"Yes... I want you to leave me alone. I mean it."
The words leave a sickly taste in your mouth and you wash them down with even more wine, aware that the more you drink the more your resolve might weaken but you're not thinking straight.
"Do you tho...
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There were few people that got under your skin the way that Van McCann did.
You watched him now from across the kitchen, leaning in to some poor, unsuspecting girl, that flirtatious smile of his playing on his lips. He was laying it on thick, probably spinning her some tall tale about life on the road, the exciting lifestyle of a touring musician. She hung on his every word, giggling every now and again, her hand raised up to twist a lock of her long brown hair coyly around a finger, her eyes wide and adoring as she looked up at him.
He barely had to try, you could see he'd already ensnared her. It was all so predictable. By the end of the party they'd slope away up to his room, spend a night of infuriatingly loud passion together, and then he'd send her on her way in the morning, warm hugs and lingering kisses in the kitchen, followed by promises to call which cooled before she'd even stepped over the threshold of the door.
"Here you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. What are ya... oh..."
Larry's voice sounds in your ear and you snap your head up quickly, feeling a slight flush tinge your cheeks. You're not sure why, but for some reason you feel caught out, like you've been viewing something illicit, not your boyfriend's best mate sleazing all over his latest 'victim'.
"Just came to get another drink," you say quickly, turning away to reach for the bottle of vodka on the counter and twisting the cap. "Want one?"
You hear Larry chuckle beside you as he reaches for two plastic cups off the stack. "Oh... so you're not keeping an eye on Van then? And yeah, I'll have one. Just a single though. I know what your measures are like!"
You pour a sizeable amount into each cup, feeling yourself stiffen at Larry's insinuation. "Why the hell would I be keeping an eye on Van? I don't give a shit what he gets up to."
Larry passes the lemonade to you before he leans back on the counter, arms crossed. "So you're not just looking for excuses to wind him up then?"
You busy yourself topping up the drinks, shaking your head, bizarrely feeling flustered. You realise after you finish that you've got nothing else to do so you compose yourself, straightening up and passing Larry his drink, taking a large sip before you reply.
"I don't have to look for excuses. He's at it again! This has got to be like the third girl in two weeks!"
You can see Van from your spot and you watch him reaching a hand out to brush a lock of the girl's hair behind her ear. She looks like she's about to melt into a puddle right there and then on the kitchen floor. You tut loudly, tearing your eyes away to look at Larry who's regarding you with amusement.
"So? He's single isn't he? He's not hurting anyone. I don't know why it pisses you off so much."
Larry takes another sip of his drink, placing it down on the counter beside him, reaching out both hands to rest on your hips. He's still grinning but you know it exasperates him, the way the two people that mean the most to him just can't seem to get along.
