Chapter Thirty-Four

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A/N

I made a Pinterest board for this book! The link is as follows: https://pin.it/6as5WP0

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The people around Elise Elderflower parted like waves of glass; smooth, effortless and featureless. A path was carved out before her and it led directly to where I was standing - her walk was careful, calculated, almost deadly, and she strode with infinite precision. My eyes raked salaciously up and down her body as her sight levelled on me and her walk became purposeful.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Elise husked, and it was a wonder how she could make one word so undeniably sexy. It wasn't even my real name but the rhythm of her mouth as her eyes locked onto mine was enough to make my mouth go dry, "Or should I say, Gomez?" She purred.

"Glad to see you finally made it to the party, darling." I laughed, shaking my head both in wonder and as a way to bring myself back down to reality. Elise had that effect on people, and the way she looked didn't help. Clad from head to toe in black, she wore a salacious, inky dress, ludicrously tight and impossibly impractical although of course, Elise wore it with ease. The slit up her thigh was deadly, reaching a certain point where it could no longer be considered modest but with careful positioning did not reveal much to the naked eye. Smoky eyes draped in black eyeliner were studying me with a look that I did not recognise, as blood-red lips drew closer and placed a surprisingly gentle kiss upon my cheek.

"You didn't miss me too much, did you dear?" Elise murmured seductively, reaching past me for a drink so close her chest brushed against mine.

"I didn't miss you in the slightest, actually."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed."

"That just doesn't sit right with me," Elise cocked a sharp, black eyebrow, tucking a lock of raven hair behind her ear, presumably a wig, "Perhaps you should give me some time to convince you why I'm a wonderful companion at parties," A long, red nail raked down my cheek, "Is the bathroom free?"

"We only just got here, Elise," I smirked.

"Well, there's no time like the present."

"Eli- I mean, Sophia! You're here!" Rita stumbled over, clearly struggling with the naming situation tonight. I had also begun to grow rather weary it ever since Elise had arrived.

"Hello, darling sister," Elise drawled, looking rather irritated as Rita bounded over, interrupting the conversation. She had sobered up massively, but the same could not be said for Timmy, who stumbled along behind her, "I see your husband went for a more unique look tonight."

"Don't start," Rita rolled her eyes, dark curls bouncing on her shoulders. They looked more alike than ever tonight with their matching dark features - sloping, high cheekbones the hallmark of their family. Prominent, aristocratic, almost but not quite upturned noses, sharp like every feature on their angular, intense faces, complimented guarded eyes and thick, long lashes. It was odd how something as simple as changing Elise's hair from blonde to midnight black made her almost Rita's doppelganger. If Rita was to straighten her hair to match the wig, I was almost certain that no one at this party would be able to tell them apart, "I told Timmy to change but he didn't listen!"

"Well, am I surprised?" Elise tittered, shaking her head at the drunken man. His breath stank of beer and I recoiled slightly as he crushed a plastic cup in his hand and threw it at the bin, missing it entirely.

"Oh, don't be so high and mighty, El," Rita sneered, my eyebrow raising itself at the unfamiliar nickname, "You've married a man before y' know. Or had you forgotten?"

"Rita!" I hissed, but the damage was done. Elise's eyes clouded over and it was almost like I could see the cogs in her head churning as the walls in her head went up and everything changed. Within a matter of seconds, her body language became even stiffer, her back rigid and her neck taught. Her face no longer held a comedic, character-appropriate sneer - it was closed off, devoid of any emotion. It was scary.

"Elise, stop. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Rita winced, but it was like Elise didn't hear a word the woman said.

"Elise," I whispered, slowly reaching out, "I'm going to touch your waist now, okay? That's me you can feel." Elise was staring ahead, unresponsive, but there was a hint of a reaction when I had begun to talk so I carefully wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her out of the room. Somehow we ended up in the bathroom, and as soon as I shut the door my girlfriend crumpled into the empty bathtub, banging her head against the back wall, staring angrily up at the ceiling. After careful consideration, I climbed into the bathtub with her, "Wine?"

"Is it my wine or Rita's wine?"

"Rita's wine."

"Ugh," she grimaced, "I shan't have it then. Her best bottle only goes back about twenty years."

"Don't be a snob, Elise, we're drinking to get drunk anyway. Fuck the taste."

"Oh, are we now?" She gave out a gentle laugh and looked at me then, her makeup somehow unperturbed, "I didn't realise I was at a Year 9 house party."

"You went to house parties?" I exclaimed, letting out a childish giggle.

"No, of course, I didn't," laughed Elise, "I went to dinners and balls. But I lived vicariously through my students, so I know what I'm talking about."

"We did tell some wild tales, didn't we?"

"You were such fun when you were young. Pain in the arse, too."

"Wash your mouth out with soap, young lady!" I exclaimed, watching a laugh erupt from Elise. It was the same visceral scene as winning in an arcade or finding something you lost or figuring out a problem that had plagued you for months. Watching her laugh made me feel like I'd just won the lottery.

"God, do you remember Mrs Banks?"

"Was she the one with the nasal voice?"

"Yes, oh, she was ever so insufferable," Elise laughed, "Intolerable really. I always felt that she had some odd affinity for you."

"Well, so did you." I snorted.

Elise frowned, not taking the joke too well, "No, I mean in the sense that it was weirdly perverted, I know what I did was inexcusable but at least you were 18. With her, it seemed to run a little deeper than that as if she had felt that way for a long time. It may surprise you but I had no intention of sleeping with you when you were my student, I just... slipped up once or twice. I felt like she got away with it because she was a woman."

"But did you not benefit from that same prejudice?" I frowned, "Not that I felt targeted by you or anything of the sort, it was obviously consensual, I'm just curious."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed, "It's a hard question to answer. God knows it raised a lot of questions for myself, the main one being why I was attracted to a bloody eighteen-year-old. But I never intended to do anything about it, ever. And in all honesty, I regret it."

"You do?" I scratched my head, a little hurt.

"You know what I mean by that, Emma, come on," Elise leant back again, sighing, "It was illegal. I could have at least waited until you were out of school, as weird as that sounds."

"Do you not remember what it was like, though? What we felt? We couldn't wait. That's why it happened. And all that happened was we kissed, nothing more. It's not like I shagged you in the caretaker's cupboard."

"Emma!" Elise burst out laughing, swatting my leg with her hand, "You're awful. Pour me that glass of wine, will you?"

"Who would have thought, though, hey? Who would have thought twenty odd years ago that we would be here, in your sister's house in Scotland at a Halloween party drinking Pinot Grigio in a fucking empty bathtub!"

"At least the bathtub is empty."

"I'd almost prefer it not to be." I winked.

"You're such a flirt!" Elise teased, but she was blushing now under layers of ghostly Morticia makeup, alone in our little sanctuary as music blasted from outside.

Soon we returned to the party, where beer pong was in full swing in the dining room.

"I'm taking Elizabeth!" Rita shouted immediately, grabbing my arm as we wandered in, both Elise and I now quite a few glasses deep.

"Then I get Sophia!" Timmy roared back, having enough common sense not to dare try and touch Elise's arm.

"I'm not playing a drinking game, those are for children and American frat boys!" Elise exclaimed, surveying the room where two groups of three stood at opposite ends of the table.

"So... you're a pussy?"

"How dare you!?" Elise shot back at me, any sign of the tender bathtub conversation now completely gone as I winked at her, "What a horrible word!"

"Not what you said last night!" I shouted, leaning over for a smashing high five from Timmy. The other two players that had been occupying the table alongside the husband and wife ducked out as soon as Elise began to narrow her eyes, so that only Rita, Timmy, Elise and I were left.

"Ew, gross!" Rita winced.

"Excuse me," Elise turned to Rita then, who doubled back in surprise, "Sex between two women is not gross! It is a beautiful thing and should be cherished, not fetishised or frowned upon! It's -"

"Gross because you're my fucking sister, not because I'm homophobic you absolute twat!" Rita snorted. Both Timmy and I were rather taken aback by her rather vulgar choice of nouns, but Elise didn't even flinch. I imagine Rita had called her much worse before.

"That's it," Elise walked angrily over to the table and slammed her glass of wine on the table, "Let's play some beer pong."

"That's what we like to hear!" I whooped, rather intimidated by the sheer blazing look of determination in her eyes.

"Oh, one slight tweak," Rita added, "It's technically tequila pong. Anyways, let's play!"

"Wha-" Elise was thrown off momentarily, but then Rita opened her mouth to tease and Elise straightened her back, clicked her neck and held out a hand, "Hand me something to throw. And Emma, please do save the inappropriate ball jokes, I can assure you no one will laugh."

"Damn, you're so mean." I grinned.

"Welcome to my world!" Rita jeered. Then, the vodka pong commenced. To say that the Elderflower family was competitive would be an understatement of catastrophic proportions. Before the first ball was even thrown a dark shroud settled over the two sisters as they faced Timmy and me, un-flinching and intense. The atmosphere was electric, with almost a hint of danger, as Elise and I were nominated by our team to step up first. The first throw was to decide what team goes first, but you had to maintain eye contact with the other player. Elise was positively glowing with sheer determination as she stood poised and her eyes levelled on me, eliciting a shiver down my spine.

"Don't blink, you might miss." Elise teased as Rita counted down and my heart began to pound. We both threw at the same time, and Elise's ball landed perfectly in the very middle of the triangle of red cups, as mine bounced off, missing narrowly.

"That's my girl!" Rita shouted happily, high fiving Elise, who rather awkwardly patted her sister's extended hand. It was the Elderflower team first, the wives, with Rita donning Timmy and me as the 'husbands'. This, I noticed, made Elise's cheeks tinge red ever so slightly.

"Whatever," I smirked, "Beginners luck."

"Beginner?" Elise looked up at me, a wicked and alluring smile on her face, "Oh darling, you are so naive."

"I-" My mouth opened to respond but unusually no sound escaped. I could not think of a response; I was frozen, and Elise loved it.

"Mmm. I concur," Elise let out a short, mocking laugh and tossed the ball at me, "Try not to be so futile this round, Elizabeth." Her words were laced with vicious intent. She was a wolf tonight.

"Yeah, Bethie," Rita chimed in, "Try not to be so futile."

"Nah, doesnae work so well when you do it love." Timmy snorted drunkenly.

"I'm inclined to agree. Don't quit your day job." I snorted.

"Oh do shut up, you dense tossers."

"Language." Elise scolded.

"Grow up." Rita bit back.

"Anyway, moving on," I grinned, throwing again, this time hitting my target. Rita necked the shot of vodka, tossed the cup and we continued for another ten minutes until there were only two cups left. Timmy was leaning back against the wall for support, his eyes wide and bleary, his wife scratching her forehead as she watched Elise gear up for what could be the final throw.

"Hurry up, Elderflower. We haven't got all day." I grinned.

"Elderflower?" Timmy blinked.

"Remember what I told you," Rita rolled her eyes, slurring her words, "Name change, all of that. Very confusing. Elise, Sophia. Elderflower, Hart."

"Oh yeah," Timmy snorted, "Apologies, m'lady."

"You're forgiven."

"Dodged a bullet there, Tim." I laughed.

"Quiet, Elizabeth. The adults are talking." Elise threw the ball.

"Sorry that you're a raging nonce." I laughed. Elise missed.

"Elizabeth!" Rita shouted, roaring with jovial laughter, "You can't say that!"

"Fuck it." I grinned. Then I looked at Elise, and she was curiously staring at me, in a way I couldn't place until she opened her mouth. With a piqued interest in what her reaction would be, I watched her mouth slowly stretch from a flat line to a broad, reaching, evil grin.

"You're going to regret that." Was all she said slyly, something that elicited a shiver as Timmy slapped me on the back.

"You're on the sofa tonight, mate." He snorted.

"Don't I know it," I let out a laugh just as I threw the ball and it landed perfectly in the flimsy plastic cup, "Score! You lose!" I shouted with a grin, slapping Timmy's back as he roared with laughter at the two angry women opposite us.

"They're terrifying! I'm laughing through the fear!" Timmy shouted as swigged his beer.

"I get to administer the final shot!" I announced, jumping forward, "Rita, you can have our final one because you're a big dumb loser."

"To think you teach children for a living," Rita rolled her eyes, walking to grab the cup, "What do you teach them? How to be wildly immature not only in childhood but also in later life?"

"Sounds about right," I grinned, "C'mon Timmy, you can give Rita her shot."

"How?" he asked, jogging forward, red solo cup in hand. Then the married couple were forgotten as Elise took a step back and leant against the wall, eyes narrowed, dark, heady and unpredictable. The left corner of her mouth was poking upwards in a half-concealed smug grin and her breathing was laboured as she played with a strand of long, synthetic raven hair.

"Permission to approach, Ms Elderflower?"

"Granted." She husked, eyes dragging up and down my body as I walked slowly into her personal space and placed a gentle hand on her waist, using the edge of the cup to push her chin upwards. Tilting her head back, the expanse of her smooth, alabaster skin shone in the glow of the light above us.

Momentarily, she stilled, and I froze alongside her for I saw that she truly was the singular most beautiful woman I had ever seen in all my years of living. It took my breath away, the way she so casually leant, picturesque and gracious. It felt like I had caught a marble statue in the making, the muse for a great artist or writer. Pressing my body against the length of hers, I placed the cup on her lips and tilted it as the tequila slipped into her mouth, wetting her lips in the most delirious way.

"Horrible beverage, that is. No lime or salt either, a crime if you ask me."

"Suddenly you're the alcohol police." I joked, but my mouth was dry and I couldn't stop staring at her lips. She felt like an addiction. It felt like every waking moment I had was spent thinking about her, and I did not mind it in the slightest.

"I would look abhorrent in that uniform. That's why I never considered that as a career path."

"The only reason you didn't choose to be a policewoman was because you... didn't like the outfits?" I snorted.

"Yes," Elise responded simply, "Now get me another drink."

"Say please."

"Oh, pretty please," Elise leant into my ear, husking, "With cherries on top."

"For you? Anything." I grinned, slinking away to the kitchen.

We were considerably pissed by the time Rita announced that we would be moving on to the pub. The last call was at 11 pm, so we had an hour or so before the night was over. It was a quick walk from Rita's to the pub, and I had lost Elise somewhere along the way. Timmy and I found her again when we were seated at a table at the back with a pint in each of our hands and a familiar blonde, no longer wearing her wig, took her place on a makeshift stage.

"What the fuck?" I whispered incredulously.

It was karaoke night, and a very, very familiar set of chords had begun to play.

"No way!" Timmy gawked, a bright, dazzling grin on his rugged face. He didn't smile often, but when he did, he looked very handsome.

"That fucking bitch!" I shouted with an ear-splitting grin, my words drowned out by the roars of pure laughter from everyone in the pub.

"You're so hot," Elise began to sing, husking just like Christine Baranski had. It was 'Does Your Mother Know' by Abba, in the style of Mamma Mia, and it was absolutely ridiculous, "Teasing me," She descended from the stage and pranced towards me, twirling and shaking her butt, "So you're blue, but I can't take a chance on a kid like you," her eyes connected with mine and they were absolutely on fire, "It's something I couldn't do!" Elise was headed towards me but suddenly dipped, taking to dancing around each table as the patrons, a mixture of Rita's partygoers and some of the older men of the village just in for a pint or two, clapped wholeheartedly and sung along with her.

"She's bonkers, Timmy!" I screamed with laughter, "Stark, raving bonkers!"

"Aye she is, Elizabeth," He wiped a tear from his eye, "Aye she is."

"There's that look," she winked at a balding grey man and he flushed scarlet, "In your eye, I can read in your face that your feelings are driving you wild," Elise held the microphone to a young woman, I believe she was the daughter of the man who owned the local Newsagents, and together they chimed, "Wild!" Which set the audience into another round of raging laughter as she sauntered over to me, cupping my face, "Oh, but girl you're only a child!" Placing a quick kiss on my lips to the screams and shouts of the crowd, she turned and began to jump up and down with the rest of the horde of people as the chorus hit and they all began to sing, "So I can dance with you honey, if you think it's funny, does your mother know that you're out?!" A hand grabbed mine, and I didn't even realise it was Elise until she was pulling me into the centre, singing into my eyes, "And I can chat with you baby," She cupped my arse, laughing spectacularly, "Flirt a little maybe, does your mother know you're out?" Elise Elderflower was drowning in the attention, travelling from person to person for the remainder of the song to sing to them before she finished, landing in my lap to a round of enthusiastic applause.

"You're insane!"

"Did you like it, baby?" Elise smirked.

"It was... embarrassing." I laughed.

"That's what you get for calling me a raging nonce!"

"Nu'uh," I wiggled my finger, "You messed with the wrong girl!" I laughed, pushing her off my lap, "It's my turn now bitch!" She wanted Mamma Mia, and she was going to

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