Drawing Blood

Chapter Twelve

When I left the house the next morning, my stomach was in knots. I had done my best to try and motivate myself, gearing up to spending the day in a busy mall, but I still wasn't feeling it. Reasoning it would all be over soon enough, I had made a promise to myself to be antisocial the moment I returned.

I tied Will's scarf around my throat for good measure, and climbed into my car. The threat of snow was still in the air, and as long as it didn't arrive whilst I was out, everything would be fine. I set off on the long journey to Annie's apartment, almost reluctantly. And after coaxing my car into life, I wondered if Will had remembered to put the snow chains in the trunk. If he hadn't, I didn't know what I was going to do.

Unable to help it, I began replaying what she had said to me on the phone. I was torn between feeling happy, and mad that she had spilled her secret in the first place. She had been correct, of course; I was usually blind to people who fancied me. But to tell me Adam still had a soft spot for me, after all these years, had really rocked the boat. He had been my crush since I was fifteen years old, but he had never reciprocated. He had always held back, preferring to remain at a distance. He was protective, but in a silent way. He always seemed keen on Becca, the girl who lived opposite them.

Or had I been wrong?

To add to my misery, I was beginning to develop feelings for him again. It wasn't like he was encouraging it; I was doing that all on my own. He had sent me no messages, and he had made no other attempts to contact me since our last meeting. And, to make matters worse, I had wanted him to do both. On the rare occasion I had ventured bravely into town, I had found myself wandering the streets like a lost puppy, hoping to run into him. Then, hating myself when it didn't happen. Logically, we would never be able to stop and hold a conversation, otherwise tongues would start to wag. But emotionally, I was bereft and disliked not being allowed anywhere near him.

I was at my destination before I knew it, and I arrived just as Annie was exiting through the glass doors of her apartment building. Cutting the engine dead, I waited for her to notice me. She caught my eye, not because she was chatting animatedly on her mobile phone, but because she was once again wearing her familiar red duffle coat; teamed today with a white bobble hat. She reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood as she came bounding across the car park; her bag swinging on the crook of her arm. She looked pretty, as always. Her emerald eyes were shining with colour, and her cheeks were pink and rosy beneath her holiday tan; her lips, red, with a carefully chosen lipstick. She seemed happy, as though she'd been laughing all morning. And she was laughing again now, I noted, as she dropped her door keys into her bag; her gaze searching for my battered car.

Her smile grew twice the size when she clocked me, and, waving enthusiastically, she continued to speak into the phone; pausing to mouth the word 'Adam' when she caught my puzzled expression. It was impossible not to feel a slight twinge of jealousy.

"Hello, my darling," she said sweetly, struggling to shut the door against the wind when she climbed on board. She dropped her phone in her bag, pushing her hair from her eyes. "Adam's already waiting for us by the motorway."

I could smell her coconut shampoo, the exotic aroma reminding me of warm, sunny beaches and cocktails by the sea. "Got everything?" I asked her. She nodded, and I waited for her to reach over her shoulder to yank the seatbelt round her, securing it in the catch before starting the engine again, adding, "What's this place like?"

"You'll love, it's got three floors." When I didn't respond, she said, "Your hair looks nice, that way."

I reached up, touching the French plait that had taken me ages to perfect. "Thanks."

She continued to chat as I continued to drive. I listened when she told me what she wanted for her birthday, and how her holiday went. Every now and then, I responded to her by muttering in all the right places, laughing when I thought she wanted to hear it. But I wasn't really hearing her. I was pretending, and I had to be careful and keep my cool façade. Not only could Adam hear me, but I didn't want her to suspect I had been struggling with my feelings for him. I was useless when it came to hiding things from her, and it meant certain subjects were off limits. I knew it was better than to give her even the slightest hint of my thoughts. Undoubtedly, if she got wind of them, she would get a massive bee in her bonnet; seeing it as her personal duty to get us both together, and not at all realising how dangerous the situation could be if that were to happen.