The Heart Series: Complete Boxed Set (8 page)

“Yeah, why not, with a beautiful smile like that who could refuse,” he replied winking. He finished his beer, placing the bottle down on the counter.

I smiled awkwardly, filling his glass up to the top. We clinked our glasses, downing them both together.

“So you’re Mike’s sister? I’ve never seen you before, ’cause believe me I would have definitely come over.” He licked his lips as his eyes flicked down to my chest before returning up to my face.

Creep.

“Do you know Mike?” I asked. I didn’t recognise his face from anywhere. He was a decent looking guy despite the creepy persona. Maybe a little too over styled. His blonde, short, spiked hair was gelled within an inch of its life. I preferred the more natural look like Joel’s.

Shit.

I needed to forget about Joel and concentrate on Rob, but ugh Rob. I’d prefer to stay permanently single.

“Yeah, we play football together.” He opened another beer, taking a long draw to wash away the after effects of the tequila.

I nodded smiling, my mind automatically going back to Joel. “So you know Joel?” I asked nervously, almost hesitant in what his reply would be. But my curiosity had already won.

“Yeah, we’re good friends. He’s a great pulling partner.” He winked and grinned. His fingers checked his overly styled hair, but he didn’t have to worry, I could take a pickaxe to it and it still wouldn’t move.

I watched on in astonishment when his eyes rested on a blonde, giggly girl walking in the room.

Seriously?

The guy had no shame.

He didn’t even attempt to hide his obvious delight, his eyes were practically out on stalks. He was perfectly suited to be friends with Joel. Once again I was reminded of Joel’s lifestyle, it always did precede his other qualities.

The laughable thing was Joel had practically pulled the female population of Camden, yet rejected me. 

“I bet he is,” I snapped, coming down from the alcohol with a thud. My nice buzz had evaporated with the mere mention of Joel. The nausea began taking over just what I didn’t need.

My breath left my body hearing his laugh in the distance. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. His voice grew increasingly louder until he stopped dead mid sentence.

I felt his hot stare penetrate into the back of me, without even looking. Judging by Rob’s lifestyle admissions he wouldn’t be happy with me talking to him, but fuck him.

I wanted to hurt him back.

I deliberately reached up, brushing my hand against Rob’s face. I kept my fingers lingering there hoping Joel was witness to it all.

“Do you fancy going out for a drink some time?” Rob asked, snapping my attention back to him.

NO.

“Errmm.” I was just stalling for time. My drunk fuzzy brain was struggling to function and form any words. A bottle slammed down hard against the counter, and I almost jumped with fright.

Yep, he was definitely pissed.

“Do you need me to persuade you some more?” He leaned in for a kiss, but I wasn’t that drunk.

I quickly swerved his unwelcoming lips. “I don’t think Mike would be happy about us dating, I think I’d better go.” I didn’t wait for a reply and hurried straight over to Elijah. I was now officially over the whole flirting thing.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, burying my face deep into his warm, hard chest. He was my safety blanket, my one source of comfort. All I needed was him right now.

His arms pulled me in tighter. “What’s with all the crazy flirting tonight?” he asked, pressing his lips against my hair.

“Oh just trying to be someone else for a change,” I huffed, but the whole thing had been a complete waste of time. I was miserably back to square one.

“You don’t need to be anyone else, you’re perfect as you are, but I know that was for Joel’s benefit. I saw what just happened, what’s going on?”

I turned my head away as tears began to form in my eyes. His hand gently pulled my face back to his, giving me a silent plea to tell him what was wrong.

“I love him, but he doesn’t want me.” I burrowed my head into his chest, trying to hide. I didn’t want his pity. I knew right now it would send me over the edge.

He cupped my chin, lifting my face, and stared deep into my eyes. “That’s not true, I can see it in his face. The jealousy before when we were dancing, when those guys were checking you out. When he came in and saw you flirting with that guy, his face was unrecognisable when he stormed off. He definitely has feelings for you.”

I half attempted a smile, quickly becoming distracted by the moaning sounds coming from the other side of the kitchen. Rob now had his tongue down blonde girl’s throat.

“Well, he doesn’t appear to be that choosy.” I snorted.

Elijah turned to look and laughed, pulling me back into a hug. “Joel does love you. He’s just afraid to.” He kissed my hair again, and I clung onto him for a few minutes more.

After a quick detour to the bathroom to redo my eyes to mask the puffiness, I took a few deep breaths and headed back into the lounge. Hoping to resolve and rectify this whole mess with Joel. Mike was off his face, I’d just passed him in the hallway, but I was hoping Joel would be reasonably sober.

Slowly pushing my way through the crowd of people, I scanned the room before focusing on three pairs of legs wrapped around each other.

I instantly recognised the Converse.

My heart dropped when my head snapped up seeing Joel’s tongue down one girl’s throat. Watching on as the other girl stroked him through his jeans while licking and sucking on his neck. Oh god, he was hard, and I wanted to be sick. The bile began to rise up in my throat. I flew upstairs to the toilet unable to hold it back, with tears streaming down my face.

How could he do this?

I wanted to kill him.

I wanted to punish and hurt him the way he’d hurt me.

After ten minutes of throwing up the vodka and tequila, I was pretty certain I had nothing left to bring up. I pushed myself off the cold tiled floor, staring at my red, puffy, tear-stained face in the mirror.

God, I looked dreadful.

I had to get out of here and fast.

I couldn’t be witness to Joel getting it on with those sluts. Watching for a few seconds broke me, any longer would destroy me.

I ran through to my bedroom, throwing some clothes and toiletries into my bag, and quickly closed the door behind me.

I hesitated, not wanting to leave mid party. To let these kind of people have free reign to my house. But I’d die if I had to witness anymore of Joel’s activities.

I ran down the stairs, grabbing Elijah. He quickly noted my mascara stained face and left without asking any questions.

When we were at a safe distance, he stopped and pulled me into his arms. “I saw Joel and the two girls, I’m so sorry,” he said softly.

I clung to him, sobbing, the grief taking over. “I hate him so much, he doesn’t give a shit about me, just cares about whatever girl he can screw next.” I pushed away, striding off down the road.

I needed to put as much distance between us as possible. I hated him with every single breath I took. I despised myself for allowing him into my heart.

Why? Why would he do this to me?

Elijah’s arms wrapped tightly around me. I gave into the sobs, burying my head into his chest and let the misery consume me once again. I was plummeting to the bowels of hell.

Hello, darkness.

My body jolted itself awake only to find myself in complete darkness. After a couple hours of restless sleep, I was back in my own living nightmare. I rubbed my eyes to try to focus and clicked on my phone to find it was almost seven. I was totally exhausted but flashbacks from the night before prevented me from drifting back off to sleep.

Elijah was flat out, gently snoring beside me. I was envious of his relaxed state. I wanted to be oblivious to it all rather than facing my own living nightmare.

I slipped out of the bed not wanting to disturb him. He looked so serene, almost angelic in sleep. Which was not a term I’d use to describe him awake.

Grabbing my clothes I headed for the bathroom, quickly dressing. I gathered up my coat and bag, quietly making my way towards the front door.

The early frosty air felt brutal against my skin. I pulled in a deep breath, regulating myself to the cold, slowly making my way home.

Truthfully I wanted to stay, but the moment Elijah’s eyes sprang open he’d ask a barrage of questions I was not yet ready to answer. I knew mentally I had to prepare myself for whatever I was about to walk back into.

I ran up the driveway, just happy to see the house was still standing. I quietly unlocked the door and stuck my head inside listening out for any signs of activity.

Nothing.

So far. So good.

Walking through the house I surveyed the damage, the whole place was littered with bottles and cans. An unpleasant stench of smoke hit me, but nothing disastrous had happened that couldn’t be covered up with a tidy up and a blast of air freshener.

Tiredness began taking over. After a night of torment and Elijah hogging the best part of the bed, I was both mentally and physically exhausted. I left the mess of the sitting room behind and trudged upstairs preparing myself to face the inevitable.

I stopped breathing walking past Joel’s room. My eyes remained fixated on the door. I listened for several moments, my ears straining for any form of noise. The blood was pumping so loudly that it cancelled out the silence.

Had he gone back home?

At that precise moment I noticed my door was ajar. I stared intently at it for several seconds.

I knew I had definitely closed it.

A wave of nausea ran through me, and my breath hitched hearing the faint light snores filtering through the door.

My heart stopped.

Oh. My. God.

Who the hell was in my bed?

The room was too dark to see anything visible. I peeped through the gap in the door, squinting to make out the person sleeping inside. My heart was racing, and I was majorly pissed. Then adrenalin took over, and I was no longer scared.

My hand slammed against the door and I flung it open, switching on the lights only to reveal my worst nightmare. “What the fuck?” I yelled as my heart shattered into a million pieces.

I gasped losing all the air from my lungs. My heart plummeted at the sight of Joel in my bed with the two sluts from the party.

I felt the bile rising, and my knees began to buckle. I was still gasping for air as my lungs tried but failed to function. I was only moments away from collapsing.

How could he do this to me?

Have sex with them both in my bed when he knew how I felt?

Did he want to destroy me?

I clutched at my chest. I was barely drawing breaths, staring at Joel’s stunned face looking back. I wanted to cry, to get down on my knees and sob for everything I’d lost in that moment.

But anger soon took over.

If he wanted a reaction then I’d damn well give him one. “What the fuck? Are you fucking kidding me? Get your sluts out of my bed now!” I screamed; my voice barely recognisable.

I ripped the duvet off, then instantly regretted it, faced with the sight of their naked bodies. I scowled in disgust as they frantically tried to conceal themselves.

Fucking fantastic.

I wanted to rip them all to pieces with my bare hands. “Get out of my fucking room now!”

The two girls leapt up, quickly bundling up their clothes. Shooting past me, avoiding any form of eye contact. They’d probably just broke the world record to dress and get out of the house.

Joel just sat there looking stunned, covering himself with a pillow.

My. Fucking. Pillow.

My rage was off the Richter scale.

I walked right up to him and using every last breath in my body, I punched him square in the face. His head flew back, cracking against the wall behind him. He let out a low moan as a trickle of blood started from his nose.

I nursed my sore hand, cursing the pain, but it wasn’t enough to appease my anger.

I wanted more.

I wanted to kill him.

Launching myself at him, I beat his chest and any part of his body I could aim for with my fists.

He grabbed my arms, holding them tight to restrain me. I screamed in frustration, hating the fact he was stronger. He looked visibly shocked staring into my wild eyes, filled with nothing but hate.

He opened his mouth to try to excuse his actions, but everything was pretty explanatory. I was not in the mood to hear his pathetic excuses.

“I fucking hate you, Joel,” I spat out, looking him square in the eye.

His breathing was heavy as he just stared. His eyes widened with the impact of my words.

I hoped they cut him deep.

“You know how I feel about you, and yet you bring those bitches into my room, fucking them both in my bed. Did you do this to make a point? Are you trying to fucking rip me apart?” My screams slowly turned to sobs, unable to hold it back any longer. “Thanks for destroying my life. Well, you got your wish, Joel, to leave you alone. Don’t ever speak to me again. You’re a piece of shit and nothing but a fucking whore.” I paused before adding the words I knew would have the most impact. “You’re just like your fucking dad.”

His eyes widened even further at my cruel words. I knew I’d hurt him but I was glad, he was two thirds there anyway. All he had to do was slap someone around, and he was his dad’s son alright.

I pulled myself out of his strong grip, falling down to my knees, beginning to sob uncontrollably. He attempted to put his hand on my shoulder to console me but I didn’t want him anywhere near me.

“Get your dirty hands off me. I can smell them on you,” I screamed, pushing him away in complete disgust. I didn’t want him anywhere near me ever again.

I ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind me, sliding down onto the cold, hard floor.

Was this all a dream?

Because I wanted to wake up. But I wasn’t that lucky, this was my worst nightmare come true. The sobs came thick and fast. I curled up into a ball on the rug giving into the grief consuming every fibre of my body.

I heard muffled voices outside the bathroom. I knew Mike was awake. He’d want to know what was going on. A few seconds later I heard a soft knock on the door.

“Iz, can you let me in, I need to know if you’re okay?” Mike asked calmly through the door.

At this point I lay barely breathing, not wanting to speak to either of them. I resented Mike for having the party, putting me in the situation to witness him in action.

I felt stupid.

Completely stupid.

He was a selfish prick who would never change. I guess a leopard never does truly change its spots. He’d been sleeping with women and throwing them away like rubbish for years. So why was I any different?

Mike knocked even louder like I hadn’t heard him the first time. “Iz, unlock the door and let me in. I’m sorry for what Joel did. I didn’t know, I was too drunk. I don’t even know how I got to bed.”

Probably led by another skank.

He was another man-whore; they were both as bad as each other.

“Iz, you’re scaring me now, if you don’t open the door I will break it down.”

I knew that was an empty threat. Mike breaking the door would mean explaining it to my mother, and he’d avoid that at all costs.

My whole body was practically fused in the fetal position. My limbs were stiff and sore from being curled up tight for so long. I could barely move. I finally broke my eyes away from the crack in the tile I’d stared intently at for the last hour.

I was still breathing.

Just.

And resenting every breath.

Pain surged through me when I moved, the blood now beginning to flow freely through my body once again. I just wanted to sleep, but that was never happening again.

Rage consumed me at the thought of it. Why the hell was I the one hiding out in the bathroom? This was my house not Joel’s, he should leave.

Leaping up I experienced one hell of a head rush.

Shit!

The room started to spin, and it took a few moments to compose myself. I eventually staggered over to the mirror, grimacing at the person staring back. My eyes were puffy and bloodshot and my lips swollen, where my teeth had taken the brunt of my anger out on.

I splashed cold water over my face and roughly dried it with the towel hoping to bring some colour back into my skin. I took a few deep breaths and slowly unlocked the door.

My hand gripped the handle tight pulling the door open. I was surprised to find Mike leaning up against the wall. He looked me straight in the eye, letting out a large sigh of relief. He pushed himself off the wall to give me a hug, but froze when he saw my icy glare.

“Don’t you dare fucking touch me. This was all your fault, Mike, and I’ll be sure to let Mum know every detail when she gets back.”

He grimaced at the last part, he knew my mother would be after blood. He’d be on some kind of bargaining mission to make sure I kept quiet.

“Iz, what can I do to make you feel better?” he asked, pleading with his eyes. But the past couldn’t be changed and nothing could be undone. Everything was ruined, shattered forever.

I walked past him pretending he wasn’t even there. I caught sight of my room and the bed was stripped, but the room would be forever tainted. A constant reminder of Joel’s betrayal.

Joel walked out of the spare room. His gaze immediately dropped down to the ground, too ashamed to look me in the eye.

Coward.

“Sorry, Iz,” he muttered, shuffling from one foot to the other.

Sorry?

You’ve got to be fucking joking.

“Well, that makes up for everything, I can’t even bear to go in my own bedroom now because of you. Why my room, Joel? You want to twist the knife in farther?” I screamed, barely inches from his face.

“I was drunk, Iz, I didn’t know who’s room it was.”

Fanfuckingtastic.

He turned away to escape my hate filled eyes. Mike tried desperately to diffuse the situation, pulling me away from him. “Hey, let me take you for breakfast. We can get some pancakes. I know they’re your favourite.

He knew where he could stick his pancakes.

My frosty glare spoke a thousand words. “I don’t want pancakes. I want to know what you’re going to do. I can’t sleep in that bed after god knows what he got up to. I feel sick at the thought!” I placed my hand over my mouth beginning to gag.

“You can sleep in my bed, Iz,” Mike said smiling, trying to appease me.

“No chance, you’re just as bad. Did you have two as well last night? Because obviously one is not enough for you both now.” I glared at Joel at the last part. He blushed, looking awkwardly back down to the ground.

He should be ashamed.

“I’ll buy you a new bed, Iz,” Joel whispered softly.

Turning, I looked at him with a sneer. Joel finally looked up giving me a half smile like it was going to solve all my problems. “Can you build me a new room while you’re at it? Because the whole fucking thing is tainted,” I shrieked, the anger back with a vengeance.

Did he really think buying a bed would solve everything? Was he that much of an idiot?

“I’m sorry, Iz. I never meant to hurt or upset you. I was so drunk last night, I don’t remember anything.” He looked at me with desperation in his eyes, seeking some kind of solace but I was hollow and empty.

I let out a loud exhale in frustration. “I’ll have to sleep on the sofa till the new bed arrives.”

Mike automatically scowled. “Iz, you can’t. Mum will wonder what’s up with your bed.” He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation, but any concern I had for them both was long gone.

My eyes widened at his selfishness. “So I’ll tell her you two dickheads had a party, and man-whore here, shagged two women in her precious daughter’s bed. I’m sure she’ll be fine about it.”

They both stiffened at my words, signalling with their eyes that wasn’t an option. I knew they would try any form of tactic to keep me quiet, but nothing would buy my silence.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed my fingers against my temples. I could feel the start of a migraine coming on.

Great, just what I didn’t need!