Page 19 of Crave You

I had almost forgot I wasn’t alone, but I switch back on to the conversation and focus on Damien.

“Know what?”

“Last night was The Hawks’ initiation and pledge night. The turnout was so bad that they canceled it,” Damien laughs.

“That explains why they ended up here,” Lucien says.

“I didn’t know, but I wished I could’ve seen the look on Matthew’s face when he swept the door open — all grand like — and there was no one there,” I say.

“It really couldn’t have gone better even if we would’ve known it was their big night,” Shawn says.

We all laugh and then we spend some time taking the piss out of Matthew; doing impressions of how he would have looked when he saw the poor turn out, and discussing how he would have felt when he realized The Hawks were done. He must’ve felt worse when he realized that everyone he had made the effort to recruit was at our party instead.

Partway through our celebration, there is a light tap on the lounge door.

“Yeah,” Damien shouts.

Alex, one of last year’s recruits comes in. He looks at me. “Tilly is here for you,” he says.

“Tell her to go away,” I say. I have no regrets with life in general and I certainly don’t feel the need to look back at my past and mope. However, suddenly I realize that I do regret sleeping with Tilly. She is so damned hard to shake off, and more so when I know she wants to hook up with me, so my movie connections can make her a star.

“Umm,” Alex says, as if he has something to add.

“Don’t be shy,” I say. “Cough it up?”

“Well, she said you would say that. And she said I should tell you that she knows something important, something you will definitely want to know,” he says.

I’m sure she said that just to get under my skin, hoping I won’t rest until I know what she’s on about. The bitch is trying to manipulate me. Does she really think she can play a player? Despite that, I decide to let her think I’ve fallen for her game. Only because I do want to know what she knows.

I sigh. “Send her in,” I say.

A couple of moments pass, and Tilly comes into the room. She makes a beeline for me, and I stand up. She gives me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. I push her away, but she acts as if I haven’t, although I see a flash of hurt in her eyes. What the fuck does she want from me? It’s not as if I have given her any indication that I want her, even before our hook up the other day. I definitely don’t want her now. I’ve seen what’s out there and Tilly doesn’t even come close.

“Hi Zander, hi boys,” she says.

I sit down and she actually makes it as if she is going to sit on my lap, so I scoot along quickly leaving her a seat beside me.

“Well?” I say, “Alex said you have something to tell me.”

“All in good time Zander,” Tilly says. She smiles and runs her fingernails along my bare arm. She reaches the sleeve of my t-shirt and runs her fingers back down my arm again. “You haven’t even offered me a drink, yet.”

I snatch my arm away.

“You want a drink? Go to a bar. Either tell me what you think I need to know or leave,” I say.

“There’s no need to be like that is there?” Tilly says with a pout. “I thought we were friends, Zan. Can’t I visit my friends when I want?”

“Friends don’t drag things out like this. If they know something they think their friend should know, they tell them,” I point out.

“OK, you got me,” Tilly smiles. “So, that girl you disappeared with last night. Leona. She’s not exactly Miss Faithful is she?”

“Well, she and I are not exactly married, are we,” I say in the same tone, playing it cool, but seething inside.

What the fuck is Tilly talking about? I can’t stand the thought of Leona with someone else’s hands on her. I mustn’t let anyone see that I am bothered though, especially not Tilly. Hell hath no fury and all that.

“Ah, good,” Tilly positively purrs, “So you won’t mind knowing that she’s over at a party at Matthew’s place, then?” she smiles like the cat that got the cream.

“Those damned Hawks,” I say, “they just asked everyone who was at our party over to theirs, when they were here last night. Pretty fucking unoriginal.” Although I think Matthew must be really crazy to mess with anything that’s mine.

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