by Caragh Bell
Tyler, his best friend. What the hell? It was so typical that they would meet.
He should never have gone outside to call Charlotte. That must have when she had arrived. It had been in the back of his mind all week, the possibility of meeting her this weekend. He was totally cool with it; in fact, he wanted to get it over with. They couldn’t avoid each other at the wedding. It was better to clear the air now.
It was Colin he had spotted first, wrapped around Val. Then he noticed that Craig was missing. It didn’t take a genius to work out that Sam was somewhere too. With a heavy heart, he knew that he would see her.
He was over it. He was definitely over it. He was just so mad at her for treating him like that. That was only natural, right? She had treated him like total shit.
Tyler reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
The smooth bastard.
He took a deep breath.
Go out there and act cool, Luca. Act cool.
Lydia wiped her eyes. This guy was hilarious. She had been laughing non-stop for ages. He regaled her with stories about Brooklyn and parties that he had been to. Three drinks later and they were best friends.
‘So, what’s your name?’ he asked, draining another whiskey.
‘Lydia,’ she answered.
‘Lydia?’ he repeated with a frown. ‘My friend was sweet on a Lydia before. It’s not a name I hear too often in the States.’
‘Oh?’ she said vaguely.
‘Yeah, he was like crazy about her, but she messed with his head. It’s cool now though – he’s marrying a hot chick next summer.’
Lydia stopped short. His words flew around her brain as she slowly pieced them together. What did he say again?
‘Your friend?’ she echoed.
‘Yeah sure, my friend. The Jacob.’
Jacob? Luca Jacob?
She felt herself sway. This could not be happening. It couldn’t be the same person. The world was not that small.
‘Who are you?’ she asked, breathlessly. ‘Why are you here?’
He squinted at her. ‘My name is Tyler. I’m here for a bachelor party.’
‘Whose party?’ she whispered.
‘Some guy called Craig. To be honest, I don’t really know the guy. Luca dragged me along.’
She grabbed a barstool for support. ‘Where’s Luca now?’
‘Hey, do you know him or something?’ He grinned. ‘Do you know my friend?’ He focused in on her face.
‘I know him. I mean, I used to know him.’ She felt like she was going to faint.
Tyler grabbed her waist and positioned her against a barstool for support.
‘Hey, you don’t look so good,’ he mused. ‘Do you want some water?’ Then the penny dropped. ‘Holy shit, you’re Lydia Lydia!’ He put his head in his hands. ‘Craig said that we might run into you guys.’
She nodded sadly. ‘Small world, huh?’
He put his head in his hands and groaned loudly. ‘I’ve been hitting on you. Holy shit, he’ll bust my ass.’
She patted his arm. ‘It’s none of his business. Plus, I had no intention of hooking up with you, so it’s okay.’
He smiled wanly. ‘I gotta split. I haven’t seen him in a while so maybe he’s crashed.’
‘So, he’s here?’ She looked around frantically. ‘Like, in this bar?’
‘Sure, he was the main man of the party.’
Lydia knocked back her drink. She had to find him. It was now or never. She needed to say sorry. She just had to.
‘Where is he?’ she asked as casually as possible, smoothing her sparkly top and glancing furtively around.
‘Like I said, I don’t know. He could have gone to our room. He was pretty wasted.’ He patted her back awkwardly. ‘So, I guess I’ll see you at the wedding?’
‘I suppose you will.’ She smiled warmly. ‘Thanks for the drink. It was nice, if weird, to meet you.’
‘You got that right.’ He scratched his head. ‘I can’t believe I hit on you. It’s crazy shit, man.’
She got to her feet. ‘I’m going to find Colin. See you around.’ She turned on her heel and walked away in the direction of the others.
Luca watched her go from behind the crowd with conflicting emotions. He should have interrupted them. He should have said hello. Something held him back. He just wasn’t ready.
‘Lydia!’ Colin was bleary-eyed. ‘Where did Sam go? She’s been gone for ages.’
‘I think it’s pretty obvious,’ concluded Val. ‘Craig is missing too. She’s probably sound asleep in his bed right now.’
‘Bed sounds amazing,’ said Colin wistfully. ‘I’m so tired.’
Val stood up and pulled him to his feet. ‘Come on, let’s go upstairs.’
‘Really?’ Colin looked relieved. ‘Oh, thanks. I’m so exhausted.’
Lydia sighed. ‘Where’s Molly? I can see Laura. I need to round up the troops so we can share a cab.’
‘Are you sure?’ Colin was apologetic. ‘Are you sure you’ll make it back to the hotel on your own?’
‘I think I’ll manage.’ She gave him an old-fashioned look.
Laura was no longer talking to the man in the suit. She had disappeared altogether. Lydia texted her and received a reply instantly.
Got lucky! C u tmrw X
Lydia giggled. Typical Laura. Now she only had to find Molly.
‘Molly!’ she called over the noisy crowd. ‘Mol?’
Colin rubbed his eyes and yawned. ‘I think she went back to the hotel. She rang a cab off Val’s phone about ten minutes ago.’
‘What? Why didn’t you say before?’ said Lydia, alarmed. ‘How will I get back?’
‘There’s a taxi rank outside,’ suggested Val. ‘Do you need cash?’
Lydia opened her purse. ‘No, it’s okay. I have enough.’ She kissed them both on the cheek. ‘If I can’t get a taxi, I’ll knock on your door.’
‘No problem.’ Colin blew her a kiss. ‘Just give us a call.’
Lydia walked out the front door and out onto the street. She could see a huge queue at the taxi rank. Typical. Her feet ached and her head was buzzing from too much alcohol and loud music. Taking her place in the long line, she tried to blend into the crowd. There was a couple in front of her: a dark-haired man and a blonde woman. They were wrapped tightly around each other. Lydia shivered and rubbed her arms. Oh, why didn’t she bring a jacket? Colin had warned her.
She contemplated going back into the hotel and asking Val if she could bunk in with him as well. The queue was interminably long. Suddenly she felt a hand on her back.
‘Hey, sexy! Can I share a cab with you?’
Lydia turned to find a bearded guy leering down at her. He was wearing a tracksuit and wore a big gold signet ring on his middle finger. His friends were about three people behind her in the taxi line. They were loud and boisterous, shouting obscenities at passers-by.
She shook her head frantically and turned away. Her heart rate increased and she prayed that he would just go back to his friends and leave her alone.
‘Hey, snobby! I’m talking to you!’ He yanked her arm so that she was facing him.
‘Leave me alone,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘Just go away.’
She shrugged free of him and turned in the opposite direction. The couple in front of her kept their heads down and ignored her. This guy looked like trouble and they didn’t want to get involved.
Oh, Jesus Mary and Joseph! Please leave me alone!
‘I said, I’m talking to you!’ He grabbed her arm again and pulled her close. His breath smelled revolting and she felt herself gag.
‘Let me go!’ she pushed him violently and he staggered.
Run, Lydia! Get the hell out of here!
She turned around in a panic and pushed her way through the assembled queue. She elbowed surprised people out of her way with superhuman strength, the cold forgotten. Her primary instinct was to get as far away from that moron as possible, as fast as possible. Wi
thin seconds he had caught up to her and, pulling her hair, he forced her to stop.
‘What did ya push me for, you bitch?’ he roared angrily.
‘Stop!’ she screamed, trying to break free. ‘You’re hurting me!’
He lifted his arm and slapped her hard across the face. Then he slapped her again, more forcibly this time, his knuckles connecting violently with her cheekbone.
Her eyes watered. She could scarcely believe what had just happened. She felt the acute stinging sensation on her cheek and then her body falling backwards. She hit the ground with a thump, banging her head on the pavement with a crack.
‘Someone help her!’ a woman called. ‘Someone stop that man!’
She could hear a cacophony of sound around her. She felt like she was spinning. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she regarded her attacker standing over her. He looked poised to kick her. Her stomach flipped over and she was filled with terror. He could really hurt her; he could actually kill her. She saw cases like this on the news all the time. Drunken yobs attacking innocent people and the victims ending up with brain damage.
Damn the others for going away.
‘Get up, you slut, get up!’ He towered over her. ‘You think you’re better than me? You think that you’re special?’ He kicked her leg viciously.
She couldn’t speak. It felt like she had entered into a parallel universe. She couldn’t feel pain anymore; she just wanted to go to sleep. She couldn’t believe that no one was helping her. Time was standing still; it was like the world had descended into slow motion.
Suddenly, his snarling face disappeared from view. With supreme effort she tried to keep her eyes open. She heard him shout in pain and scream in rage. Her lids drooped. She heard a thump and a crack as a skull hit the pavement. Just before she passed out, she saw a gleam of blond hair and then nothing.
He leaned down over her lifeless body, his heart in his throat.
She looked so pale.
Wake up Lydia, wake up for fuck’s sake!
‘Someone call 911!’ he yelled. ‘We need to get her to an emergency room!’
Damn, it’s like 999 in Europe.
‘I mean, 999!’ he yelled, taking her lifeless hand in his. ‘Someone call right away!’
His goddamn battery was dead. He knew he should have charged his phone before he headed out.
He touched her cheek gently.
Why was she out here on her own? Why was she in a line for a taxi by herself?
Everything was forgotten; all the hurt and anger had dissipated. All he could think about was how much he needed her to wake up. He could barely breathe with fear.
Her attacker had run off after Luca had punched him. Probably afraid of the police turning up. The crowd of people who had gathered around her body were murmuring and whispering, fatally drawn to the drama.
The sound of sirens got nearer and nearer. Within minutes she was carefully lifted onto a stretcher. The paramedic checked her pulse and put an oxygen mask over her face.
‘Are you with her?’ she asked Luca efficiently.
‘Yes,’ he answered without hesitation. ‘She’s my … she’s my …’
She’s what, Jacob? She doesn’t belong to you.
‘Are you accompanying her to the hospital?’ The paramedic checked Lydia’s pulse.
‘Sure, totally, absolutely.’ He stood up straight. ‘She’s my girl.’
‘I need to know exactly what happened,’ asked the paramedic. ‘Did you witness this attack?’
He nodded. ‘Sure.’
‘Good. Tell me on the way.’
He mounted the ambulance with her unconscious body and held her cold hand.
Nothing mattered.
Only her.
Only her.
Chapter 22
Lydia opened her eyes and winced. The bright lights of the hospital hurt her eyes. The smell of disinfectant made her want to retch. She had no idea where she was. She remembered the taxi queue and the creepy guy, but not much else. Her head felt so heavy; she could barely move it. Suddenly she felt something bulky on her right. Moving her hand, she encountered a lump. A warm lump. Rolling her head sideways, she gasped.
Luca Jacob was sound asleep on the bed beside her. He was lying on his side, so as to fit on the narrow bed.
What the hell is he doing here? What’s going on?
She struggled to think. She had been attacked. She fell. That was all she could remember. Why then was Luca sleeping next to her?
She studied his face. It looked the same. His blue eyes were concealed by his flickering eyelids. His blond hair was dishevelled and falling over his forehead.
She felt warm inside. He was here. It didn’t matter why. He was here.
A nurse arrived with a clipboard. ‘Good morning,’ she said chirpily. ‘You gave us all a fright.’
Luca groaned and snuggled in closer to Lydia, throwing his arm over her possessively. The nurse moved forward, so as to shake him awake, but Lydia shook her head.
‘Please don’t wake him!’ she pleaded desperately.
The nurse halted. ‘He really shouldn’t be here.’
‘Please!’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘I like having him here. I mean, I need him to be here.’
She relented. ‘Okay, but only for a little while. The doctor will be in soon.’
‘What exactly happened?’ she whispered, her eyes shadowed. ‘I can’t really remember.’
‘Well, your boyfriend here said that you were attacked by some thug, and then you fell and hit your head. He brought you here.’
She searched her memory and slowly images began to form. Her head ached from when it had hit the concrete. Luca must have seen it happen; he must have intervened. Once again, he had saved her life. The first time had been in Austria when Colin had organised a ski trip. Back when they had first met at university. She’d had a skiing accident and he’d found her unconscious on the snow. He had braved a snow storm to find her.
Thank God, thank God.
The nurse filled out the clipboard at the end of the bed and clicked her pen. ‘Okay, I’ll give you a little while longer. Is there anything I can do?’
Lydia shook her head. ‘No thank you.’
‘Fine.’ She smiled. ‘Use the buzzer to call me if you need anything.’
Lydia thought of her mother. She must be frantic. That is if anyone had figured out yet that she was missing. Helen Kelly probably thought that she was curled up with Colin and he probably assumed that she was safely back in the hotel.
She wondered if Luca had called anyone. He moved slightly, repositioning himself into a more comfortable position. She stared at him in fascination. For so long, she had only seen his face in her dreams. She had to pinch herself as she couldn’t believe he was here in the flesh; that he was living, breathing and emanating heat. Her eyes began to close. Feeling content and safe, she allowed sleep to take over.
When the nurse came back to check on her, she found them both sound asleep.
Luca brushed a tendril of hair off her face. She looked so peaceful; her long eyelashes fluttered as she slept.
He knew that he should get up and head back to the hotel. He knew that he should call Craig and tell him what happened. But then it would all be over. This brief interlude, where only the two of them existed, would disappear. He pushed everyone out of his mind and thought only of her.
Her eyelids flickered. Her lips parted and she moaned. Her head moved and she yawned. Slowly but surely, her eyes opened and their eyes locked.
‘Hey, you,’ he whispered.
‘Hey.’ Her eyes were huge.
‘How are you feeling?’
She shrugged. ‘I’m okay. How did we end up here?’
‘Looks like I saved your life again.’ He grinned. ‘Lucky I was around.’
‘Lucky,’ she echoed.
They stared at each other hungrily, memorising each others’ faces.
It felt like the old days, back when the world was full of promise
. Memories flashed through her mind in a millisecond. Him standing on her doorstep waiting to pick her up, his long tanned fingers stirring his coffee, the sensation of his lips kissing the small of her back, his furrowed brow when he was drawing her in Paris, his strong arms holding her on the carousel near Sacré Coeur. Suddenly, to her horror, she started to cry. Tears fell fast and full down her cheeks and sobs racked her body.
‘Lyd!’ He pulled her into his arms. ‘Shhhh! What’s up? Please don’t cry.’
It was the emotion of it all. It was the fear from the night before. It was the fact that she’d had a lucky escape. It was because he was here, holding her, and she never wanted him to let her go. Love poured into every part of her body as though a dam had burst. She could feel it flooding every cell. It was as though years of unrecognised, hidden feelings had finally been released.
She buried her aching head in his chest and cried her eyes out. He didn’t say anything; all he could do was rub her back.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m so sorry for all that I did. I’m so, so sorry.’
‘Hey, it’s cool. Stop this bawling, you hear me? I hate women crying.’