Page 145 of When The Night Falls

As I sat next to Valentina on the sofa, I tried to picture exactly what William was doing right then. I imagined him holding playing cards in his hand, his eyes flickering around the surrounding faces as he tried to calculate what his next move should be. Was there actual money on the table or just poker chips? Was he winning or losing? I knew he was hungover, so I pictured Jason sitting opposite him, smirking nonstop as he saw victory on the horizon.

‘Would you like some more to drink, Cara?’ Valentina asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.

Valentina had moved to London from Italy two years ago, which was clear by her strong accent and captivating Mediterranean beauty. She had wavy, chestnut brown hair that reached her shoulders, and a strong, aquiline nose that suited her. But most arresting were her eyes, for they were such a luminous blue that they rivalled even William’s, and because they contrasted with her olive skin, they constantly looked they were sparkling.

‘I can’t get over your name,’ she said then, chuckling. ‘It means “dear” in Italian, as I’m sure you know.’

I smiled at her. ‘Yeah, I know.’

‘Is any of your family Italian?’

I shook my head. ‘None – that I know of. My parents just love the name. They’re quite fond of Italy, though, but who isn’t?’

She laughed, her sharp cheekbones becoming rounder with her wide smile.

‘As for whether I’d like another drink’ – I looked at the empty glass in my hand – ‘I’d love one.’

‘Red?’

‘Sure. Thanks, by the way. I can’t believe I’ve already finished what I brought.’

‘Have you?’ She peered at me. ‘You don’t seem drunk.’

I made a face. ‘Yeah, I went out last night, so it seems like my tolerance is slightly higher than usual today.’

‘Ah.’ She nodded. ‘Aaron!’ she called then.

He turned around immediately, and my heart sank. Wearing black trousers and a bright orange shirt, Aaron looked fantastic. He was standing in the kitchen with a group of mates. Tyler was among them, wearing a pink crown that Aaron had made for him.

‘Can you bring us the wine that’s on the counter?’ Valentina went on. ‘The one with the red and blue label.’

He grabbed it and came over.

‘It’s for Cara,’ Valentina said when he was about to pour her glass.

He froze, his eyes flitting to mine.

‘I should have brought more,’ I said.

His eyebrows arched. ‘You mean you’ve had four pints already? Did you down them or something?’

I chuckled. ‘No.’

He was hesitant to fill my glass. ‘Are you sure this is wise?’

‘I’m not remotely drunk, Aaron. I’m tipsy, at best.’

‘Your call, I suppose.’

‘Thanks.’

When he finished filling my glass, he put the bottle on the coffee table in front of the sofa. ‘I’ll leave this here for your convenience,’ he said jokingly.

‘Thanks.’ Valentina flashed him a grin.

As he walked away, she said to me, ‘Thank you so much for taking him in tonight, Cara. I want to give Tyler some extra love on his big day, so I’m very grateful we’ll have the flat to ourselves.’

My body went rigid. Fuck. How was I supposed to follow through with my plan now? It hadn’t occurred to me that it would be inconvenient not only for Aaron, but also for Tyler and Valentina if I suddenly said that Aaron couldn’t sleep at mine.

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