Page 10 of King of Hearts

There was just something about her which made it easy to forget why she was here, on the dime of her job, to pilfer information from me. Just like the rest of the filth who followed me with a camera or microphone ready, waiting for a glimpse of debauchery.

“Anyway, you’re here to talk about football, not my family.” I reminded both her and myself, failing miserably as my harsh response had the intended effect. A look of confusion swept her features before she took a deep breath and nodded, moving back towards her notes. Her jaw tensed and I could tell she was exasperated. I was definitely pissing her off now and while part of me wanted to rattle her, there was a small flicker of apprehension.

“Apologies, Mr. Gloss. Tell me about how you came to be the captain of the Hearts.” Her formal tone coupled with the way she referred to me by my surname made me feel like a piece of shit, but she was unknowingly shaking my composure. I shouldn’t have invited her to my house. Being alone meant there was nowhere to hide and the only way to prevent her from getting too close was to be the dick that everyone thought I was. Why I cared what she thought of me at all was a niggling question rattling around my brain as I answered with the same generic line I gave every other reporter who asked.

Chapter Seven

Arna

It was official – I had whiplash and the inside of my cheek was raw from where it was clenched firmly between my teeth. The metallic tinge of blood was evidence of my frustration, but it was either that or snarl at him. How he was hero worshipped by half the city was beyond me. He was an absolute wanker. A painfully good-looking one, but a wanker all the same.

He soughtmeout to interview him, knowing full well it was a feature, which included talking about more than just football. But, when I asked even the simplest of personal questions, he rudely deflected.

He invitedmeto his house to complete said interview, yet it seemed whenever he told me anything even remotely interesting, he would internally berate himself and then act like more of a jerk to remind me of the power dynamic.

If my job wasn’t riding on this, I would have packed my blank notebook and sauntered my arse right out of this breathtakingly bougie apartment after first dousing him with some Arna-honesty. I mean, the bloke was arguably the hottest man I had ever laid eyes on and his smell alone made me want to do unspeakable things to myself, but he lost a significant number of points due to his outrageously arrogant attitude. Unless you were going to show me who’s boss while giving me multiple orgasms, you could leave the attitude aside. Thank you, sir.

Adding to that, my vision was starting to blur ever so slightly, indicating another afternoon overcome by a headache. I discreetly rummaged through my bag with one hand searching for my blockers, because a migraine was the very last thing I needed right now.

“What motivates you to stay focused on being the best version of yourself?” I asked as I again felt around before sighing inwardly. I didn’t have them.

Squinting, I swivelled my body away from the light. I hated how sudden these headaches came on and they were getting worse as I got older. Dad said it was likely stress related, and given today’s predicament, I was starting to think he might be right. If I was sitting in my office editing the mundane crap I usually did, I wouldn’t be half blinded by the sun on this rooftop, with a capricious man who evidently liked to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. Surely, he didn’t think people bought the garbage persona he presented. I was no psychologist, but I had been in his presence for less than an hour and I already knew he intentionally maintained a fortress of arrogance and there was more to him than he portrayed. Did people only see what they wanted to see? I mean, I often edited what I would consider utter shit and readers still ate it up like it was the best snack in the world – so I guess they did.

“You okay?” He asked. I was doing my best to appear unaffected, but the sun was still piercing meaning my eyes were probably glassy. I was confident I would be able to manage this until I got home if we went indoors, but that meant being an imposition in a situation where I was already a fish out of water. Just my luck.

“Actually, can we move inside? I have a headache and I forgot my medication.” There was no point in attempting to lie. It was clear I was fading and the fact he noticed made my heart pinch. I did not want or need him to whip back into being a nice guy. Hot and angry I could work with. Hot and thoughtful would be my downfall.

“Argh, sure.” He stood and I followed him inside. If I had been fully lucid, I would have admired the delicious ridges of his thighs in those pants, or the crisp cologne he left in his wake. Our time was almost up anyway and after I took a nap, I would draft some notes from today and plan for our next meeting.

“Look, I think I will have to go.” I said as he stood awkwardly looking towards the lounge. “I’m sorry we didn’t get through a lot today. I will be sure to come with a list of pertinent questions next time.” Reaching inside my purse, I grabbed one of my business cards and handed it to him. His thumb grazed mine as he took the card and I looked up towards him suddenly shy.

“How did you get here?” He asked, twirling the card in his hands.

“Um, I drove.” I said as I walked towards the entrance. “It’s not too far actually.”

Andy was close enough that he leant around me and opened the door, startling me. I smiled up at him softly, storing the gesture away to ponder once my mind was a little less like an indoor basketball court during an intense practice session.

“I’ll walk you to your car.” He said quietly and I didn’t have the energy to argue. Nodding I let him guide me down to the lobby and outside before I pointed to where I parked.

“I’m right there,” I said. “Please let me know when you are available to meet again.”

He nodded once. “Take care, Arna.” He added meaningfully and I wondered if that was worry I saw in his eyes. Grabbing my sunglasses I walked to my car and prayed I didn’t throw up on the way home.

Fumbling with my keys I reefed the door open, gagging at the smell of mushrooms assaulting my nasal canal. For fuck’s sake. Paul and his putrid taste in food again. I could barely handle it on a good day, let alone when my head felt like it was being drilled into through my eyeball. The texture of mushroom alone was enough to make my eyes twitch but when they came out of a can, I just could not cope.

“Damn Arna, that skirt looks amazing on –” I slammed my bedroom door ending the conversation before it even began. Most days I did my best to avoid Paul at all costs. He was a nice enough guy, but he had zero concept of boundaries. I put a lock on my door after he walked into my room one night without knocking. He said he was looking for his keys but given what I was doing just before he entered, I was certain he heard my poor attempt to be quiet while I sorted myself out for yet another lonely night. The only reason I was still in this decrepit cesspit was because the rent was dirt cheap and I could not face the humiliation of moving back with Dad and Nan after the absurdIndependent Womanspeech I made when I moved out. Plus, he was relatively harmless, lack of perception aside. The plan was to buy my own place in the next few years, and this was the only way I was going to be able to do so, creepo roommate and all.

I searched through my other purse and found the tablets I was so desperately seeking. The drilling would soon subside into a bearable dull throb and ultimately see me through the night where it should hopefully settle. Laying on my bed I thought about the shit show which was my firstproperinterview with Andy. If that man were any hotter and colder, he could be a faucet. It was like managing someone with two very different personalities and he seemed torn over who he wanted me to see. There was no denying he had the temperament of a total arsehole at times and this was the way he was generally presented in the news. But at his house, in his sweats and with bare feet, there were glimpses that he was like any other man who enjoyed his lifestyle and came from what appeared to be a regular family. When he spoke of his parents, his smile was genuine and happy. His eyes softened and it was clear he loved them, yet it was a topic he was quick to shy away from. I probably should have focused more on his football career but I didn’t know enough about the game and when he surprisingly opened up, I found I wanted to know more about him as a person.

I wondered if he would reach out to organise a follow up conversation after the abrupt manner in which I left. His decision to walk me to my car almost seemed as though it came from a place of concern and that was at odds with his behaviour for most of the meeting. Maybe I was reading too much into things and my interpretation was off, because my brain did feel as though it were stuffed with cotton wool.

Lifting one eye lid, I unlocked my phone and gazed at the screen. Turning the background light as dim as it would go, I typed out a quick email to Darren, informing him that today went well and I would give him an update tomorrow. Marls had called me six times and rather than returning her call, I opened my messages and replied. I was not great when I felt like this and even though I wanted to call her back, I could not host a conversation until the tablets took effect. She was going to lose her shit when I described his apartment and I wanted to enjoy that rather than having to hold the phone away from my ear.

Arna:Will call you later. Headache. Waiting for meds to kick in. Xx

The grey dots appeared instantly and I closed my eyes, periodically checking for her response.

Marlee:Oh. K. Call me asap. Rest first. Then give me ALL the details. Love ya x

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