisy grins at her. I feel like I'm missing out on some kind of joke.
"Elliot and I planning anything together is going to be a mess. You seriously don't want that to happen in front of all of your guests," I say and lift an eyebrow at her when she waves a hand at me. I cannot work with that asshole. She has to be kidding. With his new, weird behaviour, I'll end up killing him during the first discussion.
"You won't mess anything up because you love me, and Elliot will be on his best behaviour."
"I don't think this is a good idea," Emilia says.
I know she is thinking about this morning. I look over at Maisy’s hopeful face, and I know I have no choice. I can’t let her down, and I love her too much to say no. She has been through so much this last year, and part of me feels guilty for not finding her sooner when she left. I should have hunted her down, but instead, I thought she would come to me. In the end, it all worked out when her fiancé found her.
"All right," I say, and she grins at me.
"I can't wait to get married." Izzy sighs, clearly thinking about Blake. Blake and Izzy have been together a while now, and they are still great together.
"I think one King wedding a year is enough." I laugh even thinking about it.
"Oh, not right now, but I know I want him," she replies.
"I would never have guessed that,” I say sarcastically, and then add, “You two are perfect for each other, Iz." I smile at my best friend’s blush.
"Can I get you anything?" a waitress interrupts. I order a coffee and Emilia does too. Maisy and Izzy already have their drinks with them. Jake starts crying, and Maisy pulls a bottle out of her bag to give to him. His eyes light up when he sees the food. Typical boy.
"I think you and Elliot would be good together," Izzy says with a grin.
"No, we wouldn't. I mean, I think he would rock my socks in bed, but the moment he talks, he ruins his pretty body," I say, and Izzy coughs up her drink before laughing and wiping her face with a napkin.
"I think Izzy was talking about being good at working together on the wedding reception," Maisy says with a small chuckle.
"Oh, well," I say, looking away while my cheeks light up a little. It’s rare I get embarrassed, but talking about Elliot does seem to have that effect on me. I’m not sure I like it.
"Are you finally going to admit you fancy my brother?" Izzy laughs at my blushing, red cheeks.
Luckily for me, our coffee arrives, and Emilia walks off to take a call. Jake finishes his bottle with Maisy and sits up, releasing a massive burp. He is even cute as he burps.
"Let me hold my nephew," I say, putting my arms out for Jake.
"Sure." Maisy smiles, handing the smiling baby to me. I kiss his stomach, making him giggle before holding him in my arms. I push some of his black hair out of his green eyes before admiring his cute outfit. He is wearing an 'I love Daddy' top with rockets on it. He has little socks and jeans on, too.
"I like his clothes," I say to Maisy.
"That's Daddy. Poor Jake doesn't have a choice in what he wears until he gets older. Seb keeps buying them matching clothes. I really feel Jake will hate them when he grows up." Maisy laughs, taking a sip of her drink.
"Anyway, I will send you and Elliot a list of the people coming. I guess you can surprise us with the rest of the details," she says, looking innocently at my suspicious face. I’m suspicious because Maisy isn’t the type to just hand over the control of a massive thing like her reception. I know she must have a plan, but I’m not sure what it is. Emilia comes back to the table with a small smile.
"Oh, and thanks for both of Blake’s birthday presents, Allie." Izzy winks at me, making me laugh thinking of what I got Blake; well, it was for Izzy to wear. I made him a chocolate cake as well; the cake didn’t last two minutes when the King brothers saw it.
"What did she get him?" Emilia asks Izzy.
"A very sexy underwear set in my size. Let's say Blake thinks Allie has great taste and wants me to go shopping with her more." Izzy laughs. I’m suddenly thankful I was so drunk last night that I fell fast asleep straight away and didn’t have to hear how much Blake liked the present. That is the downside of our apartment. The walls are way too thin.
"I can do that, bestie." I wink at her.
"Only you would give a sex-orientated present for a birthday," Maisy says with a laugh as Jake is climbing over my shoulder and pulling my hair at the same
time. I pull him down, and I realise that he is eating my hair, too.
“Jake, that can’t taste nice,” I mutter, pulling my ponytail out of his hands. He grins up at me, a grin that reminds me of his dad and uncles. Jake definitely has inherited the King brothers’ good genes.
We spend the rest of the day shopping before Emilia and I go home. I spot my dad’s car in the parking lot as I pull in. I smile as I see him get out. I go to get my bags out of the boot, and when I close it, I see Blake chatting with my dad. Emilia takes her bags and walks over with me to my dad. I know Emilia knows who he is because he has been at our apartment a few times to pick me up.
"You best be staying away from my daughter, Mr. Frost. I would hate for you to owe me anything," my dad says with a cold tone I haven't heard before.
"Only ten fights left before they can all walk away, Arthur," Blake sneers before seeing me and smiling.
"Hey, did you have a good shopping day?” Blake asks as we get close.
“Yes, Izzy bought some new things,” I say to Blake, who grins.
“I like you, Allie.” He chuckles and then says, “Speaking of Izzy, I’ve got to meet up with her. So bye, guys, see you around, Mr. Lewis." He looks at my dad, but I can’t see his expression before he walks off.
"Hey, baby girl." My dad walks over to me with a big grin and kisses my cheek. I really love my dad. Although he is almost always away on business, he checks up on me. We chat every week on the phone, and we go out for meals at least twice a month. He is always there for me if I need him, and I love that. I wish he and Tristan were as close as we are. They seem to hate each other, and I’m not exactly sure why.
"Dad, I don’t know if you’ve met before, but this is Emilia," I say, noticing how tight Emilia’s face gets.
"Ah, Roddy's daughter," he mumbles, looking her over.
"Yes, I've seen you with my dad before at the–"
My dad cuts her off by rudely interrupting, saying, "At the pub, yes. Lovely to see you, dear.
“Alexandria, we have dinner plans." I flinch at his use of my full name. I hate it because it's my mother’s name, and thinking of her only brings pain.
"Em, can you take my shopping bags in?" I ask Emilia, who nods, not looking at me before walking away.
"What was Blake saying about only ten fights left?" I ask, following my dad back to his car. I notice straight away how tense he gets before he laughs it off.
"I have no idea, baby girl."
I know he is lying to me, but I decide not to press it. My dad has a short temper, and pissing him off would only mean a very long night.
"Right. Is Tristan coming?" I ask as I get into the car and do up my seatbelt.
"No," my dad says curtly before driving off.
The whole meal is tense, and I'm not sure what's wrong with my dad. Tristan is all over the place, and I need answers, which I know my dad has but won’t give me. Sebastian once told me that Elliot knows something about my brother. The phone call a few days ago pops into my head, when Tristan told me to stay away from Elliot. So maybe Elliot does know something. If only I could have a whole conversation with him without wanting to kill him.
56
Elliot
"I don't get why you hate her so much," my girlfriend, Lily, says as I glare at Allie chatting to a classmate of ours, Daniel. I watch as he holds her hand, and despite the fact that I can't stand her, I want to go over and rip his hand off of her.
"Baby, are you listening to me?" Lily asks me and kisses my neck, drawing my attention to her.
Honestly, I'm only dating her to piss off Allie. I’ve broken up with her countless times now, and then, somehow, we end up back together. Lily has dated other guys while we’ve been split up; I know she slept with at least one of them. I haven’t gone that far with her yet because of my fucking father. I don’t want to take it farther and then be forced to sleep with whoever my father finds for me.
"Yeah," I mutter, kissing her on the lips; she does taste nice, and I am a guy.
Lily is a beauty, with long, red hair and a great body. Being fifteen, and a man, does make me want her in a way, but every time I kiss her, I see the older women’s faces, stopping me from going farther. I pull away thinking of my stitches on my back. My dad stitched me up after cutting me for not listening when he made me and Luke fight. It wasn't that I wasn't listening, but I refused to kick the crap out of Luke like he wanted. In the end, he punched me, knocking me out again and drew another cut along my back to match my others. I screamed until I passed out again, but what was worse was when I woke up to see him cutting Luke in the same place because he refused to do the same to me.
"You’re still not listening to me," Lily whispers in anger. I walk off toward Allie and Daniel, ignoring Lily because she is getting annoying.
"Hey, man, can I chat with you?" I step in between Allie and Daniel so my back is facing her, and to my relief, he lets go of her hand.
"Sure," Daniel says, looking annoyed at me but following me into the empty classroom I go into.
"What do you want, dude? I need to get laid, and Allie was totally into me." He grins, dropping his bag onto the desk.
I lose my temper, quickly landing a punch to his face before picking him up by his coat and slamming him into the wall.
"Listen to me, stay away from Allie. She is off-limits to everyone here," I say in his face before letting him drop to the floor.
"Fine, dude, she isn't that hot," he mutters, and for that, I punch him again before walking out of the classroom. The thing is, she is that hot, but I can't let her near me because of her dad. I find Lily in the library and kiss her, thinking at least I can annoy Allie for now.
I drop a glass as I stop fucking daydreaming about Allie and our past.
"Shit," I mutter, looking down at the mess on the shiny, new floors. I go to run my fingers through my hair when I realise I had it cut. It’s short now, a little more on the top, but it’s out of my face. I just wanted a change.
I grumble to myself before going to get the broom. I check my phone as I walk and see I have a message from Allie about the wedding. I feel like shit about how I reacted the last time I saw her. Fuck, even I will admit I was jealous seeing that prick, Gage, kiss her cheek, and I lost it.
I quickly clean up my mess and start reloading the bottles of spirits. The club opens next Saturday and nearly everything is done. I look around the bar from the middle of the room. There is a stage in the one corner, and the upstairs level looks over the dance floor in front of it. The floors are all black, and the walls have mirrors on them, reflecting the bar and dance floor. There are seats all around the edges and a stupid amount of little lights all over the ceiling. When they are on, it looks like stars. Exactly how I wanted it to, though I don’t want to be the one who has to replace the three hundred or so bulbs up there as they burn out.
I have hired my staff, and I plan to work some nights myself. I do want to be involved with this place. It feels like a step in the right direction. A way to have a future, instead of just a fucked up past and a fuck load of money.
"Holy cow, what did you do to your hair?" I hear Allie shout as she comes into the bar. She slides onto one of the bar stools, looking as hot as ever. She has on a tiny, leather jacket and black, skinny jeans, which look moulded onto her skin. Her hair is down today, which I kind of like more. It stops just at her shoulders.
“Wanted a change.” I shrug as she stares at me.
“It looks good,” she says, clearing her throat and looking a little red.
I don't reply as she takes her time looking around, and I'm nervous to see if she likes it. Fuck, I’m really lost if I actually care what she thinks. I pick up another bottle and put it away.
"This place is really something. Kings, huh? I like it,” she says, and I turn to see her grin at me. I can't help but smile back at her happy face. We both watch each other and the urge to lean over the counter and kiss her is becoming stronger.
"Right, cookie, I came to
see you because we need to plan this reception. I had the idea of hiring a marquee to put in your back garden. It's big enough, and we could buy tables and decorations, even hire a band and someone to do food," she says and then waits for my answer.
The garden is big enough, and we have the space for the cars. It would work for Jake as well; he could go in to sleep when he gets tired. We even have enough room to invite some guests to stay if they need to.
"Sounds good. I will sort the marquee, food, and tables. You can sort the rest," I say, putting another bottle on the shelf. I watch a little in shock as Allie comes around the bar and starts helping me put bottles away.
“I know Maisy loves roses and birds. I know she is having roses as her wedding bouquet. So I'll buy lots for the tables, and I'll have a look at different decorations. I’ll text you if I need help,” she says, and I nod at her.
"Thanks. Look, I'm really fucking sorry about the other day. I overreacted," I say, gulping at her shocked face. I’m aware I've never said sorry to her before.
"Thanks. I mean, holy cow, I've never heard you say nice things to me. I so wasn't expecting an apology." She laughs.
Her laughing stops as I move closer, boxing her into the bar.
"Allie, I don’t apologise to anyone. But for you, I will," I say, leaning into her space and stopping only a breath away from her lips. "I will say sorry to you a million times if it helps, but it won't. Give me a chance, or I'm going to take one," I whisper as her eyes widen.
I don't give her a chance to say a witty retort before I kiss her. She resists me for a second before parting her lips and letting me in. I run my hand through her soft, blond hair, pulling her head to the side to gain more access. She moans as I bite her lip, pulling away. It kills me not to undress her and fuck her over my bar, but I want Allie forever, not just a quick fuck.
"Let go." She pushes me away and walks off to give us some distance. I can see how annoyed she is with herself, and it makes me smile.
She looks all flustered with messy hair and swollen lips. I’ve waited years for my first kiss with her, and she did not disappoint. She tastes better than I ever thought she would. I lick my lips as I watch her glare at me. I like that she doesn’t give in easily.