by Aimee Duffy
‘I wish you wouldn’t.’
It was all Elle said and made her think twice about darting into her room and grabbing her phone. Anger and a flat out refusal were what Elle was famous for. This dejection with a request? She wondered again what they were hiding from her, but it was obviously something Zack didn’t want her to know, or he’d have told her already.
She rubbed her eyes, thinking this was a topic she was never going to win and with Zack’s sudden departure without even seeing if she was okay, she guessed it was her who was into him more.
‘I need food, and more coffee,’ she grumbled.
‘I know a little café that does the best croissants ever. We can get showered and go there if you like?’ Gem suggested.
She smiled, thankful for the break in the topic of impending broken hearts. ‘Sounds good to me. Elle?’
Elle’s smile was genuine and not forced at all. ‘I should have known croissants would cheer you up.’
But as they all headed to get showered and dressed, Elle stopped her just outside her room. ‘I really don’t want whatever’s happening with Zack and you to drive a wedge between us. I love you Ciara, and don’t want to see you get hurt. Or him, believe it or not.’
‘I don’t want that either. The idea of giving him up and never seeing him again is like being told I can never have mint ice cream again.’ Bad example. Her cheeks flushed remembering the way Zack had shown her how it could be enjoyed in Miami.
Elle sighed. ‘I get that, I really do. And for what it’s worth, I think he feels the same.’
‘What are you saying?’ she asked, not daring to hope.
Her friend’s smile was sad. ‘I’m saying… be careful. And be happy. Both of you.’
Ciara’s throat got so thick she didn’t have words. Instead she pulled Elle into a massive hug.
‘You really need a shower, Ciara,’ she said and laughed.
Pulling away, she wrinkled her nose. ‘I really do. I’ll see you in a bit.’
Or a few hours, if they were waiting for Elle to get ready…
Skipping back into the room, she was about to go for the shower but her phone caught her eye. Changing direction, she went for the bed and picked up the mobile. No missed calls, no texts, and the hurt was instant. But then Elle had called him a stalker and thrown him out saying they didn’t need him.
As she scrolled to his number, she wondered if she was being selfish, or if whatever they weren’t telling her was a deal breaker to the way she felt for him. Either way, she couldn’t leave things the way they were. She’d dragged him out of his bed twice now to come and help them and, if nothing else, she had to thank him for that and let him know she was sorry.
Taking a deep breath, she hit call and brought the phone to her ear. It rang and rang and rang until an automated voice asked her to leave a message. After the beep, she did.
‘Hi, it’s me. I wanted to thank you for last night. For everything, really. And I’m sorry for coming between you and Elle. I’ll understand if you don’t want anything else to do with me.’ She had to stop and clear her throat since her voice got too thick. ‘I just want you to know that I meant what I said last night. I want to see you again, to extend our fling, but I know I’ve gone and fecked that up.’
The beep cut her off before she could ramble on. Her mood was as gloomy as it had been when she left Miami. She had a feeling this really was the end. In his shoes, she didn’t think she’d have the patience to put up with all their drama and couldn’t blame him for bailing while he still could.
But she wasn’t about to ruin the next destination for her friends, since she’d made a right mess of Paris. Nope. She was going to grow lady balls and save the moping for when she got home. After all, this was their last summer together and she was determined to make it their best ever.
The fun continues…
Join the girls on the next stop of their round-the-world trip!
Geeks Go Greek
Aimée Duffy
All my life I’ve been dreaming up stories. My mum said when I was little I used to make all the My Little Pony figurines talk to each other and even fall in love. Later, it was Barbie and Ken. In my teens, I played matchmaker with my friends at school.
When I wasn’t creating imaginary scenarios, I had my nose stuck in books, reading across genres and there was one thing I loved more than the escapism—the fact a story could touch me so deeply, like I was experiencing everything along with my characters. I knew from early on this was something I wanted to do for others.
Fast forward a few years and the dream almost got lost in real life, but I still couldn’t shake it completely. Now I write sizzling romance with the hope of making my readers’ hearts race as if they are falling in love for the first time.
You can follow me on Twitter @AimeeDuffyx.
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
Romance readers, come and meet the team at our website www.harperimpulseromance.com, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse or follow us @HarperImpulse!
Writers, we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at [email protected].
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