ZACH
Fire surged through my veins and a bitter sweet ache rippled through the muscles in my arms as I hauled myself up to the cold metal bar until it was level with my chin. After a few more reps, I found myself desperately gulping breaths of air to fill the tightness in my lungs as the grip of my fingers became loose and I dropped to the floor.
A hand with a sun-kissed tan reached out in front of me.
"Towel?"
Noah smiled but it did not quite reach his eyes; I was ashamed of myself but it was a different seeing the disapproval reflected in the eyes of a friend. I had well and truly fucked up this time.
"Thanks," I muttered as I grabbed the towel and swept away the sweat from my brow, "Thought you'd have gone back up to Jane and the little one by now."
He sighed. "This problem isn't just going to go away. Either I stay and help drag you out of this mess with the Burbanks or I watch you go down and everything we've got will go with it."
Unfortunately for my ego, Noah was right. Whether he stayed or not, my mother would not relent until I agreed to the pending engagement. "I need a plan."
"Is cutting Lou out of your life again part of your plan?"
His words stung and I gritted my teeth. "I'm giving her space."
"You left her for four years, Zach." His brows lowered into a frown. "Four. Fucking. Years. I think that is more than enough space."
"I didn't have a choice!"
"You do now," Noah said as he sat down on a nearby lat pulldown machine, "She thinks you didn't wait. More importantly, she thinks she waited for nothing. Are you really that full of yourself to think she's going to wait again when you're giving her the silent treatment while you figure this out?"
I had no answer. Instead, I scooped up my water bottle from the floor and guzzled a mouthful of the cold liquid down my throat.
"What about that Lachlan," Noah continued and hearing the name from his mouth made my heart lunge forward in my chest, "He looks like he really likes her. Maybe she'll take him up on his offer. Maybe they'll be happy together. Who knows?"
He was trying to goad me - it was not going to work. I let out a scoff. "The Scot? Yeah right." I detested the way I sounded - like a poor attempt to convince myself as well as my prying friend.
"Whatever you say." He shrugged. "Look, Lou loves you - it's obvious. But if you keep pushing her away and putting your wall up it is never going to work and someone is going to be there when you aren't. You need to explain yourself. Tell her you're going to work out a way around the Burbanks, tell her you're not going to up and leave when shit gets difficult, tell her about the drinking..."
My blood ran cold and stood still like thick ice in my veins. "Don't."
"You need to tell her, Zach. Or whatever this is that you have with each other, it's going to break. Whether Karen is fucking around with you and the Burbanks or not."
"I will," I said with a sigh, "It's not the right time, not with everything going on."
"There never is a right time," Noah said and he pushed himself back to his feet from the machine, "You're right, though. We need to get this engagement cancelled. We have to get Karen off your back. You know, I hear Gabriella isn't too keen on this engagement either."
A small glow of hope sparked in the crevice of my chest. "You think we can get Little Miss Burbank to fuck this whole thing over from the inside?"
"We both know she's not the type for settling down, even for the infamous Zach Caldwell. She is pretty much the ultimate conquest in New York with her brains, beauty and a confidence that has shattered the pride of countless men in the city."
"Did she shatter your pride? You sound in love." I raised a brow.
Noah shuffled his feet and let out a forced laugh. "Of course not."
"Right. So genius, how am I supposed to get her on my side with this?" I asked. "Considering she's in New York and we're here."
It was silent for a moment before Noah's mouth morphed into a cunning grin. He looked like the cat who got the cream.
"Engagement party," he said.
"What about it?"
"We bring the big fish to the little pond. Have it here. In England. Your mother has to play ball in front of the big boys and there's no way she can pull any of her psycho power play tricks in that environment."
"What am I going to tell Lou?"
"Tell her? You aren't going to tell her anything. She's going to be there."
LOU
Lachlan helped me into my flat after my breakdown - it was as if I had had a huge bucket of ice thrown over me, the realisation of Zach's engagement chilling me to the bone. I sat on my sofa, my eyes pinned to the floor.
A cup of hot tea was placed gently into my hands.
"Here," Lachlan said, his tone low and soft, "Have a drink."
"Thanks." I sniffled and took a sip. "So..."
"So...? Lachlan, you've made me a perfect cup of tea, you can leave now my loyal servant?" Lachlan laughed.
"That's not what I was going to say."
His sage green eyes peered at me. "What were you going to say?"
I smiled. "Just... thank you. Thank you for being here."
"Any time, Lockie."
He stayed for as long as it took me to drink my tea before leaving, allowing me have the rest of the night to myself. I sunk my body into the soft surface of my mattress, the tense muscles in my back relaxing with a sweet ache as I found myself checking my phone one more time before I fell asleep: still no notifications.
This time, I hesitated for a moment before my thumbs tapped the screen and I text three words.
'Where are you?'
The air was thick and my pulse thumped in my ears as I waited for a reply, my eyes glued to the screen. Five, ten, then twenty minutes passed before I could not keep myself awake any longer staring at the forlorn text. My eyelids closed and I saw those gorgeous dark eyes staring back at me in my dreams.
The next morning swung into my life like a brick to the face and I groaned into my pillow as the light pierced the room through the slits of my blinds. My alarm screeched beside me, the harsh sound thrumming painfully against my ear drums.
Mondays had never been my forte but I had reached another level of disdain for the dreaded day ahead.
My daily routine seemed to breeze by in a blur, my concentration never truly in action throughout my lectures and I found myself unable to contribute to any form of social situation or conversation.
Lachlan suggested we go out as a group to the new ice cream parlour which had opened down the road from The Pegasus to try it out. Imogen and Oscar were excited by the idea, faces beaming and hands glued together in a subtle yet constant show of affection. It made my heart clench and even though I was happy for them, it reminded me of the empty feeling I was harbouring in my chest.
Another hour passed and I checked my phone during my lunch. Still no text. Not even an acknowledgment. Had he blocked my number? My gut twisted at the thought.
The day came to it's end and all of the students rushed out of the university campus in a rippling wave of chatter and laughter. Lachlan strolled beside me as Imogen and Oscar walked ahead, his green eyes constantly reflecting sympathy and pity, even when he was trying to cheer me up with his jokes and bravado.
"So, which flavour do you want to try first? I hear their coffee and cream is supposed to be gorgeous. I'll buy you a cone, Lockie, my treat," he said with an enthusiasm that I knew he was pushing for my benefit.
"Yeah that sounds lovely, you don't have to pay. Thank you for the offer though." I smiled. I knew it did not reach my eyes.
My face suddenly collided with a plush yet firm surface that let out a small squeak and it took me a moment to realise I had bumped into Imogen's back, the softness I had felt on my cheek being the material of her pale green knitted jumper - only Imogen would be found wearing a thick jumper in summer in our friend group, she was always cold, regardless of the season.
"Sorry, Gen," I said, "I wasn't paying attention."
"It's fine." She spun on her heel, her eyes wide. "But, um... "
It was at that moment I saw why she had suddenly stood as still as a statue.
"What the fuck?" I heard Lachlan mutter behind me.
Dressed in a crisp white t-shirt that struggled to confine the mass plane of muscles underneath the fabric, his long toned legs were clad in knee length shorts and his black rimmed sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose. With one hand in his pocket and his back pressed against the brick wall surrounding the university as he ran his fingers through the side of his dark hair, ruffling it up a little but it still kept its effortless style. He rubbed his palm along the side of his face and smoothed it across his five o'clock shadow as he waited.
A few girls whispered amongst themselves as they walked past me.
I could not see his eyes through the tinted lenses but I knew he saw me. I could feel his eyes lock on to mine and the form of his jaw seemed to tense and his plump lips pushed together in a thin line.
The rush of my own blood pumped in my ears as I found myself stepping further toward him. My hands were coated with a thin layer of sweat and I slid them over the denim surface of my jeans nervously. I avoided eye contact as I made my way forwards and only looked back up when I was right in front of him.
Zach opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to it. "Why are you here?"
A quick, short question to the point. I almost patted myself on the back at how confident I had made myself sound.
"We need to talk," he said, the deep familiar tone of his voice making my heart purr but I shoved my feelings back.
"You ignored me and you left me. Again." I hated how the strength in my voice cracked when I spoke.
"I needed time to sort this out."
"You've had four years, Zach. How much more time do you need?"
The silence around us was deafening and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. I saw him glance at the sea of people surrounding us. "Can we talk, in private?"
"I think Lockie has made her opinion quite clear don't you think?" Lachlan said as he appeared beside me.
"Lou," Zach said - with resounding emphasis on my old nickname, "-hasn't answered yet. All I want to do is talk. Please. Give me a chance to explain myself."
"What is there to explain?" I said, bitterness coating every one of my words, "You're engaged to someone else. What role can I possibly play in your life now? Housekeeper?"
"It is not something I agreed to," he said, his dark eyes staring into mine, "I have a plan, if you'd just listen to me-"
"Shall I whip out my blackboard and chalk? Are we brainstorming now?" Lachlan laughed.
"Lachlan." I said, a gentle warning. I did not want him in the cross fire.
"Listen to her, Scot." Zach fixed his glare to my friend, who stared right back with equal intensity.
The mutual tension was bubbling up in the air and I could hear the murmurs of our audience rising with passive remarks.
"Fine, let's talk," I said and looked toward my friends, "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"
Zach broke his stand off with Lachlan, removing his sunglasses and hooking them over the neck of his shirt. He seemed surprised I had agreed. I zeroed in on the familiar car parked against the kerb, striding towards it without a second glance. I knew he had followed me and I could smell the addictive scent of his cologne blowing over me in the breeze. I popped the car door open and slipped into the seat.
We drove to the closest cafe. I made it clear I wanted to be on neutral ground. I settled into the wooden chair, my spine resting in slight discomfort against the hard backrest but it was bearable as I leaned forward to sip my coffee.
His eyes followed my every movement and I tried to play it cool, even though we both knew the atmosphere was sizzling with a mixture of anger, lust and longing in one painfully toxic concoction.
"So," he said.
"So?" My gaze searched his for unspoken answers.
"I am sorry," he said, reaching over the table and encapsulating my hand with the large warmth of his own. "I am sorry I have turned up, four years later, to derail your life and expect you to come running back to me. The engagement is a pathetic clause in a contract my mother has fixed up. A hollow promise that I have no intention to keep. I should have told you but I didn't want to lose you."
"Why did you ignore me?" I asked, my chest growing tight and my lungs struggling to remember to breathe.
"I was forming a plan."
"Do you have one?"
"You finish your semester in a few weeks, don't you?" he asked.
"Yes... but what does that have to do with this?"
"I need you to do me a favour."
"A favour?"
His thumbs drew circles across the skin on the back of my hands.
"I need you to work for Gabriella Burbank. My fiancée."