Your Lying Eyes

Your Lying Eyes Chapter 6

The next morning, Howard was up earlier than usual and joined the rest of the guys at breakfast.  He looked the worse for wear, dark circles under his eyes, having not slept much the night before. His head throbbed with lack of sleep.

"No Anna?" asked Mark as he looked behind Howard expecting to see her with him.

Howard forced himself to smile brightly at him as he sat down at the table, pouring himself a fruit juice and buttering a piece of toast.

"No, not this morning," he replied.  "Had a squabble last night and she's fallen out with me over it.  Nothing to worry about though.  It'll all blow over in a couple of days.  You know what women are like," he told him, trying to make light of the situation, and giving a weak grin.

"I wouldn't say that Dougie.  I think she was pretty upset last night," Jason reminded him, annoyed at how flippant he was being over it.  "She didn't seem to want to talk to you from what I saw."

Mark and Gary looked at them, wondering what had happened.  From the expression on both Howard and Jason's faces, it seemed that something much more serious had happened.

"You know what she's like, makes mountains out of molehills," said Howard to Jason, frowning at him as if he were trying to tell him to shut up.

"What's happened really Dougie?" asked Gary, becoming aware that maybe there was something really wrong.  "I was only kidding about it being the shortest engagement in history.  Don't say I was right?"

"Go on. You might as well tell them the truth," said Jason.  "It'll be easier in the long run."

"So it is something more serious then?" asked Gary, a frown on his face as he looked at his friend.  "Don't tell me you've been up to your old tricks again?"

"I told her it meant nothing to me.  It was only the one time," Howard began, concentrating on stirring his coffee.

"Oh Dougie, no, you didn't," groaned Gary.  "I thought you meant it when you told me you wanted to settle down with Anna.  You said that those days were over."

"They are.  It's just that she'd made it dead obvious that she fancied me, and I just.....," he trailed off.  The expression on his face changed, suddenly he looked unsure about what to say.

The other three sat in silence as they watched him.  Mark shook his head and glanced away, Gary sat looking at him as if he couldn't believe what his friend had done.  Jason sipped his fruit juice.

"I can't believe that you'd be so stupid!  You don't have to shag every girl who looks at you more than once, " Gary told him.  "After all you said.  I really thought you meant it.  She must be devastated.  Where is she now?"

"I don't know," admitted Howard miserably.  "She wouldn't come back to the room to talk it out last night.  She booked herself another room in the hotel and spent the night there."

"No bloody wonder!" said Gary approvingly.  "I don't blame her.  When are you going to learn Dougie?  You've got a lot of making up to do for this one."

"Who was it that you were with?" asked Mark out of curiosity.  "Hope it wasn't any out of the company."  He frowned as he looked at Howard and realised from the look on his face that it was.

"Sophie," replied Howard awkwardly and shifted in his chair.  It all sounded so bad now as he told them.

"You fucking idiot," said Gary, shaking his head at him again.  "Her of all people.  There's no way she'd keep her mouth shut.  When did this happen?"