I'm loving writing this. I'm so glad that people are reading and enjoying - thank you so much for your reviews, they really do mean a lot to me. This update is a bit shorter than the others so far, I just want to get back to Liarla, to be honest :P.
Hope you like it,
Chloe xoxo
Armed with two glasses of wine each, Leanne and I elbowed our way over to a booth to the side of the room, away from the various sets of wide eyes which had taken to following me around the hall. My jaw had started to ache from the forced smiles that I'd flashed at people, and all I really wanted was to be tucked up back home in Los Angeles with a bottle of red and a few good films. What a Grandma I'd turned out to be. Instead, I was gulping down my wine like I'd been stranded in a desert for weeks, eager to drown out the white noise which seemed to have settled in my ears since feeling Liam's hot breath against my skin.
"Carla?" Leanne repeated, interrupting my thoughts.
"Hm?" I murmured, placing my first empty glass down on the table and greedily running my tongue across my lips. My friend arched an eyebrow.
"I thought you'd cut back on your drinking last time I spoke to you?"
"That was last time. Last time was a long time ago. Things change, people change," I waffled, distracted by my heightened anxiety as my eyes flickered across the room, seeking out his. Knowing that he was here was making all my blood rush to my head and bringing an unattractive flushed tone to my cheeks. Thank goodness for makeup.
"Are you alright, Car? You seem on edge," Leanne observed, following my gaze and trying to figure out the reason behind my nerves. Looking back to her, I smiled unconvincingly.
"Me? I'm fine. Where's your other half tonight?" I asked in a desperate attempt to steer the conversation away from myself as the lead topic. Leanne laughed, bitterly.
"Peter? Dunno. He scurried off to Portsmouth with his tail between his legs after cheating on me with our babysitter. Leaving me with his fourteen-year-old, of course." My eyes grew wide in surprise, more so due to Leanne's blasé and indifferent manner.
"Flamin' heck. I'm sorry, love…" Leanne merely shrugged her shoulders, offering me a small yet sad smile.
"Don't be. His loss. I'm done with men, though, they're a toxic substance." She took a sip of her large glass of white wine, her eyes fixed on mine, before the corners of her lips twisted up into a knowing smirk. "What about your other half?" I blinked at her in surprise.
"Mine? Newsflash, love, I gave up on blokes years ago. Like you said, toxic substance."
"Have you spoken to Liam yet?" At the utterance of his name, my throat dried up, and my heart seemed to freeze and drop into the pit of my stomach. I tried to disguise my discomfort by draining the remainder of my second glass of wine, but my eyes glazed over and Leanne's meaningful nod told me that she could read me like a book.
"Oh, him… No. He won't have even noticed I'm here," I lied, glancing down at my hands in my lap.
"Oh yeah? Try telling that to his face."
"You what?"
"He's been staring at you since we sat down," Leanne explained, glancing over my shoulder. I followed her gaze, looking back behind me, and caught his piercing blue eyes with my own, sending an uncontrollable shiver up my spine. I quickly tore my eyes away and looked back at Leanne, who had that stupid smirk plastered across her face once again.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't look at me like that," I pleaded. Her smirk dropped, and was replaced by a genuine expression of concern.
"Just be careful, Carla, if you're gonna go there again. Look how much it screwed you up last time, and Michelle says that you've really got your life together now."
"Who says I'm going there again?" came my cool response as I picked absentmindedly at my long, manicured fingernails, a crimson blush filling the apples of my cheeks. "That was what the old Carla would have done. The new one is a grown-up and doesn't sleep with unavailable men and break the heart of rich psychopaths."
"This new, grown-up Carla hasn't got any better at lying, has she?" Leanne teased gently. I shot her a glare, completely lost for words for a moment before a cheerful voice from behind us saved me and drew the attention from our intense conversation.
"I have shots!" Michelle sung, setting a tray of little glasses filled with colourful liquid on our table and shuffling into the seat beside me, throwing her arm around my shoulders and squeezing me tightly, prompting a laugh to pass my lips. "Ugh, I've missed you!"
"Are you sure you need these?" I joked.
"Not as much as you, clearly." Michelle snorted, poking me playfully in the shoulder. "Grumpy-arse."
"What even are they?" Leanne asked, picking up one of the glasses and creasing her eyebrow as she cautiously sniffed the contents. Michelle shrugged.
"Dunno. Alcohol, that'll do for me." She lifted a glass containing purple liquid and clinked it with Leanne's, flashing us a wicked grin. "Bottoms up, ladies!" Reluctantly, Leanne and I followed Michelle's lead and tipped each of the sticky substances down our throats. There were nine; three each. Leanne coughed at her last and stuck out her tongue, setting the shotglass back down on the tray.
"Flamin' hell, that was vile."
"Wimp. Come on, you two, come and dance!" Michelle squealed excitedly, grabbing my hand as she hopped to her feet, stumbling slightly as her stilettos hit the floor, and attempting to tug me with her. I sighed, before standing myself and shooting Leanne a pleading look. She, however, merely raised her hands.
"I'm good here. You go, I'll get the next round in."
"Thanks," I hissed to her, bitterly. As I turned and followed my best friend to the centre of the room, I deliberately caught Liam's gaze once again, holding it for a few seconds. I didn't recognise the expression on his face; he looked serious, and brooding. He didn't hide the fact that his eyes roamed my tightly-clad form before returning to meet mine. Summoning every ounce of strength that I had in me, I forced a seductive smile to grace my lips, letting my eyes linger on his for a few seconds longer before drawing them away and laughing loudly at Michelle's drunken attempt at a dance. The glasses of wine had already risen straight to my head – I didn't drink much back home, which had apparently had an effect on my alcohol tolerance.
Trying to pretend that I couldn't feel Liam's eyes boring into me and burning my skin, I slid my arms around Michelle's waist, who in turn threw hers around my neck, grinning wildly.
"I've missed you…" I admitted, my eyes glazing over at the years and distance I'd placed between us, courtesy of my blazing feelings for her older brother. Michelle smiled, leaning forwards and resting her forehead against mine, lovingly.
"I've missed you, too…" she whispered, solemn despite her intoxicated state. Fortunately, our sombre reminiscence was interrupted by the blaring of Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' over the speakers and we both laughed loudly, dancing in time with the music. He was still watching me. I could feel it, even though I didn't dare to look over to him.
I was unaware of time passing as I tried to lose myself in the music, atmosphere and my best friend's company. I was grateful when Leanne brushed past me, leaving another large glass of red wine in my hand before sashaying over to chat to Nick Tilsley in the corner of the room. I guzzled it down eagerly, just wanting to increase the buzzing sensation in my mind and veins. It was helping me to loosen up, and to forget myself and all the crap that was happening. And, almost, forget who was watching.
Goodness knows how long we'd been dancing for. Michelle suddenly gasped in surprise as Steve slid his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. She giggled.
"Does it count as cutting in at this kind of thing?" he asked, his words slurring. I awkwardly took a step back as Michelle spun round to face him, planting an eager, sloppy kiss on his lips. I didn't want to interrupt their love-fest. Lifting my chin, I automatically found myself latching on to his eyes once again, his expression still unreadable. He lifted his bottled beer to his lips before setting it down on the table in front of him and moving across the room, breaking our tantalizing exchange of eye contact. Holding my breath, I watched him mutter to Tyrone Dobbs as the mechanic waved a greeting, before slipping out of the room and to the smoking area outside. I didn't hesitate to think. I was far too drunk for rationality.
"I'm just getting some air…" I murmured to Michelle, though I'm sure she didn't hear me, too busy playing tonsil tennis with her husband. I wove in and out of the various familiar faces and strangers until I stepped onto concrete and I felt the chill of the April air grace my skin.