Chapter 138

Two Years Later

“Oh come on, you’re taking this a bit too far now” I sigh, standing up from my place on the sofa to face my furious boyfriend. It’s not the first time he’s come to mine, drunk and causing an argument so I kind of know how to deal with this now.

“How the fuck do you expect me to react when I find out my fucking girlfriend’s cheating on me!?” he screams right in my face.

“Would you calm down? People are going to hear you and I’m one complaint away from being thrown out of here” I snap. Eleanor and I aren’t the best people to live next door to. We have more drama in our apartment than bloody Coronation Street. That and we like to get drunk and blast music on a regular day-to-day basis.

“I couldn’t give a shit. I want everyone to know what a slut you are”

“You’re being completely unreasonable. He’s practically my brother” I scoff and he just rolls his eyes, taking another sip of his beer. “Look, just sit down and we’ll sort this out” I gently place my hand on his cheek.

“Don’t fucking touch me” he pushes me away by my shoulders, making me stumble slightly.

“Why are you so angry!? It’s hardly like me and Jack would’ve got any alone time anyway. Eleanor would’ve been with us the whole time and in case you’ve forgotten, she’s actually in a relationship with him so I’d have a bloody job”

“Knowing you, you would’ve found a way” he rolls his eyes, collapsing back on my sofa and grabbing the TV remote. I stay stood up in front of him.

“Oh yeah, in the middle of Manchester?”

“Don’t get fucking sarcastic with me” he shakes his head, not even looking at me. “Now sit down, you’re making the place look untidy”

I take a deep breath of impatience and sit down beside him, losing interest of the wrestling on TV almost instantly. I turn to him and sigh.

“I’m sorry, okay? I should’ve told you I was going out” I lower my head. I’ve been with the guy for six months now and I’ve learnt that he’s not going to back down. It’s best if I just apologise.

“Shut up” he snaps.

“No! We need to sort this out. You can’t just sit here and watch wrestling rather than sorting out your relationship” I stare at him in confusion.

“I’ll watch it at my place. You’re pecking my head” he shoots for the door.

“Nick, wait!” I call for him. “You can’t just leave”

“Fucking watch me” he spits, swinging the door open. I just collapse on the sofa, giving up on trying to sort this whole commotion out. He’ll probably just call me later asking to come back to his like he usually does. He’s just drunk at the moment.

He always is...

“Oh, is this another guy you’re fucking with?” he screams. I frown in confusion. What’s he talking about?

“I wouldn’t fucking say that again” another voice growls and my head snaps up to see who the familiar voice belongs to.

Oh... my... god...

“Or what?” Nick chuckles and before I even get the chance to stand up from the sofa, Conor throws a punch straight into Nick’s nose.

“What the hell?” I gasp, running over to Nick who’s lying on the floor. He’s too drunk to even stand up right now.

“You’re gonna regret that” he groans, trying to push himself up from the floor. Conor just rolls his eyes and steps over Nick’s body, coming face to face with me.

“Conor?” I frown in confusion, just to confirm it really is him.

“Hey Luce” he gives me an awkward smile, shrugging slightly and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

He’s dressed in his usual white t-shirt and black skinny jeans that are doing him many favours at the moment. His messy hair’s much darker that it was two years ago and he’s grown at least four inches. His bright blue eyes are still exactly the same as how they were two years ago and I think there’s no denying that I fancy the hell out of him already.

I smile slightly in complete shock and amazement that he’s actually here, before I realise that Conor and I aren’t the only people in the room, and my actual boyfriend’s still awing in pain on the floor.

“Um, Nick. Are you okay?” I frown slightly, crouching down to the floor next to him.

“Get the hell away from me” he growls, standing up in sync with me.

“You better get out of here before I start round two” Conor threats.

“I’m not scared of you” Nick scoffs, taking a step closer to Conor.

“You will be once I’m finished with you”

“Conor, stop!” I snap. Ok, he might be defending me in this whole situation but he can’t just turn up after two years to my Uni apartment and start an argument with my boyfriend. “Nick, I’ll call you later”

“Don’t fucking bother, we’re done” he storms out of the flat, slamming the door behind him.

I never know when he says that if he legitimately means it or he’s just done with me for the day. Either way, we end back together. He’ll probably get with some other girl tonight like he usually does and then tomorrow morning when the hangover kicks in, he’ll call me up and sweet talk me into caring for him.

I groan in frustration and storm over to my sofa, grabbing the remote off the table and turning off the TV. I cross my legs and just glare out of the window, in deep thought if Nick and I actually still have a chance. He can’t just leave me.

“Are you okay?” Conor breaks the silence.

“Don’t talk to me” I roll my eyes, biting back the tears.

“You can’t be serious”

“Why not? None of that would’ve happened if it wasn’t for you” I raise my voice, wiping away a falling tear.

“He’s an asshole. Don’t tell me you’re actually upset about that!” he frowns. I stand up from the sofa and glare at him, still quite shocked that he’s actually here.

“You have no right to come here after not knowing me for two years, and start beating up my boyfriend”

“He’s your boyfriend?” his eyes widen.

“Who do you think he is!? Well, there’s a fat chance of us getting back together now, thanks to you”

“Why do you even want to stay with him? He treated you like shit” he frowns in confusion.

“Wow, that’s a little hypocritical coming from you”

“I never treated you like that” he shakes his head at me.

“Our whole relationship was like that, Conor!” I yell and he just sighs.

“Why do you put up with that anyway?”

“Because I love him!” I force the words right out of my mouth. The word ‘love’ doesn’t mean shit to me anymore like it used to.

“Bullshit” he laughs dryly.

“Excuse me?” I raise an eyebrow.

“I might not have known you for two years but I know for sure you’re not in love with him”

“You saw him for less than a minute. You know jack shit” I scoff, falling back on the sofa as silence settles upon us again. “What are you doing here Conor?” I sigh, wiping away another tear and turning away from him. I’d be much angrier at him right now if he didn’t just show up after two years. I’m still in complete shock.

“I came to visit you” he shrugs, sitting down next to me. I frown and turn to him.

“I mean, what are you doing in this country?”

“I have some things to sort out” he shrugs. God, he’s so cute. He hasn’t changed one bit. “Nice place by the way”

“Is that sarcastic?” I raise an eyebrow in slight amusement at the pigsty I shamelessly call an apartment. It’s a mess but I blame Eleanor. I’ve been so caught up with everything at the moment that I genuinely have no time to clean up Eleanor’s mess.

“No, it’s pretty cool. I wish I got to go to Uni” he smirks.

“I’d swap places with you in a heartbeat”

He chuckles, “How’s University anyway?”

I sigh, “It’s decent. Nothing special”

“You must love the parties here though, right? You can legally drink now” he teases, making me laugh.

“Yeah, I’ve been to about two of those”

“Really? I expected those parties to be right up your street”

“I just don’t get chance to go” I shrug, my mood changing slightly and I think he realises the reason I don’t get to go to all these parties is because of Nick.

“Living with Eleanor’s got to be the definition of hell” he shudders, thankfully not giving me some relationship advice.

“I love it, thank you very much” I tease, making him chuckle.

“Look at us having a normal conversation. I expected kitchen knives to be thrown about around this time” he checks his expensive watch and I just roll my eyes in amusement.

“It’s not like if I kicked you out you’d go away” I smirk and he just nods in agreement. “Besides, I feel bad sending you away”

“Oh, shut up” he laughs.

“How do you know I live with Eleanor anyway?” I frown in confusion. I’m actually not hating this conversation at all. I’m not saying I like the asshole – in fact, I still hate him – but he’s the best company I’ve got. I’m kind of intrigued about how his life is now and everything, but as I said before, even if I did kick him out he wouldn’t leave.

“Jack told me” he shrugs.

“And he told you where I live, I’m guessing” I roll my eyes. That boy couldn’t keep his mouth zipped if I stapled his lips together. It surprises me how he keeps all the secrets I tell him. It’s scary how much I trust him...

Conor nods, chuckling slightly, “Where is he anyway?”

“He went out to town with Eleanor”

“And left you alone with that dipshit?” his face almost drops.

“No” I shake my head, frowning.

“Nick made you stay” he nods, connecting all the dots together. “Which is why you were arguing” he almost gasps. “He thought there was something going on with you and Jack”

“Pretty much” I huff, not even bothering to come up with something sassy to throw back at him. I think he realises this, as his face turns much softer. “Conor, none of this makes sense. Why did you come to visit me?”

“I just wanted to see you” he shrugs.

“Why now? Why after two years have you come now?”

“I don’t know. I was in the mood”

“Bullshit” I roll my eyes, turning to face the TV. No way has he just turned up at my apartment because he was ‘in the mood’.

“It’s pretty quiet in there. He’s probably gone” I hear Jack mutter from outside the front door. I roll my eyes and make my way over to the door, Conor standing up in his seat.

“Jack, I love you and everything but you seriously need to grow some-“

They’re interrupted by me swinging the door open to see them.

“Jack, I didn’t know you were scared of Nick” I smile in amusement at the shock written all over his face.

“What? I’m not” he panics slightly and Eleanor just rolls her eyes, stepping into our small apartment.

I haven’t bought myself a new house and moved in with Eleanor, in case you’re wondering. Well, something similar. It’s the end of my first year in University.

Eleanor and I got accepted into Manchester University. We have our own little twin bedroom in one of the houses here and I love it to be honest. Living with my best friend is one obvious advantage but the atmosphere here is incredible. My classes are decent and I’ve actually taken up Law as something I really want to do in life. I loved it all the way through my two years in college so I thought, why not do it in University? I’ll be loaded...

Jack’s been staying with Eleanor and I for the past week because he really wanted to stay in a University room. Well, that’s what he tells us anyway. I think he just wanted to see what the buzz about the parties is about, and he sure found out.

“Where is the asshole?” El asks. I give up scolding her for calling him that. She’s the only person that’s not scared of him and I think he knows this. He puts up with the fact Eleanor despises him.

“He left” I shrug. She raises an eyebrow at me, clearly not believing it’s that simple, but she just drops it and walks into the living room.

“Lucy?” she calls. “Am I dreaming?”

I chuckle slightly and follow her voice, Jack following behind.

He gasps, “Conor!”

“Hey Jack” Conor chuckles, pulling his brother in for a quick hug.

“What the hell is going on?” Eleanor frowns in confusion.

“I don’t know” I sigh, shaking my head. “He just turned up”

“Alright Eleanor” Conor smirks at her and she looks at him in disgust.

“Don’t talk to me” she rolls her eyes, sitting down on the sofa.

“So um, what are you doing back so early?” I decide to break the silence.

“We got bored” Eleanor sighs. “What the hell are you doing here, Conor? What’s going on?”

“I just thought I’d come and see you all” Conor shrugs.

“Honestly, I don’t know anything. He just turned up and punched Nick” I shake my head, making him smirk. Eleanor’s head shoots up.

“You did?” she gasps and he just nods. “Up top” she holds her hand up in the air and Conor slaps his with hers.

“I’m guessing it’s not just me that’s not a fan of the guy” Conor frowns, sitting down on the sofa.

“I’m pretty sure even his family hate his company. God knows why Lucy puts up with his shit” she rolls her eyes.

“Nice to know you’re getting along with each other” I nod at the two of them.

“Conor, you do know that we’re all going back to Brighton tomorrow?” Jack frowns, helping himself to our mini fridge. Every room in this apartment is in the living room, except from the bathroom of course.

“Yeah, I know. I um, thought I could get a ride back with you guys” Conor shrugs, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You’re not getting in my car” El scoffs. What a surprise...

“Babe, come on” Jack sighs.

“No way. He can’t just turn up here after two years and expect me to give him a free ride”

“She has a point” I input. I can’t spend 4 hours in Eleanor’s tiny car with the asshole.

“How else is he gonna get home?” Jack frowns.

“I’m sure he has enough money for a train” she shrugs. “In fact, he probably has enough for a damn jet to take him home”

“Eleanor-“

“Jack, it’s fine” Conor shakes his head, probably understanding that there’s no way Eleanor’s going to give him a ride. “I’ll just spend the fifty pounds I was going to give her on a train ticket instead”

Oh great.

“Hold on a second” Eleanor pipes up. “Um, I’m sure we could squeeze you in the back. Getting the train would be a waste” she flashes him a false smile.

Conor still knows Eleanor way too well, knowing she’ll snap his hand off at his offer. He probably knows that if money was involved, she’d shave her head bald. Well, maybe not that far but something similar that preferably doesn’t ruin her image.

“Aw, how generous of you” he smirks, pulling a couple of scrunched up notes out of his pocket and throwing them at Eleanor.

“Nice doing business with you” she nods.

I think the only reason why I’m not strangling Eleanor right now for being so greedy is because I’ll probably be asleep the entire journey. I won’t even need to talk to Conor. Well, that and I kind of want to be with him a bit longer. You can’t blame me. I’ve not seen my famous ex-boyfriend for 2 years and he suddenly cracks up at my door saying he wants to see me.

I’m obviously intrigued.