Twelve Days - The Beginning Read Free

conversation was stilted. Vaughn had seriously hit the bar and was struggling to string any useful words together. Stephen filled the gaps with ridiculous stories, which Amelia laughed at just a little too loud, and he annoyingly continued to press his thigh closer and closer to hers. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, Elise excused herself to visit the bathrooms and caught Celeste’s eye, indicating for her to join her. The two escaped from the table and as Celeste climbed over Olivia and Vaughn, Elise noted the way that Vaughn had dropped his mouth to Olivia’s ear and whispered something to her. She repressed a shudder as she considered what he must smell like up close and thanked all that was holy that all she’d had to contend with so far, was Stephen’s thigh.
    “So, what do you think of him?” Celeste demanded as soon as they were out of earshot. Celeste was perpetually single and perpetually on the lookout for her soul mate.
    “Isn’t he a bit old for you?” Elise replied. Celeste was twenty-six, meaning that there must have been something like a ten-year age gap.
    “No, don’t be daft. I like older men, and besides, it’s not as if I have tons of success with men my age. Don’t you just think he’s to die for?!”
    Elise didn’t. However, she didn’t want to crush her friend so she settled for a tactful “He’s OK, I suppose - he seemed to be pretty cosy with Olivia though, Leste; you may have some competition”.
    Celeste blew some hair out of her eyes as she studied her reflection in the mirror. “Nah, I’m not worried about Olivia, she may have bigger boobs than me, but I can beat her on experience any day!” Elise laughed. Her friend was incorrigible and she knew firsthand that Celeste was not short on experience. On one memorable occasion, Elise had gone round to visit Celeste and, finding the flat door open, had pushed inside. Following the sounds coming from the bedroom, she had tiptoed tentatively through the door only to pull up short incomplete shock at the sight of Celeste with not one, but two naked men. Although she had run out as fast as her legs would carry her, Elise had never forgotten this incident and had sometimes wondered what it had felt like to have two men in her bed. Or if she would ever have the courage to broach the subject with Dale.
    “Leste, what do you think of Olivia?” Elise asked, keen to change the subject but also to hear if her friend shared her misgivings.
    “I’m not sure really. She seems pleasant enough but there’s something about her that I can’t put my finger on”
    “Me either. Maybe it’s just the whole ‘innocent’ act? I don’t know.”
    “I don’t think she’s as innocent as she makes out,” Celeste intoned, “I know we’ve only just met Vaughn and I do kind of like him but she didn’t seem to be backing away from all his whispering and attentions. When I brushed past them, I’m sure I heard him telling her that she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen”
    Elise rolled her eyes. That old line. “Oh God! Maybe but then he is pretty drunk so I guess it’s kind of hard to take him seriously. Do people really fall for that line these days?”
    Celeste laughed, “I doubt it but if he was staring into my eyes and telling me I was the most beautiful girl in the world, I wouldn’t still be sitting at this lame party, I can tell you that for nothing!”
    Giving her friend a light punch on the arm, Elise exited the bathroom and they returned to their table to find the status quo as it was when they left. Stephen shuffled along to allow Elise to sit on the end of the bench and watched with interest as her eyes automatically went to Vaughn and Olivia.
    Never one to be slow on the uptake, Stephen leaned over and whispered in her ear, “What’s up, cupcake? You want a piece of that ass but you’re all jealous ‘cos Olivia’s got it covered?”
    “Shut up you idiot, of course not.” She hissed back. ”Have you forgotten that