Strings by Kat Green Page A

heart beat faster and fluttered as she felt his lips on hers, locking her into a gentle, passionate kiss. He held her tightly around the waist, pressing their bodies together with one hand while his other hand cupped her cheek. He wanted to get in the taxi with her; all she had to do was ask him. But he was a gentleman, and he wouldn’t get ahead of himself. This guy can kiss, she thought as she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. She could taste the beer and whisky on his lips, and his stray bit of fringe tickled her cheek making her giggle. She backed away to move it but he held on to her, not wanting the moment to end.
                  ‘Please stay,’ he almost begged.
                  Melissa wished she could, more than anything, but she had to go, and she promised that she would see him tomorrow.
                  Then he kissed her once more, before whispering in her ear, ‘See you tomorrow, beautiful.’
                  She smiled all the way home.
     
    *****
     
    It was so tempting to stay out and not let the evening end, but she was already walking a thin line with her boss due to poor timekeeping recently, and if she was late again she knew she’d probably be in the job centre by Monday. She had no choice but to smile her way through a full working weekend in the busy café. It was hardly thrilling work and not really her calling in life, but it paid the bills.
    She closed her eyes to avoid any conversation with the taxi driver, and twenty minutes later she was home and snuggled up in bed, still smiling from an incredible evening. A text arrived from Luke, checking she was home OK and th anking her for a lovely evening. She thought it was very sweet of him. She took a photo of herself all safe and warm, tucked up in bed, and sent it back to him. It wasn’t rude in any way, but she did it just to tease him a bit. Luke cheekily suggested that if he could join her he’d be there in minutes, she just had to say the word. He made it sound like a joke, but they both knew that he meant it. The flirty conversation went on for a while and she started to think that he should have just come home with her. But she wasn’t that type of girl. It was gone four by the time she fell asleep.
     
    *****
     
    ‘Bitch!’ Amber hissed to herself, raging as she watched Melissa kiss him while the taxi waited. She couldn't believe that this girl had just walked into their lives and stolen him, without any shame or hesitation. And he had just let her do it. She promised herself that there was no way she was going to let this happen; Luke was hers, and she was going to make the Bitch regret messing with her man.
    He was heading back inside the club when Amber grabbed his arm. ‘Luke, please, I'm sorry about earlier. Can I talk to you?’
                  ‘No, Amber, I’ve told you to leave me alone and I meant it.’ He yanked his arm from her grip. He’d never regretted anything as much as he regretted giving in to the crazy girl’s advances, and he was really starting to lose his temper with her.
                  ‘I know I embarrassed you earlier and I’m sorry.’ She pleaded with him, but he just shook his head and walked away, leaving her standing alone as he returned to his friends. He smiled as he walked through the crowd, Amber quickly forgotten as his kiss with Melissa still lingered on his lips.
                  Amber's rage bubbled inside and she felt a strange sensation coming over her, a feeling of disconnection from what was going on around her. She walked through the crowd of drunken teenagers and twenty-something’s inside the club, and for a while just stood and watched him, her beautiful Luke. He was talking to his drummer who was laughing at something he had said, and patting him on the back. She heard him say her name and he smiled. She wanted to believe he’d said something nice about her, but deep down she