Foul Play (Whithall University Book 1) (10 page)

“I’m sorry,’’ he starts, taking a step forward. Holding my hand to his chest, I give him a light push back. God, he even reeks of beer and vomit still. I wonder if he’s even been home and showered.

“Don’t. I waited up until I passed out from exhaustion for you to come pick me up. I felt so fucking foolish. I should have just gone to bed after an hour of you not showing.’’

“I can explain,’’ he pleads, reaching out for me once again, but this time I take a step back, not wanting him to touch me.

“You don’t need to. I’ve seen your Facebook,’’ I bite out. There’s nothing incriminating about the picture. I’m only pissed about it because he looks like he’s having a good time, looking carefree, not looking guilty one bit about leaving me sitting alone at home.

“Facebook?’’ he asks confused and clearly agitated. If he thought he could come, apologise and I’d forgive him then he’s mistaken.

“Yeah, some chick posted one at half one this morning and then that girl, you know? What’s her name? Christie? She posted pics of you guys all night and happily made sure to tag you in every single one of them.’’

“Christie? She’s a friend. Look, I drank too much with the guys. Time passed and I just forgot.’’

“I called you. You said you were on your way,’’ I tell him, feeling defeated. Arguing isn’t one of my strong points. It’s not in me to be angry or to get angry. I’m just not that person.

“I don’t remember. I’m so fucking sorry, Willow. So sorry. Please don’t break up with me. Please,’’ he begs, his eyes watering.

I can already feel myself giving in to him. Something about seeing him break in front of me shatters my resolve to stay mad at him. He really does look sorry and it’s hurting me more to see him hurting like this.

“I’m not breaking up with you,’’ I sigh, opening the door for him. He steps in, looking unsure and so sorry for himself.

I walk down the hall to my room, wanting to give us some privacy. Allie will be back soon and even though I’ve sort of forgiven him, I’m still a little pissed at him and what he did and I don’t want her to have to come back and listen to us arguing. It’s not fair on her.

“I really am so fucking sorry. When I woke up and realised I forgot to meet you, I felt like shit. I called and texted straight away. I felt sick, baby.’’

“Probably from the amount of alcohol you drank,’’ I tell him sarcastically.

He sits down on the edge of my bed, a sigh escaping him as he puts his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

“No. Not just from that. I let you down and I hate myself for it. I never meant to hurt you. I’m such a shit boyfriend,’’ he tells me heatedly.

Guilt and pain hit me in the chest. I’m across the room and in his lap in seconds, needing to be near him.

“No you’re not. You made a mistake. It doesn’t make you a bad person, just a forgetful one, one that was neglectful and got drunk. I’m just mad that you left me waiting like you did. I like to think I’m a reasonable girlfriend. All you had to do was text me or call to cancel,’’ I stress.

His hands on my waist tighten and he drops his head on my shoulder.

“You’re the best girlfriend,’’ he declares. “I fucked up, but I’m going to make it up to you. It’s actually the other reason why I’m here.’’

A smile breaks across my face and I turn in his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Oh yeah?’’

He grins, kissing the corner of my mouth before kissing his way down my neck to my collar bone. I hum in response, a little moan escaping when he snakes his tongue across my pleasure spot. I feel him grin against my neck. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

“Well?’’ I whisper, wiggling my hips a little to get his attention.

“Well, first I’ve got us another table at Temptation. I thought before we go to dinner we could take a trip to the shopping mall and buy you something special,’’ he says, tempting me.

“Sounds good,’’ I grin, loving his plan, especially the part about buying me something special. I love gifts.

“Good. Table is booked for eight so we’ve still got time to go to the mall and enough time for you to get ready,’’ he grins, his eyes brighter now than they were when he first arrived. Then what he said registers and I frown.

“Ahh, Alec, I can’t,’’ I admit sheepishly.

His head snaps to me with a look of surprise. Why, I have no idea. I was sociable back home, did he think being here would change that. “What? Why? I said I was sorry.’’

“I know,’’ I rush out, not wanting him to think that this is about that. “But I already made plans.’’

“Who with? Allie? I’m sure she’d understand if you cancel.’’

I count to three before breaking the news, knowing his feelings about Logan.

“I’m going to Logan’s. He invited me to his house party on Tuesday.”

He holds me tight at the waist, lifting me up off his lap. I’m confused by his overreaction. He begins pacing the floor back and forth, wearing a hole into the carpet

“I’m sure Logan wouldn’t mind if you cancelled just this once,’’ he tells me once he’s stopped.

“Why would I cancel?’’ I ask him.

“So we can go out. I told you Willow, I booked us a table at Temptations. Do you realise just how hard it was to get a reservation at that place?’’

I have to look away from him. If I look at him much longer I’ll end up doing or saying something I’ll regret.

“No,’’ I say once I’m sure my voice will be calm and clear.

“What? You can’t be serious. You’d rather go to a house party, one that is probably thrown every weekend than go out with me?’’

“
We
didn’t have plans, Logan and I did. I’m not cancelling. It’s rude.’’

“Cancel Willow, please. I want to spend time with you,’’ he pleads, but this time his pleads don’t work.

“And I said yes Alec, just not tonight. I have plans.’’

“Yeah, with a fucking lad who wants to get into your pants,’’ he grits out, pulling at his hair.

I scoff. He’s unbelievable. “Don’t start that shit again. We’re friends and you fuckin’ well know it,’’ I snap, my temper rising.

“Do I? You’ve got a funny way of fucking showing it when you choose that loser over your own boyfriend,’’ he shouts.

I take a step back trying to calm my breathing, but it doesn’t work.

“Are you fucking kidding me?’’ I shout back. “What about last night when you chose
your
friends over me? Last night when we
actually
had plans to go out? What does that make you?’’

“It’s not the same,’’ he roars, throwing his hands up.

“No, it’s not because I’m not ditching you. I’m not standing you up to go hang out with Logan. I made PLANS with him and I’m going to stick to them, unlike you.’’

He looks at me with a murderous expression, like he’s ready to shake some sense into me, but fights against it.

“It’s me or him,’’ he blurts out. I see a flash of regret in his eyes, but it’s gone in an instant. His back straightens and he stares at me dead in the eye, daring me to answer.

“I’m not choosing. You have no right to ask me to,’’ I tell him, my voice calm, but there’s nothing calm about my raging heart.

“Yes, I do. I have every right,’’ he bites out. “It’s me or him,’’ he asks again.

“I’m not cancelling my plans,’’ I tell him stubbornly, not choosing.

“Fuck you. Fuck this,’’ he laughs, with no humour. “Enjoy your night. I hope he’s worth it,’’ he throws at me, before storming out and slamming the front door behind him causing me to flinch.

The flat is silent, the only sounds you can hear is my heavy breathing.

Wetness coats my cheeks. I hadn’t even realised I’d started crying, but now that I do, more tears fall. A sob tears from my throat and I fall on my bed, my body heavy and weak as I cry into my pillow.

It seems getting your heart broken and crying puts a strain on you. Once again I fell asleep, this time from crying.

Allie accidentally woke me up when she got back and I’ve just finished filling her in on mine and Alec’s argument. She looks shocked, her mouth agape.

“I can’t believe him. What an arse. He stands you up, leaves you waiting for him all night and then has the nerve to tell you to cancel your already made plans. As if he expected you to drop everything for him,’’ she says, her words heated and angry on my behalf. It almost causes me to smile.

Almost.

“I know,’’ I sigh, not knowing what else to say to that.

“It’s manipulation, Willow. He can’t really expect you to choose. It’s like he thinks he can say jump and you’ll say how high. A relationship shouldn’t be like that.’’

She has a point. “I just don’t get how it came to this. Uni was meant to be a new experience for me, this big milestone in my life. But everything seems to be going to shit.’’

“It’s not. Maybe this is fates way of telling you he isn’t worthy of you. What are your plans for the night now? Are you still planning on going to Logan’s?’’

“Yeah I am. I might be in a bad place right now, but once I’ve had a drink or two, I’ll be fine. I hope,’’ I admit. Although, I’m lying to myself if I really believe alcohol will fix what’s happened.

“Good. Don’t let that arse ruin your plans,’’ she tells me and I’m waiting for her to clap me on the shoulder while saying, ‘that’s the spirit’.

I giggle and pull my best friend in the whole world in for a tight hug. I love this girl to the moon.

“I do love you Allie Davis.’’

“I love you too Willow Saunders.’’

I pull back, feeling a little better than I did before now that I’ve spoken to her and got some things off my chest.

“I’m going to go throw something on and see if I can cover up the dark circles that have taken residence under my eyes,’’ I tell her dryly.

She scoffs, giving me a ‘get real’ look. “You would look beautiful even if you went out with a face full of yellow spots.’’

“Ewww,’’ I laugh, giving her shoulder a light shove. She just shrugs, not looking sorry about the image she just imprinted in my head and walks off, heading into the kitchen to wash up.

I’m glad I decided to get a taxi to Logan’s and not take a walk to clear my head. The night air is chilly and with the moon hidden behind the black clouds, the streets are darker, the shadows lurking.

The other reason I’m glad I got a taxi is because I’d never have found Logan’s flat otherwise. I’m still unsure if the driver hasn’t driven me out to some secluded place to kill me.

He’s driven behind some industrial buildings not far from the university that are in the middle of being renovated. When he pulls into a small parking lot that is completely hidden in darkness, my pulse spikes. The only light is from the dashboard and the meter.

“Are you sure this is the right place?’’ I ask, putting my phone on my lap so that I can grab the taxi money. I’m just glad I text Logan saying I arrived and was outside because I’m pretty sure I’m about to either get slaughtered or the driver has taken me to the wrong place.

“Yeah, girl. See between those two buildings?’’ he asks, pointing over to the far left of the car park. When I find a gap between the two buildings I nod.  “It’s down there. You can’t see the doors from here. There’s usually lights on outside, and some lighting the car park up, but they must have blown or been vandalised,’’ he explains.

I’m still looking towards the gap he mentioned so I see a dark figure step out, proving he’s telling me the truth. The figure walks closer, moving towards the front of the taxi and the headlights shine on their silhouette, revealing Logan. Seeing him has me releasing a breath I didn’t realise I had been holding in.

“That’s who I’m meeting,’’ I inform the taxi driver unnecessary. He just chuckles amused. “Thank you for the ride.’’

“It’s what you pay me for,’’ he smiles.

I reach out for the door handle, but he stops me before I manage to open it. I turn back seeing a concerned look cross his face. “Be careful. In my line of work I hear things and from what I’ve heard about this place, it isn’t a safe place for young girls like yourself,’’ he tells me cryptically.

A cold shiver runs up my spin, but I paste on a smile, showing him his advice is appreciated but unwarranted.

“I’ll be fine. That’s my best friend and we’ve known each other all of our lives. He’d never let anyone hurt me.’’

“Well then, have a good night,’’ he smiles, his hand already reaching for the meter, looking for his next call.

“Bye,’’ I wave as I shut the door behind me, jumping when I find Logan closer than I realised. I also notice he’s started the party without me, a bottle of beer already in his hand.

“I thought you were gonna leave with him for a minute there,’’ Logan laughs. “Making new friends?’’

“Of course,’’ I smile. “So glad I didn’t walk. I’d never have found the place. Next time warn me your place is a secret hide out,’’ I scold him.

“Some fucker blew all the lights out when they got drunk last night,’’ he chuckles, but as we step inside his building block his face darkens. “You’ve been crying. What’s wrong?’’

“Nothing,’’ I lie, waving his concern off.

He stops me, turning me to face him once we reach the top of the first flight of stairs.

“Don’t lie. Not to me. Tell me what’s wrong,’’ he demands.

I sigh, giving him an unhappy look. “It’s Alec. We had a huge fight,’’ I admit, not wanting to tell him that I think we’ve broken up. Just thinking about it has the tightness in my chest to come back and the back of my eyelids to burn.

He grunts, but a guilty look crosses his features making me wonder what he’s hiding. “He’s a dickhead,’’ he comments, but I’m still concentrating on that look.

“What was that look? You know something?’’ I question.

“Nothing,’’ he lies, continuing on up the stairs. I follow, but I don’t drop it. I need to know what he knows. Did Alec cheat on me last night? Is that was that look was about?

“You forget, I know you too, Logan. Now tell me, please.’’

He takes in a deep breath and I’m sure he’s not going to answer me. But then he surprises me when he does.

“I saw him last night. He was with a group of lads from the team.’’

“So why didn’t you tell me?’’ I ask, feeling slightly hurt.

“Honestly? I thought you were blowing me off. When I text you last night you said you had plans with Alec, but then he turned up at the bar I was drinking at, so I presumed you were lying. It’s why I texted you so much today,’’ he admits sheepishly.

“First off, I’d never lie to you. Secondly, you still should have called me to call me out for bullshitting if you really believed I was blowing you off. Or, at least called him out.’’

“I know that babe, but with mine and Alec’s history do you really think approaching him would have been a good idea? I thought it was best to keep out of it.’’

I don’t answer him. I think about what he said and I know deep down he’s right. I can’t expect him to get involved in my relationship. Plus, if he really did think I was blowing him off then his ego was most likely bruised and he was nursing it.

“C’mon, let’s get you a drink and cheer you up,’’ he tells me, swinging his arm around my shoulders.

“Now you’re talking,’’ I grin, but it doesn’t reach my eyes.

The further we walk down the corridor, the louder the music gets. I can hear a bunch of people already and I look to Logan with a raised eyebrow.

“How
big
is this party?’’ I ask warily.

“Big,’’ he smirks and I understand the reason for his cockiness when we round the corner. “Our neighbour has opened up his place up too. One of the guys has set up the speakers up so that it’s connected throughout both flats,’’ he explains.

“Who are all these people?’’ I ask in awe. I’m so glad I didn’t go all out with my outfit choice and just kept it casual.

I’m wearing black leggings, brown ankle boots and a dark army green shirt that has cuffs just above the elbow. The collar normally has to be buttoned up to the top, a brooch or a bowtie at the neck, but the look doesn’t suit me as much as it does Allie so I left the few top buttons undone.

I left my hair down, my waves from last night still in, giving it a looser and wavier look.

I kept my makeup light, only using the bare minimal, but going all out with concealer and foundation.

“Friends? Friends of friends?’’ he shrugs, not caring who they are whilst wearing a smug grin. He doesn’t seem to care as long as people are having fun.

Logan has always loved to party but this? This is something else entirely. There are people littered everywhere, filling the hallway, the doorway, and when we manage to squeeze through the crowds of people blocking the entrance I get the first look inside. I have to take in a deep breath to brace myself. It’s just as packed inside as it is outside, people barely fitting in the two large flats.

I’m actually impressed. The place is pumping and it has disco lights all over the room giving it a nightclub feel.

“Wow,’’ I say under my breath, but it’s not like anyone would have heard me even if I had shouted it at the top of my lungs.

“Want a beer or some girly shit?’’ Logan asks, his voice barely heard over people singing and talking and the music blaring. I have to laugh when he uses hand gestures to double check I understood that he asked if I wanted a drink.

Laughing, I nod my head. He takes my hand and pulls me behind him as he manoeuvres us safely through the crowd of people. He nods his head at some people as we pass by, sometimes stopping to actually say hello and giving the lads a man hug and girl’s kisses on the cheek.

When we finally make it to the open kitchen I actually breathe a little easier. The window is open so it’s not as stuffy in here as it is in the living area and hallway.

“Jesus, when you said party I thought you meant a few close friends, I didn’t expect this,’’ I tell him, waving my hand in the air, indicating to the mass of people enjoying their night.

“This? This is nothing,’’ he chuckles, handing me a cold beer. When he leans against the counter I follow suit, taking the cleared space next to him.

I look out at the crowd of people, watching but not really seeing them as I sip my beer. My mind is lost, thinking about Alec. He was so angry with me for no apparent reason. He should have understood since he did stand me up and so what if I made plans. He makes them, cancels them and has no care of who he lets down doing it.

When he said he was sorry I believed him and I bet there’s a part of him that truly was sorry. But the fact he expected me to drop everything at the click of his fingers just proves he wasn’t really sorry at all. Otherwise he would have understood why I wouldn’t cancel my plans with Logan. And don’t even get me started on the fact he booked another table before even asking me. He was just so sure of himself and that’d I’d forgive him. Now I wish I could have thrown that at him, called him out before he stormed out on me.

It makes me want to call him up and have it out with him again, ask him why he was so sure I’d forgive him and ask why he was such a prick.

“Hey, what’s wrong?’’ Logan shouts over the music, nudging me.

Shaking away my dampened thoughts I give Logan a sad smile. “This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have come,’’ I admit. “I’m in no mood to party. I’m just going to kill your buzz.’’

“Oh, no, you don’t,’’ he smirks, taking the bottle out of my hands, which is already empty. He grabs me another and I wave it off, but he refuses, giving me a stern look. “C’mon. If I can’t cheer you up within an hour I’ll call you a taxi. Allie isn’t at home, right? I heard she was working late tonight?’’

The fact that he knows that Allie was in fact meant to be working tonight is concerning. It doesn’t seem like something someone would bring up in a conversation.

Weird.

“No. She worked a late shift last night so they gave her the night off. She’s on a double tomorrow,’’ I answer. “I really don’t want to ruin your night.’’

“You won’t. And like I said, if you don’t start enjoying yourself in an hour and still want to go home, I’ll call you a taxi.’’

He brings me in for a hug, his strong arms keeping me huddled to him. When he pulls back he has a fresh bottle in his hand and I smile, rolling my eyes. Snatching the bottle from him I take a hefty swig, giving in to him.

“I’ll stay for an hour, but I am going to go home,’’ I tell him pointedly, letting him see how serious I am. I just don’t feel like being sociable right now. My bed is calling me and so is the tub of ice cream in my freezer.

*** *** ***

Blinking, I try to focus through my blurry vision, but everything is hazy, doubling before me in a fog.

“Slag,’’ a girl shouts close by and I struggle to open my eyes. When I do, a shadow of a slim girl is standing in front of me, her stance defensive and unfriendly.

“You talking to me?’’ I ask, leaning closer and groan when she comes into view, her face leaning in closer.