Drink Me

8. TWISTED

TWISTED

Riley woke up early the next morning, way before his alarm; the cold air of the unheated room dragged his naked body back to reality, covering it in goosebumps. He hid his hands under his armpits for warmth as he turned on his back and finally opened his eyes.

He stayed like that for a long moment, staring at the ceiling barely visible in the dark room as memories from the night before came back like an equally terrifying and mesmerising waterfall.

His hand moved to his oblique where he felt the thin scratches that proved the moment with Alice had really happened, it wasn't just a dream.

He covered his face with his arms to shield himself from that realisation but the trick didn't work. Black eyes were still vivid in his mind in all their intoxicating shades of pleasure.

Then there was Aidan. As he thought of him, a sudden burning wave hit the pit of his stomach. How could have he wronged him so badly? There was only one unwritten rule: don't fuck with your mate's women. And he had done precisely that, both figuratively and almost literally, and in this case, it was worse because Aidan was family.

He had to do the right thing and tell him.

But he needed to talk to Alice first, provided the girl hadn't confessed to Aidan yet.

He checked his phone, but there was nothing from his cousin or Alice.

With a big sigh, he swung his legs off the bed. There was no use in trying to go back to sleep so he made himself ready for work.

As he left the flat, his phone rang with a message notification: Nicole. His heart jumped in guilt at that good morning text, but he found himself somehow disappointed it wasn't from Alice.

They needed to talk.

Riley quickly replied to the text and pushed the heavy glass door of his building, walking into the already busy streets of London. He couldn't wait to move into his new flat and, considered the circumstances, it had to be soon.

He walked into Aldgate tube station and ran down the stairs and onto the crowded train platform. He found a soothing calm from the people around him, as if they could muffle the voice screaming inside him. For the first time, he enjoyed the packed train ride into Westminster.

As he emerged from the station near his office, Riley debated whether to stop for a coffee at the usual place or go somewhere else. He knew Nicole was working early and didn't know if he could stomach seeing her. Despite the two not being officially together, he really liked the girl and didn't feel comfortable with his behaviour.

You coward.

Riley opened the door to the small cafe and joined the queue to the register. When Nicole saw Riley's face, her blue eyes brightened up.

"Good morning handsome, you're up early today..." she said cheerfully.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep. I thought I might come and say hi before work."

Liar.

Nicole chuckled sweetly. "Would you like the same?" She asked to keep the line moving.

"Yes please." Riley nodded.

The girl took the payment, then gestured to her colleague to switch tasks.

"So, how was your dinner yesterday? You never said who you went with..." she asked casually as she emptied the used coffee powder from the machine.

Riley scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, I went with my cousin's girlfriend. He couldn't make it and they had a long booked reservation. She's new in town, you know?" He hoped he wasn't offering too many details.