"Let me get this straight." Daniel leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped. "Miriam was paid to date you?"

"Yep."

"As in paid, paid?" he asked. "Like actual money?"

"Yes." Ade may have laughed, but his stomach clenched tight and roiled. "She's like a fucking femme fatale or some shit," he explained.

"Wow." Daniel fell into the sofa cushions. "Who do you think paid her?" he asked.

Ade's stomach twisted harder. It was a good question. One, up until this point, he refused to consider. What good was it knowing who hated him enough to send a glorified hound? Then again, what good was it not knowing?

Daniel's phone rang on the coffee table, a picture of Abi's smiling face filling the screen. He glanced at it for a moment too long then leaned forward and turned it over, hiding her from view. "What?" he asked when Ade quirked a brow. "I'll call her later."

But Ade knew Daniel. He was loyal; it was one of the reasons they'd grown so close. Ade liked knowing he could trust Daniel with his life. Liked knowing that when shit hit the proverbial fan there was always someone there to help him clean it up. That being said, Daniel's loyalty knew no bounds. Which would've been fine if not for the fact Ade knew Daniel would blow up his whole life for him.

"Don't blame Abi," Ade said. "She's not responsible for Miriam's fucked up plans."

"But she knew," Daniel said, mouth curling in disgust.

"We don't know that."

"If fucking Hilary, who doesn't even know Miriam, knew what she was about then I have no doubt in my mind that Abi knew. And she could've told you, she had every opportunity to, but instead she kept Miriam's secrets."

Despite Ade's very strong aversion to Abi, he found himself shaking his head. "You'd do the same for me," he pointed out.

Daniel sagged. "Maybe, but she still lied to—"

"She didn't lie," Ade laughed, "she omitted."

"That's the same thing."

"It's not. If it were then you lied to Abi the moment you met—"

"I did not." Daniel was halfway standing, brows furrowed.

Ade raised a hand. "You didn't tell her about Funmi," he said. "By your own logic, that's lying."

Daniel sagged all over again.

"All I'm saying," Ade said with a careless shrug, "is that I don't blame Abi so you shouldn't either. This whole thing is between me and Miriam anyway."

With a sigh, Daniel heaved off the sofa and grabbed his phone from the coffee table. He disappeared into the hallway, his resigned hello floating back to Ade. Knowing Daniel, he'd be a little off for about two hours before forgetting why he was ever mad in the first place.

With him gone, Ade returned to the question of who put Miriam up to this. Grace seemed like the obvious culprit, but if there was one thing Ade knew about her, it was that she was all bark and no bite. After all she'd slurped up his half-hearted apology like it was some kind of rare delicacy—which, in hindsight, it may just have been. Still, Grace didn't have it in her. Ade widened his search, thinking about all the girls he'd been with in the past two months. Grace aside, most had been one night stands, quick and dirty the way Ade liked it. But then there was Lydia.

It was like a lightbulb went off, flashing in bright red tones while Ade hurried to his room. He pulled on the pair of jeans strewn across the floor and shrugged on his favourite black hoodie, stopping by Daniel's room to tell him he'd be back in an hour.

Ade had been to Lydia's once before on the night they met. She'd giggled her way into the flat, the two pressed up against the wall beside her bedroom door, hands roaming wildly while they kissed with such ferocity there were moments Ade wondered if they'd blow through the plaster. They hadn't slept together that night; for someone so forward, Lydia was surprisingly conservative. In truth, it took Ade two weeks to wear her down, but once he got her, he latched on tight, affording her moments of kindness that kept her coming back for more. True he didn't like her, not enough to give everything up, but they'd shared enough that he expected her to spare him from Miriam.

When he pressed her buzzer, he was met by an unfamiliar voice. "I'm sorry," it said, "but who are you?"

"Ade," he repeated himself. "I need to speak to Lydia."

The line cut abruptly. While Ade considered leaving, the front door opened. Lydia's legs stretched out, exposed thanks to her tiny pyjama shorts covered in small pineapples wearing sunglasses, her midriff free and arms crossed. "Can I help you?" she asked, raising a single, withering brow.

"I need to talk to you," Ade said.

Glancing at the ceiling, Lydia gestured pointedly and him and told him to speak.

"What?" Ade scoffed. "You're not going to invite me in?"

"So you can pollute my home with your bad vibes? Yeah, I don't think so."

Ade's gaze hardened. "Lydia," he bit out.

She pursed her lips, cracking seconds later and stepping aside, arm outstretched to welcome him in. He followed her up the stairs and into the flat, catching a flash of one of her flatmates who popped their head out of the kitchen. She glared at Ade, practically turning up her nose, and asked Lydia if everything was alright.

"Yeah." Lydia's features relaxed into a smile. "I'm fine," she said.

"If you need me I'm here," the flatmate said almost as if Ade wasn't standing right there.

"Will do," Lydia nodded before opening her bedroom door and ushering Ade inside. Door safely closed, she pressed her body against it, smile dropping, and glared.

"So?" Ade fell onto her bed, legs spreading wide while he raised a brow. "How's Miriam?"

It was like Lydia had seen a ghost, shadowy and haunting. "What? How? I thought—"

Her panic made Ade's jaw clench. If it were to be anyone, he wished it hadn't been her. She was many things, but he didn't think pathetic was one of them. "I expected better from you," he said, voice cold as ice. "Getting someone else to do your dirty work? That's low."

"I—"

"Cruel too," he added, tutting softly. "I mean if you had a problem with me, you should've said something."

Lydia straightened, her expression tightening into something blank, non-descript. "I'm cruel?" she asked, voice cracking. "I'm cruel? Are you fucking kidding me?" Her mask shattered, leaving wide-eyed rage in its wake. "You left me in your room naked, Ade. Naked. And I'm the cruel one?"

"You weren't naked," he scoffed. As far as he was concerned, she could've showed herself out; she knew the way and she was getting too clingy, anymore kindness and she might've mistaken what they were. "And it's not like we were together," he said. "I didn't owe you anything."

"No," she agreed, almost breathless. "But common decency is free."

"I could say the same to you," he muttered. "Fucking Miriam? She's good too, you really got your money's worth."

With a quick shake of the head, Lydia began shuddering with laughter. "She's not good," she said, "she just never wanted you. Funny thing is, if the only girls you can take seriously are the ones that aren't interested, then it says a lot about you."

"I'd say the fact you were willing to pay someone to fuck with me say more about you."

Lydia shrugged. "If I'm bitter, then so be it, but I'd rather be bitter than heartbroken."

Ade's retort burned on the tip of his tongue, leaving nothing but a solitary fuck you.

"Excuse me?" Lydia hissed, taking a menacing step forward. "What did you say?"

"Fuck you," Ade repeated, stressing every single syllable to the nth degree. "I always knew you were a bitch, but even bitches have boundaries."

"Get out," Lydia whispered. When Ade made no move to go, she smacked the door and screamed, "Get the fuck out."

Ade stood, slow, languid, and slipped into the hallway. Lydia's flatmate was stood by the front door, ready and waiting with it open. She scowled at Ade when he floated past. "Arsehole," she muttered beneath her breath.

"Right back at you," he winked.

Once Ade left Lydia's building, his phone began ringing. He tugged it out of his back pocket, taking note of the unknown number, and answered.

"Ade?"

"Yes."

There was an unmistakable sigh of relief then: "Hey, sorry, it's Wes."

Ade's core tightened. Hadn't Wes learned from the last time? Ade didn't want to hear from him. Not now, not ever.

"How did you get my number?" Ade asked.

"Ryan. Look, could we meet up later? I wanted to um, buy you a drink."

Ade rolled his eyes. So she'd told the truth, a surprise considering what a masterful liar she was. "I'm guessing you spoke to her," he said, stopping beside a permit holders only sign.

"Yeah." Wes sounded stressed, harassed even. A better man would feel bad, and Ade did. Only he also felt vindicated. In some ways, it managed to outweigh the sympathy. "So?" Wes asked. "Are you up for that drink?"

"Sure," Ade said. "Why not."

~*~

Ade met Wes in the Wetherspoons in the centre of town. He was purposefully late and, when he arrived, was glad to see Wes made good on his promise and was sat waiting with two pints of beer. Ade slid into the booth and apologised for his tardiness.

"No worries." Wes sipped his beer then raised the glass.

Ade clinked his against the rim of Wes' then set it down. "So?" He drummed his fingertips against the edge of the sticky wooden bench. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked.

Wes itched the corner of his eye. "I wanted to apologise," he said. "You were right about Miriam." He shook his head and Ade's sympathy began to outweigh his vindication.

"Sorry man," Ade said, picking up his glass. "That's got to be rough, especially with you guys living together."

Wes smiled weakly. "I moved out."

"Shit."

"Yeah, I just need some space to think about things."

"What's there to think about?" Ade snorted. "She used you, man. There's no coming back from that."

Wes laughed. "It's a bit more complicated than that," he said. "If she were some girl I'd just met it would be done, but I've known her for so long. I can't imagine my life without her, you know."

Ade didn't know. Even with Hilary he hadn't wanted to go back. The betrayal was so complete that the very sight of her made him wretch. Of course there was an ideal that he held onto long past its use by date, but the reality was ruined. Maybe if he'd known her the way Wes knew Miriam, fully, completely, he'd understand it. But in truth, Hilary had always been more of a ghost floating in the periphery of his life save for those short few months where she was his and his alone. Except even then he shared her. So, he shook his head and said, "I don't know man. Do you trust her?"

Wes nodded so quickly Ade startled. Was it that easy?

"I know it's different for you," Wes said. "Like she really did that shit to you, and it's fucked up, but with me it was more that she failed to tell me, you know."

Ade wasn't convinced. Finding them felt all to convenient now he knew her purpose.

"Miriam would never lie to me," Wes continued. "She just wouldn't."

Ade took a swig of beer. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess."

Wes shook his head and chuckled, finishing his drink in one gulp. "Do you want another?" he asked even though Ade had barely touched his.

Ade nodded. "Sure," he said. "Why not." Before Wes could leave, he added, "I'm gonna invite Daniel."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I feel like you need cheering up," he said.

"I'm fine," Wes said with a quick laugh.

"Nah man, the more the merrier, you know."

In truth, Ade never thought in a million years he'd be supporting Wes through some shit like this, but if he was, he certainly knew he couldn't do it alone.

Daniel arrived in under fifteen minutes and brought reinforcements in the form of Ryan who was wearing a moronic smile and Kojo. With his presidential duties to undertake, you were hard pressed to convince Kojo out on a random Wednesday evening, but there he was. Casting a sidelong glance at Wes, Ade noted the way he stiffened, grip tightening around his pint glass. Then his phone rang and he startled just as the others clambered into the booth.

Shifting down to make space, Ade glanced at his phone screen beneath the table.

Miriam

His nose scrunched while he pressed ignore and placed his phone face down beside his pint.

"You know what," Daniel said, pausing at the head of the table. "Next rounds on me. Ryan, come help."

Ryan made a face.

"Ryan," Daniel hissed.

With a groan, he stood back up and followed Daniel towards the bar, leaving Ade, Kojo and Wes to sit in silence and glance at one another, the atmosphere as tense as that of a first date.

"Well." Kojo eventually broke the ice. "I feel like we should form a club."

"A club?" Wes' brows furrowed.

"Yeah, for guys Miriam fucked with."

If furrowed before, then Wes' brows were now collapsed atop of one another. He glanced at Ade, who raised both hands and shook his head. "Don't look at me," he said. "I haven't seen Kojo recently."

"Miriam called me," Kojo said by way of explanation.

Wes' features relaxed. "She did?" he asked, a hopeful glint turning his words iridescent.

"Yeah. She was very apologetic," Kojo explained. "She also said you had no idea about any of it."

"I really didn't," Wes said, leaning closer.

"Yeah," Ade added. "Trust me, nobody knew. That is no man knew."

"I know," Kojo said. "Honestly, I'm just impressed she's managed to pull it off for so long, but then Miriam is very low key."

"Extremely," Wes and Ade said simultaneously.

"Yeah, well something tells me you." Kojo nodded at Ade. "Were the last guy she's ever going to do this to."

Ade snorted. "I doubt that." The ease with which she assumed the position told him all he needed to know, namely that she loved it. The lying, the intrigue. It fed her soul. Why else would she dedicate such time to an elaborate ruse?

"Nah, I'm serious man." Kojo fixed his gaze on Wes, a slow smile creeping onto his face. "I think there's someone she wants to see, for real this time."

Wes smiled slightly and shook his head. "Has she called you?" he asked Ade, expectation lining his features.

Ade glanced down at his phone, still face down, and shook his head. If he was certain of anything it was that the only thing the truth would lead to was a happy ending. One Miriam didn't deserve that, not when she'd snatched theirs away.

***

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