Vanilla

Chapter Fifteen

Dedicated to iLuvChad because according to her previous comment, the Flaniel kisses made her cry. I didn't realise people were getting that emotionally invested in this story. Sorry, guys. I should probably tone that down.

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            Several hours later, I was roused from my slumber by the trilling of my phone on the bedside table. Letting out a low groan, I rolled over under the covers and snatched it up, but refused to raise my head above the comfy mass of duvet. “Hello?”

            “Flo?” Erin’s loud voice didn’t exactly make for the smoothest transition from sleep to consciousness. “Wait, you’re not still in bed, are you?”

            “No…” I mumbled sheepishly, my voice muffled by the sheets.

            “You lazy arse. God, you’re just as bad as Daniel. It’s half eleven and there’s been no sign of him this morning either.”

            Blinking hazily, I lifted my head to catch sight of the glowing digits of my alarm clock; true to Erin’s word, a large 11:32 stared back at me. I didn’t usually sleep in this late, but then again, it wasn’t like I’d spent much of last night doing any sleeping. A hearty chunk had been spent breaking about fifty different rules with Daniel, before returning to my room at just past four in the morning. Quite frankly, I hadn’t known I had it in me.

            “Yeah, whatever,” I dismissed, blinking away my sleepiness. I pulled myself into a sitting position, keeping the phone pressed to my ear. “Did you want something?”

            “Actually, yeah. I was calling to tell you about this party happening at Collette’s place later. Fancy thing. Her parents are throwing it to show off to their friends, I think. Or maybe it’s got something to do with getting contacts for Beth’s modelling… I don’t know. I wasn’t really listening.”

            “Right…” I said slowly. “So?”

            “You’re invited,” she told me. “All five of us are. Apparently Collette’s got her hands full with helping her parents set things up, so she’s lumbered me with the job of making sure you all drag yourselves along.”

            An uncomfortable sinking had become prevalent in my stomach, and I shifted my position. “What? We’re going?”

            “Yeah. She wants us to come. It won’t be the most exciting thing in the world, but it’s free food, right? With you guys there it’ll be bearable, at least.”

            “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

            “Oh, come on, Flo,” she pleaded. “Look, I know you and Collette aren’t the best of friends, but it’s not like you two are going to be locked up in a room together or anything. She’ll be too busy having to prance around in front of her parents’ cronies to bother with you. We’ll just hang out together.”

            “I still don’t—”

            “Please?”

            Sighing in resignation, I sunk back against the head of the bed, feeling the cool metal press into my back. An evening at Collette’s wasn’t exactly appealing, but the other guys were going to be there. If what Erin said was true, we could just have a laugh together. And I couldn’t exactly cop out, leaving them to suffer their friend’s upper-class acquaintances alone. I wasn’t that selfish.

            “Okay,” I said reluctantly. “What time?”

***

            When I found myself stood on Collette’s porch that evening, the front door swung open before I’d even had the chance to take my finger off the bell. The woman behind it had obviously been expecting somebody; her eyes swept over me with hopeful expectation, but her face fell when recognition – or lack of it – kicked in. She was a tall lady, uncomfortably slight in an expensive-looking cocktail dress, and possessed deep brown eyes that looked vaguely familiar. It was then that I realised I was standing face-to-face with what had to be Collette’s mother.