Chapter 48
Bianca and Jesse met us half way. Bianca looked bored in that way only really pretty girls looked bored but still looked as intimidating as hell. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she had opted for a baby blue fitted dress that matched the colour of her eyes and made her golden skin glow even more. Jesse’s silvery eyes were as sharp ever as they watched us approach, their hands shoved into the pockets of their coat and one trainered foot tapping against the path as they waited for Kyle and I to approach.
“No Max?” Kyle asked.
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“He said he will meet us there.” Bianca shrugged before looking at me and smiling. “You came!”
“Uh yeah…” I nodded, smiling awkwardly. “Sorry it’s late. I had work.”
“Pfft. Don’t worry about it. These things don’t tend to amp up until midnight anyway.” Jesse chuckled and stood upright. “Now, who’s ready to get wasted?”
Not me.
Despite Jesse indicating that we were pretty early, the house we approached looked pretty busy. The house itself wasn’t anything special but it was bigger than the one I lived in and was set further away from the others giving the sense of privacy even with dozens of teenagers piling into the house and spilling out onto the front yard. Somewhere inside music was playing and the sounds of teenagers socialising poured from the open door. There seemed to be no host welcoming people in, just grab a drink from the kitchen and mingle. It took three attempts to find a drink that didn’t have alcohol in it and by the time I was done, Kyle had disappeared but thankfully Bianca and Jesse had
stuck close.
“So Ellie,” Jesse spoke up when we found somewhere we could talk. “Kyle tells us you live with his
cousin.”
“Aiden, yeah.” I nodded awkwardly. “Liam, my brother, let him have a room when he got out of the military. I hardly see him though.”
Sadly.
“Ooh Aiden.” Bianca sighed dreamily. “He’s such a bad boy type! I’d let him corrupt me any day.”
“Really?” Jesse asked, looking at the blonde like she had grown a second head. “I don’t see it.”
I did.
“He’s a nice guy really.” I added. “I’ve not seen him in a while though.”
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Chapter 48
Actually, I wasn’t sure if the former part was entirely true. Alden hadn’t necessarily been horrible to me but he appeared to have an angry streak. I shuddered mentally when I remembered him looking his temper when I refused to call the police after Noah attacked me. The flare in temper hadn’t necessarily been directed at me but its ferocity had certainly affected me. Even when we kissed I had felt the darkness simmering under his surface. It wasn’t like Noah’s, which was hard, sharp and deadly. Aiden’s was hot and addictive.
“He has a girlfriend anyway.” I finally said.
“No he doesn’t.” Kyle’s voice came from behind, surprising me.
“What about Tammy?” I pointed out.
“Hm, they broke up just after your birthday. They had a massive argument.” Kyle shook his head. “It’s what they do. They are never serious anyway.”
I blinked, unable to say anything as the conversation carried on around me. Why hadn’t Aiden told
me that he and Tammy were no longer together? Was that why Tammy wasn’t talking to anyone?
Had they broken up because of Aiden and I kissing?
I needed fresh air, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. I muttered my excuses and set my cup down, heading towards the garden hoping it wasn’t too busy. The cold air hit my lungs painfully the minute I stepped outside pushing away the sickly feeling building in my stomach. It wasn’t busy outside which I was grateful for but I kept the fringes of everything going on, trying not to let the noise and presence of complete strangers get to me.
If Tammy knew what had happened it would explain why she was avoiding me. I suddenly felt even worse. Here was me messaging her and she probably hated my guts. We had been friends for five minutes and I had destroyed it. No wonder Liam didn’t want me knowing his friends. He probably already knew what a horrible being I would be and wanted to protect his friends.
I felt the hot salty tears burning my eyes as they filled. I quickly brushed them away, letting out a shaky sigh, trying to compose myself. The last thing I needed was to draw the attention of strangers.
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Taking a cleansing breath, I straightened my shoulders, pushing my hair behind my ears as I glanced around. No one had seemed to notice my little meltdown in the shadows as no one was even looking my way. I sighed in relief and stepped back towards the house and pushed through the crowds to try and find the others, hoping they hadn’t moved. Just as I stepped through what appeared to be the living room, a familiar flash of black hair made me do a double take, my heart dropping into my
stomach.
Leaning against a wall, surrounded by unfamiliar people, was no other than Noah.
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I’ll Be Seeing You
Chapter 49
