Chapter 76

I won’t let either of them see me upset. I dig my heels in, bite down the hurt and drag on that perfect mask of indifference. He wanders the last few feet to greet the opening doors, and I stiffen inside. I try to relax, try to make this look as natural as I can sitting here with my food. I channel hop to find something to watch, without any sort of attention or focus on the screen, laying my water on the table and pull over a cushion for my lap to cradle my plate.

I hear Natasha’s voice in the foyer with his, greeting him, and mumbling small talk. I refuse to look their way, even though my heart is hammering in my chest and just focus on the music at the start of the movie I randomly clicked on. I don’t want to see them embrace, kiss or whatever; he must be gone in the head to think this is anything but abnormal.

“Hi, Sophie. You look nice today.” Natasha’s silky sweet putrid voice sets my teeth on edge and I turn her way with a fake smile and catch Arrick giving me eye signals and frowns over her head as he stands behind her. I have to kill the urge to glare at him.

“Thanks, you too!” I try for sincere and just sound bored; seeing him give me another scalding frown and dismiss it.

Fuck off, Arrick.

“I hope you don’t mind me showing up like this while you two are obviously eating. I just needed some of my things, and I hoped to have a little time with Arrick.” She still seems to be talking at me, despite me pretending I am engrossed in the TV while stuffing Chow Mein in my mouth in a half-hearted way, not caring anymore if I’m hungry. It has all turned to cardboard in my mouth anyway. My insides are doing some sort of ‘cha cha’ and my temper has set up camp on my heart.

Arrick takes her jacket and bag and lays it over the nearby armchair while he avoids looking at me, so I get the impression she is staying.

Not that this is awkward in any way of course. Why would he think it would be? Clearly missed the whole love triangle thing he has going on.

“Nothing to do with me.” I lift an eyebrow her way with another fake smile and continue trying to will her to get the hell away from me. She’s watching me and I notice the weird expression she seems to have on her face; all strangely doe-eyed and blinky and smiling at me with a painfully shy vibe. I look at her questioningly with raised brows, annoyance hitting me in the gut.

“Sorry, I know I’m staring.” She giggles nervously and blushes “It’s just, I love your new look. It’s so very sophisticated, and your makeup is gorgeous. Maybe you could give me some tips with mine before I leave. You look so pulled together.” I almost blanch at her, screwing up my face, but she’s already looking towards the kitchen behind me for no apparent reason. I glance down at my fitted dress, another Louis Vuitton I picked up with Camilla, tailored knee-length shift dress. Dark purple and sleeveless and a little bit modest if I’m being honest. My hair still being dark means I have stuck with this style and the makeup.

“Drink?” Arrick cuts in and it’s only now I realize he’s in the kitchen; he must have hightailed it and is holding up wine, hence why she’s been staring adoringly that way. Arrick rarely drinks the stuff, and only keeps it for social visits. I guess he suddenly feels he needs one right now, and Natasha looks equally surprised at his suggestion, I am too. It’s not like him to hit the booze when his life is crumbling before his eyes.

Oh, wait … that’s probably because his life has never unraveled at his feet like mine has, because he is in far too much calm control to let that happen, right?

At least she’s no longer trying to become my soul sister and asking me for fashion tips.

For the love of God.

“Umm, sure.” She giggles nervously, and it’s only now I see she’s more dressed up than normal and definitely wearing heavier makeup. A peek at her shoes tells me she didn’t just pop by on the off chance to see him and is wearing something high and sexy that even I would approve of. She planned on coming here, dolled up and doe-eyed, to try and talk him into taking her back.

My nerves fray, temper on edge and scan her over one more time, disapprovingly. Her dress is more fitted than what she normally goes for, less flower and plainer, like something I would wear. A belt, finally, to cinch that tiny waist of hers and her makeup is smoky-eyed, only applied lightly, with a serious amount of plumping lipstick in rose. Definitely hustling for sex or a reunion, and I want to use my chopstick to poke her in the face.

“Maybe we should take it through to the study, just us.” He focuses on her pointedly, a serious tone to his voice, but for some crazy reason, Natasha seems to have gravitated towards me even more. She seems to have some sort of girl hard-on and is practically dry humping the couch beside me. It’s starting to freak me the fuck out, and a glance his way shows only a normal looking, if slightly hyper Arrick popping open the bottle.

This is too weird for me.

“I thought we could all, you know the three of us, sit for a while. I know we don’t really get on that well, Sophie, and I figured maybe it’s time we tried.” She gives me more bunny eyes and I narrow mine suspiciously, wondering what the hell her game is.

Natasha has always tried to be besties with me; it’s like a never-ending sad, pathetic act she pulls in an attempt to get on Arry’s good side, but never to the extent of tonight. The urge to respond with ‘Why?’

is slapped down with Arrick hopping over the back of the couch beside me, so he lands close enough to sit on me and scares the absolute shit out of me. He throws me a warning look and plonks the wine and glasses he is carrying on the table, almost sloshing it everywhere.

“Plenty of food, maybe we should pick another movie though, right? Eat and then take it elsewhere?”

He seems to be having some sort of mental break, eyeing me oddly, some hidden message that I totally miss. Actually, it feels like I’m in the twilight zone, and stuck between two people acting like complete freaks. If this is some sort of coercion into a threesome lifestyle then I will literally kick him in the balls.

Because of where Arrick has flown and landed, Natasha has no choice but to sit on the other side of me, so I am literally sandwiched between them with no say in how this is turning out whatsoever.

Awkward is an understatement, and if Arrick is trying to act like everything is innocent and above board right now, with me being here, then he’s literally painting a huge red arrow above his head that says ‘GUILTY’ in neon letters.

Natasha seems disappointed that he’s sat so far away and preens and poses herself on the end of the sofa like some sad romance heroine. Arrick though, seems intent on fitting as much booze in the three glasses as he can physically pour, without spilling over, and I carefully slide my plate of food onto the coffee table and get ready to run from this bizarre scenario.

It’s only then I realize the loud moaning and groaning noises coming from the TV are people having loud and incredibly detailed sex. The movie I have hit upon seems to be some cheesy porn type flick, which has hit the ground running with an orgy of like six people. I literally freeze and stare straight at the screen in open-mouthed mortification and suddenly cannot find the remote at all. Faced with a close, up and personal view of some lady’s orifice being licked clean by some butt ugly guy’ shame and embarrassment stain my face in complete mortification.

I wriggle around, finally getting his little hint that I should switch the channel, looking desperately for and the remote control which has slid between the cushions when he landed on the seat. Arrick and I both go for it at the same time and our faces collide as I panic. Our noses hit, our foreheads bump too, and there’s an awkward moment as I catch him looking at my mouth like he’s thinking about kissing me. So many messages translating between us now that we’re almost sitting on top of each other while scrambling for the remote, his face an inch from mine to a chorus of heavy banging and orgasm moans.

What the fuck? Dude?