Even Angels Fall (9 page)

“Hi Darren, it’s nice to meet you…”

“Yeah you too love, heard plenty about you. Good to have you out…” He gives Abbey a warm smile before helping himself to another beer out of the fridge and Abbey gradually starts to feel at ease as she sits and chats with the girls around the kitchen table. They go out of their way to include her in the conversation and her nerves begin to fade slightly as they all laugh and joke together. Everyone is incredibly friendly and welcoming. All but one.

Abbey tries her hardest not to look round as she can still feel Alex’s eyes burning into her. Why is he staring at her so much? And why hasn’t he said two words to her since she walked through the door? Is this normal behaviour for him? Abbey blocks it out of her mind and tries to focus on the others and the conversation they are having, but she can’t help feeling constantly on edge due to the incredibly beautiful, unwelcoming man, assessing her intently from across the room.

As the night goes on the atmosphere remains the same and Alex’s attitude doesn’t improve. Every time there is a lull in conversation, Abbey becomes hyper aware of his presence, and in an attempt to ignore his hostility she tries to focus her attention on absolutely anything other than him… including her surroundings.

Abbey can’t deny that Alex’s flat is seriously impressive. It is large and incredibly modern; the walls are a light cream and the laminate floor a deep, rich mahogany. The front door opens straight into the kitchen with its black gloss work tops and light grey units and the adjoining breakfast area is a large space, that has a long glass table stood in the centre with 8 tall, leather seats arranged neatly around it. The light décor and black furnishings make it look crisp and clean – and very contemporary. Out of the kitchen diner is an L shaped hallway with four more rooms leading off it. The first two are bedrooms, the master room which is Alex’s and the other large double which belongs to Tom. In the middle of the two bedrooms is a door leading into a monochrome bathroom, with a large free standing bath and a corner shower. The final door at the very end of the hallway opens out into a spacious living area. It has 3 black leather sofas with chocolate brown cushions, arranged around a matching brown rug in the middle of the floor. On the rug stands a glass coffee table, similar in design to the larger table in the kitchen.

At one end of the room there is a massive plasma TV mounted on the wall and a black HIFI unit underneath that houses all sorts of technology, from a DVD player and a XBOX to a very futuristic looking sound system. At the opposite side of the room there is a double door that opens out onto a small balcony. Again the walls are plain cream, except for the main feature wall, which has an enormous black and white image of the London skyline printed on it. Abbey finds herself wondering what Alex must do for a living in order to afford a place like this and she remembers the exchange between Liam, Nathan and Lucy in the corridor outside. The look they gave each other suggested Alex’s job is something of a secret and she can think of only one reason why that would be the case.

After a few drinks the party moves into the living room, where the girls sit gossiping as the boys play against each other on the games console. The music is blasting out of Alex’s impressive sound system and Abbey is feeling much more relaxed - which probably has a lot to do with the several glasses of vodka and coke she has drunk. She is actually, for once, enjoying herself and has almost completely forgotten that she has to somehow climb stealthily back into her house through her bedroom window, far too busy having fun like a normal teenager to start panicking about that.

Needless to say she finally understands why Lucy, Nathan and Liam speak so highly of their group of friends. They are all incredibly close - more like a family unit - and they are all really lovely people… except perhaps for the one exception.

Gemma is hilarious; she is very loud and has an incredibly dry sense of humour. Abbey has never come across anyone with such an immaculate appearance before. She has long glossy brown hair, a gorgeous complexion, the longest eyelashes and a figure any model would die for. Yet she doesn’t show any sign of an inflated ego – she is very down to earth and incredibly easy to get on with, just like Lucy had been when she and Abbey first met. Sophie is very friendly too but in a far less extravagant way. She is quite shy and softly spoken, but still very funny and great to talk to. She and Darren have been a couple for over 7 years and it is clear to see how much they love each other.

Abbey’s first impression of Tom couldn’t have been more on the money. He is very funny and full of banter, constantly telling ridiculous tales and stupid stories, and it is hysterical the way he and Gemma bounce off each other’s sarcasm. There is clearly something between them as they flirt outrageously, but Sophie assures Abbey that they aren’t a couple, which she genuinely finds a shame.

The one thing Abbey really can’t get over is how alike Darren and Lucy are. They have exactly the same laugh and the same quirkiness about them; they have the same expressions and mannerisms and the same taste in music. It is almost spooky… but also understandable. Since their parents left it has been just the two of them and they were forced to learn how to take care of themselves. To share that experience and to endure such a difficult childhood, was undoubtedly going to make them close -and evidently - very similar.

Despite how long they have all been friends, Abbey doesn’t feel at all like she is intruding. They interact with her the same way that they interact with each other, making her feel like part of the group almost instantly. It is only Alex that seems to have a problem with her. He has spent most of the night in the kitchen, but whenever he re-joins the party the intense staring continues. Instead of it being unsettling like it was at first, he is starting to get on Abbey’s nerves and she wants to know what the hell his problem is, but she certainly isn’t about to ask him. Even though his behaviour is annoying her, every time she glances up and catches his eye her stomach twists with anticipation and she feels a rush of adrenaline. He is so incredibly attractive, dark - and if her intuition is correct - a little dangerous too.

“OH FUCK OFF…!” Tom chucks the control pad on the floor as Darren throws his arms up in celebration, “That is pure fucking fluke… I can’t believe you pulled that back and won…”

“What can I say? I’m a natural…! Dobs you’re up!” Liam takes his place next to Darren for the next round of FIFA and Tom perches on the corner of the sofa - sulking as he swigs his beer and rummages through his pockets.

“I can’t actually believe you beat me… you used to be utter shite at this game…” Tom carries on ranting as he opens up a little bag of white powder and tips a pile of it out onto the glass table in front of him. He licks the residue off his fingers and opens his wallet, taking out one of his bank cards, “How many am I racking up… 2 each, yeah? Abbey, you want some?”

Abbey shakes her head and smiles awkwardly, staring down at her feet. Darren and Liam are completely engrossed in their game and Sophie and Gemma are too busy talking to notice her reaction, but Lucy glances worryingly at Nathan, sensing how uncomfortable Abbey has become.

It isn’t that she disapproves or is angry in any way; she just hasn’t ever been openly exposed to drugs before. She has been told so many times in various awareness classes at school how dangerous and harmful they are and her old friends would never have touched any type of illegal drug in a million years. She has never really thought about it at all, as they simply weren’t on her radar. Until now.

“Nice cheeky little pick me up… don’t mind if I do…” Tom rolls up a twenty pound note and leans forward; placing the note inside one nostril as he covers the other with his finger before inhaling sharply. He does one line, then the other, and passes the note to Gemma, who kneels on the floor next to him, pulls her hair back and does the same. Abbey looks on curiously, so morbidly fascinated with what she is seeing that she doesn’t notice Alex standing in the doorway until he speaks.

“So, Abbey…” A mixture of emotions shoot through her at lightning speed as Alex says her name out loud for the first time, in his incredibly seductive accent. Shock, delight, excitement… then overwhelming nerves as the sullen, unsociable stranger, finally - after almost 3 hours - directly acknowledges her, “What are your feelings on drugs?” He asks, “Are you game? Or are you one of these self-righteous, sanctimonious do-gooders who believe that they’re a black mark on society… responsible for the high crime rate and the poor choices made by the fucked up youth of today?”

Abbey realises she is holding her breath and exhales, slowly. The room has gone quiet and she pauses for a moment – carefully processing Alex’s outburst - before deciding to answer him truthfully.

“I’ve never really thought about it…”

“Of course you haven’t…” He smirks.

“Give it a rest Al…” Lucy frowns and he shrugs at her indifferently.

“I’m just asking our guest a question…”

“As you can probably tell he doesn’t have a strong opinion on the subject…” Tom quips, sarcastically, laughing to himself as he follows Alex out of the room.

“Don’t worry about him… he’s a little touchy with people he doesn’t know…” Lucy smiles reassuringly, as she sits down next to Abbey.

“It’s OK. I am in his house; he can say what he likes…”

“I’m sorry…”

“For what…?” Abbey frowns, she wasn’t expecting an apology.

“I probably should have told you, you know… about the drugs…we just weren’t sure how you’d react and we wanted you to meet everyone first, without it being the only thing you knew about them…”

“I would never judge anyone I didn’t know. Especially over something I have no clue about. It might not be my thing but, you know, each to their own…” Abbey tries her best to sound casual and unaffected, and it seems to work.

“I’m so glad you came tonight…!” Lucy beams.

“Me too…!” And despite the last 10 minutes being a bit of an eye opener, Abbey means it. She has really enjoyed herself and it feels great to be part of a group of friends again – to spend time with people who just want to hang out, get drunk and have a laugh together. It hadn’t exactly gone great with Alex but she feels better after Lucy’s explanation… ‘he’s a little touchy with people he doesn’t know’. At least that implies she isn’t the only person who has received a frosty reception.

An hour or so later and the double vodka and cokes have definitely started to take effect. Abbey feels seriously light headed as she leans on the sink for support, running her hands through her hair and taking a deep breath as she asses her appearance in the mirror. ‘Maybe it’s time to slow down’ she thinks to herself. She can hear the others shouting and laughing in the living room over the thudding beat of the music and after checking her hair and make-up one last time, she turns back to re-join the party.

As Abbey unlocks the bathroom door and opens it rather clumsily, she stops dead in her tracks – freezing on the spot, totally shell-shocked – as leaning casually on the doorframe in front of her, is Alex.

“Having fun…?” He isn’t being polite. Abbey can sense the underlying tone in his question.

“Yes thanks…” She answers, quietly. He is so intimidating, but Abbey can feel the excitement pulsing through her as they stand just inches apart.

“Listen, I get that you’re Lucy’s friend an all, but I’m not exactly a fan of people I don’t know hanging around. I don’t want you involving yourself in business that doesn’t concern you. Whatever you see or hear, you best be able to keep to yourself…” Alex’s body language is assertive and his words are a warning, but surprisingly Abbey doesn’t feel threatened. In fact, standing face to face with him in the darkened hallway she sees through his defensiveness and instead, glimpses a brief flicker of vulnerability. She doesn’t know this man at all and he has been nothing but rude to her all night, yet she finds herself drawn to him in a way she can’t explain. There is no denying that she is physically attracted to him – he is breathtakingly gorgeous – but it is more than that. He is so guarded, brooding and mysterious… and he fascinates her.

“I’m sorry that me being here bothers you. I only came because Lucy invited me…” She explains, cautiously.

“I know that. It’s nothing personal – and I know it might seem like I’m being paranoid, but if you’d been through half the shit I have you’d be wary of people too…” Abbey is taken aback by Alex’s honesty but also irritated by his assumption that she hasn’t been through shit of her own. He obviously has an issue with her being in his home, amongst his friends, but for some strange reason, she really doesn’t want him to feel that way. With a sudden, new found bravery - probably due to the alcohol in her system - Abbey steps forward and stares directly into Alex’s eyes, trying to match his intensity. They are so dark and penetrating that it almost feels as though he can read her mind.

“I know I’m a complete stranger to you and there is no reason why you should trust me…” She whispers, sincerely, “But for what it’s worth… you really don’t have to be wary of me…”

They hold each other’s gaze in a heated silence until the living room door bursts open and Gemma stumbles over, immediately sensing the tension between them.

“Oh… sorry… have you finished…?” She stutters, pointing to the bathroom.

“Sure…” Abbey smiles and lets Gemma pass before crossing the hallway towards the living room. She pauses outside the door, turning back to face Alex who is watching her closely, with a mixture of curiosity and confusion on his face.

“And for the record…” Abbey states, defiantly, “…You have no idea what I’ve been through…” And with an unusual amount of confidence, she leaves Alex standing in the dark behind her, shocked but also impressed at the fact she stood her ground. This is obviously going to be far more interesting than he first anticipated.