Life & Love of the Tormented

Chapter Forty One

  "Amelia?... Babe?... Hey...", I can feel him nudging me slightly, trying to wake me.

"Carter?", I ask as I try to open my eyes.

I hear him clear his throat and as my eyes begin to focus I realise it isn't him.

My heart sinks.

"No... It's me, Colton".

"Oh", I say sitting up on the couch. "Sorry", I let out an awkward laugh.

"It's fine dude", Colton says sympathetically.

   "What time is it?", I ask rubbing my eyes.

  "It's 4:30pm... I want to have dinner with you and Taya before I fly out", he says, "Taya's keen for whatever but I wanted to know what you'd like? Or if you'd like to go out or?".

I don't exactly feel like going out but it might be a good distraction and Colton leaves tonight so we should make our last dinner a nice one.

"Let's go out", I say quietly.

"Really?", Colton asks.

"Yeah, I mean you leave town tonight until god knows when so we should go out", I plaster my best fake smile on and watch as Colton gets excited and immediately starts to google where we could go.

He loves going out to eat.

"Should we invite your sister and the kids?", I ask sniggering and breaking him out of his excited state of scrolling for dinner venue choices.

"Ahhh no... I spent yesterday with them so tonight it's just us three. The original crew, the three musketeers", Colton laughs at the stupid nickname he's given us and I join in too.

"I'm going to go for a shower, you pick where we're going, I'm cool with wherever and you want to let Taya know?", I say to Colton as I get up from the couch.

"Yeah cool", he says without moving his eyes from his phone.

I wander into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me and make my way to the ensuite. I turn on the shower, strip off and step under the hot water. I let it cascade over me. Down my body. Burning slightly as it makes it's way from my head to my feet. Tears prick the back of my eyes as reality sets in.

The pain from hurting Carter and breaking up with him and telling him that I don't love him and everything else in between comes crashing into me. I catch my breath and fall to my knees. I let the wave of hurt begin to drown me, fuck knows I deserve it.

My sobs begin to slow after a while and the shower has started to run cold when there's a knock at the door.

"Yeah?", I call out, my voice is hoarse from crying.

"You getting out soon?", Colton calls from outside my ensuite door.

  "Oh, ah, yep, I'm getting out now. When's dinner?", I call back.

"6:30pm... So in an hour or so", he yells back to me.

I shut off the water and step out of the shower wrapping my body with a huge towel. I'm suddenly exhausted again, I really can't be fucked going out but I have to...

Once I've dried myself, I straighten my hair and apply a full face of makeup. I focus on covering up the large dark circles that have made themselves at home under my eyes. I move on to blending out a dark black grey, smoked out cat eye and apply a dark purple matte lip stick to finish.

When I'm ready  and mildly happy with my appearance I walk into my bedroom to get dressed. I choose black ripped skinny jeans, a white lace crop tank top and my black pleather jacket. I add my double buckle belt, layered chain necklaces and my lace up platform doc marten boots.

"Amelia! Are you almost ready!?", Taya calls for me from the kitchen.

"Yeah! Coming!", I yell back as I open my bedroom door.

"Woot woo!", Colton cat calls as I enter the kitchen.

I roll my eyes dramatically.

  "Fuck off!", I say, swatting at him.

"Nah you look great Meels!", Taya says excitedly.

"Says you!", I respond, "You always look good!".

Taya is wearing a long chiffon sleeve black mini dress that has a cut out detail at the front and a pair of strappy heels. Her blonde hair is curled perfectly, framing her face. She's wearing black mascara and a nude lip. Her long earrings and single chain necklace tie it all together and you can't even tell that she worked today.

Bitch.

"It's not too short?", Taya asks gesturing to her dress.

Colton shakes his head no but you can tell he has no idea what he's talking about.

"No it's great! You might need a jacket for after though", I say shrugging.

———

  When we enter the pub we're taken by a waiter, seated in the outdoor dining area and handed a menu each. There's fairy lights strung above the garden that surrounds us, from the branches of trees. It's beautiful and kind of romantic.

I fucking hate it.

When the waiter arrives back at our table a few minutes later, to fill our water glasses, he asks to take our drink order. Colton and Taya place theirs and I look up momentarily from the menu to order a Jack Daniels and coke in a short glass and a shot of tequila for each other of us.

I guess if I'm out, I'm drinking.

"Hey, settle down, it's just dinner. I have to arrive on site tonight and Taya has work tomorrow", Colton says after the waiter has walked away.

"Well I'll have all three then", I say shrugging.

"After all I am celebrating... You'll finally be out of our hair again!", I say laughing.

  "Fuck you're a bitch", he says laughing with me and Taya joins in to.

The waiter comes back to the table with our drinks and places them down. I don't hesitate to throw back my shot. I offer the other two to Taya and Colton but they both decline, so I throw them back to. We order our food and I ask for another Jacks and coke.

  "Don't you have Uni tomorrow?", Colton asks as the waiter walks away.

Before I can answer Taya cuts him off and changes the subject, throwing me a knowing look in the process. I internally thank her and make a mental note to actually thank her when we get home.

"Excuse me a minute", I say getting up from my seat "Toilet", I say awkwardly and make my way toward the bathroom.

I know for certain, as soon as I left that table Taya and Colton would be discussing me and my declining mental state. I roll my eyes as I wash my hands, pleading to myself that I don't arrive back at the table to a lecture or an intervention.

Ehh. I can not be fucked with that.

As I leave the bathroom and head toward my friends I'm bumped into.

What the actual fuck!?

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry", a familiar voice says as I turn around to get a look at the clumsy fuck who knocked me.

It's Matt.

The bassist from Blood Winter.

"Matt!?".