‘Sorry, I need the loo,’ I assert, gesturing towards the toilets.
I turn and flee towards it. I walk into a small foyer area outside the ladies loos; the minute the door bangs shut the atmosphere is calmer. I walk into the bathroom and run my wrists under some cool water. Get a hold of yourself Erica. You can do this.
Forget dancing with this randomer and tell Jack what he’s missing out on. I’m a good woman and there’s no way I can be that much of a shit shag. He deserves to give me a bit of bloody respect.
That’s it; I’m having it out with him. I steel my gaze in the mirror, attempting to look as scary as possible, but I still notice the vulnerability in my eyes. Dammit, if it was anyone but Jack this would be so different. Things change when you used to be in love with someone.
I hold back my shoulders and walk out. You can be a bad arse bitch, Erica. As long as you believe it.
‘Hey.’
I turn, hoping it’s Jack waiting outside for me, to find the Spaniard. Oh. Great...not.
‘Hi.’ I raise an eyebrow in question. Was he waiting for me out here?
He stalks towards me, his eyes predatory. ‘I thought we could finish what we started.’
‘Huh?’
Before I even have a moment to process it, he’s pressed me up against the wall and is crushing his lips against mine. Whoa, where does this guy get off? I fucking danced with him, I didn’t propose.
I try to push him off. ‘Sorry, but I’m not- ‘
‘Don’t worry,’ he says, taking my hand and holding it up against the wall above my head. He crashes his lips against mine again, this time so rough that our teeth clash.
I struggle with all my might, but he’s a strong fucker. My heart starts racing, thumping loudly in my ears.
How did I get myself into this kind of trouble?
Jack
I can’t fucking believe Erica. How can she regret earlier? I thought we were going to have a repeat performance tonight, but when she saw me she froze up, looking terrified. Full of regret. Well, she wasn’t complaining when she was screaming my name earlier. That’s all I’m saying.
Then she’s spent the rest of the night ignoring me and dancing with these local bastards who are sweating so much they look like they’ve covered themselves in baby oil. She can’t honestly find that attractive, right? She must be deliberately trying to piss me off. I just want to grab her and shake out the stupid. I have a feeling I’d be there a while.
I see her go off towards the toilets. Now is my chance to confront her. I need to know what the fuck is going on. Why she’s being so cold towards me when I’ve done nothing wrong. I wait a minute and then casually make my way in.
As soon as I’m outside the toilets I freeze in horror. One of the gross locals has Erica crushed against the wall, leaving no escape, pawing at her. It’s obvious by her feeble attempts to push him off that it’s not reciprocated.
How fucking dare he.
I’ve always laughed when people say they saw red. Thought it was a tad dramatic. But I see R.E.D. My blood boils, my hands curling into fists before I grab him by the shoulders and throw him off her.
He turns, surprised, to look up at me. I take the opportunity to punch him in the mouth, then the stomach. I turn to look at her, needing reassurance she’s okay. She looks back, eyes wide in vulnerability, tears falling down her cheeks. The fact that he’s caused her hurt makes my muscles quiver in fresh rage. I’ll kill the fucker.
He storms towards me, clearly having sensed my weakness. He wraps his arms around my stomach and pulls me down to the floor, attempting to punch me in the face. I swerve out of the way just in time.
Erica’s suddenly behind him, her face determined. She grabs his ear and twists it. I can’t actually believe what I’m seeing! Where the hell did she learn that move?
‘Aagh!’ the guy shrieks. It gives me a chance to push him off and land another punch on his jaw.
‘Get the hell out of here!’ I yell. I’ve never heard myself so mad.
He finally admits defeat, stalking off, slamming the door behind him.
Erica bends down to help me up. I take her hand and let her help me up to standing. Looking down at her tearstained face makes me want to punch a wall. It’s taking all of my remaining strength not to wrap her protectively in my arms, but after earlier I don’t know where I stand.
‘That was a bit of an overreaction,’ she snorts, looking at the floor.
I feel myself turn murderous, baring my teeth like a wild animal. Overreaction? Is she for fucking real? She backs away a step, as if scared.
‘Overreaction?’ I repeat in horror, my heart beating so quickly I wouldn’t be surprised if it jumped out of my chest and punched her straight in the face. ‘He had his fucking hands on you! Don’t tell me you wanted that?’
She can’t possibly have. She’s lucky I didn’t kill the fucker. How dare he touch what’s mine.
‘Of course not,’ she gasps, her eyes clouding over with hurt, more unshed tears welling up inside them.
‘Exactly. That prick was trying to force himself on you. I don’t want his filthy fucking hands on you.’
I don’t want him anywhere near her. Being in the same country is sounding too much right now. Every muscle in my body is so tense I feel like I need to run right now. Run off the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Someone walks into the lobby, eyes us and carries on to the toilet. Wise move. Right now someone would only have to look at me wrong for me to put their head down a toilet.
Fuck it. This needs sorting.
I take her arm and guide her gently to the side, so we are stood behind some stacked chairs.
‘Why do you care anyway?’ she asks, shaking her arm loose from me and crossing both her arms over her chest.
I can’t believe her. I thought girls got all mushy and attached after sex, not all defensive and bitchy.
‘Are you fucking serious?’ I ask in undisguised shock, my neck stiff and achy. ‘I had my dick in you only a few hours ago.’
‘Romantic way to put it,’ she snorts sarcastically.
Whatever. Right now is not the time for me to be picking appropriate words. I’m too fucking worked up.
‘And then you’re trying to get with that prick right in front of me. What the fuck’s that about?’
She sighs, as if suddenly exhausted. She looks up at me, her eyes wide and unsure.
‘I’m not a mind reader you know,’ she retorts, not meeting my eyes. ‘It was weird earlier. You know...after. And then I come here and you look away from me. What the hell am I supposed to think?’
She thinks I looked away? She’s the one that froze like I was a massive fucking regret.
‘I looked away because you looked horrified at the sight of me. Doesn’t really give a guy confidence, you know.’
‘Wait.’ She shakes her head, trying to get this straight. ‘Are you saying you were going to talk to me tonight, but you thought I didn’t want you to?’
Duh.
‘Yeah.’ Her face brightens up, so brightly I just want to smush her face. ‘I liked what happened earlier. I was pretty sure from the way you were screaming that you were enjoying it too.’ I smile at the memory.
She turns scarlet and looks down. ‘I did. But, I hate all of this awkwardness. I assumed you just wanted to leave it at that.’
I laugh. How is she so naive about this? Can’t she see how fucking hot she is?
Ashanti’s “Foolish” seeps through the cracks in the door. That song always reminds me of our summer together.
‘Eric, now that I’ve had a taste there’s no way I’m going back to just friends.’
I want to have her in my bed every night and fuck her until she can’t walk. But I think if I tell her that she’ll potentially freak out.
‘I think we should keep it quiet,’ she says quickly, fidgeting with the edge of her top.
Keep it a secret? Why the fuck would she want to keep it a secret? I’m a bloody
catch.
‘Really?’ I can’t help but hide the hurt from my voice, so I quickly cover it up with a face full of bravado.
‘Yeah. I know everyone will ask loads of questions and I can’t deal with that. Especially Evelyn. She’s told me to stay the hell away from you.’
Fucking Evelyn.
‘She’s never liked me, has she?’ I say, then sigh.. Erica always let her involve herself in our relationship.
‘She’s just looking out for me,’ she says defensively.
I should know better than to try and slag off her best mate.
‘Maybe you’re right,’ I begrudgingly agree with a shrug. ‘Okay. Just between us.’
For now.
I lean down, cup her face and bring my lips to hers. How can this woman be so addictive and make me so stupid?
Chapter Eleven
Erica
Sunday
I wake up, my limbs sore from yesterday’s shower session. Brooke’s still passed out next to me so I check my phone. I have a text from a contact called Your Holiday Lover. A smile plasters itself onto my face. He’s obviously got hold of my phone, the idiot. The sexy as hell idiot. I sigh like a love-struck teenager and open the message.
Morning. Can’t sleep. Charlie is snoring his head off. I’m gonna ask Tom if he wants to swap with him. How you feeling today? x
I get such a ridiculous thrill from reading it. Why is it whenever I’m around him I turn into a giggling teenager? I really need to work on that. I decide to be a little cheeky with my reply.
A little sore ;-)
I watch as he views it. Then he’s typing, the three dots taunting me. Holy moly, I need to get a grip.
Good. Will keep you thinking of me all day.
Swoon!
As if I wouldn’t anyway...
Crap, that’s made me sound like I’m obsessed with him. Damn, why did I get too click happy?
That’s what I like to hear. Meet you at the bus for quad biking x
Crap, I forgot about that. Evelyn signed us up on the first day.
‘Yeah, see you there.’
I look up from my phone and nearly jump out of my skin when I see Brooke awake and openly staring at me.
‘Fuck! Brooke! You scared the shit out of me.’
She cackles. ‘Well my sleeping self still recognised the typing of a phone. Who are you texting?’
I physically can’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. Way to play it cool.
‘Oh, just a friend back home.’
‘Yeah right,’ she laughs. ‘You can’t fool me. It’s Jack, right?’
Shit, how does she know? Am I that pathetic?
‘I’m not an idiot, Erica. Who else would be texting you the day after you got the fucking of your life!?’ She throws back her head, chuckling hard.
I pout, a grin teasing at my lips. ‘How do you know that I didn’t give it to a local last night?’
She rolls her eyes. ‘Please. You were passing each other these looks last night. The sexual tension was thick.’
‘Okay, it’s him,’ I admit with a goofy grin.
Her face lights up. She rearranges herself into a comfortable sitting position, sensing the gossip like a dog smells out a sausage. ‘Come on. I need details. I get that you don’t want to scare Molly with all of the dick talk, but I want to know everything.’
I roll onto my side and remove some sleep out of my eyes. It’s way too early to be talking about sex.
‘Okay, well, he helped me with exfoliating and...’
‘The feel of his hands on your body was too much, right?’ she interrupts, her eyes light up excitedly. ‘You fucked the life out of him, didn’t you?’ She smiles widely, practically bouncing up and down on the bed.
‘It wasn’t like that, actually,’ I snap defensively. It wasn’t. When I think back to it I can’t help but remember it as magical. I mean, mindblowing and animalistic, yes. But it wasn’t just some mindless fuck. It’s as if I can still feel the tingling sensation on my skin as he touched me. ‘It just...it just kind of happened,’ I admit with a shrug. ‘We ended up in the shower and before I knew what was happening we were having sex.’
‘Ugh, that is SO hot.’ She fans her face dramatically. ‘What’s his peen like?’ She wiggles her eyebrows up and down.
I burst out laughing. I can’t help it. When she gets this animated she’s like a cartoon. Of course she only wants to know his dick size. Not what this means for us.
‘He’s okay...well, actually, he’s huge,’ I admit, with a smug smile. ‘I always remember him having a really thin pencil dick, but my God, has he grown up.’
‘Nice!’ she claps. I can’t help but think of a clapping seal.
Now’s the time to confess to her. She’s the only one I’m positive won’t judge me.
‘Yeah, only, it was so heat of the moment...we forgot to use a condom,’ I admit, looking down into my lap.
‘I’m sure he’s clean,’ she dismisses, as if it’s no big deal. Her eyes suddenly widen as it dawns on her. ‘Wait, didn’t you recently come off the pill?’
‘Exactly,’ I nod, biting my thumb nail. ‘I can’t believe I’ve been so reckless. I need to get the morning after pill.’
‘Oh my God,’ she laughs, clapping her hands together. ‘Evelyn is going to kill you!’
Trust her to find entertainment in my situation.
‘I don’t intend on telling her. And you’d better shut your mouth if you value your life.’
She snorts. ‘As if! I need a roommate and if you’re dead who’s going to pay half the rent?’
I stare at her, eyebrows raised. ‘I’m glad I mean that much to you,’ I deadpan.
She cackles. She really is like a witch when it’s just us and she’s not giggling seductively in front of guys.
‘And anyway, what went on with you and Tom? You didn’t come back last night.’ I heard her creep in at around three this morning.
She sighs, looking away listlessly. ‘We fucked. Usual story.’
‘And?’ I ask eagerly, liking that the attention has been taken away from me. ‘Still good?’
She groans. ‘Too fucking good. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.’
I study her face, trying to read her. This isn’t like her. Normally she’s a hit it and quit it type of girl. She doesn’t have time for relationships.
‘Normally when I have sex with them I get it out of my system, but with Tom...I don’t know, it’s like I just want more. I want it again. It’s like he made his way under my skin or something.’
I grin at her. ‘Sounds like someone has a crush,’ I sing teasingly.
She picks up her pillow and throws it at me. ‘As if! I’m a grown woman. I don’t have crushes. But...well, what is it about the guys in Peterborough, eh? There must be something in the water.’
I crease up laughing. ‘You are too hilarious! See, this is why I can tell you and not Evelyn.’
She nods in agreement. ‘Yeah, remind me, why are you friends with her again?’ She’s smiling, but I can tell it’s a serious question.
Brooke and Evelyn have never really got on like a house on fire. She thinks she’s too serious and Evelyn thinks Brooke is too wild. You probably couldn’t get further ends of the spectrum.
‘Because I’ve known her all my life and can trust her with anything. I don’t think I know a single person better on this planet.’
‘Just because you’ve known her forever, doesn’t mean you’ve not outgrown her,’ she counters.
‘Hey! Look, I might chat shit about her to you now and again, but you know I love her and won’t have a bad word said against her.’
‘Ok,’ she sighs, rolling her eyes. ‘Whatever you say.’ She jumps out of bed and stretches, her bare breasts stuck in my face. I roll so I’m face down on the bed.
‘Dude! I really wish you’d wear pyjamas.’
She laughs and smacks my butt. ‘Come on you little slut. We’ve got a morning after pill to hunt down.’
/>
‘I just don’t understand,’ Evelyn says over breakfast. Trust her to be up this early. We were hoping we could sneak out without anyone seeing us. ‘Why can’t you just come on the bus to quad biking with the rest of us?’
I can feel my cheeks burning. ‘It’s no big deal, okay. We just want to have a bit more of a sleep and we’ll get a cab over later.’
‘You look perfectly well slept to me.’ She turns to Brooke. ‘Come on Brooke, surely you have more stamina than this? We’ve not even had any wild benders yet.’
‘Yeah, well we deserve some rest all the same,’ Brooke says with a sweet smile, glancing a look at me. I’m surprised she’s being so well behaved. Actually, no I’m not. I threatened to burn her Tom Hardy calendar if she didn’t.
Evelyn looks between the both of us. ‘Okay, cut the crap. What’s going on? Where are you really going?’
Shit, she’s onto us. My stomach starts contracting in panic while I try to think of something. But hell, I can’t think of one valid excuse. I look to Brooke helplessly, my cheeks on fire. She widens her eyes discreetly, clearly also drawing a blank.
‘I...’ I murmur, unsure how I’m going to get out of this. With Evelyn’s calculating stare focusing in on me it’s harder to think straight. It’s like bloody laser beams, burning away any sensible thoughts.
Brooke winks at me. It doesn’t fill me with confidence.
‘I’m getting the morning after pill,’ she explains boldly. She leans back in her chair, no doubt waiting for a berating from Evelyn.
My heart swells with warmth for her. I can’t believe she took the bullet for me. Now that’s a good friend.
‘WHAT?’ she exclaims, so loudly the whole eating hall quietens and turns to look at us. I hate when she goes into teacher mode.
I widen my eyes at Evelyn accusingly. ‘Shut up, Evelyn!’ I whisper hiss.
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispers back, looking around and noticing others staring, ‘but how on earth could you be so irresponsible Brooke? I mean, I know you sleep around, but I thought you were at least careful. I mean, who is the guy? He could have STD’s for all you know. Do you even know how chlamydia can affect your fertility long term? I mean, you could never be able to have children.’
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