flawed with benefits

Their eyes had locked and it was as if the war had begun in an instant. Violet's eyes looked between him and Elora before she turned back to the man before her. Even from across the room, Cal could see the flirtation that glazed across her expression as she whispered in the ear of the man. Her hand cupped his jaw as she pressed her captivating lips to his once more.

Cal forced himself to turn away.

"Oh," Elora said. "I see. You only asked me here to make her jealous, didn't you?" The hurt in her voice was painful to listen to.

"No, I invited you because I wanted to get to know you," Cal told her and he was honest. He didn't invite Elora to make Violet jealous, he brought her to forget about the feeling of Violet's lips on his. "Violet and I are just friends."

"Just friends?" Elora raised an eyebrow.

"Just friends," He assured her and pressed his lips against hers again. He felt her sink into him, submissive. She was the complete opposite to Violet. If this were Violet, she would be kissing him fiercely with her hands in his hair. But this wasn't her, this was Elora with her soft mouth and sweet smell and kind heart, no fire in her apart from her hair.

-

"I'll call you tomorrow," Elora said before she kissed him on the cheek and hopped into the taxi waiting for her. She waved to him through the window as it drove away, her beaming smile warm.

"She doesn't strike me as the party type," Violet chirped as she stepped up beside him. She didn't look at him. She was watching the taxi drive away.

"Elora's a nice girl," He replied, not flinching as her fingers curled around his hand. She didn't acknowledge it either. "You'd like her."

"Would I? She seems a bit too plain for me," Violet said harshly, but realisation hits her. "You like her?" Although it was less of a question and more of a conclusion.

"I don't know, but I did always say gingers were my type," He joked and squeezed her hand. "I'm surprised you're still here."

"Why?" She frowned, biting her lip.

"I thought you would have gone home with the guy you were kissing." He shrugged his shoulders, oblivious.

Violet yanked her hand from his and stepped away slightly. She looked at him as if she were trying to figure something out. "I'm not drunk enough," She replied, her tone dead. The lacking in her voice made him look at her, meeting her analytical, yet confused, eyes. "It kind of stings that you'd expect that of me."

"What do you mean?" He shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's just something you're known to do."

"I thought you knew me." Her hands balled into fists and her jaw clenched. "I thought you knew why I did it, because it's definitely not just because I can."

"Violet-"

"Don't, Cal," She said, her quick anger cooling down. "Just don't because you're not going to make it any better." She folded her arms across herself and looked away from him. The way she took in a deep breath made him worry. "I didn't come out here to argue with you. I came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Where are you going?" He asked with obvious panic in his voice, but the way he sounded was the least of his concerns.

"I'm going with Kate for a holiday, or a break from everything," She explained. "I just wanted to have one more night of fun with everyone before I went away for a month, you know? And then I went and got with a guy, completely forgetting everyone, and now here we are. I just thought you'd appreciate the goodbye rather than me just disappearing in two days' time."

"You're going away for an entire month?" He didn't know how to feel.

"More or less, yeah," She smiled sadly. "So don't do anything stupid when I'm gone, Cal."

He didn't reply. He just looked at her like she'd grown two heads. It was so sudden; she'd never mentioned wanting a break before and she definitely had showed no signs of needing one.

"Look," She said, turning to him and placing her hands on his chest. "What I'm trying to say is: don't replace me, okay?"

His hand slipped onto her waist. "How could I? You're one of a kind."

"As cheesy as that was, thank you." The smile that crossed her expression was one that made him grin wider as he gazed down at her. It was a genuine smile; not one of her painted ones that she used when she wanted something. It was pure, truthful and honest. It made him reconsider a few things as he took his time looking over every inch of the smile again.

"Violet, come on! Get it over with and then get your ass in the taxi!" Kate called out, rolling her eyes as she walked past them. Her heels were in her hand as she walked by, slipping into the backseat of the taxi that had just pulled up. "Violet!" She shouted again before slamming the car door.

"Sorry, Kate's impatient when she's drunk or tired," Violet chuckled. "Maybe I'll see you before I go, but if I don't, this is goodbye for a month," She said before she kissed his cheek, although it was more the corner of his mouth than his cheek. But the feeling of her mouth again brought it all back. As he relished in it, she slipped away from him.

"I'll see you in a month," Cal told her as she walked away, not looking back as she pulled the door open and disappeared into the taxi.

Cal waited until the taxi was out of sight to go back inside, his mind a blur.