thirteen - conversations

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Oh no what's this? A spider web and I'm caught in the middle.

Silence. Abi was sure she had never felt anything like it. Inside her, a burning heat rose, and she was sure she was going to break down on the spot. George was staring at her, pale-faced, whilst Seychelle looked on with confusion at the sudden silence. Twenty minutes ago, she had been kissing George like there was no tomorrow, yet she stood there.

She was going to be sick.

Abi knew George could twist this, that he could argue that she was seeing Alex and himself at the same time, but she didn't have a boyfriend. And never, at any point, had he declared he had a girlfriend. Both Alex and George were more than aware of what was going on, but this? This was unprecedented. The same woman who had tried to sell her jeans the night she had fallen hook, line and sinker for George was now stood in his hotel room with a suitcase and a hell of a lot of questions.

Although Abi tried to move, her heartbeat was too loud, too preoccupying in her mind, to allow her to take even a step. She was going to pass out. She was going to throw up and cry and faint all at the same time. Her heart had been laid bare, and George had torn it to shreds. She couldn't even look at him. She didn't know how much time had passed; it could have been seconds, it could have been hours. All she could feel, could see, was him. George.

"Who's this?" Seychelle dared to ask, voice soft and sweet as she looked at her boyfriend, obviously a little confused when Abi didn't introduce herself. Abi almost didn't want to hear the answer. Because she wasn't George's girlfriend, she was just a girl he had been getting off with for the last hour, a girl he had gone on countless dates with. He had led her down the path of love with hands firmly held. George sat down on the edge of the bed, looking between the two women.

"Abi, from work," He said, and Abi could do nothing but choke a laugh. Finally, her eyes went to George. He was as pale as anything, eyes on his hands as Seychelle smiled.

"Ah, right. Nice to meet you," She smiled, showing off her pearly whites. "Have I interrupted something important? I mean, I obviously want to spend lots of time with my love," Abi had to hold back a sob. "But I can go to the bar for a little bit and come back?" God, she was so nice. So fucking nice.

"Yeah, if you could babe that-"

The babe was too much.

"It's fine." Abi managed, smiling at Seychelle and then looking to George. "We're done." His face fell, and his heart ached. But Abi knew that this was just a massive inconvenience to him, that Seychelle wasn't meant to turn up to see him, that he would be able to get away with a dirty weekend.

To Abi, this was the most catastrophic thing to have happened to her.

She grabbed her handbag and shoes, not bothering to waste a moment putting them on, and without a word, made it down the hallway to her room before the first tear fell. Once the door was slammed and locked behind her, she let the taps open. She slid her back down the door, head in her hands as she cried and cried and cried. She screamed into her hands, feet scraping at the carpet as she sobbed. She knew people walking past could hear her, but she didn't care. All she cared about was that the boy who was about to become her boyfriend had a girlfriend.

How could such a vital piece of information slip his mind? How could he just forget about the presence of a significant other in his life? Who was he trying to kid with the whole I'm so sorry for what happened when we were eighteen, I want to make amends spiel? Did he just want sex? Abi had, in all senses of the word, been played.

But it only struck more questions - surely Alex and Lando knew? And they sure knew that George and Abi were seeing each other. Why didn't they step in? She and Alex spoke enough for him to have the chance to slip in that George had a  girlfriend! The sadness sunk to rage, and she was sure that she would have punched the wall if she had been at home. But she had to keep her cool if she wanted to keep her job. Instead, she yelled into her hands louder.

She had never felt more vulnerable.

As anger mellowed back to sadness, she cried till no more tears were left. Her heart was aching and cheeks damp as she sat looking across the room and out the window to the dark sky.

Shakily, and with assistance from the cabinet beside her, she stood. She made her way to the bed, entire body shaking, and sat down, rubbing her face with her hands. She knew she looked a mess, but who was there to see her? Mascara streaked her face, and her glasses were blurry from the salt of her tears; she had never felt worse. Had any of this been her doing? Had she been a bad person pursuing two loves at one? She really didn't know.

What she did know, however, was that she needed a lot of cigarettes and a lot of alcohol. She managed to compose herself a little more after doing several breathing exercises she remembered from her days at counselling and then carried herself to the bathroom, washing her face with her cleanser to hide the puffiness of her eyes and remove the smudged makeup, then putting on her comfiest pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She retreived her phone from her pocket and dalled the only person she knew could coach her through such a horrific time.

"Cal, I know it's late, but I really need help."


"No fucking way." Callum seethed, the two sat in a shisha bar not far from the hotel. She nodded, head in her hands. "I should have never trusted him... He's all good looks and fancy . Thena, the prick has got no heart." He sighed, not knowing how to console his best friend through such heartbreak. He had never seen Abi like this in the almost three years he had known her - she was quiet and sad; that was not her in any way. "I'm so sorry this is happening, Abs." He whispered as she looked up from her hands and gave him a small smile.

"You didn't know. Not what was actually going on. A feeling, a suspicion that someone isn't as nice as they seem, isn't an accusation that they're cheating, is it." She said calmly, reaching for the hose of the hookah that sat between them, the tip between her lips as she slowly breathed in the candy sweet smoke.

"I suppose no one was to know." He sighed, swirling his coke and vodka around in his glass. "But... Hell, this is awful for y. I Abs, I don't even know what to suggest," He sighed, watching the woman blow smoke from her lips and then pick up her whisky.

"Neither do I." Abi laughed, swirling the amber liquid around the glass. "I just need to get this weekend over and done with and then head home and get my life together." She sighed, downing the rest of her drink. "I can't believe I was gullible enough to trust him, believe him after everything that happened." She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. She didn't know what else to do or say, how to feel about the hell she had wound herself up in.

"Well, what about Alex?" Callum asked, making her laugh loudly.

"What, you mean his very best friend that definitely knew about Seychelle's existence yet still decided to let me keep seeing him?" She asked, picking up the shisha hose again. "Absolutely not. I might just bin off men all together at this point - what joy have they ever brought me?" It was true. In all the time they had known each other, she had not once found a happy relationship. It didn't matter if it was through an hrough a chance meeting; it always ended in tears.

"You've got a point." He sighed, swirling the last of his drink around his glass and then checking his watch. "We should head back, Abs, it's almost two, and we've got a long day t,morrow." Callum suggested as he downed the rest of his drink and watched Abi cough out another balloon of sweet-smelling smoke.

"Yeah, sooner we get this over with the better I'll feel, I'm sure," She sighed, standing and tucking her chair under as she waited for Callum to get his jacket and join her on the walk back to the hotel. "Leave all relationships alone till next year, so much for Abu Dhabi." She laughed as they headed back to the hotel, side by side.

"Probably for the best," Callum sighed, a frown on his face as he saw the sheer sadness that etched his way onto his best friend's face. It was painful to see and something he had never had to deal with before. Sure, they had seen each other tearful and upset, but not to this extent.

It was clear Abi didn't want to go to sleep, so Callum reluctantly agreed to one more drink. The hotel's bar was empty when they entered, soft, smooth music playing and the was waiter glad to have custom. Two more whiskeys were ordered, and they headed to the balcony with them, stopping in their tracks when they saw the sight before them. Lando and Alex sat there with George wrapped in a deep blue blanket, head in his hands and his friends comforting him. The disturbance of the door opening made Lando turn, a small smile on his face when he saw the pair.

"Let's go back inside," Callum mumbled, the sound making George look up. Immediately, Abi's eyes met with his, and she felt that familiar tide wash over her again. Anger, deceit, confusion, sadness. Staring back at her was the man she was going to confess her love to, and now he sat with red cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Abi didn't have an ounce of sympathy for him.

They turned and headed back inside, taking one of the booths at the far end of the bar where they were well out of sight of the others.

"What's he got to be crying about? It's fucking stupid." Abi hissed as they sat down. "Let alone him getting found out for being the shitty cheater he is, I find out that man I love is in a relationship and he's the one being comforted?" Her voice raised a little, making Cal reach up to touch her arm gently, calming her.

"He's going to be upset he got found out." He said simply, picking up his drink and sipping. "Upset that Seychelle ruined his fun." He grumbled, shaking his head as he watched the rage slowly slip from Abi's face. "I don't get it at all. I really don't."

"Why don't you talk to Lando and see what he says? You two are getting on okay, right?" Abi quietly suggested, making Callum raise his brows in surprise. "It would help me understand how the hell I ended up in this mess." She huffed, Callum looking to the balcony and then back to his best friend.

"Are you sure?" He asked softly, Abi nodding. "Okay... Well..." He stood and brushed down the front of his t-shirt before heading to where the other men were sitting. Abi, in his absence, let a few more tears slip. Angry tears, tears that felt like acid on her cheeks as she downed her whisky and went to order another one. The barman didn't comment on her appearance and instead poured her another drink after taking her room number. It was all covered by Williams anyway; she could have as much alcohol as she wanted and not have to pay a penny. The perk of working for millionaires. She laughed to herself and then returned to their booth, spinning her glass around in her hands whilst letting a few more tears drop. She knew she didn't need to let them fall, that she had no tears left to give George because he didn't deserve a single tear.

It was a long while before Callum returned, sitting down with a huff and a yawn.

"So, he had tried to break up with her last week, before your birthday, but she said no. And then she turns up uninvited, and George is not happy. He wants to be with you cause he likes you loads, but she, Seychelle, literally flat out refused to accept they were breaking up." He explained, Abi's face screwed into a stern scowl.

"That's ridiculous," She laughed, shaking her head. "And you believe that?" Callum shrugged and downed his drink. He checked his watch - it was almost three in the morning. "Well, I don't," Abi said as she downed the few drops of her whisky and stood. "Come on. I'm done with this shitty day. I think the tiredness is finally kicking in." She sighed as Callum stood and joined her at her side, the pair leaving without a second look at the three lads who were making their way back inside. She wouldn't dare to give George another moment of her time, especially not right now.

It was easy to avoid him on Thursday. Abi managed to sleepily push through the mountain of work she had to do before FP1 whilst Callum dozed at her side, too bored of looking at the new tyre regulations to kstay awake forlonger than a few minutes at a time. They had dined in the hotel restaurant and then slept before the sun had fully set, ready for the pressures that Friday would bring them.

It was the knocking at her door that woke her up. She checked her watch - she had massively overslept! She shot out of bed and to the door, opening it to be face to face with Seychelle.

"Oh." Was all Abi could manage, combing her long hair with her fingers. "Hello."

"Can I come in?" She asked quietly, managing to look past the mismatched pyjamas Abi was dressed in.

"Yes, yeah, of course. I'm so sorry I've literally just woken up. You okay to wait while I put some clothes on?" She asked, inviting the shorter woman inside.

"Yes, that's fine." Seychelle smiled as she sat down in the chair by her vanity unit. Abi rushed to grab her workwear, a martini stripe polo and black jeans, dipping into the bathroom to change into them and brush her teeth. She re-emerged, grabbing her hairbrush and flipping her hair into a ponytail. Seychelle looked the total definition of made up in her little white summer dress and nearly straightened hair. Abi could only dream of looking so good so early.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Abi asked as she sat on the foot of the bed, the two women facing each other.

"George." She said quietly, looking at her hot pink fingernails. "I... I kind of felt like he's been seeing someone else, and a few weeks ago he wanted to talk about things ,and I just... I was too scared to live without him. But... I also want him to be happy ,and I know how upset he has been since I turned up, and, well, I guess I just know that the person he's been seeing means more to him than I do, and I need to accept that." Her voice was barely a whisper, Abi sitting awkwardly with burning cheeks. "So, what I'm saying, is that I want you to make him happy." Her voice cracked, and Abi immediately wrapped her arms around the other woman.

"I get it. I really do. But he isn't faithful, and I don't want to be with someone that I know isn't faithful no matter how much I feel I would be suitable," She whispered with her chin atop Seychelle's head, listening to the soft whimpers of her sobs. "He doesn't deserve someone good. He deserves to learn from his mistakes and grow from them. I don't want to make him feel like what he did was good by being with him. It isn't fair on you either." Abi continued, rubbing a hand on her back softly. "You deserve someone better than George, and so do I." She assured before pulling away, Seychelle wiping her tears away with a sniffle.

"Do you think?" She asked quietly, tucking strands of blonde hair between her ear. Abi nodded firmly.

"I know so," Abi said assuringly, getting the box of tissues from the side table and placing them by Seychelle. "Look, I don't know how much you know... George and I have known each other since we were kids. We went to school together... We had a fling after our prom, but that was it until... what... September? But please know that we never like, did anything. Not really. We went out for meals and things, spoke a lot but..." She sighed, knowing she had to make Seychelle feel better. "That was it." The blonde gave her a timid smile and nodded, dabbing her cheek with the tissue. "Did you want some concealer?" Abi asked, making Seychelle laugh softly and nod. Abi fetched her makeup bag from one of the vanity drawers and passed the wand to the other woman.

"Thank you, Abi. For being so nice about all of this... I know you had no clue. He was honest with that... But, well, I have no real choice but to leave him now." She said with a soft laugh as she dotted concealer below her eyes and dabbed it in with her pinkie.

"You deserve better, Seychelle. We both do. Trust me." Abi smiled as she took the little bottle back and tucked it back into her makeup bag. "You know, we've met before." She said quietly, making Seychelle tilt her head and squint a little. "At Harvey Nics, maybe a month or so ago now? I was looking at the jeans, and you offered to get my size in them." Seychelle rose her eyebrows and smiled.

"Oh god, yes! The Rag & Bone ones, right? They would look lush on you." She laughed, and the two women smiled. Abi was just glad that they could be nice about their awful situation and accept that George was the one at fault. There was no point in name calling or cattiness; all that mattered was that they would both avoid George. "Well, if you find yourself in there again at any point, I'm happy to be your personal shopper." She laughed, standing and tucking her bag over her shoulder. "I'm going to go cheer on my brother for the weekend... I hope you have a great weekend, and you've got people there to be with you." She said, wrapping her arm around Abi and pulling her in for a hug. Abi smiled into it and wrapped an arm around the shorter woman.

"And you, I expect a lot of wine will be drunk with friends once I get home." She chuckled, and Seychelle nodded once they parted.

"Oh, same here. The bars of Soho won't know what's hit them." She laughed. "Thank you for the concealer and the chat, Abi. It was really nice to meet you... I'm sure we'll bump into each other soon." She smiled as they headed to the door, and Abi opened it.

"I'll see you around Seychelle. It was nice to meet you." They waved at each other as Seychelle headed down the hall towards the lifts, Abi huffing and leaning against the doorframe. It was then that the door beside hers opened, and Callum popped his head around the corner.

"Who was that?"

"Doesn't matter. Now give me five minutes and we can go have breakfast." She said with a yawn before stepping back into her room.

What a weird few days - she only hoped the rest of the weekend would be a little calmer.


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net