Someone Lost, Something Gained

Veda wakes with a start, the slam of a door and yipping filling the room. She bolts upright as David Barkie jumps onto the bed. Someone curses, a body hits the wall, then the door slams shut again.

“I’m so sorry, Veda, I should’ve knocked,” Liam calls through the wood.

It takes a moment for his words to register in her mind. For her to realise exactly why he’s apologising. Her face heats up as she belatedly covers herself.

Niall had woken her in the middle of the night, assuring her he’d finished studying and he was taking her up on that offer of ‘fun’. Then his face had screwed up before he asked if she even wanted to. She had rushed to promise him that she was completely up for it. That she wanted it more than she was upset about Maria.

He fumbled as he opened the wrapper, nearly dropping the condom to bed in his rush to put it on. Veda took pity on him and done it for him. Mostly because she was impatient for it, anyway. For anything to push the echoes of Maria’s cruelty from her mind.

And he certainly had forced those thoughts away as he pushed into her.

It was just as amazing as their first time. His enthusiasm hadn’t diminished when she couldn’t sleep after an hour, with her mouth on him. The third time was lazy, both half-asleep but craving the connection. He’d fallen asleep within five minutes, and she followed soon after.

Never again will she try for three rounds of sex in two hours. Her body aches in ways she’d never known possible. Maybe she’ll stretch it to three-in-three next time.

“Why the Hell did you burst in like your arse was on fire?” Niall shouts before burying his face into the pillow.

“You have two hours before your exam.”

“Shite.” Niall scrambles out of bed, grabbing up a pair of sweats from the floor. Veda pouts as he tugs them on. “Thanks, Liam.”

“So… no quickie?”

He groans and leans across the bed to kiss her. “I wish. But a, I’ve gotta get to class and b, you wore me out last night.”

“Well, don’t be so good at sex, and I wouldn’t want it so much.” She pulls him back in for another kiss. “Now go ace your exam, babe.”

“Yeah? What’s my reward?”

“Remember last night? I’ll give you a repeat performance. I’ll even strip for you.”

“You did that last night.”

“Yes, I did. But this time, I’ll make it super-sexy.”

“You are so much trouble,” he moans against her lips.

Veda laughs while he moves away. He hurriedly searches through his closet for a clean pair of pants and a shirt, then he’s out the door. Once he’s gone, she looks down at DB, lying at the foot of the bed. As if he was waiting patiently for her attention, he bolts into her lap.

“You’re such a needy little thing, aren’t you? Sorry you couldn’t sleep in here last night, baby, I just needed your daddy to myself. Can you keep a secret?”

All the puggle does is roll over to expose his belly, and Veda giggles as she scratches lightly. DB’s tongue lolls from his mouth, his eyes closing. She glances at the door then whispers the word she’s been fighting against:

“I’m in love with him.”

She hears the front door banging shut, a car start up. Sighing, she realises Niall has left, and she’s all alone in his bedroom. She pushes David Barkie away gently then climbs out of bed. The air-con sends gusts of cool air along her bare skin. She shivers as she pulls her scrub bottoms on, searching for her top.

How the Hell did she manage to lose her top, when she’d dropped it to the floor with her bottoms? No answer comes, and she wonders idly if Niall had hidden it from her so she couldn’t leave. Well, joke’s on you, Horan. You have an entire wardrobe for me to ransack.

She does. Coming up with an Eagles T-shirt, she pulls it on and stuffs her bra and underwear into the bottom of her bag.

Liam apologises again once she enters the kitchen, and Veda waves him off.

“If I’m not gonna be embarrassed about the fact all my neighbours saw me in my Oogie Boogie underwear, I’m not gonna give a damn that you saw my boobs.”

Thankfully, that seems to be the end of that. Harry shakes a box of cereal in her direction, and Louis slides the milk toward the empty chair. She grabs a bowl and spoon from the cupboard and drawer that Liam directs her to.

Breakfast is quiet, everyone wrapped up in their own thoughts. Veda has no clue what they’re all thinking about, but she knows exactly what’s on her mind. It certainly isn’t Maria. It isn’t the horrible shift she had yesterday.

It’s what she confessed to DB in the solitude of Niall’s room. She doesn’t know if it’s too early in the relationship to admit it to Niall himself. What if he’s scared off by it? What if he thinks she’s too clingy for having such strong feelings for her and he breaks it off?

She doesn’t think she could withstand another loss like that. Saying goodbye to two men she loves so fiercely would surely shatter her.

“I better get home,” she announces once her bowl is empty. “Hattie might think Niall’s kidnapped me.”

Liam chuckles. “I’m sure he’d love to. Have a good day, Veda.”

“Yeah, we all know you had a great night,” Harry crows, ducking his head as Liam reaches out to smack him.

“Yes, I did. Should I tell you exactly what Niall and I did? Because I can if you really want me to. First, he—”

“No, no, please don’t. I don’t need to know anything like that about my best mate.”

“Then don’t be a smartass if you can’t handle the consequences.”

She grins to take the sting out of her words then heads for the door. The three men call out goodbyes, and she shuts the door behind her. DB whines and scratches at the wood. She deliberates but ultimately decides she can’t abduct her boyfriend’s dog. Pouting, she heads down the walk.

Hattie is sat on the stoop when Veda arrives home. Her cousin raises a brow and passes over the mug of coffee in her hands. Veda lowers herself onto the step beside her, sipping at the too-sweet drink, and raises her face to the sun.

“I see you had a good night,” Hattie says lightly. “An awesome night, really, judging by the hickeys on your neck.”

“Do you really want details?”

“Fuck no.”

“Hmm. Harry said the same thing.”

“Everything okay?”

Veda sighs and hands the mug back to her cousin. Her thoughts tumble in her head. Should she tell Hattie what happened? Blowing out another breath, Veda stares down the block.

“Just had a bad shift. Everyone shouted at me, and it just... It was a lot. My birthday shoulda been better than that.”

“I don’t think that’s all. You’re used to people being dicks.”

“Promise you won’t get mad?”

“Depends. Okay, okay, I swear,” Hattie concedes at the glare Veda shoots her.

“Maria showed up.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I stopped her before she could tell me. But, uh, she called me stupid. Which I expected from her, let’s be real. Then… she said that Granddad died because he had to deal with me all the time.”

“She fuckin’ what?”

“You swore not to get angry.”

“That was before I heard that our cousin was a cruel bitch. Gimme your phone.”

“No.”

“Veda Persephone, give me your damn phone.”

Veda knows she won’t win this argument, so she digs her phone from the bottom of her bag. Hattie scrolls through Veda’s contacts until she finds Ellie’s number.

“Hey, V, what’s up?”

Hattie covers Veda’s mouth and launches into an explanation. Ellie gasps, outrage drowning the sound, and the two launch immediately into plans for vengeance. Veda knows she should be upset - both that Hattie lied about not getting angry and the fact that they’re starting a battle with their family on her behalf. Instead, she settles into the warmth in her chest.

She follows her cousin into the house, watches as Hattie grabs the laptop off the coffee-table. Hattie agrees without hesitation to Ellie’s idea of a glitter bomb every week for the next six months. Her own revenge comes in the form of signing Maria up for every single newsletter to be found on the internet: Scam medicines, low-libido medication and sex therapy, self-help.

Maria is addicted to her phone. Everyone knows that. So she will loathe the constant notifications and having to delete the emails one-by-one.

“Thank you, El, for being so helpful in this.” Hattie smirks smugly at Veda. Veda fears that smirk. “So, in other news, our girl has been gettin’ some on the regular.”

“Wait, what? Veda, how come I didn’t know this. Details, details, details!”

Veda laughs as she grabs her phone from Hattie. Her cousin kisses her temple then disappears upstairs. Once Hattie’s door closes, Veda turns back to the conversation at hand.

“Well, buckle in, boo. There’s a lot to talk about. We’ll start with the fact I nearly sucked him off in the middle of a field.”