The Complete Memories Series (25 page)

I cough. “Laura Ashley.”

Lexy smiles, and her eyes are twinkling in excitement. “Okay, then Alec can drive us to Laura Ashley, we'll spend all your Dad's money and come back and supervise them re-papering and painting. We'll do the easy things, like set up new kitchen appliances.” I glance at the bare sides. “And pretty your front room and bedroom. They can do the hard stuff.”

“I like the way you think, girl, I like the way you think.” I grin.

“So...” she says hesitantly. “Alec said something about you leaving the Bay on bad terms with Carl?”

My jaw clenches, and I slam my mug on the side, sloshing tea everywhere. “Don't even mention his name to me. He's being a butt-headed pratface. Seriously, I asked him to come up for the weekend in a couple of weeks once I'd settled in and got this place sorted. I know he doesn't work at the weekend, and I know the farm doesn't pay him much so I even said I'd pay his fare-”

“But you're a student.”

“Precisely!” I exclaim, grabbing a cloth and wiping the side vigorously. “But he still refused.”

“But why? I don't get it. Half term is six weeks away.”

“Oh he said he'd come up alright. He thinks he'll come up in half term. You know the problem with that, my dark haired little friend? The bloody problem with that is the shitbag will be working all week and I'll be in Lilac Bay anyway seeing my family! My sister is pregnant-”

“She is?” Lexy smiles. “That's great!”

“Yep.” I grin, happiness and excitement breaking through the dull ache in my chest for a second. “I found out last night. Anyway, they're booking a private scan for the half term so I can see the little shrimp that will be my niece or nephew. But back to Carl – he's totally winging it. And he'll say he'll see me December break but I'll be home then. Same for February. And probably Easter. And May. And then summer. He won't come to London. He's too goddamn small town!”

I throw the cloth at the sink, breathing deeply. God knows I love the boy, but he’s annoying enough to drive me up the outside wall of the Shard – and that’s a big fricking wall. “Okay. I'm good,” I say after a minute.

“You sure?” Lexy raises an eyebrow.

I nod, and pick my tea back up. “Yep. I'm good.”

She looks at my mug. “Need some whisky or something in there?”

“Vodka would be good,” I mutter.

Her eyes travel around my kitchen. “Got any?”

“Bottom cupboard on the left by the cooker,” I mumble.

My best friend grins at me. “For real?”

My mood lightens slightly. “For real.”

She shakes her head, and opens the cupboard. She steps to the side, showing me the bottle of vodka, Malibu, and three bottles of Vino that are sitting there.

“You sure came prepared,” she says wryly.

“You know me.” I wink, taking the bottle from her hand. “I'm prepared for every situation. Did you know I keep a stick in my bag?”

She frowns. “Why the hell do you do that?”

“So...” I put a dash of vodka in my tea. “...Whenever your brother annoys me, I can shove it up his ass.”

“Makes sense.”

“It does, doesn't it?”

~

ALEC

Jen grins widely at me as she climbs into my car. Lexy is chewing her lip uncomfortably.

“What's up, Princess?” I ask her as I pull away from Jen's flat. “Was Jen farting all night?”

“Get lost, Johnson!” Jen kicks the back of my seat. I laugh.

“Jayna called me this morning,” Lexy says in a wary voice. “It's her birthday tomorrow, and everyone is going out tonight. She said she wants to see me since I 'fucked off to Devon and deserted her all summer'.” Her jaw is clenched when she finishes speaking.

“And what did you say?” I ask hesitantly.

“I told her I was busy helping you and Jen settle in, and if I could go out, I would.”

“And you don't wanna ask what happened then!” Jen shakes her head. “Oh, hell to the no you don't.”

Well, of course I want to fucking know now.

“Princess?” I touch her thigh.

Lexy gives a frustrated sigh. “She said if I was shallow enough to pick my new boyfriend and “some chick” I haven't spoken to for years over her, then I'm not as good a friend as she thought.”

My teeth grind, and I focus back on the road. “I don't know where I'm going, by the way.”

“Nice topic change there, Al,” Jen snipes sarcastically.

I glance at her in the rear-view mirror, narrowing my eyes slightly. “I'm not kidding.”

Lexy sighs. “Left, right, right round the roundabout, and right into the car park. We'll walk from there,” she mumbles.

I swallow a lump of annoyance, and nod once. My fingers tap against the steering wheel as I make the turns she said.

I knew coming to London would be hard, but it's only been a week and Lexy is already having issues with her friends. But then, are they really her friends if they have a problem with her being happy? I have no idea.

“Are you going?” I ask, parking the car.

Lexy unclips the seatbelt, and leans her head back against the headrest. “I suppose I have to.”

“Don't do it if you don't want to,” Jen pipes in. “I mean, I know I don't know her, but she sounds like a prize cow. If she was at the North Devon Show, she'd win first prize, rosette and all.”

I snort but quickly disguise it as a cough.

“Mmm,” Lexy says uncertainly. “I'm just not looking forward to seeing all my friends again, I guess. I didn't realise how much I changed in Devon until I spoke to Jayna again.”

She jumps from the car and I climb out, stopping her before she walks away. I grab her hand, and smooth some hair back from her hair. She turns her face into my hand.

“You have changed since I first met you, Princess,” I mutter. “But it's a good change. If your friends can't see that for what it is then they don't really deserve to call themselves your friend. You're damn amazing, Alexis Edwards, I mean that.”

Lexy presses her lips to my wrist and touches her hand to mine. “Will you come with me? I hate to ask, but if I get annoyed I can leave.”

“You know I'll come with you.” I turn her face to mine and softly kiss her. “I love you. I followed you to London, I think I can follow you to a nightclub.”

She smiles, her lips curving up into that adoring smile she keeps on reserve for me. “I love you, too.” She kisses me again.

“Oh-
kay
!” Jen whistles. “Can we go now? I don't wanna break up the lovey-dovey show goin' on, but I have shopping to do.”

I laugh and release Lexy, wrapping a friendly arm around Jen's shoulders. “Oh, how dull my life would be without you, Jen.”

Jen tilts her face upwards as we walk, and raises an eyebrow. “You act like you'd actually miss me if I wasn't around.”

“Well,” I say thoughtfully. “I wouldn't miss the constant headaches I get but...”

“Asshole!” She laughs and elbows my side. I let her go and laugh, slipping my fingers through Lexy's as Laura Ashley comes into view. I smirk as I see Bing stood outside the giant store, his hands in his pockets, and his eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

“I hate you for this,” he mumbles to Lexy.

She pats his arm. “I love you, too, brother dear. Now shut up and let's get on with it.”

I grin at their banter, and let Lexy link arms with Jen. “We'll just wait here for you, yeah?” I call hopefully. “I mean, we'll just get under your feet and that so...”

Lexy stops at the door and turns, looking at us sternly. “Nice try, Alec Johnson. Move it, guys.” She flicks her head and turns with an attitude-filled flair. Goddammit she's sexy when she turns that attitude on.

I roll my shoulders. Not the time or place.

“Fuckin' girls. Fuckin' shopping. I don't even like Jen,” Bing grumbles as we walk into the shop. “She drives me mad.”

“Jen drives everyone mad,” I reply. “She just saves a little bit of special madness for you.”

Bing huffs, and follows a blonde sales assistant with his eyes as she passes. He whistles low, and she looks over her shoulder, sees us, and smiles. Lexy spins to us with her eyebrows raised. I crook my thumb towards Bing with a shrug.

“Back in a minute,” Bing mutters, and walks towards her. I swallow a bubble of laughter as they begin talking.

“Fucking pig.” Jen curls her top lip in disgust, and goes back to her perusal of the wallpaper.

“He's just being a guy,” I defend as my eyes run down the flowery papers she's looking at. Blue flowers. Pink flowers. In fact, there's four different pink ones. Exactly the same. This is insane. “Can't you just pick a wallpaper?”

“Then guys are pigs,” Jen responds sharply. “And no, I can't “just pick a wallpaper,” Alec. There's a method to this, you know.”

“There's a method to putting it on walls,” I mumble. “And it ain't gonna get done if
your
methods take ten years to work through.”

Jen pivots on the balls of her feet, and smacks my chest with a rolled up paint chart. “Suck on it, Johnson. My flat will be a work of art and no impatient, penis-brain-thinking moron is going to stop that. Got it?”

I nod once. “Got it.”

Lexy glances over her shoulder at me, her lips curled up on one side. I shrug innocently, shoving my hands in my pockets, and look around. The girls begin to talk shades of I don't even know what, matching colours on the wallpaper with colours on the chart. I follow them aimlessly, searching for Bing. Where the hell is he?

We pass the spot we left him talking to the blonde sales assistant and they're still stood talking. I clear my throat and elbow him in the back as I pass him, and he hastily says goodbye to the girl, pocketing his phone.

“Sorry about that,” he says nonchalantly. “I was just, er...”

“Finding a new hole to score in?” Jen says over her shoulder icily.

Wow. She really does have the hots for Bing.

Bing runs his eyes down her body and back up until his meets hers. “Probably a tighter hole to score in than if I tried with you.”

Lexy gasps. My eyes widen, and Jen's lips thin until they're almost non-existent. Anger shines in her eyes, and she marches up to him, the rolled up paint chart pointing at Bing's chest.

“It probably is tighter,” she says in a low voice, jabbing him. “But that, Samuel, is probably because whatever you're trying to score with is so damn small not even a magnifying glass could make it visible.” She smirks triumphantly, raises her eyebrows, and turns around, stalking towards the paint aisle.

“Damn.” I shake my head as I watch them go.

“What?” Bing asks, his teeth grinding together in anger.

“She's got you there, mate.”

“For now,” he replies tightly, storming off after them.

I chew the inside of my cheek, and let my lips move into a smug, knowing smile.

Jen might be with my best friend of a lifetime, but some things can't be denied. Whatever is between Bing and Jen is one of those things, and one day it's gonna come to a head. I just hope Carl isn't caught in the middle of it.

~

ALEXIS

I swing my legs from the kitchen counter, and watch Alec as he puts the paper to the wall. His back muscles flex clearly, since both him and Bing have long taken their tops off, and I'm mesmerised by the rippling muscle.

“Lexy?” he says, amusement lacing his tone.

“Hm?” I meet his eyes. He's smiling.

“Can you get me a drink please, Princess? I'm working hard here, y'know.”

Yes. Yes, you are working hard. Ahem.

I slide off the counter and fill two glasses. I cross the room, and hand Alec and Bing one each.

“I thought we were all doing some work here?” Bing grumbles.

“I am working,” I say innocently. “I'm supervising.”

“Supervising doesn't involve ogling your boyfriend.”

“You're just jealous because there's no-one to ogle you, Samuel.” Jen smirks.

My brother glances at her. “If you're my only option, I'd rather have no-one ogling me.”

“Just as well I'm not likely to look at you like a piece of chocolate any time soon then, isn't it?”

Bing grunts a reply and finishes the water, handing it back to me. “Thanks, sis.”

“Welcome, bro.” I take Alec's glass and set them on the counter, turning to Jen. “Is your room done?”

She nods excitedly. “Come see!”

I follow her in and smile at the new room. It was the first room to be done, and it shows. The pink and chocolate brown floral wallpaper on one wall is set off by three bright pink walls, a large brown shaggy rug, and brown and pink bed covers.

“Love it.” I grin. “And your easel is in the corner!”

“Or course.” She touches the top of it. “I have to have an easel in my room. Early morning painting is the best.”

“It still amazes me that someone as crazy as you does something as calm as painting.”