Complications

Chapter 1

 “What?” I grumbled, holding the phone in the gap between my bare shoulder and ear as I rubbed my eyes, desperately trying to wake myself up. One glance at the clock told me that any attempt at this was beyond futile- who the heck calls someone at 5.30 in the morning?

“Rora, I love you!” a terribly excitable voice that I recognised immediately, despite still being groggy and not having control of half of my faculties so early, bellowed down the phone at me.

“And you just had the urge to tell me this now?” I retorted.

There was a little pause and I imagined my best friend sat cross legged in bed, her brow furrowed as she tried to come up with some way of placating me. She of all people knew that I was definitely not a morning person. “I need a really big favour.”

Now wide awake, I scooted up the bed a little to rest my back against the wood, hoping it could bear some of brunt of my tired and achy body. “Spit it out then.”

“IneedyoutodrivetotheairportandpickupJustin.” I heard a shaky breath once her jumble of words had been emitted into the air.

I feigned ignorance in order to wind her up.“Could you repeat that please?”  After all, she had woken me up at an ungodly hour of the morning.

There was a sigh on the other end. “I need you to dri- oh god damn it you heard me Rora. Dylan’s best friend from high school, Justin Bradley, is flying in today to come to the wedding and there’s no one else to pick him up. Please.”

“Why’s he flying in already? The weddings in three weeks. A tad early isn’t it?”

“He’s moving back here at the end of August so he’s looking for a place and going to a few interviews, okay. This is really important to Dylan, and I know you love him and all so there’s no way you’re going to refuse.”

I really did hate that girl sometimes. Why did she always have to bring that up? Yes, I did have a crush on him, but when you’re thirteen and your new best friend’s extremely hot nineteen year old brother comes home for a visit and you’re constantly faced with his naked abs and killer smile, it’s kind of hard not to. And yet you still like him now, four years later.

I tried to brush the thoughts from my mind, instead focusing on the task at hand. He was marrying Freya, his girlfriend of two and half years, in three weeks time and I was set to be a bridesmaid at the wedding, alongside Kym. I loved Freya. I really did. I was really happy for them. Tell that to your face, and your heart, the annoyingly truthful voice in my head interjected.

“When and where do I have to pick this Justin guy up?” I quickly asked, desperately trying to get my brain out of the gutter it seemed to be constantly in when I thought about Kym’s brother.

“Yayy, I knew you’d do it! So his flight lands at four o’clock at Heathrow. Thank you so much for this, mum and dad are at work, Dyl and Freya have gone with their friends on some couples weekend and I’m left to go to a cake tasting.”

She was left to go to a cake tasting? She made that sound like such a bad thing. “I hope you get fat on the strawberry mousse cake.”

“If I do, Marie will have a fit about my dress and will stick pins in me again- you wouldn’t want to subject me to that!”

“After waking me up at 5.30 a.m. to cajole me by using my teenage crush on your brother into driving for three hours to pick up some guy I don’t even know, I would gladly stick pins in you myself. I think I’ll stop by Marie’s on my way back to grab a pot from her.”

“You love me really,” she replied, and I could almost hear the grin that was bound to be plastered on her face.

“Steal a large piece of chocolate fudge cake for me and I’ll think about it. I need sleep now, unless you want me bleary eyed when in charge of a car and your brother’s friend later.”