Twist Of Fate

Sometimes It's Good To Decline A Dare

"Do you want to join us for lunch?" Veronica asks, looking at me from the side of a bookshelf. I smile at her and shake my head.
"No, thanks. I think I'll just have a lunch date with Jamie McGuire." I say and hold up the book in hand. Veronica laughs.
"Okay, sure. But Mus, if you change your mind, you know where to find us."
"Yeah." Veronica is a nice person, but I don't like her friends. Yesterday, I joined them for lunch and all they wanted to talk about was Harry. Is he as cute in real, as he is on tv? Does he have facial hair? Have I slept with him and if so, is he as big as they imagine him to be? Every time someone mentions Harry's name, it's like someone passes a drill through my body. It hurts like a bitch. People still don't know that we've broken up and I try to tell them. But whenever I do, a lump - the size of a football - lodges itself in my throat. I don't want to say the words. I don't mind typing them, or thinking them. However, saying them is a task that I'm not ready to take on.
"If I join you for lunch, will you only fill my ears with lectures? Because I have four classes after lunch and I think I'll get enough lectures." Kate says, looking at me cautiously.
"I'm not lecturing you, Kate. I'm just...speaking for your betterment." I say.
"Am I welcome to join your little lunch party?" Gregg asks, turning up on my right side.
"Why don't we just head down to the cafeteria? Or we can have lunch at the restaurant around the corner?" I ask them, tucking the two books that I've picked out for tonight in my underarm.
"Restaurant!" Gregg exclaims, pumping his fist in the air.
"Okay, let me check these out." Laughing, I make my way toward the exit.
*******
"Amaan, I got you a present!" I yell, as I enter my house.
"Present! Yes," Amaan yells from upstairs. Smiling to myself at his high level of excitement, I place the present on the wooden console and head into the lounge. Rayan's been in the lounge every evening for the past five days, so I'm sure he'll be here today as well. However, I stop dead in my tracks the minute my eyes land on the person sitting on the couch.
"What're you doing here?" I ask, crossing my arms across my chest. My tone is so harsh and cold that I almost flinch at it.
"I've come to see you, of course." Harry says, getting up and making his way toward me. I raise my hand, and he stops.
"Who let you in?"
"I still have an extra pair of keys, Bumper. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, but I came as soon as we got a few days off."
"Why waste your time off here? Harry, you should be partying in London, with girls who are ready to throw themselves at you and do whatever you want them to." I turn around. However, Harry grabs my arm before I can leave the lounge. I turn around and try to yank it out of his grip. "Leave. My. Arm." I say, through gritted teeth.
"Listen to me, please. I've been messaging you, calling Gregg and Kate, calling you. But all I hear in return is the damn beep. I'm sick of hearing the beep, so I'm here."
"Well, you wasted your time. Tough luck." I yank my hand out of his grip, but he grabs my other hand and swivels me around, my fishtail hitting him in the face. Harry and my face are mere inches apart. He leans forward, and I move my face backwards.
"No, I'm not doing this, Harry. Every time you screw up, you can't kiss me, or talk to me and get it over with." I say, placing my free hand on his chest. "Just leave."
"But I haven't done anything wrong, Bump. I didn't cheat on you, and I never will. The boys and I were meeting up with some old friends and they decided to play truth or dare. Yeah, I know it's childish, but who said we're mature adults?" Harry says, and lets out a short bark of laughter. When he sees that I don't laugh along, the smile wipes off his face. "I always choose dare. Never passed one on in my life. Gary - my friend - dared me to take his girlfriend outside the club and show her affection in public. Louis butt in and said that I should kiss her. So I did. That's it. I hugged her and then gave her a quick peck on the lips."
"Cut the crap, Harry! You could've passed that dare on, because no way in hell would I have kissed a man, or showed him affection in public while dating another man. It's not right!" I yell, shoving my index finger into Harry's chest. "Didn't you think about me? Not once?"
"I did and that's why I hesitated before fulfilling that dare." Harry insists, letting go of my hand.
"But you did it anyway." Suddenly, I realize that my tone is dangerously calm. I don't like these emotions that pass through me while I'm dealing with Harry. I can feel ten emotions in a minute and I hate it.
"Apps, is he bothering you?" Rayan asks from behind me. I turn around to find a very angry looking boy.
"N-No," I say. I'm well aware of Rayan's temper and I do not want Harry to be at the receiving end of it. "I got you something." I lift up my hand, but the present that I've got for Rayan isn't in it.
"Here." Harry says, walking past me and handing the box to Rayan. He takes it, staring at Harry calculatingly.
"Thanks." Rayan says slowly, unsurely. He turns around, but then as he's about to head up the stairs, Rayan turns back around and glares at Harry. "Lay a finger on her and I'll break all ten of yours."
"Yes, Sir." Harry says, biting his bottom lip to suppress his laughter.
"You heard the guy." I say, smiling. "Now, get out."
"Oh, Bump, come on. I thought that we were getting somewhere with our conversation." Harry says.
"Every time you make a mistake, Harry, you can't just come and apologize and think that everything will be alright. Because it won't!" I place my index and middle fingers on my temples and move them in a circular motion. "Harry, please just leave."
"I will not leave until you and I get this sorted out." He waves his hand between our bodies.
"Then you'll be staying here for a long time because we're not sorting anything out." Sighing, I turn around and jog toward the stairs, before Harry can stop me.