Tangled Love

CHAPTER 108

Moments pass and nothing happens.

No screaming and no fighting.

I press my ear against the crack in the door, listening out for their voices. All I can hear is the faint buzz of their conversation. They aren't yelling or raising their voice. What the hell is Tobias telling him?

I sit anxiously, my leg shaking up and down as I wait for Jake to leave Tobias' room.

"This isn't right." I mumble, standing back onto my feet. The door swings open and Jake walks out, his gaze landing on me.

"You were planning a surprise party for me?" Jake asks uneasily and I look at Tobias who's stood behind Jake. Tobias signals for me to nod so I nod automatically, looking back at Jake. An uneasy feeling sits in the pit of my stomach and I swallow the lump in my throat, knowing we're both lying for him.

"That doesn't explain why you ran off." Jake questions me and I glance back at Tobias, unsure on what to say. I've never been very good at lying and this time is no different.

"Yeah, uhm. . . sorry about that. I kind of freaked out." I mumble quietly. Jake narrows his eyes at me and Tobias suspiciously, his gaze flickering between the both of us.

"It's not my birthday so why a party?"

"It was a party for Emily really, to celebrate her getting out of the hospital. Ivory and I were planning it for you two and Emily walked in, hearing us." Tobias lies effortlessly and I have to stop myself from gawking at how easy lying came to him.

"You've had it hard lately so we wanted a night to just cut loose," Tobias shrugs and I smile tightly at Jake who looks like he's slowly believing the lies.

"So when is it?" Jake asks and I open my mouth to let him know it's been cancelled.

No point in carrying on with a lie right?

"Tonight." Tobias replies quickly and I widen my eyes at him, glaring. He avoides my burning stare, acting like I've suddenly grown invisible.

"I'm just going to get the booze now, any special requests?" He asks and Jake turns towards him shrugging.

"Whatever," he responds before grabbing my hand and leaning over to place a gentle kiss on my temple. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, hating myself for lying to him.

"Tonight's kind of short notice but I suppose having some fun won't hurt. Mum and Aunty Myra are out too, nice thinking Muffin." Jake grins at me and I smile back at him tightly, feeling my stomach twist further in knots.

"Great, I'll go pick up some supplies." Tobias mumbles, disappearing behind his bedroom door to get dressed. My throat runs dry and I can't look Jake directly in the eyes.

How can I when we both lied to him so effortlessly?

"I'll ring around to see who can make it."

Jake nods at me, dropping my hand to let me walk back to my room. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, rubbing at my temples as I go.

*****

Within a few hours we had around fifty friends coming over. . . And that isn't including the plus ones. I groan at myself in the mirror, tugging at my pyjamas. "I didn't even want this party," I mumble unhappily, a permanent scowl on my face. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

"It is pretty random, isn't it?" Ivory replies, bouncing on her heels as she searches through her closet. Music plays quietly in the background and I simply watch her as she chooses an outfit.

"We definitely need a good party to forget about everything though," she adds and I nod grimly, my hands tracing over the white plaster on my stomach.

"I didn't mean what happened isn't important Em." Ivory quickly adds, sounding apologetic. I shake my head, stopping her.

"I understand, don't worry," I respond, giving her a warm smile. Maybe a party surrounded by laughter and friends is exactly what Jake needs.

"What are you wearing?" Ivory asks, holding a pretty lace shirt against her body. I shrug and throw myself backwards on her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"I have no idea," I respond. I close my eyes and sigh contently, burrowing myself into the blankets. If I could just lie here for five minutes, I could probably drift off. . .

"Emily, wake up!" Ivory laughs, throwing a simple casual red dress my way. I groan as it falls over my face, practically suffocating my oxygen supply.

I pick it up and examine it.

"This will do," I sigh, pushing myself up off the bed and away from the warm cuddly blankets that are screaming my name. There's no time for blankets, the party is due to begin very soon. Just the thought of it is exhausting but I can't expose the lie now.

I'm already in too deep.