Page 34 of Three's a Crowd
Daisy couldn’t help but feel for him. He appeared to be completely genuine in his request for their support. He didn’t have family like they did, she reminded herself. Only them.
‘Of course we forgive you. We’ve all known each other far too long to stop being friends now.’ She looked over at Adam for agreement. ‘Right, Adam?’
Adam sighed and nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘You’d be fucked without us,’ he teased, walking over and punching Zach on the arm.
Daisy saw Zach wince at the power of the blow, but he held his head high and pulled Adam into a gruff embrace.
‘Great. Now that embarrassing shit’s over, let’s get drunk,’ Adam said, walking over to the fresh bottle of champagne that had been delivered by room service a few minutes before. Before Daisy or Zach could say anything, he loosened the cork and sent it flying across the room with a loud pop.
Adam smiled wickedly at them both before putting the bottle to his lips and taking a long pull. Zach turned to Daisy, a frownmarring his brow. ‘Is he okay?’ he mouthed, looking back in consternation as Adam started to choke on the bubbles.
Daisy shrugged covertly, not wanting Adam to see they were discussing him behind his back. Zach turned back to his friend and grabbed the bottle out of his hand.
‘Give me that. It’s my turn,’ he said and took a big swig himself. He handed it to Daisy. She shook her head and put it back in the ice bucket.
‘Hey,’ Adam said, ‘I haven’t finished with that.’ And he picked the bottle back up and threw himself onto the deep, squashy cushions on the sofa. Some of the champagne sloshed out of the bottle and Daisy winced and sucked in a breath as it landed on the expensive-looking material.
Adam ignored her.
‘So, what time’s dinner?’ he asked Zach, who was watching him with a worried frown.
‘I’ll pick you up here at eight,’ he said. Then turning to Daisy, he motioned for her to follow him to the door.
‘See you later,’ Adam called from the sofa, slumping back and raising the bottle to his lips again.
‘God, I’m sorry,’ Daisy said, as she and Zach walked out into the corridor and out of Adam’s earshot. ‘I don’t know what’s got into him.’
‘Ah, don’t worry,’ Zach said. ‘He’s probably just blowing off some steam. I did act like a total prick last time I was around him. He must have hated me for going on about my “perfect” life so much. He’s been such a good friend to me and I haven’t treated him well, especially recently,’ he finished with a knowing look. Daisy felt herself growing hot just thinking about what he was referring to.
‘Yeah, I guess he’s within his rights to be a bit pissed off with you, especially when the last time we saw you, you were too busy playing the big shot to consider anybody else’s feelings,’ shesaid, folding her arms. ‘Like making us go to that ridiculously expensive restaurant when he’d already booked somewhere. You really embarrassed him.’
She knew she was projecting her own guilt about their last encounter onto him, but right at that moment, she didn’t care. Her shame and anger needed an outlet.
To her surprise, Zach just laughed. ‘That’s what I love about you, Dizzy. You always tell it to me straight. I respect that. You don’t pander to my moods like everyone else. I think it’s because you’re not scared of me?’ He raised his eyebrows in question.
She tilted her head in contemplation, then nodded in agreement. Yeah, he was probably on the money with that. Fear was the one emotion she didn’t encounter when it came to Zach.
‘It’s a good feeling,’ he murmured, ‘being around someone who can see right through your bullshit and still show up for you, even when they have every reason not to.’
At these words, her legs felt suddenly wobbly, so she leant against the wall. ‘Yeah, well, there were times when I genuinely felt like I couldn’t. But I was still figuring out who I was and how I wanted to play things. How to “do” life, if you know what I mean? Turns out, none of us are perfect,’ she said with a grin.
Her heart was racing now, but she also felt serenely calm. It was great to be finally having such an honest conversation with him. Perhaps shewouldbe able to be around him without them having a problem this week, after all.
‘Well, I’d say you’re smashing it. And look, I’m really sorry about interfering with the Katrina Cross interview. That was all ego on my part. I guess I wanted to prove to you there was some good in me, though it ended up being self-serving bullshit in the end.’
She shrugged. ‘All water under the bridge.’ She leant towards him in a pseudo menacing manner. ‘But if you ever getme an exclusive interview again, which boosts my career and reputation, I’ll disown you as a friend.’
He grinned back at her.
‘But, seriously,’ she said, ‘please don’t try and help me. I really want to do it on my own.’
‘Understood and noted,’ he said, holding up both hands in surrender.
‘And as for the rest of it,’ she raised her eyebrows, hoping he’d catch her meaning without actually having to say the words, ‘it’s all in the past now, right?’
She felt she had to get their relationship straight between them right now if they had any chance at all of remaining friends. Even though she was still drawn to him, she knew he’d be bad for her. He was too transient. Adam, on the other hand, was a kind, loving, steady partner, which was exactly what she needed.
‘Absolutely,’ he said, with a serious expression on his face now. ‘No more messing around. Just friends.’
