Little White Lies Read Free Page A

anymore.”
    “Anymore?” Vix raises her eyebrow.
    I hesitate. I’ve only known Vix for two weeks, and even though we seem to have clicked straight away, making friends and sharing secrets isn’t exactly high on my list of priorities right now. I’m not sure how much I really want her knowing about my life.
    “He... he used to be a bit of a drinker, and there was this one time—years ago—someone keyed his new car and he went crazy, punched a brick wall, and broke his hand.”
    “Wow,” Vix says.
    “But he went on an anger management course and now he’s really mellow.” I smile, remembering how he laughs when he tells the tale, showing us the scar on his knuckle. “He doesn’t drink much anymore either, and the story comes out every time he tries to warn us about the dangers of alcohol.”
    “Tell me about it!” Vix smiles. “ ‘Alcohol is poison from the devil, Victoria. Do not succumb to its evil temptations.’ Thank God my dad didn’t see me last night.”
    I laugh.
    “Or the night before, come to that. Or all last week, or— Ooh, we’re here!”
    She points out of the window and my heart beats fast as I pull over in front of a cottage with a green door.
    Twelve Bromley Road.
    “Can you believe you’ve passed his house every morning on your way to the park?” Vix grins at me. “And all this time you had no idea that the man of your dreams lived just inside!”
    The man of my dreams.
If only she knew.
    I look up at the little gray stone cottage, and although I’ve seen it many times before, goose bumps prickle down my arms. Can I really go through with this?
    “Don’t worry.” Vix squeezes my arm. “I know last time didn’t go that well, but this time you’re the hero, returning his precious wallet. He can’t
not
be glad to see you!” She grins.
    I smile tightly, then take a deep breath, step out of the car, and walk through the gate, up the garden path to the door. I swallow hard, then knock tentatively.
    Nothing happens.
    “Louder!” Vix calls through the open car window.
    I hesitate, then knock harder.
    Still nothing.
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Vix jumps out of the car, races up the path, and thumps her fist on the door.
    “Vix!”
    “What?”
    Still nothing happens. My heart sinks.
He’s not in
.
    “You looking for Christian?”
    Vix and I turn in unison.
    “Yes!” Vix beams, skipping towards the lanky red-haired guy who’s leaning on the gatepost.
    “Then you’re in luck.” He grins. “Because I know exactly where you can find him.”
    But I don’t feel lucky at all as I stand frozen on the doorstep, unable to believe my eyes.
    “How serendipitous!” Vix beams at him. “I’m Vix. This is Louise.”
    “Lovely to meet you both.”
    A shiver runs down my spine as his sparkling dark eyes meet mine.
    “I’m Kenny.”

THREE
    “Christian works at The Flying Pig pub down the road,” Kenny says. “I’ll walk with you.”
    “Thanks!” Vix smiles.
    “No need,” I say quickly. “If you could just give us directions, that’d be great. We don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
    “No trouble.” Kenny grins. “I’m on my way there now anyway.”
    “Wonderful!” Vix beams.
    Yeah. Wonderful.
    “What about your heels, Vix?” I protest.
    “Don’t be silly!” She shoots me a look. “They’re fine! Besides, I could do with some fresh air.”
    “So are you a student here—
Leigh,
was it?” Kenny asks as I reluctantly follow them down the road.
    “Louise.”
I shoot him a look. “Yes. I’m studying English literature.”
    “Ah, fiction.” He smiles knowingly. “Of course.”
    Shit
.
He’s going to ruin everything. So much for reinventing myself.
    “We’re both students. That’s how we met,” Vix pipes up. “Lou and I are in the same halls, and have some of the same classes too, but I’m doing journalism.”
    “All hail the power of the press.” Kenny bows. “The media have created and destroyed more careers than any other force known