Trying Not To Love You

Part Two

Part Two

Martha ordered another drink; aware that she'd downed the inch of whisky in a few seconds, but she'd never felt pressure like this. She swore to herself that she could hear comments about her passing around, but when she moved, studied people, all she saw were smiles. Another drink and she'd leave, she'd humoured James, but had no intention of staying for food, if she managed another half an hour she could disappear, her father was ill, she was sure she could muster a few tears to command, they had been very close to falling all evening anyway. He'd understand that.

"Martha," Mr Richards her primary school headmaster approached asking about her father, then he was joined by Pat, the shopkeeper. She tried to smile, to be genial, but her heart was elsewhere.

As she drank her second whisky Martha spotted a lull in the attention she was getting and dragged James into the conservatory, pulling him square in front of her.

"Seems my father has been lying to me, and so have you. Oldbury! You said he'd not been seen. Spill!" Her ex fiancé was the last person she wanted to discuss, but he was also the most dangerous person she knew, so she wanted and needed to be forewarned.

James looked sick, "he's not been seen for months."

She raised an eyebrow, "really? Lucy said he was at the farm last week."

He closed his eyes for a moment, "someone said they saw him, but I haven't honest. I thought he was away."

"You sure? Cos this wouldn't be the first time that you've tried to manipulate that relationship."

He watched the argument unravel from his seat in the corner through the doorway to the back of the pub. James looked embarrassed, flushed, and that made him laugh. He liked this girl, she had fire in her belly. But when she looked up, spoke beseechingly to the chinless man, he saw fear in her eyes. She was scared of something, and she was fronting it out.

He drained his drink, then contemplated another, but as he glanced towards her again, he locked eyes with James, there it was, that knowing scowl, the cocky warning in his glare. It infuriated him beyond belief, and fighting with him here, now, was not the right thing to do. The way he was feeling this day would never end well. So he threw the glass back onto the table and stormed out. He'd get a game in the snooker hall. Hopefully hustling some money from the other losers hanging out there would ease his tension.

"It was a mistake last time Martha, I swear, he told me he was desperate to see you. I believed him."

Martha looked at James, his 'mistake' five years ago had had grave consequences, not that she was keen to remember that time. She wanted to get out of there, she'd not chosen to think about Scott Oldbury since she'd left, or the chaos that James had caused by orchestrating that final meeting with him.

James looked sick, and though she may live to regret it, she believed him. This time.

Escape, she thought as she followed him back into the bar, and then groaned, as in through the door came Helen, her best friend from school. They had barely spoken since she'd left town, but via facebook, no one was a stranger anymore.

"Oh-My-God Martha! You look amazing!" As she pulled her friend into a hug, Helen spotted James rolling his eyes and suddenly apologised, "I'm SO sorry, obviously you'd look so much better without the stress of your dad. Shall I order us some wine?"

Without waiting for an answer, Helen ordered a bottle of chardonnay, and with three glasses, James led the girls out into the conservatory, where it was a little quieter and away from the prying eyes of the gossips.