Not The Betting Type ~ Harry Lewis

Chapter Twenty One

~Harry~

It was 4.27am and here I was again, stood outside her door.

At first she had annoyed me, all stuck up and judgemental, but as I'd gotten to know her better I'd realised there was a much softer side to her, a side she showed most other people straight away I was learning.

Like Sam. She'd practically melted in his hands as soon as she sat down with him at that table tonight.

I knocked on the door and quickly ran a hand through my hair, messing with it a bit, a nervous habit of mine.

I hadn't seen Jess for hours and I told myself that I was just here to make sure she got home safe.

Yeah at 4.27am that's what I was doing here...

After Cal had once again interrupted us earlier I was fuming and could have gone out there and hit him for it.

But I really couldn't blame him for it and at the time I had reminded myself that the smartest thing for everyone would be to focus on the bet.

Which is why I shouldn't be here knocking on this door right now.

I heard the door being unlocked and I could almost picture her face now; tired eyes, with her adorable messy hair thrown up and a shy smile that always crept onto her face when she saw me.

Except this wasn't the sight I saw at all.

Instead the door opened and I was face to face with Sam.

Sam who wasn't wearing a fucking shirt and was answering her door for her.

"Oh hey, it was Harry right? What's up man it's really late?" He asked as he wiped the sleep from his eyes and it took everything in me not to throw him out of the flat.

"I was uh, just making sure Jess got back okay." I said and I could hear how pathetic I sounded.

Sam's facial expressions told me that he also thought I was pathetic and he puffed his chest out a bit more as he said the next sentence.

"Yeah we got back a few hours ago. She's ahhhh, she's great." He said smugly and the motherfucker had the nerve to wink at me as he said it.

I gritted my teeth and gave him a half-arsed fake smile before turning around and walking back to my flat.

Cheeky twat.

And things just got from bad to worse as I opened the door to my own place and Cal was still up.

"Where the hell have you been lad? Do I have to add another poor girl to the list?" He asked me as he poured himself a cup of tea, a classic Callum habit after a night out.

"Did you know that tosser Sam is with Jess right now?" I asked before I could stop myself, letting the anger take over my thoughts.

"The one from the club? Class. How d'ya know that?" Cal asked me and I quickly realised I'd shot myself in the foot.

"I uh, well, you know I, well I just, I-I-I went to see that she got home alright." I said trying to explain myself and knowing Cal was about to see through it, my stutter getting the best of me.

"Harry we put the second rule in place for a reason." He said as gave me a disappointed look.

"I know that, bloody hell, I told you I didn't need that rule in the first place. She just normally comes back with us on a night out." I said as I sank down onto the couch next to him.

"So you weren't trying to hook up with Jess? Because you know that's an instant loss for you and you owe me 50 bags if you do." Cal said, reminding me of our side deal once more.

"I know, I know." I said as I shook my head in disbelief.

Cal had pulled a fast one on me without realising it at the start of this whole bet by telling me I wasn't allowed to hook up with Jess.

He'd said it was to protect her because he didn't want to see her feelings get hurt and I'd told him she was a grown woman and was old enough to make her own decisions.

To which Cal had told me that he would call the whole thing off and of course my ego got the better of me.

"Mate I can control myself!" I'd said to him and I remember him raising his eyebrows in response in his typical judging way.

"Fuck it, 50 bags says I won't hook up with her... happy?" I offered fully believing myself at the time.

"Deal." He'd said and we shook on it.

I felt guilty just replaying it back in my head.

Cal could never find out what had already happened and I had to find a way to ensure it wouldn't happen again.

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