Chapter 28
Act III, Scene I: TA Studios, Hackney
Titan
‘T hank you for not including strippers,’ Ted said with a contented sigh. We were seated at the blackjack table, setup in my studio.
‘Not your thing.’
We’d spent the earlier part of the evening attempting a pub crawl, but given we were no longer in uni, it didn’t last very long.
There was a poker table, a large screen with Ted’s favourite games and consoles on one side of the room, while a pool table and foosball table sat on this end of the room.
The snacks and drinks were set up close to what was usually Scarlet’s desk and she’d explicitly said she would injure me if anything was out of sorts when she came back to the office.
‘I appreciate it. I know you used to enjoy it.’ Ted’s smile held a very particular memory. One I wished I could forget.
‘That was years ago.’
‘I know, I know. You’ve changed.’
‘You make it sound like a bad thing?’ I took a swig of my beer.
‘No,’ Ted said, his face scrunched up as he looked at his cards. ‘I meant in a good way. I’ve never seen you this happy. So...tame.’
‘I’m happy when you’re happy,’ I teased.
‘And it has nothing to do with a certain pretty cousin of Savi’s?’ Ted didn’t look up when he asked, but I was glad because my face hid nothing when it came to Kalina.
I looked over my shoulder at Charlie, who was seated next to Nick on the couch, playing FIFA.
‘Kalina and I are friends.’
‘Friends can make you happy, you just said that about me.’ Ted smirked.
He was trying to get me to fold. But I wasn’t going to.
Not in this conversation or our game.
‘Your wife’s turned you into a menace.’
‘She has. Okay, I’m out,’ Ted said. He laid down his hand, totalling thirty.
‘Well done for trying,’ I said and clapped him on the back lightly as I stood. I laid down my winning hand. ‘We can try again later.’
I started toward the bar when Jesse called out to me. ‘Hey, T.’ He stood at the pool table, chalking the end of his stick. ‘Want to play a round?’
I hated that he used my nickname like we were close friends.
‘Sure,’ I said through gritted teeth.
Ted mentioned he’d met up with Jesse a few times since our talk, and they were trying to mend their relationship. So, if I played nice for anyone, it would be Ted.
I picked up the stick while Jesse racked the balls.
‘Go ahead.’ I leaned to the side, using the stick as support.
Jesse pocketed the solid red ball.
I aimed the blue striped ball into the corner and pocketed it.
‘So, you and Kalina…’
It hadn’t even been five minutes and he’d gotten right to it.
I didn’t want to play into Jesse’s hand but couldn’t help himself. ‘What about her?’
‘I mean,’ Jesse said, aiming for the solid yellow ball and missing the middle pocket. ‘You always did have a thing for her.’
‘You’re mistaken.’ The lie didn’t roll off my tongue as seamlessly as I’d hoped.
‘No? You didn’t think about her in that way at the ball? If I remember correctly, you were trying to get in there when I swooped in.’ Jesse looked like he’d hit his mark.
I wanted to wipe the shit-eating grin off his face. I looked over my shoulder at Ted. He chatted to some of the other guys at the games.
It wasn’t worth it.
‘Sounds a lot like you and Lexie.’ I shot the striped yellow ball into the middle pocket where Jesse had missed his shot.
‘A coincidence,’ Jesse said with a shrug. ‘I hope Lina’s okay now.’
‘It’s no longer your concern,’ I said and shot the purple and orange striped balls into one pocket.
I leaned over to get a better angle on the green ball when he came to stand a little closer to me. ‘You know what I miss though?’
I made a non-committal sound as I focused on my shot.
He waited until I pulled the stick back before he spoke. ‘Those little sighs she makes. You know the one, when you kiss her right here.’ He pointed to his neck.
I dropped the stick, took a step closer, and grabbed a fistful of Jesse’s sweater. ‘If you ever fucking talk about Kalina that way again—’
Jesse’s face broke into a smirk.
‘Titan!’ voices exclaimed from behind me.
I turned to Ted’s widened eyes, the guys who’d all stopped what they were doing, and Charlie frozen in his spot behind me.
Fuck.
‘We’re done here.’ I let go of Jesse.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and my stomach flipped when I saw Kalina’s name. Her timing was impeccable.
‘Hi,’ I said, and lowered my voice. I walked away from Jesse toward the bar. I raked my hand through my hair and grabbed another beer.
I couldn’t meet Charlie’s gaze.
‘Titan, thank God.’
I straightened, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my heart raced.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘We’re fine, don’t worry.’
I let go of the breath I was holding. ‘Then don’t scare me.’
‘We may have blown a fuse at the inn and can’t really see anything on the electrical board. Ted isn’t answering his phone.’
Ted and technology. They didn’t work well together.
‘We’ll be there soon,’ I said and set the drink down. Even without it, I was in no way sober to be driving.
Ted and Charlie strode up to me, Ted’s brow furrowed and he mouthed everything okay?
His concern from the situation with Jesse had dissipated.
I covered the mouthpiece of my phone. ‘The electrical board at the Inn. They may have blown a fuse.’
‘Is Savi okay?’ Ted asked loud enough for Kalina to hear.
‘Yes, she’s fine I think. I don’t know if she will ever be okay with the power going out mid chorus of Zombie though.’
‘It was my best version yet.’ Savi cried somewhere in the background.
I nodded at Ted and smiled. ‘She’s fine,’ I said, unsurprised at Savi’s reaction. ‘Okay, we’re on our way.’
‘No, we can wait until your night is over.’ I pictured Kalina’s face; the way her brown eyes would widen and her lips tilted down in a small frown.
Those soft full lips I’d been dreaming of…
‘Titan,’ Ted called out, his voice slightly louder than usual.
I shook my head. ‘No, we’ll come there now. I don’t think Ted will last another second knowing his wife is in any kind of potential danger,’ I said to both Kalina on the other end, and Ted, who looked ready to jump as soon as I said the word.
‘Okay, thank you.’ She hung up.
‘We should call a taxi. I don’t think any of us should be driving.’ I pocketed my phone.
‘I only had one drink and it was hours ago. I’ll drive us,’ Charlie said.
‘Let’s go.’ Ted was practically out of the door.
Charlie hung back with me as I asked Rowan and Nick to lock up.
We walked out of the door and toward the lifts where Ted frantically pushed the call button.
‘What was that about? With Jesse.’
I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut. ‘We’ve never gotten along, and I lost my cool.’
‘I heard what he said.’
I shook my head. ‘He’s trying to mess with your head.’
‘He wasn’t talking to me,’ Charlie said flatly.
I couldn’t meet his gaze.
The drive was filled with worry, from Ted, and stress, from me. Charlie focused on the road and didn’t say anything.
Ted was out of the door before Charlie had stopped to park.
‘Charlie…’
He shook his head. ‘We can talk later.’
Fuck.
This was bad.
Kalina and Savi yanked the door open.
My gaze immediately took Kalina in; from her messy bun down to the lips I’d been thinking about just minutes earlier.
‘Are you okay?’ Charlie reached out to cup her shoulders.
All I needed to shake the thoughts from my head and I stepped back.
‘Yes, we’re fine.’ She smiled at Charlie.
‘Is the power linked upstairs? We didn’t want to venture there in the dark,’ Savi said from Ted’s embrace.
My presence felt intrusive. ‘I’ll go up and check it out.’
I shifted past them, but Ted was right behind me. ‘I’ll come too. Charlie, could you check the board down here? It’s in the kitchen.’
‘Yes, of course.’
I turned my phone’s flashlight on, and Ted and I ascended the stairs.
‘Want to tell me what happened back there with Jesse?’
‘Sorry. I got a bit…carried away.’ I didn’t turn to face him when I spoke.
‘You don’t have to apologise; he is a little fucker.’
I laughed. Ted had never said that about his brother before.
‘I’ve been saying that for years.’
‘He’s been trying though. I’m sorry.’
‘You don’t need to apologise for him.’
We walked to the end of the passage and the main switch wouldn’t flick back on.
‘Can I ask you something?’
I checked the other switches. ‘Sure.’
‘What’s really going on between you and Kalina?’
‘Nothing.’ I focused on the task at hand.
‘You’re lying.’
‘Anymore,’ I finished.
‘Ah.’
It felt good to be a little honest about it. ‘She’s with Charlie. That’s what matters.’
‘T…’
I shook my head. ‘Don’t.’
‘Okay.’ He didn’t push further.
We went downstairs to find Charlie with Savi and Kalina.
‘No luck?’ Ted asked.
‘No. You’ll have to call someone in the morning.’ Charlie stood beside Kalina.
‘We can stay at the hotel tonight,’ Ted said to Savi.
‘You didn’t have to sabotage the Inn to be together, Ted.’ Kalina smirked.
‘I would never do such a thing.’ Ted’s easy smile and quick kiss on Savi’s lips said otherwise. He would do anything for Savi.
‘Great, then I’ll go home,’ Kalina said.
‘I can take you,’ Charlie offered.
It cut through me. The way they looked at one another and the smile they shared.
‘I should check on the guys. Make sure they haven’t destroyed the place.’ I looked down at my phone to the messages from both Nick and Rowan. I sure as fuck hoped they didn’t actually destroy the place.
Not that it mattered much since it was now mine. I hadn’t told anyone, but the investments I’d made, thanks to Alex’s guidance, finally paid off.
‘I'm a little glad about the power. I don’t think a night without you would’ve worked for me,’ Savi said to Ted.
‘And that’s my cue.’ I nodded at Savi and Ted before doing the same to Kalina and Charlie. ‘See you all on Monday.’
I didn’t need the torture.
I took a long walk back to the studio, and picked up my phone, out of habit, to scroll through my contacts. There’d be someone I could drown my feelings in for the night.
A distraction was what I needed.
But, since I’d fallen for Kalina, I didn’t want anyone else.
My phone rang and my heart immediately leapt at the idea that it was her again.
It wasn’t. It was my father.
I turned off the device and shoved it deep inside my pocket. I needed to put distance between us, and put up boundaries.
Ironically, applicable to both my father and Kalina.
So, I kept walking.