I sigh. Timing is a bitch. Two years ago I could only dream about this moment and two years ago I’d have reached up on my toes and kissed him and asked him to take me home and do bad things to me, but that was before. Before a guy with piercing blue eyes came into my world and made me feel things I’ve never felt with anyone else.
I gently pull my hands from his and sigh. “You’re right. At one time, you were all I wanted, and I’d have done anything to hear what you just said, but I love my boyfriend. He’s everything to me and I won’t risk that in order to live out my schoolgirl fantasies.”
He nods and smiles. “I guess I should have made you mine when I had the chance then. Your boyfriend’s a very lucky guy. I hope he knows that.” I startle when he reaches out and puts his hand in my jean pocket and pulls out my phone. “But I’m ever the optimist, so I’m going to put my number in your phone,” he tells me. He takes my finger and places my thumb on the screen and then types his number in. “If things don’t work out with prince charming, call me.” He hands me back my phone and with a quick kiss to my forehead he is gone, leaving me breathless and in shock. Tyler Kingston has just told me in no uncertain terms that he wanted me, and I knocked him back. Oh, the irony.
After taking a minute to compose myself, I head back out into the kitchen and search for the girls. Unfortunately for me, I find them sitting with Jake and Tyler and a group of other people outside. Tyler’s eyes meet mine briefly and he winks at me.
“There you are!” Courtney exclaims. “Where on earth did you get to?”
“There was a big queue for the bathroom,” I lie. I feel Tyler’s gaze on me and I chew self-consciously on my bottom lip. My phone comes to life, playing my ringtone from the greatest showman, and I blush with embarrassment as I fish it out of my pocket and move away to answer it.
“Hey there, sweet cheeks.”
I smile on hearing his voice. “Hey baby, how’s the party?”
I hear him release a weary sigh. “Boring and tedious. What are you up to?”
My eyes glance over to where my friends are and I find Tyler watching me. “I’m at a house party. It’s pretty boring, but it’s been nice to see people from home.”
“Has anyone hit on you?” he asks possessively and with a nervous chuckle, I reply.
“No, don’t be daft. What about you? Is the place crawling with pretty rich girls?”
Grayson snorts. “Rich girls, yes, but pretty, no. I only have eyes for my girl.”
I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “Always the charmer.”
“You know me, Manchester,” he replies dryly. “Seriously though, are you doing okay? I mean, it can’t be easy, being back home.”
“It’s weird. It hurts, but at the same time, it’s oddly comforting. I feel closer to her here.”
“That’s understandable Ev. I’m gutted I didn’t get to come with you. I want to see where you grew up.”
I smile at his cuteness. “Next time, I promise. I love you.”
“I love you too Manchester, never doubt that.”
I scrunch my forehead at his reply. Why would I doubt him?
He groans. “Shit, I got to go my dad’s beckoning me over. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“See you tomorrow.”
Gods, I miss him and it has only been one day. I know it sounds pathetic, but since we got together I haven’t really gone a day without seeing him, even if it was sometimes only brief.
I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING with a splitting headache and the sound of my phone pinging non-stop. Groaning, and with my eyes still half-closed, I search the floor for my phone. Finally locating it, I lift it to my face and scan all the notifications. I sit up straighter when I see post after post of a photo of Grayson with his arm around the waist of some tall blonde girl. What the fuck? It’s Paige’s post, though that pisses me off more than the rest. She has shared the photo of Grayson and the mystery girl with the caption ‘couple goals.’
My swearing and huffing must wake Izzy. She sits up and rubs her eyes. “What’s got you swearing like a sailor at this time of the morning?”
I hold out my phone to her, and she takes a minute to look. “Who is she?” she asks me.
“You tell me,” I growl with a dramatic shrug of my shoulders.
“It’s probably nothing, Everly. You know what it’s like at these business networking parties.”
“No, actually, I don’t,” I tell her angrily.
Izzy sighs and waves her hand. “They’re full of pretentious people, and it’s all about being seen with the right people. Some press guy probably asked them to stand together and took the photo.”
I huff and throw my phone down on the sofa. “Well, he better pray you are right because I am not happy.”
I switch my phone off because I am too angry to deal with him right now. I decide to get up and cook a full English breakfast for us all.
I hear Izzy on the phone talking in hushed tones to Dom, and I know they’re talking about the photo that is plastered all over social media.
“What crawled up your arse this morning?” Courtney asks me as she devours the food on her plate like she hasn’t eaten in days. Her bed hair is all stuck up at funny angles and she has black panda eyes from leaving
