Page 69 of Kiss Me Ever After
The wine had gone straight to my head, and I felt a little tipsy as I crossed the room. After I came out, I spotted Lucas at the bar and went over to him.
“Hi.” I touched his arm lightly. “I’m heading home.”
“Oh no! Was it such a bad night?” His face fell. “I was hoping to cheer you up.”
I glanced over to where Robert waited. “No. I’ve been getting to know Robert a bit better. He knows some people in New York who could help me out. We’re going to go back to the apartment and chat some more.”
Lucas winked. “Chat? Is that what you kids are calling it these days?”
I punched his arm. “Lucas! He’s a nice guy and I’m not ready for anything yet.”
He kissed me on both cheeks. “I’m only teasing. We’ll be back soon too. Once I’ve done Vogue-ing.”
Robert came up to us. “Ready?”
We walked back to the flat, close together but not touching. Robert didn’t attempt to hold my hand or put his arm around me, which was exactly what I wanted. Despite him being friendly—not to mention easy on the eyes—it was way too soon after Justin.
When we reached the apartment block, he hesitated. “It’s late, are you sure you want me to come in?”
“You don’t have to stay long. Enough for a coffee and to find those people you mentioned? We both have an early start in the morning, I’m sure.”
He grinned. “Okay. One coffee.”
Ten minutes later, we were next to each other on the sofa, coffee cooling on the table in front of us. We discussed how much fun the evening had been and then Robert broached the subject of us maybe going out alone.
“No pressure, a film and dinner maybe?” he suggested.
I bit my lip. We’d only spent a few hours together and while he seemed interested, I didn’t reciprocate those feelings. “I…” Should I tell him I was too busy with uni work?
“Come on, Lennon. We had fun tonight, right?” Robert’s hand landed on my thigh again. “It would be a shame if we didn’t take it further.” His fingers insinuated their way higher until they reached the zip of my jeans.
“Wait, stop.” I tried to push him away, but he grasped my wrist with his other hand.
“Why did you really invite me in?” he asked. “Do you honestly believe I have contacts in the fashion world in New York? Like you said, I’m a computer geek.” His eyes, once sparkling, had grown flat and dark, replaced with an air of menace.
Panic grew in my chest. Desperately I tried to think if I’d led him on at any point during the evening. We’d talked, drank, laughed. All light and innocent. Or so I thought.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he sighed. “I thought you wanted this the same as I did.” He leaned over and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips. As he did so, he moved my ensnared wrist to his crotch, showing how hard he was.
I struggled to extract myself from his grip, but he manoeuvred me onto my back and covered my body with his. “Robert, stop!” I shouted. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Frantically, I turned my head to one side to stop him kissing me again.
His hands cradled my face and pulled me back to look at him. “You uni girls are all the same. No one ever looks at the computer guy, the nerd. So, I have to pretend to have something you want. Then the prick teasing starts.” His thumbs pressed into my windpipe, and I coughed.
My mind went back to the cafe, when the teenage boy had a knife pointed at my stomach. Did I attract trouble? Was this how it was meant to be? All I knew was this time Justin wouldn’t be there to save me. A tear slid down my cheek.
The sound of the front door being slammed shut seemed to push Robert out of whatever state he was in. He released me and leaped up, breathing heavily.
Lucas came into the living room. “Oh, sorry to interrupt.” He gave me a wink, seemingly oblivious to the fact I was sprawled across the sofa, tears streaming down my face.
“I was just going.” Robert grabbed his jacket and pushed past Lucas. “See you at work.”
My flatmate stared after him, then looked back at me more closely. “Lennon? What the…?” He rushed over to the sofa and helped me sit upright, before encircling me with his arms.
I sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I choked. “You invite me out for a fun night, and I end up in tears.”
“What did he do to you?” Lucas asked, his tone low and measured.
“Nothing. But if you hadn’t come home when you did… ” I shuddered, thinking of what could have happened.
