Page 35 of Asking For a Friend

“Leaving.” I step past him, but his hand on my wrist halts me.

“Hesketh, stop.” He speaks softly. “Why are you here?”

“It’s my job. I’m not here as a guest, and now I’d like to leave before your mother descends on me with another ridiculous request.”

A smile teases his lips, then vanishes. “Yes, she has a lot of them, my invitation here included.”

“You seemed to be having a great time with your boyfriend.” I know he’ll detect the undertones of jealousy. And I don’t care if he does. I want him to know I regret what happened, but he’s shown for weeks now that he’s not going to let me explain. Tonight, I’m just too tired and sick of being in this house. I’m fully aware I lost my chance, so why shouldn’t he be with someone else?

A movement to the side of me catches my attention. Great, here comes pretty boy.

“Lando, are you okay?” He stands next to Lando and lays his hand on Lando’s arm.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Hesketh is just leaving.”

“It would be a good idea if we did too. Your mother’s trollied and looking for you.”

“Crap. Yeah, I saw how much she was drinking. From what I can remember, she’s a messy drunk.”

“I’ll get our coats. Do you want to call for a ride?”

Lando nods and pulls his phone from his back pocket.

“I’ve got my car. I can take you home.” Shit. It seems that Lando’s habit of blurting out his thoughts has rubbed off on me.

He spins around and hits me with a look so angry it could kill. I step back, holding up my hands. “Y’know what? Forget about it.”

“About what?” Lando’s boyfriend asks.

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter,” Lando grumbles and snatches his coat.

“I offered you both a lift, but…”

“Oh, that would be great. Thank you.” Pretty boy grins. “Come on, Lando. It makes sense.”

It doesn’t make any sense. It’s a bloody stupid idea. Just the thought of having him back in my car again is agony. But I open the front door. A blast of cold air prickles my face, and I shiver. “Shitty death, it’s cold. It’s this way.”

We hurry down the bitterly cold street. I unlock my car, open my door, get in behind the steering wheel, and press the ignition button to start the engine. Lando and his boyfriend are still standing on the kerb, having a heated argument in hushed tones.

“Look, if you want a lift, get in. If you don’t, that’s fine. But please will one of you make a decision? I’ve had a shitty evening, and I want to go home.”

The boyfriend opens the back door and slides in. “Thank you. I’m Connor.”

Lando hesitates for a fraction of a second, then gets in next to Connor. He sits down and pulls his seat belt around him. “Thank you, Hesketh,” he says quietly.

“Okay, where are we going?” The thought of them going to the same address and what that means cuts through me.

“I live closest, so we can go there.” Connor reels off his address, and I pull away from the kerb and drive down the street. “That was one hell of a night. I thought your dad was going to burst a blood vessel when the guests recognised you. I’m sorry I said what I did, though, Lando. It wasn’t my place.”

“Don’t worry about it, Conn. He deserves to lose the deal after what he did,” Lando says, his voice sad. Too many things have happened and hurt him tonight, and now he’s stuck here with me.

“But to pretend he was terminally ill is sick. Why would he do that?”

What? Is that what he did to get Lando to come to the party? That’s despicable. God, the more I find out about the Hardwicks, the more I dislike them, but I keep my mouth shut. Lando and Connor don’t want me butting in on their conversation. To all intents and purposes, I’m the cab driver.

“Because he’s a bastard. I’m angry at myself for falling for it, and I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”

“Hey, it’s okay, mate. I was happy to help.”

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