Kelvinhall

Liam

I may have only set out today to get Chloe to like me but wow, I seem to have achieved so much more than that.

Could it be that we really might have a chance as a couple? It's hard for me to not be a wee bit cynical about it. Mainly because my life has rarely been that straightforward. Especially not my love life.

I feel like I've went out on a ledge, putting myself out there for Chloe, and that's not a risk I've taken for a very long time. But there's always been something about her for me, and there's already feelings there I haven't experienced in so long. Once I realised it was reciprocated on her side too, I needed to man up and act on it for a fucking change.

I've never been that thankful for a dare in my life. Because I don't know if either of us would have opened up otherwise if that kiss hadn't proved once and for all there was definite chemistry between us.

I really hope we can go on a date together. Alone. Soon.

But there's also just this little voice niggling at me, inside my head. Telling me "something is about to go wrong, just you wait."

I'm trying to smother it.

Chloe is smiling at me now as she locks the door to her flat, and it's doing something to my insides. "You okay?" She asks. "You looked deep in thought for a minute."

"Just thinking how this day hasn't went how I expected it to," I say honestly. "In a good way." I hurry to add.

Her smile widens. "Likewise," she replies. As if she can't stop herself, she curls a hand around the back of my neck and pulls me close for another kiss. As she pulls back, her hand drifts up to my eyebrow piercing. "I have to ask," she says. "Do you have anything . . . else . . . pierced?"

"Like what? My cock?" I tease. Colour flares in her face. I do love making her blush. "No, I don't have any other piercings."

"Kinda relieved," she mumbles, giggling as we head back down the stairs.

I mean, I hear it's meant to . . . Heighten pleasure but sorry, no one is sticking a needle through my dick.

We wind our way through the streets, hand in hand, until we're nearly at the pub. "Do you mind if . . . " Chloe trails off, looking awkward.

I know what she's thinking though. "If we don't advertise this right now? Us?" I finish for her. She nods, biting her lip. "I think that might be for the best too."

Relief washes over her pretty face. "It's not like I want to hide it," she insists. "I just - I hate being centre of attention and I feel like this would be . . . Well, I feel the whole group would put us under a microscope a bit. "

"It's okay, I absolutely get it." I do. And I feel exactly the same. The last thing I want is anyone picking whatever is going on between me and Chloe to shreds. I'm pretty sure Alex would have a field day with it, for a start.

"I mean, you can tell Luke - if you want. I'm pretty sure Becky will see right through me anyway." She laughs. "I'm not convinced she didn't break her heel on purpose."

"I had my suspicions too," I agree.

"Apparently she's always thought we'd be perfect together," Chloe says lightly. Our eyes lock and, as if we're magnetically drawn in, our lips meet again. The kiss is long and sweet and really makes me wish we could just sack the rest of this bloody subcrawl and go back to her flat.

I clear my throat when we finally pull apart. "I think your cousin is pretty smart."

She winks. "I'd like to say smart runs in the family but it took me an embarrassingly long time to catch up with her theory."

I drop another quick kiss on her lips. "Hey, we got there in the end."

Right - time to get back into the subcrawl scrum. We round the corner and both take synchronised deep breaths before we enter the next pub.

Holy crap, it's heaving. It's starting to be late enough on a Saturday that an increasing amount of folk have now descended on the pubs, all determined to get bladdered while taking up every available inch of space in every drinking establishment. I've never been a big fan of busy pubs - it's something me and Chloe thankfully do seem to have in common.

We manage to find our group squirrelled away in a standing-room-only corner, squished between a window and a wall. "Guys, we've got you drinks!" Becky shouts, waving us over. She's given up on shoes completely and is now barefoot, which seems slightly impractical given how high the likelihood is of someone standing on her toes.

"Here." Chloe fumbles in her bag for the ballet pumps she brought for her cousin. "Stick these on quick - god knows what crap is on the floor. My boots are already sticking to it." Her face twists in distaste.

"You're the best!" Becky flings her arms around Chloe. She looks knowingly at me over her shoulder, a questioning glint in her eyes. I just shrug - it's up to Chloe to spill, if she wants to.

"And no, she's not here yet," Becky adds in as low a voice as possible, answering Chloe's unasked question. "Any minute now, apparently." She rolls her eyes. " It's like she wants to make a big entrance or something."

That seems like an odd thing to do when you don't know anyone apart from your new boyfriend, I can't help but think to myself. But maybe Becky just doesn't want her thunder stolen.

Chloe untangles herself from Becky's tipsy grasp, which at the moment seems slightly tentacle-like, and turns around to accept the drink Luke is passing over to her. Michael walks past, shouting into his phone. "Oh you're here? I'll just come outside and get you." Chloe shoots me the ghost of a smile, her raised eyebrows saying "here we go!" We all turn expectantly towards the door to see Michael leading an attractive red-haired girl in. So this is Nat.

Except . . .

My heart sinks as I get a proper look at her face. Because I know this girl. And, frankly, she's the very last person I want to be near right now.

Because Nat, Michael's new girlfriend, more commonly goes by the name of Tasha.

I mentioned Tasha, didn't I?

Alex's sister.

And my ex, of course.

What the actual hell is going on?

Did anyone see this little twist coming?

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