Hillhead

Chloe

We end up walking to the next pub.

I don't think any of us can be bothered getting back on a busy subway train to just go one stop and, as I mentioned earlier, walking is sometimes quicker.

I'm considering bailing. I've already been out far longer than I ever planned to be and my social meter is running on empty. I also keep seeing Tasha giving me sly sidelong looks and . . . do you ever just get the feeling someone is just looking for an opportunity to get you alone? That's how I feel about her right now. She's definitely lying in wait, ready to strike like a snake.

I don't know what she wants from me, but I'm more than a little scared. Thankfully the gin has been taking the edge off but I'm still me, and I don't do confrontation.

However, I also don't want to leave Liam in her clutches; I'm feeling strangely possessive of him. I kinda like him. So, for now, I guess, I'm sticking around.

Albeit extremely reluctantly.

"Oh look Liam, isn't that where we went for our first date?" Tasha points at an Italian restaurant on Byres Road, shooting a calculated look over at him and winking. His face darkens as she turns back to Michael. "We really should go there soon Michael, I think you'd love it."

I'm feeling incredibly sorry for my ex-boyfriend by this stage. He is clearly starting to realise that there's more to this little coincidence than meets the eye. It's his turn to shoot me a look, one of mild desperation. I don't understand what is going on, it seems to be saying. Get me out of this.

Right now, I think most of us are feeling this way. So, sorry Michael, but you're on your own for now.

"What pub are we going to?" Becky asks, cutting over anything else Tasha is thinking about saying. "Tennant's is right there, it doesn't look too busy for once. Shall we give it a shot?'

"Or let them give us a shot then go home?" I mutter under my breath. Liam is the only one who hears me, and he sniggers and squeezes my arm lightly. He does it subtly but still, I can feel Tasha's laser beam eyes burning into the side of my head.

I suspect she knows about us, and I'm not sure how.

Unless Michael told her about the video? I suppose it's a possibility. However, then it strikes me how quickly Tasha came into that last pub after we got there.

She saw us kissing, I realise suddenly.  She's witnessed that moment we shared just before we went into the pub.

I feel a bit sick just thinking about her watching us, knowing she was about to come in and use my ex as a way to get at her own. It slightly taints my memory of it, and that makes me feel quite furious.

"She knows about us," I mutter to Liam as we enter the pub. He looks momentarily confused and then I see his eyes narrow thoughtfully as he does the mental maths and comes to the same conclusion as me..

"Fuck," he responds succinctly. "Just . . . Try and give her a wide berth."

"Trust me, I am trying," I assure him through gritted teeth.

The pub is standing room only but there's plenty of space so it doesn't feel as claustrophobic as the previous one. We gather around one corner of the bar, me edging as far away from Tasha as possible. Once again, out of the corner of my eye I can see her looking me up and down. I know she finds me lacking.

I would do several dares right now if it would somehow get her to leave and not return. Come back Lola, all is forgiven!

I'm starting to need the loo but I'm worried she'll follow me. Damn and blast my tiny bladder.

I turn to Becky. "So what's the deal with Liam and Tasha?" I ask quietly. "What happened there? He said she fucked him over."

She sucks in a sharp breath. "That's an understatement. She was two-timing him with another guy. Thought he had more money, better prospects, than Liam so she was keeping them both happy. He basically caught them at it one night. He was devastated at the time."

"Ouch." It's all I can say. I'm glad he got the wake up call with her he clearly needed, although it must have been a horrible one.

"Apparently she eventually realised she fucked up as she has been trying to get Liam back for the last year or so. But he's not been interested for a long time." Becky looks at me pointedly. "Just telling you that so you know you're not some sort of rebound. Since I'm assuming," she wriggles her eyebrows before continuing, "something happened when you two went away together?"

I don't have to say anything. My blush gives me away as always.

"I'm so delighted," Becky whispers. "You both deserve a happy ending."

Oh, that reminds me, actually. "What's the dodgy definition of a happy ending?" I ask. "Like the urban dictionary meaning."

She laughs. "If you don't remember, you don't want to know. And that isn't the kind of happy ending I'm referring to anyway." Her eyes are sparkling. "You two are so cute together. The way he looks at you . . . It's sweet. Aw, he's doing it right now." She clasps her hands together in glee as I look over towards Liam and spot exactly what she means.

Yep. Unguarded, happy and - oh god - a wee bit hungry. My insides turn over in want. He's so bloody good-looking. It's been such a long time since I've had a crush like this. Especially one that's reciprocated.

"See?" Becky whispers. I nod, unable to take my eyes off him as he smiles across at me. Why do our blasted exes have to both be here? All I want to do right now is push my way through the group and throw myself on him.

"I need the loo," my cousin adds, breaking the spell. "Want to come?" I nod gratefully, noting that Tasha is currently preoccupied at the bar.

As I come out of the cubicle to wash my hands, Becky's already done and primping herself in the mirror. "So what's actually happening with you and Liam? Are you going to go on a date or what?"

"I think so," I nod, lathering my hands in liquid soap. "We've basically said we'll give things a try, get to know each other a bit better."

"Good." Becky smiles and is about to say something else when her phone starts buzzing. "Shit, it's Lola. I'd better get this, she'll probably be mortified."

"Good luck," I laugh as she heads outside to take the call. I have a feeling she's going to have to talk Lola down off a ledge, and I don't envy that one bit.

Quickly I wash the soap off my hands and dig in my bag for my lip balm. Prepping my lips just in case, y'know. (Wink wink.) Barely containing a lust-fuelled sigh, I turn to the door.

And of course Tasha is standing there.

She tosses her hair back and fixes her cold blue eyes on me, her own lips curving in a smug smirk.

"Chloe," she says softly, a vague threat in her tone. "I think it's time we had a little chat, don't you?"

Uh-oh. Is Chloe ready for this?

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