chapter 6 

"So, have you made out with Noah yet?" Lewis asked from behind me.

My mind was instantly brought back to the night before- the feeling of his hard chest against my body, his arms wrapped around my waist. Thank god it was his day off; even just the thought of his face made my cheeks flare red.

Get a grip, I told myself, reminding myself that Noah was still just as much of a jerk as he always had been.

"No," I responded, shooting him a glare. "And it's not going to happen."

"You two will fall in love, mark my words," he said, "and I want an invite to the wedding."

Before I could respond, he pushed a cup of coffee my way. "This is for table four." he said, giving me a wink.

Grabbing the cup of coffee, I sent him one last glare before heading over to the table.

Love? Marriage? I thought, shaking my head. I had never even had a boyfriend before; the idea of me ever being in love was completely ridiculous, let alone being in love with an arrogant player like Noah.

Wiping the thoughts from my mind, I set the cup of coffee down on table four. "Here's your cappuccino,"

The old lady at the table smiled warmly. "Thank you, dear."

Scanning the table, I saw a gorgeous but worn copy of a book I recognised. "Is that a first edition Tess of the D'Urbervilles?"

The lady smiled, wrinkles extending from her kind eyes, "have a look if you want."

The book was bound in a leather hardback, and when I carefully opened it, I spotted the text saying 1891 on the inside cover. "Wow" I breathed.

"I collect them," the woman smiled, "I own an antique book shop.".

I was about to respond when I heard the bell ring, meaning that an order was ready for me to take to a table.

"I need to go," I said, placing the book back down. I gestured towards the book, "it's beautiful though."

"You should come and see my shop." she said with a kind smile, "I always need a hand reaching the higher shelves."

She scribbled down the address on a tissue and handed it to me. "I'd love to," I said, tucking the tissue into my pocket before heading back towards the kitchen.

***

"Where are we even going?" I asked, wrapping my jacket closer around my body, shivering slightly due to the chilly air.

Kate and Beverly had sent me a text telling me that they were taking me to a party, and hadn't waited for a response before showing up at the pub around half an hour later to get ready. Thankfully I had the evening off anyways, and they had given me just enough time to have a quick shower before dragging me out the door.

It was clear that Kate and Beverly were extremely comfortable stopping by to visit me at any time, and I had not yet adjusted to that. I had friends back home, but none close enough that we felt comfortable dropping round each other's houses unannounced. Despite the inconvenient timings, it made me feel nice to know that they felt they could come around whenever they wanted.

"Miles' house," Kate said, picking up the pace as she too let out a shiver.

"More like Miles' mansion," Beverly said, struggling to keep up with Kate's long strides, "that boy is filthy rich."

It seemed that house parties had a slightly different dress code to beach bonfires. While the latter were very casual, Kate said that a dress and heels were required for the party tonight. After going through my wardrobe and declaring all of my dresses unsuitable, Kate eventually convinced me to wear one of her own.

The silky fabric of the dress hugged my body tightly, making me extremely conscious of the greasy plate of chips I had eaten to line my stomach. I had to admit, the colour was flattering- a deep red to compliment my dark hair and features- but as the cool evening air hit my bare legs, I found myself fantasising about the soft sweatpants I had at home.

Turning a corner, my eyes widened as I saw the massive house we were walking towards. Beverly was not exaggerating when she said the boy had money.

As we approached, drum and bass music got louder and louder. The gates opened, revealing a boy standing in the large driveway behind, clutching a beer. I took a second to admire the place. The driveway was circular, containing an impressive fountain in the centre and hosting three expensive-looking cars parked outside the front door.

"Welcome!" he said, a cheeky grin stretching across his face. The boy was very good looking- deep skin folded into dimples in his cheeks, a friendly glint in his dark eyes. His septum piercing glistened in the limited light. I recognised him as one of Noah's friends from the beach. "The party is round the back. You girls know the way." He shot Kate and Beverly a quick wink.

I followed the girls as they walked confidently to the side of the house, passing through the gates into the back garden.

If I thought the front of the house was impressive, it was nothing compared to the back garden, which was so big that I couldn't see the end. The large trees lining the field were decorated with fairy lights, which illuminated the sixty or so teens milling around. Looking around, I felt my anxiety start to rise. The vibe of this party was nothing like the bonfire. Where the latter was chill and relaxed, this party was absolutely mental. Although it had barely started, I could already spot half a dozen people vomiting in the bushes, and the same number of couples intertwined on any of the various benches and seats surrounding the party. The patio area of the garden seemed to be the makeshift dance floor- a large crowd of people had gathered and were moshing along to the beat. My eyes widened when I saw the large pool, bathed in a neon pink glow.

"You didn't tell me it was a pool party!" I said, turning to Beverly.

"What!" she said, squinting her eyes and pointing to the speakers. "I can't hear you!"

Kate grabbed us both by the hands and dragged us to the drinks table, pouring us each a concoction of spirits.

"Drink up!" Kate said, handing me a cup.

After the events of the last beach bonfire, I was keen to stay relatively sober. Taking a wary sip of the ominous liquid, I almost gagged at the strong taste. Waiting until Kate turned her back, I discreetly emptied the contents of the cup under the table, and replaced it with some lemonade.

Within an hour, I found myself alone. Beverly had wandered off to the toilets with another girl quite early on, and Kate had quickly found Liam. Although they were doing their best to include me in the conversation, I felt very much like a third wheel and so quickly excused myself to go and grab another drink.

Walking up to the drinks table, I saw Miles standing by the side of the pool on his own.

"Hey," I said, walking up to him with a smile. "Great party." The pool by our feet was full of teenagers, some dunking each other in the water, others making out in the neon light.

Miles returned my smile, "thanks, Lois,". On seeing my surprised look, he let out a laugh. "Of course I know your name, there's no way I would forget the name of the girl who threw a chocolate brownie at Noah."

I felt my cheeks flush, "he deserved it," I mumbled, staring at my feet as they got drenched by a splash of water from the pool.

Miles chucked, "I have no doubt he did. Noah can be a right piece of work when he wants to be.".

As I started to respond, another boy came up and placed a hand on Miles' shoulder. "Are my eyes deceiving me or are you talking to the one and only Lois Wilson?"

Miles looked round and grinned at the newcomer, "Lois, meet Tyler Black.".

Tyler sent me a wink, his dark eyes almost hidden under his shaggy brown hair. He stepped back into a low curtsey. "What an honour,".

I let out a small laugh. "Pleasure's all mine."

"Now do tell us," Miles said, rolling his eyes at his friend's behaviour, "was it a frisbee-style throw? Or more of a direct tennis ball style?"

I was just taking them through the finer points of the story, embellishing slightly, when I was interrupted by a voice from behind me.

"Hey co-worker," I heard Noah's voice in my ear. He was standing behind me, soaking wet, with just a pair of swimming trunks on. He wrapped his arms around my waist, embracing me from behind.

The strong smell of alcohol radiating from him alongside his unsteady movements and his slurring voice brought me to one conclusion:

Noah was very, very drunk.

And before I knew it, Noah's momentum tipped us both over the edge and into the pool.