Consumed

“So your mum tells us,” said Dan who had suddenly become sociable despite being so quiet earlier when it was just the girls and Andrea. “It’s a nice house you have, I’m surprised you don’t have more visitors,” he did a little laugh as though he had made a great joke. Never once did he remove his eyes from Tammy.

“We broke down,” said Hayley — clearly irritated that her boyfriend was attempting to flirt with these girls. “Your brothers found us.”

“Oh,” said Tammy in such a way it made it painfully obvious to everyone that she didn’t really care why they were there. She looked at Dan, “Did you want to look around the house?”

Before Dan could answer her, Andrea came back into the room with a tray of drinks. One for each of the guests and one for her and her daughters. Hayley let out a little sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was go on a guided tour of the house with some bimbo.

“Here we go,” said Andrea. She set the tray down on another coffee table; this one was set in front of the settee where everyone was standing. “Please… Take a seat.”

Dan and Charlotte sat on the settee. Before Hayley could take her seat, Tammy took it, placing herself next to Dan much to Hayley’s annoyance — not that Dan noticed the fact she was clearly irritated. She turned around and sat on one of the other arm chairs whilst Suzanne sat on the last one, leaving her mother to stay standing.

“Hopefully your friends won’t be too long,” said Andrea. She walked over to the window, which overlooked the front garden, to keep an eye out.

“Are you staying for dinner?” asked Suzanne.

“I believe so — yes,” said Dan. Despite his best efforts to get out of the situation earlier, it didn’t seem to bother him as much now. Something else that Hayley noticed.

“Yummy,” sighed Tammy with a little laugh.

Hayley rolled her eyes.

CHAPTER SIX

Michael was sitting on the grass verge by the road — the opposite side to where the van had come to an untimely stand-still. He took a puff on his cigarette as he nodded acknowledgement to Joel who was approaching, having left Lara in the van.

“Alright?” he asked.

Joel didn’t say anything. He simply took a seat, on the grass, next to Joel.

“Sorry if I’ve been a prick today,” said Joel.

“You’re apologising today? What about all the other days you’re a prick?” asked Michael, a smile on his face.

“Just feel on edge… It’s strange being around Lara again,” Joel continued, ignoring Michael’s attempt at humour.

“Saw you two talking in the van and thought I’d leave you to it. What’s the story with you guys anyway?”

“I’m not sure. I think I still love her?”

“You think?”

“I do.”

“You dumped her, man,” Michael reminded him.

“Yeah, I know. Regretted it ever since.”

“You never said anything. Not to me or the other women you fucked since leaving Lara…”

“Yeah well that’ll be our secret. She doesn’t need to know about them. They didn’t mean anything,” Joel whispered. “Besides — what good would it have done talking about it? I only went with the other girls to try and get Lara out of my mind.”

“And how’d that work for you?”

“Whilst I fucked the other girls… It’s Lara’s face I was picturing,” said Joel.

Michael looked at him, unsure whether or not he was being serious. “Really? Because… The blonde you shacked up with on the first weekend of being single… She was hot. If I’d known you were going to waste her like that by picturing your ex… I’d have never let you go off with her.”

Joel laughed, “You let me?”

“Sure. I was toying with the idea of having her for myself but figured you could do with the pick me up.”

“Too generous.”

“What are friends for? Man, I can’t believe you were thinking about your ex the whole time. What a waste of that girl’s good looks.”

“Me and Lara — we had a connection,” said Joel. His eyes were fixed firmly on Lara, still in the van. She was looking out of the van so Joel only had a view of the back of her head but he didn’t care. He hoped she’d turn around and catch him looking. He hoped.

“You had a connection so you dumped her?” asked Michael.

“Well I didn’t know about the connection until after I didn’t have her.”

“So you should have called her.”

“And said what? She just said the same thing but what the fuck was I going to say to her? Sorry I dumped you via text but I’m a twat, fancy going back out again?”

“She said the same thing? You told her how you’re feeling?” asked Michael.

“That’s what we were talking about.”

“And how’d she take it?”

“Really well. We made up. Had a kiss. She rubbed my cock and told me she can’t wait to be alone with me as there’s a lot of angry make-up sex to be had.”

“Dude, score!” Michael offered up his hand for a childish ‘high-five’ moment.

“Mate, I’m taking the piss. How do you think she took it?”

“Not good then?”

“I’m sitting on a damp grass verge with you…”

“Point taken. So what did she say?”

“She needs to think?”

“Ooh,” Michael scrunched his face up — not a good sign.

“Ooh?”

“If a woman says she needs time to think or asks for space… It’s because she wants… Well…” Michael tried to explain.