An Unforgotten Bet: (A Contemporary Romance) (8 page)

She grins, but doesn’t say anything.

“Please, you make me so horny, I just need to relieve myself.”

Just when he thinks she’s about the get off the bed, she seems to change her mind. Her blue eyes are fixed on his as she slowly lowers her head again, this time going much slower, but allowing his cock to reach the very back of her throat. It drives him wild, and his hips start thrusting so vigorously that the bed begins to creak under their weight.

She giggles again, pinning his hips down with her hand so that he can’t squirm, and moving her mouth faster along his length. His knuckles are white from gripping the bed sheets so tightly to try and control himself, and as he approaches his climax, not even Rose can hold him down.

“Shit, I’m coming,” he groans, tilting his hips upwards. He expects Rose to pull backwards, but she doesn’t, and he can feel her lips squeezing gently against his cock as she swallows, and he can’t stop himself from thrusting into her face. Even biting his lip doesn’t fully stifle his groans as he comes into her mouth, and he has to clap his hand over his face to try and muffle them. All he can concentrate on right now is his orgasm, and his thighs give way under his body. His heart is still pounding when Rose draws back, licking the remnants of his fluid off her lips.

“Thank you, that was so good,” he breathes, unable to move. Rose pulls up his trousers as he catches his breath, and he exhales as she fastens the button around his stomach.

They lie there for a few moments, smiling into one another’s eyes and enjoying one another’s silent company, before Rose eventually pushes herself upright.

“We should probably go back downstairs,” she sighs, smoothing her hair.

“Yes, definitely,” he says. “That was so good, thank you.”

She leans up to kiss him, and he can smell himself on her breath as she gets close. For some reason it begins to turn him on again, but she pulls away after only a couple of seconds and he is left to follow her out of the door.

They can still hear their parents talking and laughing as they descend the stairs, and nobody even acknowledges either of them as they sit back down at the table. The sexual tension is almost unbearable, but it’s also so exciting.

But the next two words destroy everything.

“How’s Danny?”

Confused, Tom looks up to see Mrs. Evans smiling at Rose from across the table. His gaze immediately turns towards her, and the look of horror on her face makes everything clear.

“Uh, he’s good, I think…I don’t know.”

“I forgot to tell you that he called today. He wants you to call him back immediately, you should probably go and do it now.”

“It’s probably not important.”

“It sounded pretty serious.”

“I know, but it’s not.” Her tone is surprisingly harsh, it even takes Tom by surprise. Her Mom looks hurt, and seems to decide not to probe any further.

Who the fuck is Danny?

Tom stares at her, his lip quivering slightly.

“Who is Danny, Rose?” he whispers, just quiet enough to allow the both of them to hear.

Her mouth opens and closes as she waits for her brain to come up with an answer, but she just shakes her head. They stare at one another for several seconds before Tom’s Mom interrupts.

“Well, would you look at the time,” she announces, glancing at her watch. “It’s eight o’clock, we’ve been here for over two hours. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?”

“It sure does,” laughs Mrs. Evans.

They all raise from their seats simultaneously — all except Tom, that is. He remains seated, his eyes still fixed on Rose. She sighs, obviously aware of his attention, but doesn’t return it.

“We’ll have to meet again soon,” rambles his Mom as they make their way towards the door. Tom reluctantly follows, wishing he had just a minute more with Rose to ask her to explain her suspicious behaviour over the past few days once and for all, but she hangs back, keeping her distance from the crowd. Mrs. Evans gives each member of the Flynn family a long squeeze before they leave, but Rose just offers a weak smile and a limp wave.

“I’ll call you,” Mrs. Evans promises. “We’ll definitely have to make this a regular thing.”

“Oh, of course,” replies his Mom, waving frantically as they walk down the path.

Rose emerges from the house to stand with her mother when they’re all in the car, and Tom stares at her until she disappears from view as they drive away, haunted by her vacant expression.

“Hey, Mom, could you drop me off at the bar on your way home?”

“Sure, honey, what for?” she asks, turning her head to smile at him.

“I’m just meeting some friends.”

“Of course.” She pauses. “So how did you find tonight?”

“It was good,” he says absent-mindedly. “How about you?”

“It was great, we had so much to catch up on. Rose has turned into such a lovely young woman! What was she showing you?”

“Uh, she was just giving me a tour of her room. It’s very nice.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” she says.

Tom hesitates for a moment, but he can’t stop himself from asking, “who’s Danny?”

“Danny? I don’t know, dear. “Why didn’t you ask her?”

He shrugs. “I dunno, I guess I never really got a chance.”

“I’m pretty sure Shannon mentioned him, actually. I think he’s living with Rose.”

“Oh, right.” Tom slinks back into his seat, unable to find the words to say anything for the rest of the journey.
 

It’s about 8:45pm by the time they reach the bar, and Tom kisses his Mom goodbye as he gets out of the car.

“Have fun, honey. Be safe!”

“Thanks,” he mumbles, relieved that none of his friends are around.

As he’s walking through the double doors into the bar, his phone vibrates into his pocket. He sighs as he pulls it out, worried that it will be a cancellation from his friends, but his interest is suddenly rekindled when he notices that it’s from Rose. Hundreds of different assumptions, thoughts, and emotions buzz through his head at once as he unlocks it and reads the text.

From: Rose
Sent: 20:47
Hey. We need to talk. Call me when you can.
 

He shoves it back into the pocket of his trousers without replying and marches into the bar. For once, he’s the first one there, and he orders a beer and sits in silence for about twenty minutes before anyone shows up. He considers calling her several times, but somehow he manages to resist. He’s so desperate for an explanation, but he needs to clear his head first. The bar is as filled with soppy romantic couples as the restaurant was last night, so he tries to occupy his time by scanning the room for people who look as desperate and lonely as himself. One man is sitting in the corner stroking a bottle of vodka with his index finger and staring into the table, but aside from that, everyone looks frustratingly joyful.
Luke is the first to arrive.

“Hey man,” he says, a huge grin plastered across his face as he walks in and sits down opposite to Tom. “Drinks are on me tonight, what’s up?”

“Not much,” says Tom as cheerfully as he can manage. “What’s the special occasion?”

“All will be revealed,” he says, sliding back out of the booth and going over to the bar to by drinks. Tom watches him as he does so, wondering what could have made his friend so happy.
A promotion? A pay rise? Shit, what if he’s moving away?

Luke returns a few minutes later with a large round of drinks, which he carefully places in the middle of the table. As if on cue, Oliver and James walk through the door just as Luke sits back down.

“Wow, looks like we came just at the right time,” grins James, sitting down without even glancing at either of them and immediately picking up a beer.

Luke laughs, leaning back in his chair and looking at all of them individually.

“Okay, so we’ve been talking about this for a while now, but we just decided—well, I just decided—officially last night. It probably sounds a bit sudden and you’ll probably all think I’m crazy, but…I’m getting married,” he exclaims, his cheeks flushing red as he chokes on his words.

James and Oliver cheer and congratulate him in sync, but Tom can’t speak. He just stares at his friend in disbelief, his stomach in knots.

“Yeah, it’s—” He glances up at Tom and cocks his head. “What’s wrong, Tom?”

“Nothing, man, I’m happy for you,” says Tom, leaning forward to pat Luke on the shoulder. “Jess is a lucky girl.”

“Damn right, she is. But not as lucky as I am,” he grins, knocking back the rest of his drink. Tom fakes a smile and tries to cover his mouth with his own drink.

“Honestly, man, what’s up? She’s not cheating on me with you, is she?” he asks. His voice suggests that he’s joking, but Tom notices the brief flicker of panic in his eyes.

“God, no, nothing like that,” breathes Tom, his eyes widening. “Man, that’s sick. Why would you even think that? But no, it’s just…girl troubles, you know? I just…I don’t know. I’m happy for you.”

“Girl troubles?” Oliver repeats. “Thought you said you weren’t ready to settle down.”

“Well, I’m not, I guess,” sighs Tom. “But it’s just this girl. I can’t help it, I just…I don’t know.”

Luke cocks his head. “Who is it? Anyone we know?”

“It’s just this girl I used to know from when I was younger. Her name was Rose, and she used to live next door from me when we were kids. I ran into her the other day and we got talking. Since then I just can’t seem to stop thinking about her. It’s driving me crazy, man.”

Oliver shrugs. “Well, just ask her out.”

“She stayed over at my place last night…and then I went over to her place today. Our families are pretty close, too, and she took me up into her bedroom and gave me a blowjob.”

All three of them stare at him in disbelief. “Wait, well what’s the problem?” asks James.

“It was all going great, and then her phone rang this morning while she was staying at my place…I went to pick it up for her, and she almost jumped on me. Also, she wouldn’t even answer it while I was in the room, I just don’t know what—”

“She’s cheating on you, dude,” says James, his eyebrows raised.

“No. No she wouldn’t do that,” he says, shaking his head. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, Rose would never cheat on me. And technically she’s not cheating because we’re not even dating, but there’s still no way she would do that.”

His friends stare at him, their expressions blank.

“She wouldn’t…would she?” he asks, his voice shaking as he speaks.

James shrugs. “Why else would she be so protective over her phone? Maybe she just has issues, but from all the girls I’ve been with — and trust me, I’ve been with a lot of girls —” he pauses and winks at Tom, “being so protective of their phone is usually a sign of cheating.”

“Maybe she’s just a secret agent,” Oliver chimes in, but Tom’s fiery glance makes him recoil immediately.

“Apparently she also lives with some guy…”

James shakes his head and throws his head into his hands, sighing loudly. “Dude, she’s got you completely under her thumb. Why are you even chasing her? There are plenty of girls out there, go find someone else. This one is sleazy.”

Tom blinks at James for a few seconds, unable to say anything because of the huge lump that is rising in his throat. Come to think of it, her behaviour was extremely suspicious — like in the restaurant when she had to leave to take that call, or even when she was so hesitant to go back to his place….and especially a few hours ago, when her Mom brought up
Danny,
who, supposedly, she is living with. It all suddenly makes sense, and his stomach seems to plummet to the floor when he finally realises what’s going on.
How could he have let himself be so blinded by his love for her? How could he have been so stupid?
It’s sick how lust and love can make you overlook these things, as if they’re not big issues. When he does eventually speak, it comes out in a whisper.

“Yeah, you’re right. She’s cheating on me...and we weren’t even dating.”

Rose’s fingers tremble as she punches Tom’s number into her phone. Each second seems like an hour as she waits for him to pick up, and after the seventh ring she’s about to give up. But eventually, he answers.

“Hi, Rose,” he says into the receiver. His voice is calm, lacking in its usual cheerfulness.

“Tom,” she breathes, relieved. “Tom, I’m so sorry tonight, I—”

“I figured it out, Rose.”

“You…you what?” Her voice breaks, and she can already feel the tears brimming in her eyes.

“I guess I knew it all along when you kept avoiding all of my questions, but I just didn’t want to believe it. I wanted you so badly, Rose. I just wanted to be with you. All of those years we were apart, I never stopped thinking about you. I’ve never been able to settle for anyone else, because they weren’t you. I just wanted you, and I wanted you to want me too. But it’s okay.”

“No, Tom,” she stutters, grasping her phone with both hands. “Tom, I need to see you. I can explain everything, honestly, just give me a chance.”

“I’m not sure that I want to hear it, Rose,” he says, his voice breaking as he mutters her name.

“Please,” she begs, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please, Tom.”

“I need some time, Rose,” he sighs. “I don’t know if I can forgive you for this. You’re just not the person I remember. I almost wish we hadn’t met each other in the coffee shop, you know.”

She takes a deep breath. “Tom, I never meant to hurt you, I—”

But there’s a quiet ‘click,’ and the line goes dead.

She stares at her cell phone. Her throat is so dry that she is barely able to breathe, and she’s crying so hard that no sound is coming out. She left her parents’ house an hour ago to try and get some space and clear her head so she could think straight, but her isolation just seems to have made things worse. She’s close to her apartment now, and she considers going back, but even the thought of it makes her shudder. After what happened today, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to face Danny again, and with Tom acting so cold around her it would be all too easy for him to coax her back into his arms and convince her to stay, just like he had always done in the past.

There’s only one person she can go to for support in a time like this. Rose pulls out her phone again and dials in the numbers. After only the second ring, there’s an answer.

“Gina,” Rose chokes.

“Rose? Rose, what’s wrong?” asks Gina, panic rising in her voice. “Is it Danny? What’s wrong?”

“Gina, I just broke up with Danny, I need a place to stay,” she breathes through muffled sobs.

“Come to my house straight away. Do you need me to pick you up?”

“No, I can manage,” she sighs, relieved that there is at least one person in the world whom she can count on.

“You’ve done the right thing,” she says warmly, and Rose smiles.

“Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”

Gina’s house is only a five minute walk away, but it feels like an eternity. Rose can feel everyone’s eyes on her make-up streaked, tear-stained face as she trudges through the street, her arms folded over her chest and her head hanging low. Some people smile at her supportively as she walks by, but most just stare.

She clutches her phone in her hand as she pushes her way through the busy evening street, just in case Tom decides to call…but he doesn’t.

By the time she reaches Gina’s house, Rose has managed to compose herself. Her face almost feels sticky from crying so much, but at least she manages to smile when Gina’s husband opens the door. He smiles weakly when he sees her, and calls for for Gina, who comes running immediately, shoving him out of the way.

“I messed up, Gina,” says Rose with a sigh.

Gina shakes her head. “It’s going to be okay. You left Danny, and that’s the important thing. You should be proud of yourself.”

“I cheated on him with Tom,” she blurts out, burying her head in her hands.

“He cheated on you first,” she reminds gentle, patting Rose’s shoulder. But Rose just shakes her head.

“I don’t care about Danny, I never loved him in the first place. It’s just…Tom. I can’t believe I’ve hurt him like this. You should have heard his voice when he called me, Gina. It felt like my heart had been wrenched from my chest. I feel so terrible.”

“It’s okay,” says Gina, sitting next to Rose and pulling her close. “Seriously, you should be celebrating right now. Danny was a brute, you don’t need him in your life. Tom will come round, and if he doesn’t then it’s his loss. You guys weren’t even dating, were you?”

“No, but—” she cuts off mid-sentence, shaking her head. “I just feel so terrible, Gina. I never wanted to put anyone through what I had to go through.”

“First of all, Danny cheated on you on three separate occasions. Secondly, you weren’t even in a relationship with this Tom guy, were you? It’s not like you made a commitment. And finally? That relationship you had with Danny died a long time ago. Technically, it’s almost like you’ve been single ever since he cheated on you.”

Rose exhales loudly, relieved to have someone to rely on in her time of crisis.

“Would you like something to drink?” asks Gina, but Rose shakes her head.

“I’m pretty tired, I think I just need to try and sleep to clear my head. Is that okay?” her voice is timid, almost squeaky.

“Of course,” smiles Gina, taking her hand and leading her up a set of stairs. “It’s just the spare room so it’s not much, but you can stay here for as long as you need. Okay?”

“Okay,” smiles Rose, following her up the old fashioned staircase. She’s been to Gina’s house many times before, but never upstairs. It’s much different to what she’d expected — so much more homely and comfortable.

Once they’re upstairs, Gina leads her to the end of the corridor and pushes open the door slightly, turning on the light to reveal the tiny room. The single bed almost reaches across to either side of the wall and there’s a pile of what seems to be dirty laundry stashed in the corner, but Rose’s smile stretches right across her face.

“Thank you so much, Gina. I really appreciate it.”

“Any time at all,” says Gina, smiling and looking a little embarrassed. “Just let me know if you need anything, right?”

“Of course. Good night, Gina,” says Rose, smiling appreciatively at her.

“Night,” she says, turning and walking out, pulling the door to a close behind her.

Rose waits until she’s certain that Gina is downstairs before she lets herself go again. As soon as she hears the door to the living room slam shut the tears come falling, this time even faster and heavier than before, and there’s nothing at all she can do to stop them.

She strips off her clothes and climbs into bed, burying her face into the pillow and clutching her phone so hard that her knuckles turn white.

This time last night she was lying safely wrapped in Tom’s arms, giggling while he showered her with kisses and told her how much she meant to him. She’d been so wrapped up in her whirlwind emotions that she hadn’t even had time to shower, and when she brings up her arm to wipe the tears away from her sodden face, she can still smell his stale cologne on her skin. Clamping her eyes shut, she tries to forget about him…but she can’t.

She had managed to survive over a decade without seeing or hearing anything at all from Tom, so why is it suddenly so hard to get through an hour without hearing his voice?