No Reservations (A Romantic Comedy)

Chapter 15

2016

I'm lying on a bed. The bed isn't mine. My eyes are wide open and I'm listening to him breathing evenly beside me.

And I'm so very confused. This is definitely not what I expected to happen this weekend.

But let's rewind a little, back to the village pub. Where were we? Oh, that's right, Angus had been making his intentions clear and I was definitely enjoying playing along. Those fingers back on my skin were somehow both electric and yet calming at the same time. It had been a long time since I'd been touched by a guy and God, it felt good. Having a gorgeous guy being attracted to me, clearly wanting me, was quite addictive too. Even if I knew deep-down he would probably want someone else by tomorrow.

I didn't want him to stop . . . but I also really needed the loo, so I excused myself, waiting until Angus had fully shifted his hand out of my top before I moved out of my chair. In the toilets, I took deep breaths, resting my hands on the edge of the sink and slowly raising my head to eyeball my own reflection.

If I do this, I found myself thinking, that's me definitely saying goodbye to any hope of me and Ryan.

Why in the world I was still somehow thinking this, after everything that had happened, I had no idea. Ryan wasn't interested in me, he treated me like I barely existed, and let's not forget I still hadn't forgiven him for prom night '99. And yet . . . There was still a gate inside my brain I couldn't quite bring myself to lock completely, and I wasn't sure why. The faintest of hopes still lingered.

"I'm so fucked," I whispered.

When I left the bathroom, Angus was standing outside, leaning against the opposite wall. "I like Rory," he said. "But I really couldn't listen to any more of his shite without you there to distract me." His smile was pure sex as he walked towards me, and I choked on a breath at the determination in his expression.

Clearly Angus had decided he'd had enough with the anticipation aperitif and wanted to proceed to the next course - kissing the life out of me. His lips slid onto mine as he pushed me back into the wall and I melted into the kiss. This guy knew exactly what he was doing and, for the briefest of moments, I was able to switch off and channel all the frustration I had been feeling into the kiss.

The problem was, however, that I was pouring all this emotion into the wrong man. My heart was flashing red warning signs, my brain was malfunctioning, and my libido was all over the place. This wasn't right.

I couldn't do it.

I extracted myself from Angus' lips and pulled back. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I can't. It's . . . Too much."

I expected him to maybe think I was overreacting - it was just a kiss after all - but he studied my face for a minute and then just nodded. An understanding grin spread across his face.

"I should have realised sooner," he said, almost speaking to himself. I looked at him curiously.

"Realised what?"

He shrugged. "That you're clearly his girl."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked.

"Ryan, of course," Angus replied. Like there was absolutely no doubt in his mind. As if it was completely obvious.

"I'm not . . ." I trailed off, confused. How did he know?

"Your secret is safe with me." Angus leaned over and dropped a warm kiss on my cheek as he wrapped a solid arm around me. "C'mon, let's get another drink and see if it really is possible to die of boredom from Rory's story."