: ̗̀➛ part one of the
one for the road series
THE LONG GAME / GR63
Talia Agu's life was finally back on track after a couple of hectic years where she moved across the world, dealt with fake friends and a toxic rela...
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THE LONG GAME chapter one — TALIA —
My teddy coat was soaked through, and my boots made that awkward somp sound as soon as they made contact with the hardwood floor of my best friend's apartment. Damn London and its lousy weather. Who would have expected a snowstorm at the beginning of December?
"I wouldn't have let you come by bike if I knew it was going to snow this bad!" Layla, my best friend, said as she helped me peel off my coat. In her other hand, she was holding a dark purple hoodie and a towel. "You should've just taken the subway."
"Yeah, I guess I should have," I laughed, balancing on one foot to zip off my boots and stowing them away near the radiator so they could hopefully dry a little before the end of the night. "Thank you," I said as I grabbed the towel and dried off as much as I could off my hair and trousers.
Layla shrugged with a smile, her cheeks flushed a soft pink and her eyes slightly hazy. She'd definitely already had quite a lot to drink tonight. The party behind her was continuing on uninterrupted, purple light filtering in through the gaps in the door. It was her birthday today, and I felt a pang of guilt for pulling her away from the party for so long.
Once I was dry enough, I pulled her hoodie over my emerald green sweater dress. I probably looked like an idiot, but at this point I was happy to be wearing something that was warm, and most importantly, dry.
Layla led the way into her apartment, pausing only to hang the towel to dry in the bathroom on the right. The buzz of people was drowned out by music echoing from wall to wall, the hallway opening up to a large, open living space. On the left was a simple but contemporary white kitchen with a dining table slid against the window, where quite a lot of people were playing beer pong and chatting loudly.
On the right was a cosy French-blue L-formed couch, where Hayden, Layla's girlfriend, was chatting to a guy with messy hair, which was such a dark shade of brown it seemed almost black. He was dressed much too fancy for a simple birthday party, in a white button down and navy trousers that looked like they cost more than two months worth of rent.
"Hayden!" Layla shrieked as she practically dove onto the blonde, wrapping her arms around her waist and snuggling her face into her neck. I laughed at the sight, watching as Hayden patted Layla's back and then greeted me with a smile.
"The snow got ya, didn't it?" She asked, with sympathy in her light blue eyes.
I nodded, plopping myself down on the loveseat adjacent to the couch. "Whole damn flurry attacked me around the corner."
"That explains the terrible hoodie," The guy grumbled from his seat next to Hayden, a gruff laugh following his statement.
Layla sat up straight on Hayden's lap, pouting like a little kid. I just knew that her hangover would be excruciating in the morning. She only got like this after one too many tequila shots. "George! That's my favourite hoodie!"
