CHAPTER331
“Whatever you have that’s going to get me smashed in
the shortest amount of time.” Leila eyes the bar tender, wildly tossing that choppy blonde hair back off her
face. She’s dressed to kill, wearing a strapless, short, tight, electric blue dress with killer spiked heels that look rather dangerous. Steel spikes sticking out the rears with a defiant look welded to her face. She’s been this way since we picked her up at her apartment and she’s not our usual, bubbly, happy Leila at all.
“I’m not getting smashed tonight.” Sarah cuts in. “I have work tomorrow and last time was brutal; we cooked seafood all day. Do you know how bad raw seafood is when you’re hungover?” She grimaces at the memory.
“I obviously can’t drink.” I point down. “So, I suppose, I’m on orange squash or something fruity and non-alcoholic.” Both girls throw me a pitying look but then smile and rub my belly, almost in sync. They’ve already declared themselves aunties and argued over godmother rights of my future Carrero offspring.
Back at our seats in the corner I relax a little as I look around, even for a weekday the place is busy and full but there’s a mellow atmosphere and people are milling around chatting rather than hard core partying. The DJ box in the corner is on low, playing some chilled music, only adding to the calm atmosphere. I find myself aching for him to be here already, despite myself, and push it aside.
“Get that dreamy look off your face already and tell me when they’re coming.” Leila breaks in with a look that says busted. She doesn’t sound happy but not angry either, just resigned, knowing this would happen at some point.
“What?” I blink at her rapidly, guilt coursing through me and wonder how the hell she worked it out from just one expression on my face.
“Oh, come on. I’ve known Jake practically my whole
life and I happen to know what he’s like over you. This phony little freedom right here …” she says pointedly, drawing a circle around me in the air, “…without armed security and a huge plastic bubble keeping you and his heir safe from people breathing on you … God forbid … I knew instantly you two had set me up.” She looks rather pointedly at me and then Sarah accusingly. I blush and Sarah just giggles.
“Gee this one’s sharp. Is that common with all Jake’s friends? Far too quick on the uptake!” Sarah takes a sip of her drink and watches us both with amusement. I should’ve known she would figure this out, she’s completely right. My being out of Jake’s sight for any length of time these days screams of huge red warning flags.
Dammit.
“Okay fine. But we did it out of love and Daniel really wants to see you, Leila. You dumping him is just plain absurd.” I wave my hands guiltily. She throws back her drink and starts waving manically toward the bar with her glass in the air. The tender throws her an obvious What? shrug, informing her this is not a table serving service, but starts making her a new drink regardless.
Leila and her power of persuasion.
“I can’t do it.” Leila looks down at the table and sighs, the feisty girl I adore taking a moment to lower her angry guard. “He’s going to crush me; the longer I see him the more I fall for him and he’s going to fuck it all up.” She flails at me in complete raw despair while Sarah reaches out a careful hand. Leila just looks so broken somehow.
Sarah’s always been good at giving touching, empathetic, love.
“Leila, it’s fear, you’re not really giving him a chance,” she croons at her with her wide doe eyes in sympathy.
“You never saw him, some girl all over him trying to get in there and he was just so … blank.” A single tear fills her eye and she wipes it away, angrily, with the back of her hand. Her little face crumbling and her lip wobbling adorably.
“I’m lost. I don’t get you?” I sit back trying to analyze her face. Trying to put myself inside Leila’s head and failing. The girl has as many complicated walls and levels as I used to have.
“He didn’t exactly push her off, the way Jake would for you. No beat it or fuck off, he just stood there watching her gyrating at him with her hands on his chest. Then it hit me, if I wasn’t there then he would’ve totally fucked her.” She brings a red-rimmed set of heartbroken eyes to me and I sigh. I know how soul destroying that kind of insecurity can be. Hunter probably wasn’t even aware of the affect his indifference to the girl had on Leila.
“I know he wouldn’t have. You’re not giving him a chance, Leila. You’re so sure he’s going to disappoint you and hurt you that you’re looking for fault. Looking to push him away.” I take her hand in mine, trying for mature and direct. Sarah can be the soft one, I need Leila to see sense.
“Did you confront him?” Sarah is watching her with the same expression as me, maybe she’s decided logical is the best route too.
“Of course, in grand crazy bitch fashion, the stupid me who has been giving him hell for weeks.” she sighs and sinks even lower in her seat. “I told him to fuck off, we were done, and I threw my drink at him. Told him to take the whore if that’s what he wanted.” A blush of red surges over her delicate features as she cringes at the memory; at least she has the sense to realize she acted like an insane woman.
“Jealousy is a killer.” I point out, knowing fine well I probably would’ve kicked Jake’s ass if it’d been me. Jealousy makes us irrational, seeing red no matter how innocent the situation.
“Well, aren’t we little angelic bundles of insecurity?” Sarah chirps in with a smile, patting Leila’s hand. “I once threw an entire plate of pasta at Marcus in a restaurant because some ex-girlfriend kissed him on the cheek when she came by to say hi.” She shrugs as a matter of fact.
“I tried to convince Jake I was climbing into another guy’s bed because I heard a girl in the background when he was on the phone to me.” I also shrug. The three of us regard each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. Even Leila laughs and wipes her smudgy eyes.
“None of that is healthy at all.” Leila looks deflated. “But it makes me feel less insane. I know I flew off the handle, but honestly, this is so hard. Daniel has made an art out of fucking my head up for the last ten years and now he’s doing it again. I’m so scared that one of these days he’s going to turn around and be like … “This ain’t for me, kitten.” She does a very good Hunter impression, alarmingly so, even the way she tilts her head and raises a palm.
“Have you ever thought about not being so hostile and giving him a genuine chance? Letting him in a little so that maybe he won’t want to turn and run?” Now it’s my turn to pat Leila’s hand and she sighs as the bar tender nudges in with a round of drinks, leaving his card in full view in front of Leila, cockily and a little too smoothly. A move Jake would’ve pulled off a hundred times more seductively.
“Call me.” He winks at her, before wandering back off back to the bar, with a smile. All three of us watch him go with equally unamused expressions. He’s tall like Hunter, overly muscular and blonde, but way less appealing. He has an I’m in love with myself, so I bet you are too aura about him, making him unattractive instantly.
“Arse,” Leila retorts, dumping the card over her shoulder toward the floor, no care to the fact that he can still see her.
“So, if sexy barmen dropping their card on your lap are not going to cut it then what next?” Sarah is the one trying to decipher Leila’s thoughts now, appraising her intensely.
“Guess you better tell the assholes they can come in
then and at least try to pretend to look surprised at seeing
us here.” She mumbles, sitting up straight, and taking
a steadying breath. Fingers in her hair, tidying it up, self-consciously."
