Destruction: The Distraction Trilogy #2

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Destruction: The Distraction Trilogy #2 Page 8

by Murphy, A. E.


  “Nah, I’ll be meeting up with Laurel and that guy we met in class today.”

  “Howard?” She nods in response and I think back to the nice male who held the door open for us before quickly joining us without invitation. He was nice, kind of cute too. “You like him?”

  “You’re married so I’m totally calling dibs.”

  I laugh loudly, quickly shutting up when I remember Jordan went to bed not long ago and I’d feel terrible if I disturb him. “Have him, he’s yours. Have fun.”

  She wiggles her fingers and says bye before I close the door after her, pad into the kitchen, down a glass of water and sluggishly make my way to bed.

  I need to restock my kitchen soon. I have little to no food left.

  Unfortunately I’m working all weekend so I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to do it.

  Eloise: I’m tired, grumpy and I miss you :-( goodnight xxxx

  I don’t get a response before I sleep and when I wake up in the morning I still don’t have a response. He’s probably working hard. I hate that we keep missing each other.

  I grab a coffee on the way to work. I know I shouldn’t be spending money I don’t need to spend, but I’m in desperate need of caffeine.

  This university lark is harder than I thought it would be and it’s only the end of the first week.

  Work isn’t any easier either and I don’t finish until close.

  I need home; I need bed and, more than anything, I need to see my husband. Or at least talk to him.

  Isaac

  “I fucking hate him,” I snarl to Tony, who nods in agreement.

  “He can be a dick and he really seems to not like you at all.”

  “Remind me again why we worked today?”

  “Because it’s in our contract to fix shit in his houses when shit needs fixing.” Tony pulls the van door open and we both climb into the front. “Fancy hitting up that casino? The one just off the high street.”

  “I’m not much of a gambler, plus I can’t afford to spend anything right now.”

  Tony shrugs. “If you sign up with even a tenner, they triple what you’ve got. It’s just a bit of fun.”

  “Might as well.” I relent without much thought after checking my phone for messages and stuffing it into my pocket. “It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do today.” Nothing I can do without Elle, anyway. Besides, I’m tired of stripping walls and floors.

  “It’ll be fun; I’m meeting Ryan there.”

  We set off, staring silently at the road ahead as we make our way to the casino in the company van. I don’t recall ever going in one at any point in my life. I’ve been into the bookies once or twice, but only to place a bet for a friend on a horse that lost.

  When we arrive I notice how tacky the building looks from the outside with its flashing sign that reads ‘BetFun Casino’. I slam the van door shut and make my way to the entrance, wondering why the hell I ever agreed to come here as Tony high fives Ryan by the doors.

  They pull out cards from their wallets and hand cash over to the woman behind the desk. Her boobs are fake; they are way too perky on her chest for their size.

  She scans the cards and hands them back before waving me over and getting me signed up. This feels like a bad idea.

  “Would you like to set a limit?”

  I shake my head. “Nah, I doubt I’ll be coming again.”

  She looks sceptical but I know myself. This definitely isn’t the kind of thing I’d ever enjoy spending money on.

  “Do you know what to do?”

  I look to Tony who answers, “We’ll show him the ropes.” And then I’m led into the main room where machines are lined up, each one for a different game, some with multiple games. There’s a roped off section which holds a few tables for blackjack and poker and other games I don’t recognise. Overall the place isn’t huge and there are only a few people, who seem to be completely absorbed in what it is they’re doing.

  “Over here, you see this slot?” Ryan points to a card reader at the top right of a nearby roulette machine. “They all have them; you put the card in and gamble the money on it. Simples.”

  “Okay.” I move to a slot machine and they follow, both of them laughing and joking by the machines beside me.

  “Cheer up; let loose. Have fun. It’s just a tenner.” Tony grins and I quirk my brow. This tenner that I’m about to lose could have been spent on a sub sandwich or put towards something for the house.

  “I’ll get this round,” Ryan calls, abandoning his machine for the bar.

  “None for me,” I say, thanking him quickly afterwards. I can’t afford to add beer to my spending list too.

  I click on a random game and this strange little fat guy flies across the screen on a cloud to help me choose a bet. At a quid a go, this money isn’t going to last at all. I set it to auto spin for ten games, laughing at the fact that by spin number eight I win twenty pence back on a one pound bet.

  “This is stupid.” I shake my head and stand, wishing I’d never bothered to come, but then the machine starts to make a horrible noise. It’s the kind of noise I’d expect to hear if bombs were dropping from the sky.

  Tony gasps and leans over my machine. “Jackpot game, dude. Quick. Pick a box.”

  I entertain his amusement and pick a random cloud holding a box. “Fifty free spins.”

  “With a times four multiplier.”

  I have no idea what that shit means, but I can’t deny the slight bubble of excitement swimming around my chest.

  I watch the reels spin and the winnings get higher and higher. The multiplier doubles until it hits the top at times eighteen.

  My mouth drops open as the winnings hit nine hundred and then thirteen hundred. By spin fifty it’s at eighteen hundred and, on the last spin, it stops at twenty one hundred. My heart stops with it.

  Tony and Ryan both cheer and high five each other as the jackpot game ends and sends me back to the main screen. I wait for it to fill my card before pulling it out and pocketing it, still feeling slightly dazed at whatever just happened.

  “Fuck, I’m so jealous right now. I can’t believe you got the Jackpot spin on your first go!” Ryan exclaims, slapping me on the back.

  “At least you know to quit while you’re ahead.” Tony adds, pulling me from the chair. “That game won’t be giving you any more dollar any time soon. Come on, let’s have a beer and go.”

  “Not bad, a tenner turned into four months of mortgage payments.” I smile, feeling more and more excited the more I think about it. “That was actually quite thrilling.”

  “Just don’t let it go to your head. The chances of you winning that again are smaller than the chances of you winning the lottery.”

  I nod my agreement. “I don’t have any desire to come back.”

  “Good. It’s too easy to get sucked into these places. They’re fun on occasion when you have a spare tenner, but they’re not good if you’re feeling desperate for cash.”

  I don’t respond with anything more than a nod because I totally agree.

  I decide not to tell Elle that I won, no matter how badly I want to. It’s pointless to upset her and I know she’ll be upset if she finds out I went to a casino in the first place.

  Even I’m upset at myself for going in the first place, but at least it didn’t end badly.

  This time.

  Isaac: Are you free for me to call?

  My phone immediately starts ringing. I smile and answer it. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” She breathes, catching her breath.

  I frown, wondering what she’s been doing to make her sound so breathless. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” She laughs a little and I hear a door close. “Are you?”

  “Yep.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, what did you do today?”

  “Work, work, work and more work.”

  I know that feeling. “Me too. I’m sorry I haven’t texted.”

  “It’s
okay; it’s been a busy week for both of us. It’ll get easier once we’ve gotten ourselves properly situated.” Her calm voice relaxes me. I lie back on our bed and imagine her lying beside me. “Isaac?”

  “When are you coming home?”

  She hesitates for a second before finally responding, “I’m not sure I can get any time off before the holidays.”

  I’m no longer feeling relaxed. “You mean the October holidays?”

  “Don’t sound so angry; there’s not much I can do.”

  “You can’t get one weekend off at all?” I don’t believe that. Not at all.

  “I can get Sunday off in two weeks, but it seems pointless to travel all the way home for just two hours. It’ll cost a fortune in train fare or petrol.”

  “I don’t care; please come home, even if it’s just for the day.”

  She sighs. “Okay, I’ll talk to my manager tomorrow and see if we can’t come to some kind of agreement.”

  “Good.”

  “You could always come here.”

  “And I will, once Dad and I come to an arrangement where Mum is concerned.”

  “Are you visiting her daily?”

  “Yes, apart from today. I’ve been at work since six but I was going to head over there when I’ve finished on the phone with you.” Even though I really can’t be bothered. I really love my mum, but I’m so tired.

  “Elle?” I hear a male voice call.

  “Just a second,” Elle says to me and then the conversation is muffled. I hear her laugh and say okay a few times before she finally comes back to me. “I’m going to go. Jordan’s friend is doing a food shop and has offered to take us. He has a car and I’m low on munch.”

  “Munch?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m picking up Uni lingo.”

  My hand clenches around the phone. “So you, two guys, one car, shopping?”

  “Don’t say it like that.”

  How the fuck should I say it? “Have fun.”

  “Isaac,” she whines. “You’re being stupid. I hate it when you go all monotone.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Seriously? That’s how you’re going to end this conversation?”

  “Yep.” And I hang up, feeling annoyed, irritated and no longer happy from my winning buzz.

  It’s a horrible feeling knowing your wife is miles away and is spending her free time with men who aren’t you. I might be jealous, but who cares? I’m allowed to be jealous.

  Jealousy is an emotion like any other.

  Elle is fucking gorgeous; she’s never short of admirers. I trust her. I want to trust her, but with so much temptation and never seeing me to satisfy her needs… what if she chooses to sleep with somebody else? What if she and Jordan have an affair? I’ll never know. Not unless she tells me.

  I throw my phone on the bed and cover my eyes with my hands as I try to picture nicer things. It’s impossible and my stomach churns as thoughts flood my mind of her and another man lying together, naked, their bodies connected.

  Fuck.

  FUCK!

  I call her back but she doesn’t answer. I call again and again but still get no answer. My chest aches. I can’t stand this.

  Chapter Six

  Eloise

  The next week flies by and the essay that I did was given quite a high mark, which I’m proud of. My Professor thinks I have a knack for this already.

  Kira is jealous but not in a nasty way. Unfortunately her paper didn’t do so well.

  We’re going to the cinema tonight when I finish work and I can’t wait. Isaac has been a lot clingier lately, calling me two or three times a day and texting me constantly. I like it, though I don’t know what has brought it on. After he hung up on me last Saturday I expected him to be in a mood with me all week. How wrong I was.

  He even transferred a hundred pounds to my bank and told me to have fun with my female friends, ‘female’ being the key word according to his text. That made me laugh. He’s cute when he’s jealous and paranoid. He’ll learn to trust me eventually.

  The second Kira and I stepped into the cinema I take a picture of us both together and upload it to my Facebook so he can see that the money he treated me to is being well spent. I should spend it on the house but, to be honest, I feel like dragging it out for as long as I can and treating myself when I get good news like I did today with my paper.

  I’m still saving for the house but if Isaac feels like he wants me to have fun, I’m not going to deny his request. We have plenty of time to fix the house up properly.

  Hayley is the first to comment on the photo I uploaded.

  Trading me in already? Pfft…

  Then Kira comments.

  I’m apparently the new and improved version of you ;-)

  And then Hayley again… sigh.

  You most definitely are not, but I like the fact you’re trying to be ;-)

  And then I add my own.

  I love you both. <3

  Hayley… again.

  Back out of this biatch! I’m marking my territory. <3

  I decide to leave them to it and have a shower. I should call Isaac. According to him, my dad has been rather pleasant to him all week and he thinks that it’s time I start talking to him again.

  I disagree. My dad stabbed him and then punched him. I’m not sure I can forgive him for that. Plus, something in Isaac’s tone doesn’t ring true. I have a feeling he’s just saying it so I don’t lose my dad. At this point in time I don’t care. I’ll make up with him when I feel ready to make up with him and no sooner.

  “I’m making pasta; you want?” Jordan calls, tapping on the bathroom door.

  “I would love pasta. Thank you!”

  “Your towels are clean by the way. I put them in with mine.” Well that’s nice of him. “Mostly because I didn’t have enough to fill the machine and you know how pissed off that Chinese lady at the laundrettes gets when you only half fill a machine.”

  I laugh because he’s not wrong. “Thank you, Jordan. I’m getting in the shower now!”

  “Coffee too?”

  “You spoil me.”

  Jordan has the bar set up with two plates and two cups of coffee by the time I’m done and dry. I sit, thanking him profusely before tucking in. We do this sometimes. If I’m cooking I’ll make him a plate and vice versa. It stops him from eating too many ready meals. Not that it’s an issue, they just aren’t very good for you and they don’t exactly taste like a gourmet meal.

  We have a pretty good arrangement set up and I’m actually glad I got him as a roommate. He’s clean, tidy, keeps to himself and he’s not a bad cook either.

  “Party?”

  I shake my head. “Nah, I’m going to call Isaac and go to bed.”

  “You’re missing out. Freshman year is the best time for parties.”

  So I’ve heard. “I know, but…”

  “Come on, it’s just one party.” He pouts, his hands clasping under his chin.

  I’m tempted, so very tempted. “Not this time. I have to be at work at six to set up shop. Next weekend?”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Isaac

  “That’s wrong, do it again,” Darren orders, checking over the skirting board Nick and I just fitted. “It should be level.” He’s not wrong, but he doesn’t have to be such an arsehole about it.

  “The floor is uneven, not the skirting board,” Nick argues, looking exhausted and totally pissed off.

  I remain quiet. If I get started, I won’t stop.

  “Do it again!” Darren yells and walks away.

  Stan aims his nail gun at his brother’s back and pretends to shoot. That makes me feel a little bit better.

  As soon as work finishes, I head to my parents’ and sit with my mum as she talks to herself under her breath. I don’t know what she’s saying and I don’t want to know. I hate it when she’s like this. I can’t stand it. It breaks my fucking heart.

  Eloise: I’m going to a party on Saturday night.

/>   Of course she is.

  Isaac: You’re working Sunday.

  Eloise: Not until noon. :-)

  Isaac: Fine. Have fun.

  Eloise: What’re you doing? I miss you.

  Isaac: Sat with Mum. I’ll call you later.

  I tuck my phone away, ignoring it when it vibrates, and keep my mum’s glass of lemonade full. My dad sits silently in the kitchen and does his work for the week.

  “When’s Elle coming home?” Mum suddenly asks. “I haven’t seen her for a while.”

  “In two weeks. She’ll visit here. She misses you.”

  “She called yesterday.”

  I smile and hold her hand. “Good.”

  And then I go home, bored out of my mind, full from a bland dinner and depressed at the thought that I’ll probably be at work again tomorrow, doing a job I hate under the authority of a man I hate even more.

  The house is empty; my head is empty and I feel so fucking empty.

  Eloise

  “So, how is it?” My mum asks. I’ve not spoken to her all week and I’ve missed her voice. “Crashed any wild parties yet?”

  I laugh. “I wish.”

  “There haven’t been any?” She sounds as disappointed as I feel.

  “No, there have. I just haven’t had the time or energy for them.”

  “You’re working too hard.”

  She’s not wrong. I move to the couch and sit, feeling bored and lonely. “Jordan invited me to a party tonight but…” I bite my lip to stop myself from saying anymore.

  “Isaac…”

  “He’s… I love him. I want to make him happy, but I feel…”

  “Smothered?”

 

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