Bound Together (73 page)

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Authors: Marie Coulson

BOOK: Bound Together
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Draping her arm around
me, she pecked me on the cheek. “I say hell yes!” Giving her a hug
I sighed. “Hey Amy, how’s things going with you? I mean since you
told me about Mel I know you haven’t really talked much about
it.”
Pulling away from me she
sat on the edge of her bed and shrugged. “Nothing to say. She likes
guys and I’m hopelessly in love with her. What can I do? I can’t
tell her. It’s too risky. I have to just get over it.” I gave her a
half smile. I knew only too well how much it hurts to love someone
who simply can’t give you what you need.

And how’s that working
out for you so far?”

Awful.
I can’t get her off my mind and whenever I’m around her I hate the
way I feel. I feel like I’m not being me, not really. She knows I’m
hiding something. She keeps asking me why I’m so quiet lately and
when I refused to go out with one of the guys at Delicia she said I
was acting weird. I had to tell her he just wasn’t my type and I
guess that’s kind of true. He’s not. I want her and I hate it. I’m
so confused. I like guys and I like sleeping with them but
I
love
her. How could I not know I was bisexual all this time?”
Taking a seat next to her, I draped my arm around her shoulder and
pulled her to me. Her head rested against my shoulder as I stroked
her hair. She was going through such a tough time. Not only was she
questioning her sexuality but she was also in love with my best
friend who was certainly into men.

Sometimes it takes
finding that one special person I guess. You can’t help who you
fall in love with and for you it’s Mel. There is nothing wrong or
unnatural about how you feel Amy. Lots of people these days
discover they’re bisexual or gay in college. Don’t hate yourself
ok? You’re in love and it’s an amazing feeling. Always be glad you
have felt it, even if it is unreturned.”
Hearing my own words, I
couldn’t help but think of my time with Jared and Ollie. I loved
Jared and although he’d hurt me time and time again, at least I
knew I was capable of love and that I had experienced being loved
in return. Well, I thought he loved me. Ollie had given me so much
and I had given him very little in return, yet he thanked me for
letting him know he could feel love and what it felt like to love
someone. I missed him. Giving Amy a peck on the cheek, I told her I
needed to run to the store but truthfully, I just needed some time
to myself. I headed for the car and shut myself inside, reaching
for my cell phone. I scrolled to Ollie’s number and as it rang I
held my breath hoping and praying he would answer. But he didn’t.
Listening to his voice on his voice mail made my insides twist and
a chill ran through my veins. Surely he couldn’t punish me like
this forever? I needed him to come back to me. Soon.

* * *

Amy’s meticulous planning
had paid off enormously and as Benny’s began to fill to the point
of bursting, I was pleased that her efforts were being appreciated.
The senior class was so hyped up about graduating, they had been
buying everyone drinks all night and as hostess, Amy was never
without one in her hand. Handing me a pink cosmopolitan, she
grinned. “What are you so happy about?”
She shook her head and it
made me suspicious. ”Nothing. Just having a great time. I have a
delicious drink, great friends and a party that people will be
talking about all year. What’s not to like.”
I gave her a half smile
and she instantly knew where my mind was at. “You’re thinking about
Ollie aren’t you? You know for someone who claims not to have been
in love with him you sure are pining like a love sick
puppy.”
Staring at my drink, I
sighed heavily. “I miss him Amy. He won’t even acknowledge my
existence. I thought we could still be friends but he’s totally cut
me off and out of his life. I just want to see him, touch him and
be around him again.”
Placing her hand on my
arm reassuringly, she smiled. “He’ll come around, you’ll
see.”
I wanted to believe her
blind optimism but I couldn’t. It had been seven weeks and if he
hadn’t talked to me by now, I imagined he never would.
Sliding into our booth,
we joined Mel, Nick and Eric who were busy arguing over the set
list for the party.

I am telling you that no
one wants to listen to your grunge shit Eric. I thought we already
agreed on modern and classic rock? You know, Bon Jovi, Greenday
that kind of stuff.”
He rolled his eyes at
her. “I told you, Ollie always sang that shit. I can’t hit the
notes he can and the songs wouldn’t sound right if you guys sang
them. We’ll have to come up with something else.”
I groaned loudly in
frustration. “Ok shut up, both of you. Eric you can sing a lot of
classic rock absolutely fine so stop bullshitting us. Mel, pick
some chick rock and we’ll do that. We’ll mix it up and then towards
the end we’ll slow it down, ok?” Giving each other the evil eye
they nodded in agreement. It was like refereeing children some
times. Nick whispered something into Amy’s ear and she visibly
stiffened. Giving her a nudge, I mouthed “What was that
about?”
She shook her head and
nodded in the direction of the bathroom.
Sliding out of the booth,
we made our excuses and I had to practically run to keep up with
her as she stormed to the toilets. Slamming the door closed, she
ran her fingers through her hair repeatedly. “I can’t do it
anymore. I can’t, I honestly just cannot do this.”
Grabbing her hands, I
forced her to face me. “Can’t what? Amy, calm down and talk to me.
What’s wrong?”
Tears were in her eyes
and I knew. “Mel and Eric are banging each other aren’t they?” She
nodded as the warm droplets fell from her eyes and over her flushed
cheeks. “Nick says they went out a couple of times and last night
they spent the night together at Eric’s place.”
Wrapping my arms around
her, I held her tightly as she sobbed. “It hurts so fucking much
and it shouldn’t. She’s not mine, never has been and never will be
but watching them together, knowing what I do now, makes my stomach
churn and my heart ache. I don’t think I can be around her anymore.
Not until I can get over this thing I have for her.”
Taking some tissue from
the stall, I wiped her face, trying to clear up her smeared make
up. “Amy I can’t possibly try to begin to understand what you’re
going through with your sexuality but I do know how much it hurts
when the person you love is with someone else. I found out last
week Jared and Alicia are a couple now.”
She gawked at me. “I saw
Felix on campus. He asked me to give a message to Jared and I told
him that we weren’t together anymore so he could deliver the
message himself. He gives me the creeps. Anyway I was curious as to
why they hated each other so much and I found out why Felix hates
Jared at least. Alicia is Felix’s ex-wife. According to the article
I read, she and Felix divorced after Jared had been sleeping with
her. The time frames are so close they had to have been having an
affair. Now the two of them have been photographed at bars, social
events and one reporter even saw her at his house.”
She stared at me with her
jaw almost to the floor. “Alicia is Felix’s ex-wife? Oh my god. No
wonder he hates him. I mean ok, he’s a little hypocritical because
he screwed his best friend’s girlfriend but still, she was his
wife. Are they really a couple now? I know they were at Delicia but
I thought that was just a date. That sucks ass. Are you
ok?”
I shrugged and continued
to clean her face. “I’m done with it all Amy. I can’t keep killing
myself over him. He’s single and free to be with whoever he wants
and now that I have rid myself of all that stuff he gave me, maybe
now I can move on too. Why should he be able to get over me so
easily and I carry on aching over the loss? I won’t do it to myself
anymore. Jared who? That’s what I say.”
She smiled at me but I
knew she wasn’t buying it. Truthfully, neither was I. It hurt,
deeply and as much as I hated him, I loved him in equal measure.
Tossing the tissue in the trash I smiled at her, trying to seem
unfazed by our conversation. “There, all better. You ready to go
out there?”
She nodded and hugged me.
“I know everything seems bad right now Layla but I promise it will
be ok. We’ll both be ok. Ollie will come round and I’ll get over
Mel. Eventually. We just need a little patience.”
The sound of a guitar
caught our attention and I smiled. “Sounds like Eric’s firing up
the band. We should probably get out there before Mel throws her
weight around at him.”
Taking my hand, Amy led
me out into the heaving bar. The crowd was completely blocking the
stage and I couldn’t see Mel up there at all. Maybe she was having
as much trouble as I was getting to the stage. I turned around but
Amy had disappeared. Feeling rather abandoned I tried to push my
way through the hoard of bodies but the sound of a husky, deep and
low voice booming through the speakers halted me in my tracks. My
heart raced and my breathing quickened as a familiar song began to
play. I shoved hard at the people around me desperate to reach the
stage. I had to see. I had to know it was real. The words hit me
like darts as each left his lips. Reaching the stage I stared up at
him.
Standing there, caressing
his guitar and singing into the mic, was Ollie. Wearing his ripped
black jeans and an unbuttoned white shirt, he looked blisteringly
hot. Every girl gazed at him dreamily as his perfectly sculpted
chest gleamed in the spotlight. He was singing my song; the song
he’d written for me at Christmas. He’d changed the music from slow
and light to heavy and rocking but the words still held the same
emotional message they had that morning.
Gripping the edge of the
stage I hoped he’d look down and see me but as he continued to
stare into the crowd I suddenly felt nervous, anxious, guilty and
sick. Pushing my way back through the crowd towards the door I had
to gulp hard to stop myself from bursting into tears. He was here.
In the bar, singing my song and yet I felt like he was a million
miles from me. He was out of reach to me now and I’d pushed him
away. Pressing my hand against the wall outside I tried to catch my
breath. The music ended inside and the cheers, whistling and
screams from the crowd inside made me smile. I loved it when people
enjoyed Ollie’s music. He deserved the success, recognition and
applause he received and I deserved his ignorance of me being
there. Holding my hand to my chest, I could feel my heart beating
fast, hard and heavily inside my ribcage. “Little dangerous for you
to be all alone out here don’t you think?”
My breath caught in my
throat. Turning around slowly, I closed my eyes, praying that when
I opened them again it wouldn’t be a horrible
hallucination.
But there he was. Tears
threatened as I gazed at his gorgeous face. His warm brown eyes
gazed back at me and his lip ring pinched as he smiled. “Aren’t you
happy to see me?”
I couldn’t speak. I
couldn’t find the words. Leaping at him, I enveloped him in my arms
and held him tightly as tears began to drip from my eyes onto his
shirt. His hands pressed against my back as he held on to me
also.

I missed you so much. I
woke up and you were gone. I found your letter but you wouldn’t
answer my calls. I thought I’d never see or talk to you
again.”
His lips pressed against
my hair. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t face a last goodbye with you
Layla. I wanted to answer your calls. Every text, email and letter
was like an arrow through my heart, knowing how much you needed me
to tell you it was all ok but I couldn’t give you that. I thought
if I stayed away, distanced myself from you that we could move
forward and get past everything between us but it didn’t work.
Through my entire journey here I was thinking about this moment.
Holding you, being around you and seeing you again. I missed you
like crazy.” Burying my head in his neck I sniffled. “You cut me
off Ollie. I thought you hated me, that our whole friendship was
over.”
He shook his head and
lifted my face to look at him. “No, I could never hate you Layla. I
can’t hate you because I’m still completely and totally in love
with you.”
Releasing him, I
continued to gaze into his eyes. Threading our fingers together he
took me by the hand and smiled. “I think we should talk. Since I
took off after that night we had, I think there’s a lot that needs
to be said. Will you come with me?”
I was so happy to see him
I would have gone with him into a circle of hell and not thought
twice. “I should tell Amy where I’m going.”

She knows. I told her I
was stealing you away. So, will you come?”
I nodded and followed him
across the parking lot where his beautiful Ducati was sitting,
gleaming in the moonlight. I was suddenly aware why Amy had told me
to wear jeans for the party. She must have known all along he was
coming and the two of them had planned the whole thing.
Slipping the helmet over
my head, he lowered the visor and placed a kiss against it. My
heart stopped at the sweetness of his gesture and yet I was
severely disappointed that he had preferred to kiss the plastic
rather than me. Once he was all leathered up with his helmet
securely in place, he started the awesome machine that was
straddled between his legs. It always did something to me when we
rode on Ollie’s motorcycle. It was a huge turn on and as I sidled
up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, I grinned into his
back. The song ‘Cool Rider’ played in my mind as we sped through
the streets. Ollie was the hottest thing on two wheels right now
and there was nowhere else I’d rather have been. Since I’d met him,
I had a new soundtrack to my life and it was full of heavy guitar
and electrifying bass tones. I knew exactly where he was taking me
and delicious memories made me smile even more. Euphoria was
coursing through my veins. Letting go of his waist I leaned back a
little, my head fell back and I held my arms out as though they
were wings. I felt like I was flying and it was exhilarating. I
could feel the air against my hands, flowing through my fingers and
the heat from Ollie’s body between my legs. It was hugely arousing
and completely intoxicating as adrenaline surged through my body.
Letting go of one of the handles, he caught my thigh and gave it a
squeeze, bringing me back to earth and down from my awesome high. I
got his message loud and clear. Slumping forward into his back I
snaked my hands around his waist again, tightly. Turning his head
to the side I saw his eyes and I was sure he was smiling as he
shook his head at me.

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