angel. h.s ✔️

twenty one.

"From one of my friends."

I almost wanted to ask which friend but I decided against it as I chewed my lettuce. I had to admit they did a bloody good Caesar salad here.

"They said they saw you on Saturday night at Republic."

I looked up immediately and tried to control my breathing which had taken an erratic turn and I watched as Tommy just carried on cutting his spit roasted pork.

"But I said no, it couldn't have been May. My May doesn't do things like that, she doesn't like going out without me. Especially not to a place crawling with snakes."

Tommy glanced at me and I gave him a shaky smile hoping it came across better than it felt. I didn't know whether to confess or lie, I wasn't sure if he'd even believe me if I lied.

I wondered who it was that saw me, obviously Harry, Niall and Louis had been there but I didn't think, no, I knew it wouldn't have been Harry. I thought it wouldn't be Louis, but I wasn't certain and I felt the same about Niall.

A part of me hoped they wouldn't have told Tommy, but neither of them had confessed their dislike for him outright like Harry had. Although, could I trust Harry? Considering meeting his sister was some ploy to get me to leave Tommy, maybe that was his second phase.

I wanted to trust Harry, I had from the moment I'd met him but now I just didn't know and I definitely didn't know when I'd become this girl who didn't even know her own mind and just let people pull her in every direction.

Although deep down I did know when it had happened. Right around five years ago.

"I was there." I decided to tell Tommy the truth, watching as his eyes narrowed at me and I was for once, glad that he was blatant. It was much easier to read and prepare accordingly for the outcome.

"Tessa and Kate wanted to go there and they asked me and Rhiannon to go as well."

"Who the fuck are they?" Tommy snapped and I swallowed as I put my knife down, keeping a tight hold of my fork; I didn't want other diners to see that anything was wrong.

"The girls I work with," I told him quietly. He'd known Tessa and Kate since they'd both started at the café, he was just ignorant.

"Rhiannon's new, one of our holiday hires. They wanted to go and I said no at first because you're right, I don't do that. But they kept on about it so eventually I agreed, mainly just so I could an eye on Rhiannon because she's young and Tessa can be a bit wild sometimes."

"Aren't you such a good friend?" Tommy sneered and I swallowed thickly as I kept the smile plastered on my face, I hoped that was going to be the end of it. But it was just my luck that it wasn't, I should have known Tommy wouldn't drop it.

"But you know what the funniest part was?" He asked and I just raised my eyebrows not bothering to engage, I knew what the outcome of this was going to be. I knew there'd be bruises by tomorrow.

I should have never gone out. I knew I'd been doing something wrong and I still went ahead and did it. I really was a moron.

"They said you left with none other than Harry Styles."

Zayn. It had to have been Zayn.

I should have known, I didn't even see him but then again I had been drunk, very drunk. And although I had now remembered most of what had happened, my encounter with Harry was still hazy, I didn't remember seeing Zayn at all.

"I didn't."

Lying was my only way out, I knew whatever Tommy had in store for me would be bad but it would be even worse if he found out the truth of how I got home. Fear bubbled in my stomach as I watched Tommy roll his eyes.

Fear drenched me as I considered how Gemma Styles had gotten her scars, he wouldn't. Tommy wouldn't do that, it would be too hard to explain away for a start.

"You wouldn't lie to me would you May?" He asked and I shook my head immediately.

"I would never lie to you, the last time I even saw him was that party before last when I was wandering around looking for you." I avoided Harry's name and twisted the truth.

He didn't need to know I had Harry's phone number, or that he'd been inside my house, let alone my bedroom. He didn't need to know I liked Harry more as a person than I did him right now.

"It hurts you know? It hurts me that you went out without me and didn't even tell me about it." I swallowed, "I get that you didn't invite me sweet cheeks, it was a girls night out," He mocked, "But I would have loved to have heard about it. I love you May and you hurt me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd care. You don't really like the girls from the café."

I never used to be a liar, I hated people who lied when I was at school but now I was a liar. I lied to Harry and to Gemma and my Mother and my friends and I lied to Tommy all the time.

But I was a good liar now, it almost came naturally.

"Of course I'd care! Its hurt that you'd even think that." Tommy huffed and I stayed quiet as I glanced around the café, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting and something felt wrong inside.

Maybe he was luring me into a false sense of security, just like I thought Harry was trying to do at the last party.

"That's why you're going to fuck Luke Jones and fuck him good." Tommy said and I froze, there it was. "I'm going to get my share of the power and he's going to get you for the night."

"Why?" I asked stupidly.

"Because you hurt me." Tommy said it simply. "You owe me."

I swallowed as I quickly tried to think of a way out of it but struggled to come up with anything, I still wasn't sure if he believed my lie about Harry but that wasn't my most pressing concern right now.

"You want me to have sex with another man?" I tried, Tommy had never ever shown any kind of care or jealousy about other men around me but that was because I wasn't anything special so it was understandable.

But surely, he didn't want me to sleep with someone else?

"It doesn't matter what I want May," Tommy told me as he finished his food. "But if you must know, I want the power. I just told you that."

That approach didn't work.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head sweet cheeks and I really wouldn't waste all that energy on it, this is happening and you really aren't smart enough to think of a way to stop it." I bit my lip as I listened to him.

"When?" I finally asked, I needed to work something out but Tommy was right I wasn't smart enough.

"Saturday night. I'm dropping you off at his place." Tommy said and I kept my eyes focused on my half empty plate. The sound of Tommy snapping his fingers made me flinch but I didn't look up and thankfully I couldn't feel his eyes on me.

"Check!"

yikes.