Thirteen (Love by Numbers Book 4) (15 page)

She leans over and grabs my hand, linking my fingers with hers. “It’s more than that, Lils. He’s erratic and acting weird. I know you say he only hit you once, and then you left, but he’s not acting like a sane man. Not that he ever was, but he seems even more off.” She squeezes my hand lightly. “Say you’ll think about it at least?”

I know she’s right, I had a feeling that seeing Harry would rile him up.

“Okay.”

She nods and releases my hand, “Good, I’ll arrange an appointment with the family solicitor when you get out of here. We can go together. I’ve also warned the security guys at our building and they’ve promised to keep an eye out for him.”

“Good.” My one-word answers are indicative of my feelings, one of my ‘tells’, that Nic doesn’t fail to spot.

“Listen, don’t worry about him. He’s as good as gone. I just didn’t want to hide anything from you. Besides, it’s time to get that creep out of your life, once and for all. Especially now you have that hottie in a banana car chasing you.”

I snort, “He is hardly chasing me.”

She raises both eyebrows ready to argue her point when my phone buzzes against the hardwood tray.

I know it’s him. I also know his last message talked about pussy.

Looking from Nic to my phone and back again, I can see her intention and I sweep my hand out to grab the phone, but she gets there before me and stands up out of reach.

“Hey, standing up is not playing fair when I’m stuck in bed.” I wave my hand out in a ‘gimme’ motion but she ignores it and backs away, her eyes are locked on mine but her finger is swiping the screen to open the message.

“Who said anything in life was fair, Lils. I mean… Holy fuckity, fuck!” Her eyes are now on the message, and I groan and hold my face in my hands knowing it can’t be good.

“Radio silence? Is that because I used the words pussy and blow in the same message? What if I substitute pussy for kitty and blow for lick?”

I peek out from behind my fingers, knowing my cheeks are burning from embarrassment.

Nicola holds out the phone in front of her like she might catch something. “Really, Lils? Sexting while in a hospital bed?”

I groan again and remove my hands, leaning forward to take back my phone, but Nic just dangles it out of reach.

“He doesn’t know I’m in hospital, now give me back my phone.”

“Nuh-uh. What’s it worth?”

I bunch my hands into fists and growl at her smirking grin, “I promise not to kick your scrawny arse.”

She laughs in my face, “I’d like to see you try,” then she proceeds to tap something into my phone.

“Don’t you bloody dare! Give me back my phone
now.”
I shuffle my body down the bed, ignoring the pain that lances through my thigh and stump.

“Dear Harry, my pussy hasn’t seen any action for quite some time. I think it will need far more than a blow to clear away the cobwebs…” she mocks while typing.

“Nicola! Give me back my phone, or I’ll be paying a visit to Doctor Hottie.”

My threat lands on deaf ears, and she continues chuckling to herself while grinning at the phone screen in her hands.

I’m going to fucking
kill
her.

I hoist myself up on both arms and force myself down the bed towards her, my good leg hitting the floor first with a thud as my bare foot slaps against cold tile. “I swear to God if you hit send I will tell Dr Hottie you’re a virgin.” My voice begins to rise as I use all my efforts to push myself up off the bed, ignoring the crippling pain. She continues to ignore me, backing away against the far wall, while humming a little tune under her breath.

Now I’m evil.

“Scratch that, I’ll tell your entire hospital, no, better than that I’ll tell the whole chuffing world.
Nicola Tremere is a Virgin!”
I howl out the last sentence at the top of my lungs, then collapse back on the bed.

I only raise my head when I hear footsteps and squint up to see both my Mum and Dad staring, slack-jawed at the entrance to my room.

“Oh, hey, Mum,” I wiggle my fingers in greeting, “Dad, I guess you heard that?”

Sheepishly Nicola walks from the wall and deposits my phone on the bed next to my head.

My mother blushes but shakes her head in despair, but my Dad just coughs and says, “I think the entire building heard that, but I have to say, it’s what every father is happy to hear about his daughter, so don’t mind us.”

Now it’s Nic’s turn to groan.

Hah! That’ll teach her for messing with my phone in future.

Oh fuck, my phone.

I turn my head to the side to see my twin grinning broadly at me.

I am so screwed.

W
ell, that’s… interesting and unexpected.

Dear Harry, my pussy hasn’t seen any action for quite some time. I think it will need far more than a blow to clear away the cobwebs…

Is it wrong that I found this message all kinds of hot?

After Lilah had gone silent on me, I worried that my mouth had got me into trouble, yet again. When she finally text back, my Davidson did a little, hell, let’s be honest, it did a
big
happy dance in my boxers and my lips pursed ready to blow warm air all over Lilah’s… Yeah, I was sick. Sick and sex-starved. That is the only excuse.

When my phoned buzzed against my leg with another incoming message, I all but came in my pants and wouldn’t that have been embarrassing.

Sorry Nic got hold of my phone. Please disregard the previous cobweb message. She has a warped sense of humour

I’m deflated and my ego and my Davidson both suffered the hit.

Hang on; did she say her sister had her phone? How could she have it when Lilah had told me she’d gone away on her own?

A smile pulled at my lips. Lilah was deflecting. She’d sent that message and was now trying to take it back.

So your sister sent that, not you?

That’s what I said. She’s going to pay for it too

But isn’t she at home?

More radio silence. I wait ten minutes before bringing up her number ready to call and tell her not to be embarrassed. Her text was funny, and hot. Well, it made me hot.

Just as I’m about to hit call, my screen lights up with another text message.

Change of plans, she decided to come with me last minute. I wish she’d stayed home now. So, have you decided what our next date will be?

Huh. Change of plans.

I would have believed it had I not driven past Nicola who was walking down the high street earlier this morning. I’d gone into town on an errand for my mother. She wanted me to pick up Dad’s suit from the dry cleaner’s ready for some party they are attending this weekend, and I know it was definitely her because I had to do a double-take; the similarity to Lilah is striking.

Why is she lying? Is she avoiding me?

It doesn’t make sense. If she’s avoiding me why reply to my texts, why not just ignore me and why bother asking about our next date?

Next date is a surprise. When will you be home so we can arrange it?

Now is the time for her to confess. To tell me she hasn’t gone away.

Not due home for another week, then I have a really full schedule in work so we’ll have to play it by ear. Is that ok?

Just ask her. Call her bluff. Tell her you saw her sister today. Ask her what’s going on.

Shame it can’t be sooner, but I can wait. My date will be epic and put all the others to shame. Speak to you soon. H x

I couldn’t do it. I’m a wuss. A big fat wuss who doesn’t want to burst the bubble.

As long as I play along, I know I get to keep her in my life a little while longer.

Sometimes you choose to accept the lies that bring magic to your life, like believing in Santa or the Easter Bunny.

Despite the lie, I still believe in my Easter Bunny.

Thank you for waiting for me. I promise to make it up to you. L x

You already have.

T
he following day brings more disappointment; including getting turned down for yet another computer programmer’s position and receiving a threatening letter from my bank.

With zero money coming in, I’m struggling to pay off all the debts that Bella left me with and despite hating what she’d done to me, I don’t have the heart to call the credit card company and accuse her of fraud.

I thought I loved Bella; I was ready to marry her until she left me for a slimy, diet juice salesman.

No point lying to myself I did love her, but she turned that love against me, and I hadn’t seen it coming. I hadn’t seen all the times she ordered a new ‘must have’ gizmo from the internet using my credit card, or that her need for control wasn’t her way of showing how much she cared for me, but a way to oversee and force her will on every aspect of my life. I definitely hadn’t seen her lack of interest in our sex life as a sign that she was humping her new bloke every chance she could get.

Yes, I was blind to a lot of things with Bella, but isn’t that what love does to you, makes you blind?

My gut churns; am I repeating the same mistakes with Lilah? Am I purposely ignoring her deceit because what I don’t know won’t hurt me?

Yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing and it stops.
Now.

“Mum,” I call into the kitchen as I grab the keys to the banana mobile from the hook by the front door. “I’m just heading to the bank to try and sort out this mess; I’ll be back later.”

I didn’t wait for her reply and I left the house with a renewed purpose, slamming the front door behind me.

The bank is my main destination, but I’m going to get there via a trip past Lilah’s building. It’s time to face up to things, and I know that Lilah isn’t Bella, but I also know I deserve more than a blurred version of the magic I feel when I’m with her. I want it with crystal clarity, not tainted with even the smallest untruth.

I pull up to the curb on the opposite side of the road to Lilah’s building and shut off the engine, waiting there in silence. This feels wrong; not wrong because I’m spying on her, but wrong because I’m not prepared. In all the stake out films I’ve ever seen, the hero always has an accomplice, one who brings snacks and a handy pair of binoculars.

I root around in the glove box and come up with a pocket sized pack of tissues, a black biro pen and some cough sweets. Unwrapping a sweet, I pop it into my mouth and suck until the menthol flavour burns my tongue, never once taking my eyes off Lilah’s building.

Around twenty minutes pass, the roof of my mouth has menthol burn, and I’m breathing so deeply through my nose that I can smell the cookies from the bakery down the street.

Cookies, now they would make the perfect stake out snack.

My hand is just about to open the door as I check for traffic in my side mirror and then pop it open a few inches. Yelling from across the street catches my attention immediately.

“Get your fucking hands off me! She’s my
wife;
nobody can stop me from seeing her.”