Most girls would be jealous of Calliope Draycott. She seemingly has it all. The friends, the money, the boyfriend, and in a few years, if all goes to plan, she'll have the job too. So why doesn't she feel happy? It's after a disastrous family dinner...
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I'm obsessing and I need to stop.
I thought I saw Calliope, the girl from the coffee shop, at that party Josh dragged me along to last week. I'd been sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching Parker try to chat up some girl (in typical Parker style). I think they managed to hit it off because he did eventually leave with her and he made sure to send a smug wink my way before he left.
I was taking a swig of my beer, and making idle conversation with Zach, mostly jokes about Parker, when I could've sworn I caught a glimpse of her heading into the kitchen to see if it was her, because I knew that if it wasn't – which it almost definitely wasn't – it would hurt.
It shouldn't hurt, after all, we only spent an hour – maybe an hour at and half at the most – together, but what an hour it was.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since. I can still remember what she was wearing both nights. At the party, she, or her lookalike, had been wearing a plain black top that was tucked into a short brown skirt and some black tights, and while her legs had been somewhat concealed by them that time, they looked just as amazing as I remembered. Not that I spent much time looking at her legs. Not that I'd spent much time looking at her legs.
I had to force myself to stop looking at her legs when we went to the coffee shop, especially when she crossed her legs and the skirt of her dress would ride ever-so-slightly up her thigh. A gentleman doesn't look – and my Ma prides herself on raising me to be a gentleman.
It probably, definitely, wasn't her at the party though. How could it be? Even if it was though, it doesn't matter. She has a boyfriend and I don't have time for anything. I didn't when I first met her and I definitely don't now, not after that phone call form Ma last week, so I have to find some way to get her out of my mind.
Which I plan to do tonight, with the one beer that I've worked into my weekly budget before I have to swap to water, but while I have to stay sober, and I can't afford more than one pint, I can still enjoy myself. Besides, I'm not at the pub to get hammered and scam on girls, I'm here to support Parker and his band with their gig tonight.
It's their first one, and he's been stressing out about it all week. He's been spamming the group chat with "what if" scenarios since they booked it, and Zach said that Parker hasn't gone out with any of his rotation girls for a week – which means he's been without female company since the party when he went home with that blonde, he's always liked blondes.
He's standing by the bar when I walk into the pub, and when he sees me, he waves me over. His smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, and by the way he's fiddling with the rings on his right hand, I can tell that he's nervous.
The pub is dirty and grimy. A proper student pub, and I love it instantly. There are pool tables towards the back and one table has a little crowd surrounding it, which means either there is a good game going on, or someone has been suckered into a bet.
