Page 80 of Save Me
“Oh, my God,” I laugh as I stare at it, “you clever boy!”
I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. I guess technology and I have never mixed well, but this will be beyond useful.
“You promise you’ll say in touch with me…for anything,” he pleads, taking my hands inside of his and staring with such intensity, I almost have to look away. “Promise me, Beth!”
“I promise,” I whisper as I lean my head against his, “my beautiful friend!”
When Kai eventually leaves, both of us have wet eyes and heavy hearts. I slope sadly over to the Christmas tree and stare at Oliver’s gift, which is still ostentatiously wrapped. It takes me a good ten minutes of staring at it before I have enough courage to pick it up and open it. This time it is a slow-motion affair with very little enthusiasm. A small red box appears amongst the wrapping, making me pause in quiet reflection before pulling it out with trepidation.
The hinge creaks open when I finally lift the lid, and it takes a moment or two for the visual message between my eyes and my brain to filter through. I lift what looks like a regular set of house keys that jingle as I turn them over in my hand. My brow furrows, wondering why he would give me such a thing. I then notice a small, handwritten note, which is lying beneath where the box had been sat amongst the wrapping: My house is now our house. Not long, my darling! X
I emit a long, sad sigh before sneering at them. They do nothing but torment me with their meaningful symbolism of what is to happen in the very near future. I can’t think of what I am going to say to him about them. What do you say in this sort of situation? Thank you for giving me a set of keys to get into our house when you force me to marry you?
I bet most women would be swooning over such a gift from their future, ridiculously wealthy, and powerful fiancé. Instead, I find myself flinging them across the room where they hit the wall with a satisfying rattling of metal on metal. I then rest my head to the back of the sofa, sighing yet again before picking up Oliver’s phone to call him. It’s the last thing I feel like doing, but I guess the quicker I do it, the sooner I can sink back into my binge-fueled depression and cheesy film fest.
“This is a little later than I was expecting, Beth!” he says through clenched teeth, sounding very much angry with me.
“I know,” I reply quietly. “I guess Mum and I weren’t feeling up to opening presents seeing as my grandfather has just died and this will be the last Christmas in my family home,” I explain rather curtly. He remains silent, hopefully reconsidering his shitty attitude. That, or debating whether to bypass the sympathy and lay into me for speaking so coldly to him.
“Fine,” he eventually replies, “I trust you have now opened my gift?”
“I have,” I reply confidently, “thank you, Oliver.”
“I meant what I said, Beth, not long before my house becomes yours too. When you come over next, I will have to show you the security systems and access points,” he says matter of factly, and with a hint of a smug smile. Meanwhile, I wince over the thought of having to go back to his place again. “Is everything else, ok? You sound particularly down today.”
“My friend, Kai, is leaving at the end of the week,” I mutter sadly, “he won’t be returning and I’m going to miss him.”
“That’s too bad, darling, but you were always going to have to go your separate ways at the end of the school year, anyway,” he says as if he were talking to a small child. If he thinks he’s helping, he is sorely mistaken.
“I guess,” I reply, for what’s the point of trying to explain how I’m feeling to someone like Oliver. “Is your trip going well?”
“Very well,” he says, seemingly perking up, “everyone has congratulated us on our upcoming nuptials.”
“That’s nice,” I mumble as I start to play with a loose thread on the pillow.
“I’m being called in for another meeting, but I am back on Friday and want to take you out for dinner. I shall be at yours by six.”
“Ok,” I shrug, screwing up my face and breaking off another piece of chocolate to help me come to terms with that statement. “I’ll speak to you later.”
“Goodbye, darling,” he purrs. “Wear something…lacey,” he adds, sounding dark and terrifying, his usual MO.
I grimace before hanging up to polish off the rest of the family-sized chocolate bar. After which, I’ll use the rest of the afternoon to feel thoroughly sorry for myself.
Chapter 27
Xander
“How are you feeling today, babe?” I ask Beth as I hold her in bed, stroking my fingers up and down her back while trying to wrap her into me as close as I can. She told me about Kai leaving so I can probably guess as to how low she’s feeling. Put that together with everything else on her plate, and I have to wonder how she’s keeping herself going.
“Mm, ok, I guess,” she mumbles, “I always feel good when I’m with you, so…” She trails off with a shrug and continues to lie still over my chest.
“I’m glad,” I murmur as I kiss the top of her head, “and I feel the same way. I might have to make it a little bit later tomorrow. My uncle wants to see me so can you help get me in at about nine instead?”
“Oh, crap!” she gasps before sitting upright and slapping one of her hands over her face. When she finally looks at me, I can tell by her big, beautiful eyes that I’m not going to like whatever it is she’s forgotten to mention. “Oliver is taking me out tomorrow night…for dinner or something.”
I huff loudly on instinct because even though none of this is her fault, I can’t help but feel angry over my girlfriend having to go and play fiancé with another man. Especially when he’s Oliver Lawrence. To know my Beth is going out with some other guy who plans on stealing her away from me for the rest of her life is sometimes too much to bear without losing my cool about it.
“Please don’t be angry with me,” she whispers sadly as I run my hand through my hair in frustration.