Girl-Code (11 page)

‘I told you she had been texting me,’ he
seems ignorant to my concern.

‘You never told me that you promised to
meet again when you weren’t so busy,’ I accuse quietly.

He stills, ‘because I didn’t,’ his eyes
burn into mine.

‘I saw it,’ I whisper.

‘Well, whatever you saw wasn’t from me,’ he
scoffs, I observe his facial features and he appears as if he is being
truthful.  He glances up, ‘what?’

‘Either way, this has got to end Cameron.’

‘It ends when I say it ends,’ he dominates,
‘not because your housemate is bitter and twisted.’

‘No, it ends when I want it to,’ I growl,
fury raging through my insides.

His face hardens, ‘do you or do you not
enjoy this Lucy?’

‘That is irrelevant,’ I mutter.

‘How the fuck can it be irrelevant?’ he scoffs,
‘is that not what this is all about, we are having fun, why do you want to stop
that?’

‘You aren’t in charge of me, Cameron.’ I
inform him sternly.

‘Lucy,’ he warns, ‘this is why I didn’t
wish to discuss it.  Why do you care about other people and their perceptions
when they have no idea what we have?’

‘I don’t. Sam has sworn to get you back.  I
am not getting in-between that.’

‘In-between what? I fucked her once!’ he
calls bluntly and I place my cutlery down.

‘Like you fucked me?’ I question.

‘Yes, just like that Lucy,’ he drops his
fork onto the plate rubbing his hand over his head in frustration.

I stand and move upstairs, I hear him curse
as I swallow the lump in my throat.  I dress and grab my belongings, I will not
cry, I will not cry.  When I appear at the doorway of the kitchen Cameron is
standing by the window gazing into the garden, he turns.

‘Where are you going?’ he frowns moving
towards me.

‘Home,’ I mumble, ‘can you call me a cab
please?’

‘No, I can’t,’ he face is murderous, ‘I
will drop you home in the morning.’

‘Fine, I will get a tube,’ I turn and make
my way to the door, but he is already behind me grasping me around my middle.

‘Don’t go!’ he whispers into my ear, ‘I am
sorry, I didn’t mean that.’

‘I have to Cameron,’ I choke, emotion
running through me, ‘this can never work there is too much baggage.  Sam won’t
lay off until she has you back in her bed.’

‘I slept with her once!’ he brings me
against his body, ‘move out of the house then we can continue enjoying this.’

‘Cameron, I have signed a year lease.  Choose
someone less dramatic for a bed companion, this will never be easy whilst I am
living in that house.’

‘Maybe I only want you,’ he moves his hand
up to cup my breasts, I sense panic in his voice and am confused.

‘We know that isn’t true,’ I shake my head
to dismiss the sensations his hands are causing, ‘I have to go.’ I move forward
and his hands drop in acceptance.

Cameron watched her leave, his mind
reminisces to when he was but seven years old and his mum walked out the door
for the last time.  He may have only been young, but he remembers vividly
hanging onto her legs and begging her not to go he wanted her to stay with
him.  He feels a pain similar to a punch in his stomach, this is why the women
in his life are only ever temporary and he decides how long they stay.

His face tenses, good riddance!  She was
right, there has to be less complicated women out there that are accepting of
his no ties situation that are willing to give them self as long as he demands. 
No other woman would walk out on him ever again.

********

Lucy enters into the house and closes her
bedroom door, locking it, she climbs fully clothed into her bed pulling the
duvet over her head, allowing the tears to flow.  That was the hardest thing
she ever had to do she didn’t want to leave, what choice did she have?  She
already felt that she was becoming too attached to Cameron, she couldn’t get
enough of him nothing seemed to satisfy her hunger for him.  What would happen
when he dumped her in a month’s time would she be broken hearted? Sam would
never leave them alone, they didn’t stand a chance it was better this way.

She sobbed quietly into her pillow, her
insides aching, until she fell into an exhausted slumber.

********

Kate tapped on my bedroom door as I was
drying my hair, ‘it’s open,’ I croak, as she enters her eyes surveying my
swollen eyes and pale face.

‘Oh Lucy,’ she soothes walking towards me
but I hold a hand up to prevent her hugging me.

‘No don’t,’ I mutter and she drops her
arms.

‘I am so sorry Luce, take no notice of Sam,’
she fumes, ‘you are a free agent, you see who you want.’

‘I finished it,’ I exclaim to her shocked
face, ‘I don’t want to talk about it either,’ I attempt to smile and she nods
in understanding.

‘Ok, how about we do something for your
birthday the weekend, just the two of us?’

‘I am not really feeling it at the moment
Kate, but thank you.’ I feel angry.

‘Ok,’ she appears wounded and I sigh.

‘Sorry Kate, just give me a bit of time
ok?’

‘Ok just…you know where I am?’

‘Thank you,’ I mutter, as I feel my eyes
tear once again.  I turn on the hairdryer as a sign that I am finished talking
and she exits my room.

I throw myself into work, working through
my lunch hour, Tuesday and Wednesday. I glance up at one stage and Susie is
standing above me.

‘Hi,’ I smile, slightly her way.

‘Drink tonight, me and you’ she mumbles,
but I shake my head.

‘I can’t.’

‘Lucy, don’t do this to me, it isn’t fair,’
she looks sad, so I nod.

‘Ok just a quick one,’ I relent.

********

We sit at the bar, ‘well you look awful,’
she states.

‘Why thank you, Susie.’ I murmur, my eyes
on my drink.

‘What happened Lucy? Cameron is…..well,
what happened?’

‘It was never going to work Susie,’ I
express, ‘Sam was threatening all sorts, she told me he was still texting her
hoping to rekindle something or other,’ I shake my head, ‘he denies it.  It is
for the best to stop it now, before things got any deeper.’ I glance up at her
and she smiles slightly.

‘Well it seems it is a bit late for that,
if you ask me.’

I shrug, ‘so I told him to find someone
with a less complicated household and walked out.’

Suzie closes her eyes for a moment.

‘What?’ I enquire.

‘Nothing. So how are you?’

‘Pretty shit, I enjoyed his company he made
me feel alive.  It will pass, it has only been a couple of weeks.’ I fake a
laugh.

‘So, it’s your birthday tomorrow,’ she
states.

‘Hmmm,’ I mumble.

‘What you doing?’

‘Nothing, I may go to my mum’s after work
and spend the evening with her and Phil,’ in fact I will, I think.

‘Drinks, Friday?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Come on Lucy, what happened between you?’

‘I just told you,’ I frown at her.

‘Then why are you both so guarded about it
all?’

‘I am not,’ I defend, ‘I am hurt Susie.’ I
admit.

‘So is he Lucy, believe me.’

‘I doubt that, he will have a replacement
within the week.’

So far I have managed to avoid Sam by
returning home late and staying in my room but Thursday morning she is up and
in my face.

‘Happy birthday,’ she mumbles, as her eyes
find mine as I replace my cup in the dishwasher.

‘Thank you,’ I attempt polite.

‘So I hear you split with Cameron,’ she
calls, casually.

‘That’s right,’ my insides drop at the
words, especially as they exit her mouth with a smirk.

‘Well, I hope you won’t cause Cameron or me
any problems,’ she states, ‘you know he was mine first!’

I feel as though someone has stabbed me
through my chest, ‘what are you back together then?’ I question.

‘We are working on it,’ she grins,
‘sometimes it takes something like this to remind us of what we had.’

‘Does he know you were shagging, Scot last
week?’ I feel as though I am going to vomit.

She shrugs, ‘and he was shagging you, we
can get over it,’ and she walks out, ‘oh, have a good day!’

I hate her, I hate her so much.  Tears roll
down my cheek and I hiccup, did it really not mean that much to him?  Kate
enters the kitchen and gasps before grabbing me into a bear hug.

‘No, you mustn’t cry on your birthday, Lucy,’
she is frantically wiping at my tears which are cascading down my cheek
silently, except for a hiccup here and there.

‘Don’t cry Hun,’ she hugs me, ‘please don’t
cry.’

‘I can’t stay here Kate, not with her back
with him.’ I catch my breath.

‘She isn’t,’ she squeezes me, ‘is that what
she told you?’

I nod and she holds me tight, ‘she is a
bitch Luce,’ she whispers, ‘and on your birthday.’

I go through the motions at work leaving
early to drive down to my mum’s, who after one look at me, pulls me into her
arms and informs me
it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at
all.

‘Come home, Lucy,’ mum begs, ‘leave that
house and save up for a place of your own.’

‘No mum, I have to stay there, I have
signed a contract for a year!’

‘We will pay it off,’ Phil volunteers,
‘that bloody girl needs a talking to.’

‘No Phil, thank you but I couldn’t allow you
to do that.’ I scold.

‘Yes, you can,’ he insists, ‘I am marrying
your mum, you are a daughter to me now.’

‘You getting married?’ I turn to mum who
flushes and nods.  I hug her to me, ‘I am so pleased mum,’ I hug Phil, ‘thank
you for making my mum happy, Phil.’

‘She makes me so happy Lucy,’ he squeezes
me to him.

I lay in my old room that night after mum
and Phil had taken me out for an Indian, feeling so tired.  Maybe I should come
home for a while although mum and Phil deserve some time alone at this early in
their relationship.

When I wake the next day early enough to
travel into work Phil is in the kitchen waiting for me.

‘Here,’ he hands me a bunch of keys.

‘What are they?’ I enquire.

‘They are for my flat in Fulham, it is
yours for as long as you want it.  I never mentioned it last night as I wanted
to run it past your mum.  I was going to sell it, but nothing would make me
happier than you minding it for me. I have decided to keep it as an
investment.  Leave that god forsaken house, pay the rent as usual until the
lease it up, but stay in Fulham rent-free it is paid off anyway. Mum and I are
looking for a house in the Fulham area together, so hopefully we will be nearby
if you need us.  It is fully furnished, you just need to take your belongings
and move in.  I have arranged for a van to be at yours Saturday morning to load
up and move you.’

‘Phil…’ I am speechless, ‘I cannot accept
this!’

‘You can and you will my girl or you will
be grounded,’ he winks at me, ‘please accept it Lucy, you deserve good things,
you and your mum.’ I hug him, tears rolling down my cheeks ‘thank you,’ I
sniff.

‘None of that now,’ he wipes my tears away,
‘off you go you will be late for work.’

********

When I enter into the building, that
morning, I feel slightly brighter due to the fact that I won’t have to face Sam
and her smugness every day.  How can someone take an instant dislike to another,
as she did to me?  Maybe I did break some girl-code, but he wasn’t hers to
claim after one night.  You cannot help who you love, as they say, and there
was an instant attraction between Cameron and me that much I am certain.

‘Hi,’ Michelle approaches, ‘feeling
better?’

‘Yes, thank you Michelle, sorry about this
week.’

‘No problem, we all have off days and to be
honest you haven’t worked harder,’ she smiles ‘which brings me to another
point, how would you like to join me for a business trip in China to visit the
factories and chose the autumn/winter ranges?’

‘Oh, I would love to Michelle,’ I grin,
maybe things are looking up after all.

‘Good, we are going two weeks Sunday for a
week, no sightseeing I am afraid it will be all work.’

‘Great!’ I enthuse, ‘thank you for the
opportunity Michelle.’

I work through my lunch, but email Suzie
and explain that I am moving the weekend and won’t be able to attend drinks
that evening and I receive a short reply expressing that she understands and
she hopes I had a great birthday.

********

Walking into the house that evening, I take
a deep breath and throw my belongings into my room before moving directly up
into the living area.