He's the One Read Free Page B

bee-line for Cory. She was very drunk. Ignoring Liberty she flopped down on the sofa next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. ‘Cory darling, will you take me home now?’
    He looked less than impressed. ‘I can call you a taxi. I’m not going yet and I’m not taking you home.’
    Zara raised her head and squinted at Liberty. She herself was not looking quite so glossy and immaculate now. Her mascara had smudged, her hair was tousled and she was having difficulty focusing.
    ‘Oh, it’s your waitress girl. You are so predictable.’
    ‘Her name’s Liberty,’ Cory muttered, sounding annoyed.
    Zara didn’t bother to say hello.
    ‘And the week before, what was that other girlcalled? Tash something? And the week before that?’ She leaned forward to speak to Liberty. ‘The point is, Waitress Girl, you’re not so special. Cory is always doing this. He’ll have forgotten who you are by tomorrow.’
    ‘Go away, Zara, you’re drunk. Again. It’s becoming boring.’ There was a hard edge to his voice.
    On the verge of tears, she exclaimed, ‘Why do you keep doing this to me? Cory, please …’
    ‘You’re doing it to yourself.’
    For a second Zara remained where she was, as if she couldn’t believe that Cory wasn’t going to give in to her. When it became apparent that he was not, she gave a strangled sob and rushed out of the room, colliding with another guest as she did and causing them to spill their drink.
    ‘Just a friend?’ Liberty commented, feeling angry. Had she fallen for some smooth act from Cory after all? Was she just his Waitress Girl for one night only? She had thought he was genuine. God, she was easily taken in. So out of practice that she fell for the first good-looking guy who took any interest in her.
    ‘Just a friend now,’ he said firmly. ‘I’m sorry. She’s off her face … doesn’t know what she’s talking about. It’s all bullshit. I don’t want to be with her, and she can’t handle it. I know I might have seemed harsh with her, but it’s time she moved on.’
    ‘You’re being cruel to be kind, are you?’ For a fleeting second Liberty felt some sympathy for Zara. She knew what it felt like when someone didn’t want you any more. ‘I should probably go now,’ she said.
    He stood up. ‘Let’s get out of here – I can see that Zara has upset you. How about coming to my flat for a drink? It’s up the road from here.’ He held out his hand to her.
    For a moment Liberty hesitated. Would it just be fora drink? Did she want it to be anything else? The fact was she was enjoying herself more than she had done in such a long time, she wasn’t ready for the night to end, even if Cory turned out to be a player …
    ‘Please, forget about what Zara said.’
    Liberty took his hand and again thought, Why not?
    Outside she shivered in the cool breeze coming off the sea. Instantly Cory slipped off his jacket and put it round her shoulders. It was warm with the heat from his body. She loved the gentlemanly gesture, and thought then of Luke, who wouldn’t have noticed if she’d been turning blue from hypothermia.
    They didn’t have far to walk – thank God, as Em’s shoes were crippling. Cory was renting a first-floor flat on an elegant crescent overlooking the sea.
    ‘How come you can afford to live here?’ asked Liberty as they walked up the wide staircase leading to his front door. It didn’t exactly seem the kind of flat a student could normally afford.
    He shrugged. ‘My parents are paying for it.’ He seemed slightly embarrassed to admit it.
    Inside it was beautiful, all high ceilings and full-length windows, but phenomenally messy. There were paint brushes, tubes of oil paint, half-empty coffee mugs and wineglasses on every available surface in the living room. CDs were scattered across the floor, and canvases stacked haphazardly against the entire length of one wall. Clearly Cory was not a fan of cleaning.
    ‘Sorry, I would have tidied up if I’d known