Page 114 of The Naughty List

It’s almost 7 a.m.when I walk in through my bedroom door, still flying high after the cab ride. I haven’t even shrugged off my coat when I feel a buzz from my pocket. I’m glad I’ve been dancing too much to get completely wrecked on champagne. I can still see my phone screen happily enough when I pull it from my pocket.

I get a storming mass of tingles when I see it’s a message from Josh. I still can’t believe I’ve made such an impression on him.

I flop down on my bed as I read it. Butterfly city in my stomach. They are swirling like a tornado.

Had a great time, Ells. Let me know when you’re back from Australia, and I’ll book a table for the date.

Funny, how one of the biggest hardcorers of the hardcorers is the most gentlemanly man I’ve ever met. No groping, no fucking in a toilet cubicle, no diving into a cab and heading to his or mine together. Just a kiss under the mistletoe. An amazing one at that.

Ok, that’s a lie.

At least three… but still. Just kisses. Hardly throat fucking me with a Christmas lolly, or fisting my pussy under the tree.

I’m about to reply when I catch sight of the missed calls from Mum and Dad. Shit, what the hell? There are seven of them… seven, all in a row. I’ve just been partying too hard to notice. I feel beyond guilty as I click play on their latest voicemail. It’s Mum on the line, and she sounds petrified.

Ella, will you call us, please? What the hell is going on? We’re seriously worried now. We messaged Connor, and he said you’ve left him.

Left him? What a joke.

There is no getting around this anymore. My guise is over. No moreI’mfine, just busymessages from me.

I grab my laptop and fire it up. I only take a few seconds to calm myself before I hit the call button, taking deep breaths with my finger hovering. I know this is going to be emotional. I’m quaking at the brilliance of breaking the news of my trip, I only wish they weren’t going to be so upset about my split with Connor. Wanker. I wish he hadn’t replied to them, the idiot. What a way to piss on my parade.

The butterflies swarm off and I get one hell of a lurch in my stomach as my parents appear onscreen in front of me, both of them looking horrifically nervous. No surprise there, though. Thanks, Connor, you absolute prick.

“Ella!” Mum says, with her hand on her chest. “What’s been going on? Why haven’t you been talking to us!?”

I don’t have the chance to answer before Dad jumps in.

“Don’t even think about brushing us off with thework is busybullshit this time. No bullshit, please. NONE.”

The tears are already prickling my eyes. I can’t help but grin, as my eyes start flooding, and they look so confused. Dad’s got his WTF expression on his face, eyebrows raised.

“I’ve been keeping a few secrets,” I admit through my tears.

“No shit,” Dad says, and folds his arms, clearly confused as hell.

“Ella, you could have called us at any time, ANY,” Mum says. “We’d have been there for you! You only had to say.”

I nod. “Yeah, I know that.”

“So why didn’t you tell us about Connor? Seriously, Ella. Why keep us in the dark like that? Why?”

“Because there is a bigger secret,” I tell her. “One I’ve been trying to avoid on purpose. Seriously. It’s been so hard. I knew you’d see through the crap I’ve been spewing eventually.”

Mum and Dad look at each other before they address me again. They must think I’ve gone mad.

“A bigger secret than the break up?” Mum asks. “What? Have you met someone else or something? Is that why you’ve left him? Did you leave Connor for someone else?”

I laugh at that. “This has nothing to do with Connor, I swear. And I didn’t leave him actually, he went off with a stupid cow called Carly a while ago. He turned up with a crappy bunch of flowers the other day and expected me to take him back.That’swhat he means byI left him. He’s full of shit. But it’s ok now. I’m over it. Honestly. I couldn’t give a toss about Connor. My big secret has nothing to do with him.”

They try to digest it. I know it’s got to be hard. They’ve known Connor as long as I have. They love him, like I did.

Or so I think…

“Thank fuck for that,” Dad says, with a sigh. “He’s been an arrogant fucking idiot since the day you met him. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Stupid asshole.”

Mum’s smiling. She’s actually smiling. I can’t believe it.

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