Track 7 #2
Lily shook her head at Eve in what appeared to be a silent, fear-filled plea.
Adam raised his voice. ‘Tell me what?’
Eve cupped Lily’s bruised cheek. ‘Lily, please.’
Lily crumpled to the floor and Adam rushed to her side, crouching beside her. ‘Lily? What’s going on?’
‘He hit me.’
‘What?’ His voice was calm, belying the storm that had begun to rage beneath his skin. ‘Who hit you?’
‘It was my fault. But it’s all fine now.’
He took Lily’s face in his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs and grazed one lightly over the yellow and purple mark there. ‘Did Carl do this to you?’
‘Yes, but it was my fault.’
Adam’s jaw ached from clenching so hard as he fought to keep his composure. ‘Okay, on what planet is it ever okay for a man to hit his girlfriend?’ he asked her gently. ‘Lily, answer me that. When is it ever okay?’
‘I… I… but he thought I’d trapped him.’
Adam shook his head. ‘What? What do you mean?’
‘I missed a period. He thought I was pregnant. He said if I was that I’d done it on purpose.’
Adam spoke through clenched teeth. ‘So, he hit you when he thought there was a chance you could be pregnant with his baby?’ Lily nodded. ‘Where is he now, Lily?’
Lily’s eyes widened and her skin paled. ‘Adam, no… it’s fine… he said sorry.’
Adam let out a derisive laugh. ‘Oh, well, that’s fine then… as long as he apologised.’ His voice came out strained and high-pitched. He stood and turned to Eve. ‘Where is the lowlife piece of scum?’
Eve knotted her fingers before her. ‘He apparently went out for a smoke.’
Adam nodded slowly. ‘Keep Lily here.’ He flung the door open so hard it crashed into the wall, making the whole thing judder.
Carl was leaning against the wall, puffing on a rather large cigarette that looked distinctly like a joint.
A cloud of smoke encircled him and sure enough as it drifted through the evening air the smell hit Adam; the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Adam ran towards him, and before Carl had a chance to figure out what was happening, Adam’s fist connected with his nose.
‘You bastard!’ Adam shouted as he repeatedly punched Lily’s boyfriend in the face. ‘You lay one finger on her again, and I swear I will fucking kill you!’
Carl flailed his arms before curling into a ball on the ground. ‘Whoa, mate, stop hitting me! What the fuck? You’ve broken my nose!’
Adam stood over Carl, fists still clenched, chest heaving, heart pounding. He pointed an extended finger at Carl. ‘You stay away from her; do you hear me?’
Carl laughed through his blood-stained teeth. ‘Whatever she’s told you, pal, it’s all lies. She does that. She’s a manipulative bitch, pal, you know that, surely?’
‘Don’t call me your pal, you prick!’ Adam’s blood thundered through his veins causing a whooshing in his ears and he had to compel himself not to continue with the beating.
Carl held up his hands. ‘Look, Adam, she tried to trap me! She tried to get pregnant. You know what women can be like. They see a good thing, and they don’t want to let it go.’
Adam grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to his feet.
Moving to within an inch of Carl’s face, Adam gritted his teeth.
‘You’re not a good thing! You’re a coward.
If I ever hear that you’ve stepped within a foot of Lily again I swear to God, I’ll kick your arse from here to Australia.
Do you hear me?’ Carl, who was now decidedly pale, nodded.
‘Because next time, pal, I won’t be as kind as to let you walk away with just a broken nose!
’ he shouted. People had congregated outside the club where they were, some were filming, some just spectating, and Adam wondered absently how long it would take for this to end up on YouTube.
He shoved Carl again and the man fell into the wall before landing unceremoniously on his bottom on the concrete.
Before he opened the door, Adam turned back to Carl.
‘Oh, and while I remember, Carl Denton, if you decide that you’re going to involve the police, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell them and your employers, Dunkeld Holdings Limited, about the joint you’ve been smoking, and the coke you were handing out earlier, along with the fact that you hit your girlfriend when you thought she was pregnant and trying to trap you.
As if anyone would want to trap you, you arrogant piece of shit!
’ Gasps travelled around the gathered crowd and Adam turned to face them. ‘Did you get all that? Good.’
Lily and Eve were waiting by the bar when Adam returned, shaking his sore hand.
Lily’s eyes widened. ‘Are you okay, Adders?’
He grinned. ‘I’m fine. Your ex is a little sore though.’
When they arrived back at Lily’s flat, Adam walked Lily to her room, and he hugged her tight as they stopped inside the doorway. Her tears soaked his shirt and his heart ached for her.
He tilted her chin up. ‘Hey, why are you crying?’
‘Because I’m so stupid… and because your knuckles are a mess, all because of me.’ She sniffed.
He took her face in his palms. ‘Look, Lil, you deserve to be loved by someone worthy of you. You know all that stuff you were spouting about it being your fault he hit you was rubbish, don’t you?
’ Lily nodded. ‘Because he’s a wimp. He’s not a real man and he’s certainly not worthy of my best friend.
Please keep away from him. And if he tries to come back into your life, just remember how shitty you felt when he hit you.
And tell me if he tries to make contact.
I won’t have it, Lil. I won’t have anyone treating you like that.
Not while I’ve got breath in my body.’ He stared down at the girl he’d known for the biggest part of his life and the thought that Carl could have taken her away from him caused his heart to flip.
He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t be himself without Lily.
As he wiped the tears away from her eyes, a strange tightening gripped his stomach, and he had to close his eyes briefly. What was that? Putting it down to the adrenaline of the night, he shook his head and tried to ignore the confusion it caused to cloud his mind momentarily.
She gazed at him with watery eyes. ‘Thanks, Adders, I’m not sure what I’d do without you.’
Taking on the ‘big brother’ role once more, he pulled her into his arms, happy to hear his old nickname again.
‘Well, lucky for both of us we don’t need to worry about that, eh?
’ He kissed her cheek and noticed the fresh scent of apple as his face brushed her hair.
He swallowed hard and stepped away. ‘Now go get some rest, okay?’
She nodded before closing her door. He stood there for a moment, unsure why he felt unable to leave. But eventually he snapped himself out of whatever it was and went back to Eve where she waited in the kitchen.
Back at Adam’s house they sat silently for a while until Eve announced she was going to bed.
He was unsettled. Something had surfaced that he had tried to lock away years before and he needed it to go back into the recesses of his mind where it belonged.
He poured himself a neat Jack Daniel’s and gulped it down before pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.
The photo of their gang of friends sat on the mantel.
Lily smiled out from the image, her head leaning on Eve’s shoulder.
Poor Eve, he suddenly thought. She had been amazing tonight, and he had neglected her somewhat.
He knew she would understand but what was that expression on her face as she had left to go to bed?
Eve was reading in bed when Adam walked into the room. He undressed and climbed in next to her, snuggling up to her warm body. ‘Thanks for staying here tonight, Evie. And thanks for your help with Lily.’
She placed her book down. ‘It’s okay… I think I owe you an apology.’
‘An apology? What for?’
‘For doubting you about Lily. You clearly knew something was amiss and I just got jealous.’
A twinge of what felt like guilt tugged at him for reasons that he refused to acknowledge, and he pulled up to look into Eve’s eyes. ‘Jealous? Why jealous?’
She sighed. ‘Because of your relationship with her. It doesn’t usually bother me, but sometimes I see how you are with her and feel I can’t compete with that level of love.
’ Adam opened his mouth to speak but Eve placed her fingers on his lips.
‘And before you say anything, I’m aware of how ridiculous I’m being.
Lily needed you. I just… sometimes struggle with how close you are.
’ She dropped her gaze and her cheeks coloured.
He pulled her down so that their lips were almost touching, his eyes searching hers. ‘You do know how much I love you, don’t you? And that you’re the only girl for me? You’re the one I want to wake up with, the one I want to share my body and my life with. You do know that, Evie, don’t you?’
‘When I’m not being paranoid and silly? Yes, I know that.’
Pushing aside whatever strange feelings had occurred earlier, he kissed his girlfriend. ‘I can’t think of anywhere that I’d rather be right now than here with you. I love you so much. Don’t ever forget that. You and me are forever.’
‘Forever,’ she repeated. ‘And I love you, too, Adam.’