Page 72 of Kiss Me Ever After
I still loved her.
I wanted to put things right between us, but right now I didn’t have the first clue how to.
32
Lennon
“Surprise!”
When I’d answered the urgent knock at the front door, the last people I expected to see were my Mum, Sonya and Amber. I’d skipped lectures to spend some time on my own and look at more job opportunities. It had been a few days since the incident with Robert, and I’d barely been out of the apartment. Lucas had been amazing, apologising profusely for his colleague’s behaviour. He’d made me dinner each night, ensuring it was my favourite, even though I’d only picked at it.
I threw myself into Mum’s arms, hugging her tight.
“Lennon!” She laughed. “What did I do to deserve a welcome like that?”
Amber fixed me with a look. I’d told her the basics of what had happened but told her not to tell anyone else. Although by ‘anyone’ I’d mostly meant Justin. Knowing him as I did, it wouldn’t have surprised me to find him on my doorstep, wanting to find Robert and punch his lights out.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” I bluffed. “Anyway, what are you guys doing here?”
“We missed you,” Amber said, taking her turn in the hug queue. “Something told me you might be missing us too.” She squeezed me extra hard.
“Plus the thought of a day trip to London was just too exciting to pass up!” Sonya glanced past me into the hallway. “This place looks fabulous.”
“Sorry, come in.” I ushered the three of them into the apartment. “Do you want a drink?”
“Remember what Sonya said? We didn’t come all this way to spend it cooped up in your flat.” Mum went into the living room. “Even though it is lovely.”
I hovered in the doorway, not feeling comfortable in there. My room had been my refuge, and I only went into the living room when Lucas, Lisa or Toby were home.
“I’m dying to do afternoon tea at a fancy hotel,” said Sonya. “I found some vouchers online for a deal.”
“Typical, Mum, always on the lookout for a bargain.” Amber rolled her eyes, then grabbed my arm. “Can I see your room? If this is anything to go by, it will be amazing.” She pulled me into the hall. “Are you going to tell your mum?” she hissed.
“I don’t need to give her anything more to worry about than she already has. She’s got enough on her plate.” I was firm.
“Then will you at least let me tell Justin?”
“Tell Justin what?” Sonya asked. “Much as I love that boy, it really is time he moved back home or in with Candace. I don’t need his extra washing!”
My blood ran cold at the mention of Candace. Was Justin really thinking of moving in with her? Inwardly, I steadied myself. It wasn’t any of my business. I made my decision about us when I came back to London.
“Are you all looking at Lennon’s room?” Mum’s voice trilled from the other room. “I’ll come too.”
After an estate-agent-worthy tour of the apartment, we went to make use of Sonya’s vouchers. Finding a fancy hotel in the West End wasn’t difficult and before long, we were seated in the restaurant, oohing and aahing over the tiny sandwiches and cakes.
“How’s uni, Lennon?” Mum asked. “You haven’t really told me much about it recently.”
I shrugged. There wasn’t really a huge amount to tell. “Going well, I’ve been getting good marks on my assignments.” Lies, all lies. I scraped through mostly, if I even bothered to hand stuff in anymore.
“What about your new job?” Mum pressed. “You mentioned a friend called Carly?”
“Carly better not have taken over my best friend mantle,” interjected Amber. “Or there will be trouble.” She gave me an exaggerated pout.
Lightly, I punched her arm. “As if. Work is good, and Carly’s fun. It’s not like working with Bryony.” I winked at Mum.
She held her hands up. “Okay, okay. It might not have been one of my better ideas, but it turned out okay, didn’t it?”
A breath caught in my throat as I thought back over the summer.
