Page 5 of Untamed Heart
‘Are you serious? What the fuck for? I haven’t laughed this much since my dog dry-humped our localMPon nationalTV.’ She arranged the eyeholes in the costume to align with my actual eyes. ‘True story. I’m Hestia, by the way.’
‘Lottie.’ I blushed.
The supervisor had approached and was standing over us, open exasperation on his face. ‘Are you drunk or something? Get the costume off and take it back to the union. I haven’t got time for this.’
But before I could answer that I was not nearly as drunk as I wanted to be right now, Hestia stuck out her hip, eyebrow raised.
‘Here,’ she said, scooping a couple of condom packets off the ground and pressing them into his hand as he stared, eyes widening. ‘Sounds like you could do with getting laid. Chill the fuck out, bro. It was an accident, she could’ve hurt herself – isn’t it your job to make sure she’s safe while she’s carrying out work on behalf of the student union?’
‘Fucking preach,’ I agreed, my voice muffled inside the condom.
Before he could reply, she’d served the most imperious glance I’d ever witnessed, then put her arm around my shoulders and helped me shuffle towards the nearest toilets, thankfully just inside the library building.
‘What a prick,’ she huffed, not bothering to keep her voice down, attracting yet more stares before we finally reached safety. I directed her to the zip at the back of the costume and emerged a minute later, sweaty and ruffled, my cheeks pink. ‘Huh,’ she added as I adjusted my T-shirt. ‘How the fuck do you look like that after rolling around in a giant condom?’
I frowned, glancing from her surprise to the mirror.
‘What do you mean?’ I asked, seeing only a humiliated mess, my curls in a nest, last night’s mascara now smudging in the corners of my eyes.
She ignored me, tilting her head for a second.
‘You’re not gay, are you?’ she asked, as simply and honestly as if she was asking me whether I took milk in my tea.
I smiled, liking this girl more and more each second.
‘Sadly not,’ I replied, trying to comb through my hair with my fingers, making it worse if anything.
‘Worth a shot.’ She shrugged, arranging herself in the mirror too. ‘I’m bi, mostly guys so far, but . . .’ Her eyes flicked to mine, assessing me, before creasing as she smiled. ‘Well, if you’re sure. Friends it is.’
‘Did I hurt you at all? Are you sure you’re okay?’ I asked, gathering up the wretched costume and checking for rips. Thankfully there were none; a welcome result given the state of my bank balance.
‘No, I’m not,’ she replied, helping me with the costume and then linking her arm through mine as we carried it back out. ‘We need to go out and get wasted. Immediately.’
I laughed, her carefree vibe contagious. We walked over to the student union, my old, yard-worn trainers falling into step with her batteredDMs.
‘Okay, okay, but one of the nasty, cheap bars – I haven’t got much at the moment. I need to get a job—’
‘Oh, do fuck off,’ she said, patting my hand as we ceremonially dumped the costume inside the reception area. ‘With a face and body like yours? We’re not paying.’
And before I could scoff at her imagined success, within the next twenty minutes we were deep into the first of many free drinks of the evening.
That night, we told each other everything, from my struggle with this first week of city life, to her true passion for art and tattoos, some distance from her choice of a psychology degree. My choice of business intrigued her, and she frowned as she tried to connect her building impression of me, a clumsy ex-condom with a passion for horses and books, with spreadsheets and suits instead.
But unlike our choice of studies, those early moments of our friendship felt just right; like a padlock, opening to the only correct combination in 40,000 variations. We were the right answer, the satisfying click.
I realized now, some six years later, how far removed from that sensation every decision since then had felt.
The rest of the day passed in a hazy fog. I gave myself chores, taking myself from minute to minute, hour to hour, knowing I just had to last until five thirty. First, I found a chemist and patched my foot up properly, then a hairdresser with a free slot to wash and blow-dry my hair, and tame the chaotic curls into something sleeker. I browsed in a bookshop for longer than I ever usually allowed myself to do, buying a new romance by an author currently blowing up on social and settled into a nearby café to read. I just needed to make it until Kyle arrived. Then I could forget it all for a while.
Except, by the time five thirty rolled around, the soft light of early evening casting shadows across the cobbles, my nerves were jangling. I’d done what I could to look good at least, and I’d even rehearsed how to tell him what’d happened. But the moment his long, lean frame strode into view, hand sweeping back his burnished blond hair, I chickened out.
‘Have you been waiting long?’ he said, swooping down to press his lips onto mine, the sun catching the green flecks in his hazel eyes. ‘I got away as soon as I could. Bit of a heavy lunch, if you know what I mean.’ He winked. ‘You know how Henry necks Bolly like it’s Evian.’ I smiled, suddenly unsure of what to do or say, the weight of my news flattening my words. ‘Christ, what’s with the shoes?’ he added, standing back, face aghast. ‘Thought you were wearing the new ones? Doesn’t do your legs many favours – you know how I love your legs.’
I opened my mouth to explain, protest – anything – but, hand on my elbow, he propelled me inside the bar with him, his other hand giving my ass a squeeze.
‘Listen, I’ve got a confession,’ he began, a sheepish smile breaking out that melted my growing irritation. He was somehow still tanned from his family’s Easter skiing trip, and his chiselled profile and sharp suit were utterly distracting. Dimples formed and his eyes lit up as he recognized my expression. My heart gave a stutter, not ready for another surprise today. ‘We can absolutely get some drinks, but we’re being gate-crashed, I’m afraid – and then I’ve been roped into dinner with Henry et al. Some of ourUSpartners have flown in today and we’ve got to show them the town, the usual.’
I raised my eyebrows.
