Escape From This
The Worst Plan
It was all set for that night. The Great Plan. The plan that would go down in the history of Russell and Lottie as the Greatest Plan ever constructed in the name of true love. And it went something like this...
Lottie had decided to wait until after Russell had delivered his farewell speech to them all then wait for him to leave the room. She would then follow him, convince him not to top himself, he’d see how sensitive and in tune with his feelings she was and would ask her to join him on his travels for moral support, which would quickly turn into an intense friendship and latterly end up with them not leaving a hostel bedroom for a couple of days and by the time they left it, they would be well and truly in love.
Once the party in Russell’s villa had begun to get going, Lottie had started to prepare herself. Endless, tumbling locks of blonde and a devastatingly precocious smile was sure to help knock Russell off his feet. Making sure that her makeup was flawless and that she was in full view of Russell, whilst being close to the door for when he made his exit, Lottie settled herself down next to Miriam who was now using Special Topics In Calamity Physics as a plate for her Four Seasons.
“Guys?” Lottie sat up straight in her seat upon the sound of his voice, her eyes fixed on Russell, watching for his gaze to meet hers. “Can I just...before we get really gone, I just want to say thank you so much for coming all this way for my leaving do.
“I know, I know I could have done it down The White Horse but there’re some things that should be said with a Spanish sunset.”
Russell motioned to Jim who drew back the blinds. The horizon was a pink and orange fusion.
“I’m going to miss you. I’m stopping this soon before Jim starts to cry - ” Russell’s words caused a small ripple of chuckles. Jim laughed too. “Just remember this. We may be in different post codes in the future. Or, like me, different countries. But we’ll always have what we’ve shared together – school, drinks, beds. Even Mel’s underwear on that occasion that I wasn’t supposed to talk about again.
“I’m sorry...I know this is corny but it has to be said. I love you all. Just make yourselves happy and being away from you will be slightly easier to bear.”
The plan went slightly askew at this point as Russell was then imprisoned in the room by hugs, kisses, handshakes, giggles, the odd sniffle, and almost forty minutes had gone by before Russell broke away from the crowd to fetch himself a new drink.
Lottie lost no time in following him and making certain to lock the kitchen door behind her as she waited to speak the first words of the rest of their lives together.
“Russell?”
Russell had already turned around upon the sound of the key in the door. If he was dismayed that it had just disappeared down Lottie’s bra, he refused to show it.
Lottie cleared her throat very gently and took a solid step forward. “Listen to me, there isn’t much time - ” she accidentally had ad libbed and instantly mentally reprimanded herself for going off script. They’d have a life time to improvise conversations – this was far too important to be left to chance.
“Lottie, what are you doing?”
“Don’t do this, Russell. There’s so much to live for. It seems silly now, ridiculous even, to think that there’s hope but there is! There’s – ”
“Lottie.” Russell too had taken several steps forwards, only now his expression had sunk into one of suspended depression. “If you don’t fish out that key right now and open this door, I’ll – ”
“Of course,” purred Lottie. Too easy. “Why don’t you reach in and get it yourself?”
She lent forward, pushing her chest out towards...almost there...would the catch take the bait...?
“For Christ’s sake, Lottie.” Russell stayed where he was, his face smoldering in a way that Lottie couldn’t quite decipher. “I thought we’d been over this. I’ve got a girlfriend. I’ve told you that time and time again.”
“You don’t have to pretend to me, Russell,” simpered Lottie. “We should be acting like lovers do. Isn’t that right? Because I do love you and you – ”
“Look, I’m losing my patience here, alright?” snapped Russell suddenly. “Just give me the key so we can go back to the party.”
Lottie was shocked. Russell had never been so short with her before. If he was behaving like this now, how would their future play out?
“Why do you have to lie to me? I know you don’t have a girlfriend!” stammered Lottie, trying to sound more angry than upset. “This imaginary girlfriend that no one has ever seen!”
“She’s not imaginary, for God’s sake – how many times?” shouted Russell. “When are you going to realise that you could never be what I want?!”
“WHY?!”
Without warning, Lottie had broken out of her concentrated state of the future Mrs Russell Keats. As a matter of fact, her remorse at Russell's enraged reaction was so potent she found herself trembling a little inside.
“Because you’re obnoxious,” replied Russell, blunt as a rolling orb. “You’re self-centered. Attention seeking. You lie all the time about...everything. But, also, because you’re not in love with me and you don’t have the first idea what love is. If you did, you wouldn’t be acting like this.
“This isn’t love, Lottie. This is bullshit. And I think you need to stop while you still have a shred of dignity, right, luv?”
And, alas, the Great Plan ended with the fallen mistress of the Keats estate removing the key from her undergarments and the man of the house throwing open the doors and leaving her to compose herself before returning to the throng of guests still waiting.
It was obvious, really. What had gone wrong, that is. In fact, it was so obvious that Lottie could hardly believe she had never noticed before.
Russell thought she was boring.
Lottie had decided to wait until after Russell had delivered his farewell speech to them all then wait for him to leave the room. She would then follow him, convince him not to top himself, he’d see how sensitive and in tune with his feelings she was and would ask her to join him on his travels for moral support, which would quickly turn into an intense friendship and latterly end up with them not leaving a hostel bedroom for a couple of days and by the time they left it, they would be well and truly in love.
Once the party in Russell’s villa had begun to get going, Lottie had started to prepare herself. Endless, tumbling locks of blonde and a devastatingly precocious smile was sure to help knock Russell off his feet. Making sure that her makeup was flawless and that she was in full view of Russell, whilst being close to the door for when he made his exit, Lottie settled herself down next to Miriam who was now using Special Topics In Calamity Physics as a plate for her Four Seasons.
“Guys?” Lottie sat up straight in her seat upon the sound of his voice, her eyes fixed on Russell, watching for his gaze to meet hers. “Can I just...before we get really gone, I just want to say thank you so much for coming all this way for my leaving do.
“I know, I know I could have done it down The White Horse but there’re some things that should be said with a Spanish sunset.”
Russell motioned to Jim who drew back the blinds. The horizon was a pink and orange fusion.
“I’m going to miss you. I’m stopping this soon before Jim starts to cry - ” Russell’s words caused a small ripple of chuckles. Jim laughed too. “Just remember this. We may be in different post codes in the future. Or, like me, different countries. But we’ll always have what we’ve shared together – school, drinks, beds. Even Mel’s underwear on that occasion that I wasn’t supposed to talk about again.
“I’m sorry...I know this is corny but it has to be said. I love you all. Just make yourselves happy and being away from you will be slightly easier to bear.”
The plan went slightly askew at this point as Russell was then imprisoned in the room by hugs, kisses, handshakes, giggles, the odd sniffle, and almost forty minutes had gone by before Russell broke away from the crowd to fetch himself a new drink.
Lottie lost no time in following him and making certain to lock the kitchen door behind her as she waited to speak the first words of the rest of their lives together.
“Russell?”
Russell had already turned around upon the sound of the key in the door. If he was dismayed that it had just disappeared down Lottie’s bra, he refused to show it.
Lottie cleared her throat very gently and took a solid step forward. “Listen to me, there isn’t much time - ” she accidentally had ad libbed and instantly mentally reprimanded herself for going off script. They’d have a life time to improvise conversations – this was far too important to be left to chance.
“Lottie, what are you doing?”
“Don’t do this, Russell. There’s so much to live for. It seems silly now, ridiculous even, to think that there’s hope but there is! There’s – ”
“Lottie.” Russell too had taken several steps forwards, only now his expression had sunk into one of suspended depression. “If you don’t fish out that key right now and open this door, I’ll – ”
“Of course,” purred Lottie. Too easy. “Why don’t you reach in and get it yourself?”
She lent forward, pushing her chest out towards...almost there...would the catch take the bait...?
“For Christ’s sake, Lottie.” Russell stayed where he was, his face smoldering in a way that Lottie couldn’t quite decipher. “I thought we’d been over this. I’ve got a girlfriend. I’ve told you that time and time again.”
“You don’t have to pretend to me, Russell,” simpered Lottie. “We should be acting like lovers do. Isn’t that right? Because I do love you and you – ”
“Look, I’m losing my patience here, alright?” snapped Russell suddenly. “Just give me the key so we can go back to the party.”
Lottie was shocked. Russell had never been so short with her before. If he was behaving like this now, how would their future play out?
“Why do you have to lie to me? I know you don’t have a girlfriend!” stammered Lottie, trying to sound more angry than upset. “This imaginary girlfriend that no one has ever seen!”
“She’s not imaginary, for God’s sake – how many times?” shouted Russell. “When are you going to realise that you could never be what I want?!”
“WHY?!”
Without warning, Lottie had broken out of her concentrated state of the future Mrs Russell Keats. As a matter of fact, her remorse at Russell's enraged reaction was so potent she found herself trembling a little inside.
“Because you’re obnoxious,” replied Russell, blunt as a rolling orb. “You’re self-centered. Attention seeking. You lie all the time about...everything. But, also, because you’re not in love with me and you don’t have the first idea what love is. If you did, you wouldn’t be acting like this.
“This isn’t love, Lottie. This is bullshit. And I think you need to stop while you still have a shred of dignity, right, luv?”
And, alas, the Great Plan ended with the fallen mistress of the Keats estate removing the key from her undergarments and the man of the house throwing open the doors and leaving her to compose herself before returning to the throng of guests still waiting.
It was obvious, really. What had gone wrong, that is. In fact, it was so obvious that Lottie could hardly believe she had never noticed before.
Russell thought she was boring.
♠ ♠ ♠
Russell Keats is not a cruel boy. But a man can only take so much...Thanks for reading! The next part sparks the end of the present chapter in Lottie's life and we embark on her first great adventure. Hold on...