Perseverance

Chapter Twelve ~ March

July - 2022

I've been longer than I said I would be, over half an hour longer, but Savannah needed help with which drink she wanted me to make her, where she'd left her lip gloss and whether her hair was still intact on top of her head. I may have arranged to meet up with Ellis tonight, but ultimately I am here to visit Savannah, and that will always take priority. Hoes before bros.

And apparently that meant somehow I ended up outside with Brett, warning him against hurting my best friend again. He promises he won't, just before Sav finds us outside, accusing us of making up with each other. As if.

I don't dislike the guy anymore, knowing how hard he's worked to apologize to Sav... but it's going to take a bit longer to thaw-out the Ice Queen over here. Isn't that what best friends are for? We don't let the assholes get away with it, instead we let them stew for a few extra years, just to remind them that we mean business.

Leaving Sav and Brett to it, I head back indoors, a giddy feeling filling my stomach as I begin to search for Ellis, knowing that now is our time to shine. We finally have an opportunity, our best friends distracted; neither one of them will blink an eyelid at Ellis or I disappearing to have sex with random people.

Fucking hell, I want Ellis. I've never craved a guy more. The last two months have been absolute torture, he's dominated my mind, crawled into spaces I didn't know existed, eliminating any rational thoughts for any other guy.

He has me feeling wanted, desired, and needed. We laugh together. Ellis always chuckles at my terrible jokes, and I'm amused by his, although mine are obviously better. He encourages me to say what I feel and damn the consequences. I've been my true self with him over the last few months, something I've only ever managed to do with Haydon and Savannah — before now.

There's something special about him, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know that this is the first time I've ever fallen for a guy.

I can't tell him. Not yet anyway. I'll wait to see how he treats me after we've finally done the fucking deed.

I think he'll treat me well; I don't think I'll be one of his hump and dump victims, not after the crazy build up we've had going on over the last few months. I think he feels the same as me.

Walking through the house I crane my head to try and spot him, coming up short room after room, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He isn't where I left him, but I'm hardly surprised, knowing that I wouldn't have hung around in one place for that long either.

I finally come to the last doorway on the ground floor, the music a lot quieter here. I slowly stick my head in, eyes trailing around the couples making out, screwing my nose up at them. Can't people go and find an actual room?

Suddenly my eyes stop on one couple in the corner and I squint my eyes, attempting to see them clearer, the brunette of the guy's hair familiar. Wait...

As they deepen the fucking kiss, their faces move to the side, giving me a clear view of Ellis with a busty fucking blonde. It feels like my heart is splitting apart, my chest contracting painfully, the oxygen struggling to make it into my lungs as I take in the sight before me.

Stumbling back away from the door, as far as I can, my mouth opens and closes. I'm unsure of what to do, how to react. It's not like we're together.

After all, people like us don't do relationships...

"Becky!" The sudden call makes me jump as I turn to look at Liam, him grinning as he walks down the corridor.