Sidequest for Love by L.H. Cosway

“Yes, but you did say you were willing to give things a shot anyway.”

Annabelle rolled her eyes, and I suddenly felt quite ill. It was like in the movies when a nice character reveals they’re the villain. It’s shocking, but on some level, it makes sense. You see their previous behaviour more clearly. Not that I didn’t already suspect she was using me.

“Come on, Neil, let’s be real here. I was never and could never be interested in you. You’re not hideous or anything, but I like alpha males, and you’re the most beta male I’ve ever laid eyes on. And to be perfectly honest, it’s kind of pathetic how you used your access to Callum’s accounts to chat up women.”

I gritted my teeth, gripping tightly to the handle of my coffee mug to keep from saying something unkind. “That wasn’t my intention, and you know it.”

“You say it wasn’t your intention, but how can I know you aren’t just some pervert taking advantage of his position to lure women in. For all I know, the polite nerd-boy thing is all an act.”

Her words struck like a blow, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of responding to the putdown. “So, what was your plan? Use me until you got your chance to steal Callum from Leanne? Have you any idea of how in love they are?”

Annabelle’s eyes flashed with venom. “They think they’re in love, but it’s patently obvious they’re terrible for each other. They were on and off again for years, and now, they’re just settling.”

“That might be how things seem on the telly, but believe me, their love is real. I see it first-hand every day.”

Annabelle was shaking her head. “You’re wrong. They’re a terrible match. Callum will soon realise that. He just needs the chance to get to know me better, see that he has other options, and you’re going to help me with that.”

I folded my arms. “I hate to break it to you, but from here on out, I want absolutely nothing to do with you.”

Her smile was malicious. “If you want me to keep your catfishing a secret, then you’ll do whatever I say for as long as I say it.”

“Reveal my secret if that’s what you want, but I won’t be helping you,” I told her, my tone final.

A waiter arrived with Annabelle’s mint tea, and it was almost comical how she thanked him with an angelic smile before replacing it with a glower that she levelled directly at me.

She leaned in close, her voice little more than a whisper, low and threatening. “I have screenshots of every single one of our conversations, Neil. You might not care about me revealing what you did, but how would you feel if I posted them on the internet? They make it look like Callum Davidson was cheating on Leanne by messaging with a fan. His reputation would be in tatters, and it would be all your fault.”

My entire body drew taut at her threat. Annabelle was far cleverer and more manipulative than even Afric had given her credit for, and she’d seen through her act much earlier than I had. Somehow, Annabelle had realised that I cared about Callum. He wasn’t just my boss, he was my friend, and she knew I couldn’t live with myself if I were the reason his reputation was destroyed.

I stared at her with narrowed eyes. “What do you want?”

Her features settled into a look of satisfaction. “I’m in the mood for a night on the town. I think you should message Callum and ask him if he wants to join us. You can invite some of the others, too, just to make it seem less obvious that I’m specifically interested in Callum. Not Leanne, though.”

I shot her an incredulous look. “If I invite Callum, Leanne will most likely want to come along.”

Now she shrugged. “Fine. I don’t care if she’s there, but you’ll need to distract her while I chat with Callum. I want at least thirty minutes uninterrupted conversation with him.”

I ran a hand down my face, stress building. “You’re insane.”

“No, I’m not. I’m simply a woman who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing until she gets it.”

I stared at her in awe of her sheer audacity. Why hadn’t I listened to Afric and simply ghosted her? All I knew was bringing Annabelle into my life was the worst decision I’d ever made, and I wasn’t the only one who was going to suffer for it.

Afric

I’d just finished applying my make-up when my resolve broke. I lowered myself to my carpeted bedroom floor, my head thumping back against the wall. Ouch, that hurt. Well, I probably deserved it.

I was being an idiot. In my crazy, insecure mind, I’d formulated a plan to avoid pain and push Neil away by getting dressed up, going out, and possibly finding a stranger to flirt with. I couldn’t go through with it, though. My heart wasn’t in it. I needed to act like a grown-up and simply ask him about the text I saw from Annabelle. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for it, after all.

As I reached for my phone to call him, I heard a knock on the door to my flat. Sarita was out, so I went to answer it. My eyebrows shot up when I found Neil standing there. He looked absolutely wretched. His hair was unkempt, like he’d been running his fingers through it in agitation, and there were grey bags under his eyes.

“What the hell happened to you? You look like you’ve aged a decade since this morning.”

“I probably have,” he replied listlessly. “Stress can cause premature aging, right?” He looked past me and into the empty flat. “Sorry for turning up without calling first. I’ve had a really bad day. Can I come in?”