I woke the next morning curled inside a pair of strong, familiar arms. The heavenly scent of Paul’s aftershave combed over me. I glanced up to see his handsome face inches away from mine. For a brief second, I questioned why I was inside his embrace. Then it hit me. Like a freight train.
I peeled myself from his arms, careful not to disturb his sleep. I wanted my stuff and I wanted my phone to call my brother, but of course, that was all in that room.
Taking a deep breath, I took the apprehensive walk down the corridor. As I approached the door, I realised I didn’t have my key. I swore under my breath before noticing the idiots hadn’t removed my key from the lock the previous night.
Taking the same path I had done only hours ago, I opened the door. Seeing them both cuddled up against each other left puncture wounds in my heart so great, I may as well have been bitten by a lion.
Scott was awake, and carefully slid out from Molly’s sleeping form. He shuffled over to me, his face full of hope. “Hi…”
“I came for my stuff.”
“I just want to explain myself. I do have feelings for you—”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Ky…” He reached a hand out to touch me.
I batted his hand away, growling at him. “Don’t touch me.”
His eyes flashed with hurt and he took a step towards me. “I meant it when I said I loved you.”
I stood my ground, ready to punch him if he took another step. “Good for you. Unfortunately, I don’t love you.”
“But last night…”
“Yeah. Thinking about it, I don’t think I ever really loved you. I just loved the idea of what I thought you could give me.”
He stepped back, tears springing in his eyes.
I carried on, my vicious tongue putting him in his place. “My true desires have always laid elsewhere. You were just a welcome distraction when I couldn’t have them.”
His attention flickered behind me. I followed his gaze to see Paul stood in the doorway, dishevelled hair and streaks from my mascara staining his shirt.
My heart jumped at the sight of him. It had always been him and it would always be him.
He came to me and cupped my cheek with his hand. “What are you doing?”
“I wanted my stuff.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I’d have got it for you.”
I gazed into his lucid blue eyes, hypnotised already. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Scott spoke from behind me. “What the fuck is this? It’s him, isn’t it? What you were just talking about?”
I turned to him, anger rising. “That’s nothing to do with you.”
“Have you been sleeping with him whilst we were together?”
I laughed, not quite believing he had the cheek to ask. “Are you seriously asking me that right now? No, Scott. I haven’t slept with him since we’ve been together, but being brutally honest, it was hard to resist temptation.”
A blank expression passed over him for a few seconds before he smirked. “Well, I guess you can now say you fulfilled the complete role of a PA.”
Before I knew it, Paul flew from behind me, punching Scott square in the face with a sickening crunch. He crumpled to the floor, crying and holding his hands to his face.
Molly jumped up from the bed, screaming as she scrambled down to Scott. She yelled at Paul, fighting Scott’s hands from his face to reveal streams of blood and a broken nose.
“I’m going to have you done for assault,” she said, sobbing.
Paul chuckled. “Good luck with that one, sweetheart.”
He stepped over the mess on the floor, grabbing my bags as I instructed him where my stuff was. I collected a few bits from the bathroom to my left, stifling my beaming smile at Paul breaking Scott’s nose. God, it was satisfying.
I emerged from the bathroom, grinning at Molly’s tear ridden face. “Have a nice life, Molly.”
“Oh, I will do now I’ve wrecked yours.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve made it better.”
She stood up, her eyes glistening with a dreamy haze. “Don’t you see? He chose me over you. For once I’m not in your shadow, watching everyone kiss your feet. This time it was me. Someone wanted me and not you.”
I frowned, the reality of her words leaving me dumb founded. “What about Chris? He loved you, you bimbo.”
“Pffft. He had no backbone. He was getting boring.”
I raised my eyebrows, shaking my head in disbelief. “You really are a piece of work. Whatever. I’m done.”
Paul took my hand, leading me from the room without so much as a second glance.