Finally here is the next chapter. I apologise profusely for the delay, I hope to add to this far more regularly from now on. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing I love hearing what you think about the story. This add is a little short but I hope its ok. Thanks again for reading.

Chapter 14

The sun was beating down on me already even though it was still relatively early, I had spent the last half an hour gazing around the park pondering my situation with Lola, pretty much debating with myself whether or not to try and take the next step with her or to take the safe route and be happy that we are friends and not be greedy and hope for more when it could all go belly up and id be left with nothing. To put it mildly by head was a whirlwind of activity but to the outside world I just looked like I was basking in the early morning sun and taking in the view. I had moved from the bench and I was now lying on the grass mirroring last night's activity but now there were no stars to gaze at, they were but a memory now. Although I kept debating with myself it was becoming clearer and clearer that the only resolution that was going to occur was my continued pursuing of Lola, I couldn't see any possible resolution where I was content just being her friend. I would never be as happy without her as I would be with her. If she went out with other guys my jealous streak would go into to overdrive, most likely making my life a misery and annoying the crap out of her to the point where our friendship would be tested.

Eventually after much deliberation and some odd looks from passers by when I actually began talking to myself and laying out my different options I decided there was no other option but to hope to god that Lola wanted to go out with me as that was definitely what I wanted there was no denying it.

As I sat pondering all the different possible outcomes of my decision, I heard the familiar tinkle of my phone blaring from my jeans pocket. I lazily groped around my pocket until I felt the cold plastic beneath my fingertips. I held the phone in the air so as to block the sun from view and flipped open my phone.

"Hey babe, how was the party? I was so gutted I had to work. Well

Give me a buzz when you get your lazy bum out of bed.

Kisses Grace. Xxxx

I quite literally felt sick to my stomach. The phone dropped from my hand, heavily onto my chest landing with a harsh thud. How on earth could I forget that I was practically going out with someone? OK technically I wasn't going out with her, I had carefully avoided asking her that question because I felt the second I asked her to be my girlfriend; I was giving up on there ever being a chance to be with Lola. Although I had never asked her outright, I knew in my heart that she thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend and I had most likely led her to believe that.

The sense of blissful hopeful euphoria that had encompassed my body only minutes before had been replaced by a sense of dread that was making me feel severely nauseated - the fact that I was hung over was in no way helping the situation.

Grace was a lovely girl and if Lolly wasn't on the scene I would have asked her to be my girlfriend weeks ago, but the reality was that Lola was on the scene and I knew without a doubt that my heart belonged to her, grace had merely been renting it for a while, but making a decision between the two was most definitely not the problem.

I knew how much Lola deplored the idea of cheating; she had lectured the four of us on numerous occasions on the subject. Danny had swore never to cheat again after Lola had given out stink to him for "cheating" on his very first girlfriend by holding another girl's hand when he was twelve. Lola would hate that I had cheated on my sort of girlfriend but she would be far more irate by the fact that I had used her as an accessory to my infidelity. Oh Christ how do I manage to get myself into these messes?

I sent a bunch of birds flying from the nearby trees as I let out a frustrated cry. I lay there on the grass with my eyes shut trying to solve my problems. Nothing seemed to make sense to me, how could I go from blissfully happy, ok a bit confused and worried but very happy all the same to feeling so guilty and frustrated that it was bordering on a physical experience. As I lay there on the grass I felt like a massive weight had been placed on my chest, it was like a big pile of bricks was crushing my lungs. I thought the situation was as bad as it was going to get, then a thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. I had been worried about how Lolly was going to be furious with me I had failed to factor in how hurt she was going to be. The metaphorical bricks that had been laid on my chest before now seemed to have multiplied into enough bricks to build a three story house.

If Lolly liked me even a fraction of the amount that I liked her she would be crushed to hear that I had a girlfriend in the first place, let alone my infidelity. This sounded arrogant and egotistical but I knew that if I had to watch or hear about lolly seeing someone else, the sleeping jealous dragon inside of me, would awaken and roar with all its might. I felt myself resenting grace, I wished I had never met her, why did I speak to her that night why didn't I just do what I usually do and drink myself in oblivion and find some girl whom I wouldn't remember in the morning, but it wasn't her fault she was an innocent party in this whole mess, I was the cause of these problems but the small lame pathetic part of me couldn't help but acknowledge that she was the source no matter how much my brain and heart told me she had done nothing but be good to me.

I closed my eyes in frustration. As I lay there a breeze blew through the park, my nostrils were filled with the sweet smell of fresh grass and flowers. The breeze blew over my face and through my hair, in a way it soothed my aching head. A sense of clarity began to make its way through my mind. At the moment my head was trying to make sense of all the possibilities that could occur because of my actions, but that's all they were, possibilities, I could try and save this situation but I would have to act fast. First I had to deal with the Grace situation, at least then when I spoke to Lola about it, I could tell her that Grace was positively not on the scene any longer, I would work out the finer details later I just knew that was the first thing in a long list that I had to deal with.

I jumped up from my place on the grass and began the walk home. My journey home was a lot quicker than my journey to the park; I had a feeling of frantic urgency about me.

As I crept in the door I could hear people talking in the kitchen but I quickly made my way up the stairs, talking to people would only delay me. I was hoping I wouldn't run into Lola, I wanted to at least have one positive thing to say to her, me not having a girlfriend had to be that one thing it was the only way that those possibilities could stay possibilities for the time being. I ran into the bathroom and jumped in the shower in attempt to wash away my hangover, I needed a clear head.

I was putting on my shoes when I realised that I was going to have to borrow Tom's car grabbed my wallet and a towel in attempt to dry my hair and stumbled down the stairs. I could hear Tom talking in the sitting room so I blindly made my way into the room. As I entered the room I could sense that there were a number of people in the room even though they weren't talking. I didn't want to take the towel of my head and see Lola, not yet, I couldn't see her until I had spoken to Grace. I frantically rubbed my hair and prepared to remove the towel from my head when I heard a voice I never expected to hear. No scenario in my head had predicted this voice being present in my front room. "Hey babes, nice of you join us, I've just been getting to know everyone, where have you been?" Asked grace innocently. I tore the towel from my head, muttered a hello at her and looked around the room. I felt the blood leave my face when my eyes rested on Lola. A pang of jealously quickly hit me in the chest when I saw her clutching onto Danny's hand but that quickly dissipated when our eyes met, the hurt was so evident I felt her stare pierce its way through my body. She broke our gaze and still clutching onto Danny prepared to leave the room. "Well Grace it was lovely to meet you but I'm going to get dressed and head home." said Lola brightly and left the room. As they passed me I could sense Danny's anger emanating from him. I was left there with an expectant looking grace smiling at me, completely unaware the trouble her presence had caused.