LAD: A British Bad Boy Romance Novel (Bad Boys of London Book 1) (9 page)

“Be at the London Eye at noon. I’ll find you,” I said. “Get back inside.” She offered me that familiar look of silent disorientation and confusion. I knew that she would be there when I told her to be.

And after a moment of perplexed lingering, she disappeared with my jacket still around her shoulders. I crushed out my cigarette and decided to call it a night. My moment with Hayley hadn’t been as physical as I’d initially anticipated but I enjoyed it nonetheless and I know she’d be sleeping tight in my item of clothing tonight.

— 9 —
 

I entered back into the club, unsure about whether or not I should tell the girls what happened. My instincts told me that it wasn’t a good idea. He still had me buckled into his rollercoaster way of courting me if that’s even what you’d call this curious business. He did frighten me but in the most exciting way. He was like a mystery novel, a page-turner, something I didn’t want to put down because every time he pushed me away he’d pull me back in again. It was a tango of seduction and I was intrigued.

“You were gone a long time.” Kristen sipped back the last of her third five-quid mojito of the evening. “We contemplated following, but we know how weird you get with pooping in public and decided to give you a few extra minutes.”

I elbowed her ribs then stole a pinch of fries from the fish and chip basket they’d ordered in my absence. This gave me time to come up with some excuse why I took so long. “So, anyway, Ako,” Kirsten continued. “If you go onto Wikipedia and then search…” They carried on their conversation giving me mental capacity to settle into what this all meant.

Felix followed me here.

Should I be creeped out by him at this point? Yeah. I definitely should be creeped out by him at this point. But it seemed like he knew every move to make and exactly how far to push it with me before he pulled back again. The rapist in the hallway on the other hand, now he hadn’t been quite so aware.

I swallowed down a gluey, vinegary lump of chips until Kristen pried again. “Who’s jacket is that?”

My eyes opened wide. Enshrouded in the warmth and memory of Felix, I had forgotten to return his well-worn leather jacket back to him. “Oh, uh…Uh…” I stuttered. “Some drunk dude gave it to me back there. Saw I was freezing.”

Kristen buried her face into the collar and inhaled. “Oh! It smells fucking incredible,” she said through a mouthful of fish. “Ako, dude, smell this thing. That’s smells sexy as fuck. Who’s the owner? Is he here?” She craned her neck like some drunk giraffe until I wrapped my arms around her shoulders to defer her. There was a chance my stalker hadn’t completely left me in peace yet. No way I’d live this down if she saw him here.

“He left, babe. You’ll have to keep scouting. Plus, don’t worry, he wasn’t that cute and looked about seventeen.”

“Oh, ew.”

Phew!
I thought.
What a save!

I managed to distract her from further questioning which, in turn, let me return to basking in the forbidden comfort of his jacket. I thought about him again; About him walking away right now, imagining me loving it around me as much as I did. I bet he’d love that. I wonder if he was thinking about the kiss, as well.
 

“Grab more fries while they’re still warm. We need to start planning for tomorrow before it gets too late.” Ako took out her trusty notepad and pen.
 

“No!” Kristen gave Ako her look of utter dissatisfaction, the kind a pet gives you when you take it to the vet.
 

“Relax. The days are gonna go by fast. If we don’t have somewhat of a plan, we’ll miss out things we wanted to do. I’ll make it a loose itinerary, I swear, so we have some free time.”

“Can we walk around instead and see where the city takes us?” Kristen protested. “We’re on vacation, for crying out loud.” She poured more malted vinegar over one of the fish cutlets and devoured it with closed eyes.

“Hayley, you look pale and you’re not eating much,” Ako observed. “What’s wrong now? You back on that boy again?”

“She’s watching her figure for him, obviously, now she knows he’s a model or whatever. Even I don’t want to eat after seeing that commercial!” Kristen said with glee. “Who has abs like that, for real? Could I get some ketchup, please?” She motioned at the somewhat-attractive bartender. He gave her a piteous look in return but obliged.
 

“Kristen, I’m siding with Ako on this. I think a schedule is a good thing. There’s too much shit we have to fit in. We don’t wanna miss anything especially the shows.”
 

“God, you two are lame.” Kristen had no choice to concede. Democracy came in useful in our squad of three. “Well, I guess I’ll keep drinking and tomorrow you guys can point me in the direction I need to go. Who needs spice in life? Variety, right? Pfft, over-rated.” She slurred a little more. The mojitos had found their way a little further into her blood stream and I knew we’d have to go soon before messy Kristen showed up.

“We need to start with the bus tour.” Ako was now flipping through the bus catalog of its destinations. “That’s going to show us all the key sites and we can make a decision on what we wanna go back and see more of.” “Oh, look, Hayley! We can get a 48-hour bus ticket that will have 35 stops! Shit! Thirty percent off…”

“Good God, that sounds like a lot.” A bite of soggy fish was actually salty and delicious so I took some more.
 

“Madame Tussauds…The Dungeon…” Ako read.

“Hayley, do you have anything you wanna do first?”

“The London Eye, for sure,” I said, dispassionately.
 
“I think the weather’s s’posed to be nice tomorrow.” I had no idea what the weather would be. Felix had me in his web and I had yet to find a way out of it.

“Like I said, I don’t know if I can do something that high.” Ako, who had trouble with most everything else also had a trouble with heights. “I may have to pass on that one.”

“No,” I snapped. “We, uh, wee have to do it. It’s one of those things you have to do here.”

“You’re such a wimp.” Kristen was not sensitive to the fears and sensibilities of others. She launched a french fry at Ako, who then threw it right back with an amused smile. Kristen put the french fry back in her mouth and laughed.
 

“I don’t know how two people could be more dissimilar and still be friends so long,” I commented. It was true. In fact, the three of us were very different, came from various backgrounds, and still managed to enjoy each other’s company.
 

“I’m the yin to her yang, I guess,” Kristen said.
 

“That some kind of race joke, my friend?” Ako’s expression was wooden.
 

Kristen looked to me. “Hey, I have no horse in this race,” I said with raised hands knowing Ako was only playing with her.

Kristen, to intoxicated to pick up on signals, began stuttering. “I…Sorry, dude. No.”

“I’m fucking with you, girl,” Ako said, laughing. Kristen followed suit. Despite the wall of defense, she put up to the world, I didn’t know anyone more in tune to the emotions of others than Kristen. She hated when anyone felt left out or hard done by.
 

“Anyways. It’s settled. We’ll hop on the bus tomorrow at ten. Now I’m ordering the trifle for dessert. Waiter!” The reluctant bartender approached.

“She’ll have the braised faggot in wine,” Kristen said, pointing at the specials board behind the bar. “Can you fetch my friend some braised faggots, sir? And, mayhap some spotted dick for dessert.”

“Kristen!” Ako replied, mortified.

“Alright, my friend. Just the spotted dick, actually.” Ako rested her head into her hands, I think having found a little crush on the barman. “It’s good. You’ll like it.” Kristen grinned. “My grandma used to make it for us as kids.”

“Ako, if we leave at ten, what time does that get us to the London Eye?” I asked with feigned, casual curiosity.
 

“I have no idea.” Ako was now examining the menu to see what exactly the spotted dick was made of. “I’ll put it into Maps later. The bus tour starts at nine, you guys.”

“I’d love to time it so we get on the eye around noon.” I popped another piece of fish in my mouth. “Then we can maybe do lunch somewhere on the Thames.”

“Why the tight schedule?” Kristen squinted one eye to me.

I had to think hard and fast. I needed a good excuse. “Because…I want Ako to go on this thing with us, despite her reservations. I figure it’d be smart to ride the world’s largest Ferris wheel before lunch. Am I wrong in saying that?”

“God, you’re making it sound like we’re going on a rollercoaster or something! This thing moves at, like, three feet an hour.”
 

“She’s got a point.” Ako already looked nervous. “I’ll fare better if I’m on an empty stomach. Then we can go have a nice meal somewhere nearby. I think that’s a good idea, Hayley. Good job.” She penciled it into her notebook:

1200 London Eye
 

1245 Lunch nearby

Relief washed over me followed by my own upset stomach full of nerves. I wondered what Felix had in mind when he told me to meet him. Did he want to go on the ride with us? Trap me into a confined area to have his way with me over the water. I melted at that.
 

“One…spotted dick,” the unimpressed bartended announced as he placed the dish and three spoons in front of us.
 

“That does look tasty as hell,” Ako said. It was a spongecake-like dessert that was spotted with raisins and covered with some sort of sweet sauce. We each took a spoon and gave it a try.
 

“Yum!” It was one of the better desserts that I’d had in a long time.
 

“Let’s do a pub crawl tonight,” Kristen said resolutely at neither of us in particular.

Ako and I shook our heads to each other. Good, we were on the same page with that. As usual, Kristen had enough energy to keep going all night long, but I needed to get some beauty rest.
 

“I’m going back to the hotel.” I put down my spoon as a pang of anxiety gripped me, thinking about what might happen tomorrow.
 

“You’re such a grandma. Ako, you coming?”
 

She tried to speak, but her mouth was full. I considered for a moment making the obvious joke about her mouth being filled with dick but decided to stay quiet.
 

“You guys, what happened to everything changing here?”

No matter how hard she tried, there was no way I could be forced into one more dive bar. I stood from my stool and curled Felix’s jacket tighter into myself.

“Hayley, I might join her at one more place. Why don’t you come? We won’t be late.”

“I’m so exhausted and jet-lagged still. I want to make sure I’m well-rested for our tour tomorrow. You know how I get when I’m tried.”
 

Part of me considered it for the fact Felix might find me at the next pub, and get upset with my choosing to not go home after the incident with the bald guy from earlier. I felt he’d want me safe and in my room resting up for tomorrow.

“Actually,” I said once we were all out on the street. “I think I’ will join you.”

— 10 —
 

I waited in a cafe across the street from the entrance of the Coca-Cola London Eye. If the monstrous, overpriced eye-sore of a Ferris wheel taking up the majority of the London skyline wasn’t bad enough, that fact it was branded by a giant soda corporation was pathetic. Nonetheless, the little observation capsules that riders stepped-into would be the perfect setting for what was to take place next between Hayley and me.
 

I sipped tea patiently at the cafe, knowing she’d be here any minute. I had every faith that we were now on the same page when it came to matters of infatuation with one another. I took a look at the non-smoking sign and promptly lit a cigarette. I was outside on the terrace, after all. They could deal with it.
 

My watch read 11:56. I wondered how long I’d put up waiting for her if she were late. I wanted to hold the power and the only way to do that would be possible would be if I left soon after I’d ordered her to be here.