6- Drunken Boldness

I can't lift my head from the steering wheel, ashamed at what just happened. Oliver's grandfather is long gone and I'm sitting in my own car with the weight of the cheque heavy on my consciousness.

"God!" I sigh with heavy breath. I just displayed what I've been labelled all these years.

A freaking gold digger. I just picked that good sum over a human being! In my defence, I'll need to pay back what he's burnt on me and I'll need all the money I can get but taking it from Oliver's grandfather-- he must be having a good laugh.

I don't know how I feel. A part of me wants to feel bad about my actions but a much bigger part worries if this is a blessing from God to help me save myself.

Why didn't he use someone else? Why Oliver's grandfather? That man gives me the chills and the creeps. He looks like he can go at any length to make sure he has his way.

His words from earlier flash in my thoughts and I grip the wheels. Betrothed from birth? Well now that's a huge shame on me. I understand now that I've been a fool. He's hers by every right, please Annie Quinn, have your man by all means.

My phone buzzes in my bag and I take it out, expecting to see Oliver's famous line, 'where are you?' but I find it's only my colleagues from work texting in our group.

'Good job, everyone. We'll be going out for drinks at XX pub. If you're around and you can make it, let's go have fun, mate.'

Fun. I stare lazily at the word.

Another message pops up and it's from Tania- another of my colleagues, who has been trying so hard to make my friend list since I began working at the company.

'Want to hang out for drinks? I'm here!'

I can feel her enthusiasm through the text and I scroll through her other texts where I always give very short and simple replies, 'No.', 'Sorry, I can't.', 'Maybe next time.'

Fuck! All because of that bastard! I couldn't even be involved in anything. It's 'work and go straight home'. I looked forward to seeing him each day and I was silly enough to want him to acknowledge my presence in his damn life.

Speak of the devil because his call comes in just at that moment and I glare daggers at the heart emoji next to his name, remembering how I'd saved his number with a fluttering feeling in my heart.

A fucking idiot.

I make up my mind to ignore his call and let it ring till it ends before sending a text to Tania and pulling out of the driveway. I'm gonna do what I want for the first time in three years, I'm going to hang out.

***

The shock on my colleagues' faces when they see me is priceless but Tania has a lovely smile and a proud look as I approach the large booth big enough to hold seven people.

The other girls clean their eyes and so do the guys.

"Oi, I only drank one glass," Lauretta says, wiping her eyes clean and leaning next to Fiona, "Is that the stuck up, goody-two-shoes, miss-my-boyfriend-is-the-Oliver-Wright-so-bow- hmph!" The two by her side throw their hands over her mouth, shutting her up but she's already spoken that far.

I feel nervous, a sinking feeling in the pit of my belly. I've never been socially awkward but tonight, I feel like the whole bar has its eyes on me.

"Hi," I say nervously. "I uhm… saw the text on the group so I decided to-"

"Grab a beer and take a seat, Rebecca Hoffman."

"You must have had a terrible day. We've all seen the news. That's something to drink too," they chuckle and I'm grateful they don't press any further or try to taunt me like the press and the comments under those blogs.

I take a seat next to Tania who waves and mouths, 'Hi.' and I do the same, feeling like a teenager who is let out to see the world for the first time.

I grab a beer when she hands it over and gulp it all down in one go. My colleagues cheer me on and I feel their support as they join me and we order more drinks.

We're tipsy shortly after, drunk as we giggle and talk about little things, the conversation shifting to each of us and when it's my turn, I'm rolling my eyes at the mention of Oliver.

My phone continues to ring and this time I groan as I take it out, wanting to give him a piece of my mind.

"Eh!" My eyes widened at the time. "It's past nine!" And I've already had about fifty missed calls from Oliver.

I admit I ignored his calls to spite him, for once I didn't want to go running when he called but damn, didn't I overstep? I can imagine how pissed he is already.

"As I was saying," the ladies slur in their speech. "It's good to have you here, Becca. You're always running away at the end of the day and going on fancy dates-- don't you have friends?" She throws the question out there with her eyes squinted and she's swaying back and forth too.

"Hey, cut it out!" Tania can't stop blinking as she warns them. "I'm sure, Rebecca," she corrects the name with wide eyes, "Knows how to have fun... Right?"

"As a matter of fact," I put down my phone, ignoring his call again. "I do not!" I scream and grab a bottle again.

"Woah!" They cry in a prolonged scream and grin as they are fired up to drink more.

"Why should I have to go home early?" I rant, pouring all my frustration as I finally feel the release of talking about it with other people.

"Why should I wait by the door each time? I'm not his mama!

"Yeah, right, you're not!"

"I let my best friend go and all for what?" I snicker, "For dick!"

The ladies giggle and laugh, "Yo, that's wild!"

"Oliver must have some good dick," they say. "But that aside, your best friend must hate you."

I shrug, "I don't blame her." I've thought about Molly throughout these three years we've been apart and every single time I do, it brings tears to my eyes.

"Fuck him!" Tania screams all of a sudden, jolting me out of the despair I was sinking in.

"Yeah, fuck him!" I yell right back then pause and groan, "Ugh! But I really wanna fuck him," I whine.

"No, c'mon girl, you can't be dickmatised by that fine ass looking piece of man who, of course, every woman wants and who," she squinted her eyes and mumbled, "seems to be walking right up to our table."

"The bastard wouldn't let me breathe!" I continue to rant just as my phone starts to ring. "I don't care if the world fucking wants him! Let me fucking go, you piece of shit! Go back to your fucking fiancee!"

I grab my phone to answer his call and yell at him but from the screen, I see a figure loom behind me and it casts a shadow over the table.

The table has gone quiet and the girls all seem to be glancing behind me.

"What's going on?" I wonder and turn, almost having a heart attack when I hold his gaze.

Oliver's eyes screamed pure malevolence, piercing me with an intensity that can set me ablaze.

He's gripping his phone in his hand and he looks at my hand where I have my phone still ringing due to his call.

"I would have preferred if you had been kidnapped," he narrowed his eyes, causing fear to strike my heart. "So this is where you've been."

The disgust in his tone as he looks over my colleagues somehow fuels me with rage. I hate how belittling his gaze, his words and his tone are. So this is where I got that stuck up attitude from?

I loved him so much I tried so hard to be like him.

"How pathetic!" He spits with so much disdain but tonight, I'm not having it.

"Don't talk to my friends like that!" I scream at the top of my lungs, the consequences be damned. I choose the way I live now!