‘You fucking pair of dykes.’

  We quickened our pace until we had reached the bar at the back of the marquee. Em’s face was all red, tears falling down her cheeks.

  ‘Are you mad we didn’t correct him?’ I said.

  ‘Mad?’ She choked a laugh through her sobs, fishing out a tissue from her clutch bag and dabbing at the stain on her dress. ‘Toby has been cornering me at school, making lewd gestures and trying to put his tongue down my throat at every single Year Thirteen party we’ve been to. If he now thinks I’m a lesbian and leaves me be, I can handle the fallout from that. Besides, in a couple of days, this will all be behind us. But for your sake, let’s hope Nik doesn’t find out.’

  I wrinkled my nose. ‘I’ll just tell him I swing both ways.’

  Em grabbed both my hands and held them tightly. ‘I’m gonna miss you so much next year.’ Her tone had turned serious. ‘Birmingham to Manchester isn’t that far, and you’ll be coming back to see your folks, right?’

  She nodded hesitantly. ‘Sure. Let’s get some drinks down us, shall we? And your cherry popped.’ She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and leaned over the bar to attract the attention of the waiter.

  An hour later my head was spinning. I had downed three cups of punch in rapid succession while watching Em boogie. She knew why I never liked to dance and never hassled me to get over my fear – the association I had with the last time I had done it. The disco-ball lights were blinding and still visible even when I closed my eyes; the music deafening. When Em finally took a break, I had to shout in her ear to tell her I was going to look for Nik.

  ‘Good luck,’ she mouthed.

  I stood on tiptoes to peer over the heads of other revellers happily bopping away to Fatboy Slim’s ‘Demons’ track but couldn’t see Nik. I left the marquee and shivered a bit in the summer-evening breeze and wrapped my arms around myself, inadvertently raising my modest cleavage further up and out of the push-up bra.

  The sliding doors to the back of the house were open and other partygoers were laughing and talking over a different track belting out of the living-room’s sound system.

  And then I saw him. He was sat on the leather couch, dressed head to toe in black, looking unbelievably hot and sexy. He was talking animatedly to a guy on his left. It took me a second to place him. It was our Spanish exchange student who had spent the last term at our school, soaking up the ‘culture’ that Stockland Academy had to offer.

  I took another swig of my drink for courage and placed it on the nearest table before walking over – my dress riding up with every step. When Nik saw me, his jaw dropped and I bit my bottom lip as I adjusted the thin straps of my dress, nervously tugging at the hem. I prayed my knickers weren’t on display at the back.

  Nik turned to the Spanish guy and whispered something in his ear before giving him a fist bump. The Spanish guy left, and Nik stood up. My heart lurched from my chest into my throat where it pounded deeply. I was glad for the dimmed lights so my no doubt blotchy neck wouldn’t be too visible. Even in the heels I had borrowed from Em, Nik towered several inches above me. The spicy scent of his aftershave tickled my nose as I breathed him in. His black shirt had the top three buttons popped to reveal the thin gold chain that dipped in and around the muscles in his neck with a pendant of Agios Nikolas hanging from it – his name-day saint.

  Even in the low lights of the living room you could see a hint of his tan on his smooth chest. I often wondered whether he used a sunbed because there hadn’t been any tropical weather in the Midlands since last summer.

  Nik kissed me on both cheeks and drew me in, his eyes sparkling and causing my heart to beat even faster.

  ‘Happy birthday to you,’ I said huskily in what was my best impression of Marilyn Monroe.

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, his lips twitching.

  He grabbed my wrist and his touch sent shockwaves through every part of me. There was a tingle in between my legs, a feeling I hadn’t felt before. I pushed my thighs together.

  ‘You like it?’ He stroked the bracelet.

  I grinned like a loon. ‘Like? I love it. Thank you so much.’ I flung my other arm around his neck, pushing my chest up against his. He reciprocated the hug, and his hand lightly touched my bare back and sent more pulses round my body. I leaned back a little – his face so close to mine.

  ‘You look amazing,’ he said, and my lips parted in anticipation.

  There was a commotion behind me, and Nik dropped his arm and stepped back. Some of the guys from our year were being vocal. Nik kept looking over my shoulder and his expression hardened. I tried to drown them out and focus on Nik’s lips which I was sure had been about to kiss mine.

  ‘I got you something,’ I said, suddenly remembering what was in my clutch bag.

  He beamed. ‘You did?’

  ‘Yeah, of course. You think I’d turn up to a party without a gift?’ I playfully tapped him on the arm.

  He tutted. ‘Everyone else has.’

  ‘Oh, well …’ I fiddled with the clutch of my bag and pulled out a small box and held it up to him. ‘Happy eighteenth.’

  ‘That’s so thoughtful.’ He took the present and ripped off the wrapping paper before opening the box inside. I studied his face for a reaction as he picked up the chain bracelet which had his initials engraved on the thin plaque on the top.

  He swallowed hard and shook his head a little. ‘I don’t know what to say, Lina. This must’ve cost you a fortune.’

  ‘No more than you must’ve spent on mine,’ I said as I held my hand over my wrist. The truth was I had spent all of my savings from my Sunday job at a local café. That was my only day free what with all my commitments at home and the deli.

  I helped him fasten the clasp and he pulled the sleeves of his shirt up his forearms, revealing even more of his lush, tanned skin.

  His appreciative smile reached the corners of those intense green eyes of his. God, if he didn’t lean in and kiss me now, I was going to combust into a fiery ball of lust. He glanced over my shoulder again and his jaw tightened. I turned to see some of Toby’s gang watching us, whispering and making crude hand gestures.

  And then it happened. I felt a tug on my wrist as Nik brought me close again, and before I could register what was happening, his lips were on mine. My mouth opened and I let his tongue explore. The wolf-whistles ringing out around me added to the cacophony of trumpets bursting into song in my head. Five years. I had wanted this for five years.

  He drew back, breathing heavily against my lips, our foreheads touching.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered.

  ‘Why?’ I said, struggling to keep my heart from bursting through the thin satin material of my dress.

  ‘I didn’t mean to—’

  ‘I’ve wanted to do that for so long,’ I blurted out. This time I placed my lips on his and the kiss was more tender. Instinctively, I pressed my body into his, my hands on his shoulders, moving him backwards until he collapsed onto the couch, as I sat astride him. With no thought to who was watching, my hands twisted in his hair, while our tongues danced together and teeth occasionally clashed. I was so caught up in the moment. But it soon became impossible to drown out the wolf-whistles behind us. Self-consciousness poured through my veins.

  I broke free from the kiss. ‘Can we go to your room?’

  His cheeks were flushed, and I hadn’t realised that my hands had moved from his hair to his shirt, where a fourth button was popped. He didn’t say anything. Oh God, was this all a big mistake? Was he about to let me down gently and say, ‘I’m flattered, Lina, but you’re not really my type’? In fact, his nervousness and the way he kept looking over my shoulder made me think that I had completely misjudged whatever this was. I hopped off his lap and tugged at my dress.

  But then he grabbed my hand before giving me a cheeky wink. He dragged me through the crowd, calls of ‘get in there’ from behind growing quieter. I glanced over my shoulder briefly as we climbed the stairs, in time to see Em at the front door. She gave me a massive thumbs-up and mouthed, ‘I’m going home.’

  Her encouragement spurred me on, so that when we went into Nik’s room, I immediately planted my lips on his and began unbuttoning his shirt again. I wanted to have the confidence of all the older girls he’d slept with before, even though my fingers were trembling and it must have been obvious that I didn’t know what I was doing. An article from Cosmo sprang to my mind and I moved my hand to his crotch.

  ‘Woah, slow down,’ he said, and my cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

  ‘Sorry.’ It’s my first time and I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing, I thought but couldn’t say it out loud.

  He moved to his bed and pushed some coats to one side and sat down. He clasped his hands in his lap and I wondered whether he expected me to make a move.

  I could feel the mood shift and knew I needed to do something to show him I was still interested. I thought back to all the late-night conversations with Em where we had rehearsed exactly what we would do and what guys would like us to do. Slipping the straps of my dress down, I wriggled my hips, so the fabric fell to the floor revealing the strapless push-up bra Em had lent me and my sexiest pair of black cotton knickers.

  He swallowed deeply as he drank me in before switching off his bedside light – the only illumination from the lamp outside on the pavement. The semi-darkness was a relief. As I came closer, he edged himself up the bed so I could sit astride his legs. I began to unbutton his jeans and my hand brushed over his boxers. Tentatively, I slipped my fingers inside and grasped him in my hand. He groaned. For a second, I thought I had hurt him, but when I looked up his head was tipped backwards, eyes firmly closed, soft moans emitting from his mouth. He liked it. I wasn’t sure if I was tugging him too hard or too softly, but his increased moaning gave me the impetus to keep going. After a while, it grew harder and harder.

  The next bit happened fast. He pushed his jeans and Calvins off, and I wriggled out of my knickers. Nik fished inside his bedside table and pulled out a pack of condoms. He rolled one on while I lay back on his bed suddenly wishing we had talked more. The next sensation I felt was something I had heard about, but it was so strong that I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

  Pain. Excruciating pain. After the first few thrusts, I prayed it would lessen but it didn’t. It was sharp and reverberated deep inside me. The only other time I had felt such pain in that region was during my period.

  Nik continued to move inside me, not once looking me in the eyes. The grunt that emanated from my mouth every time he thrust must have sounded like I was enjoying it, but I wasn’t.

  The next thing I knew, Nik had rolled off me and was holding his arm over his eyes. Oh God. Had I been that bad? Before I could say anything, the bedroom door-handle shook, followed by a knock. Nik yanked the condom off and hurled it in his bin before scrambling for his clothes. I struggled to put my dress back on as the pain continued to pulse inside me.

  ‘You OK?’ Nik said as he buttoned up his shirt, giving me the briefest of looks.

  ‘Um, yeah, I’m fine.’

  ‘I need to get back to the party, be a good host and all that.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘See ya.’

  And with those words he unlocked the door. A girl from one of my history classes huffed as she swayed in, looking for her coat among the ones Nik had tossed aside. Once she left, I sat on Nik’s bed and mentally scanned my body. I felt different and still in pain.

  Em had warned me it could hurt but I never realised it could hurt that much. I pulled out my phone from my clutch bag and sent her a text. She probably wouldn’t even be home yet. Maybe she could come back and stay over at mine for one more night. I was desperate to talk it all through. Why had I told her not to stay?

  A few minutes later – no reply. As I left Nik’s room, I got a few stares, the odd whisper. Did they know? Was it obvious? Angelina Georgiades – virgin no more.

  I suddenly felt sober and naked – the thinness of the dress barely covering me. Cheap and used. There had been no kiss goodbye from Nik. No hug. It was all over so quickly. In fact, we hadn’t even kissed while we were doing it.

  There was something in my knickers, a dampness. I knew what it was. How stupid not to have brought a sanitary towel with me.

  I quickened my footsteps as I walked down the dimly lit road, hugging myself tightly, wishing I had brought a jacket to the party.

  Why did it still hurt?

  My pace increased to a run as I felt a wave of emotion choking me. As I quietly closed the door to the flat, I breathed out the air I had held in my chest since leaving Nik’s house. Dad would kill me if he knew I had walked home alone. If he asked me in the morning, I would tell him someone had been with me, and that Em had had a change of heart and wanted to go home. Em and I had made deliberately vague plans because we knew it depended on what happened with Nik. Only I hadn’t expected that – to feel so used.

  Still no reply from Em, I noticed as I headed to the bathroom. I was desperate for a shower, to wash away the pain and these confused feelings, but I didn’t want anyone to wake up and the pipes always rattled when someone ran the tap.

  I changed into a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a sweatshirt I found buried in the laundry basket and slipped a sanitary towel into my knickers.

  A noise made me stop still. Was someone still up?

  I creaked open the bathroom door to the sound of laughter coming from Alex’s room. But the laughter turned to something that resembled groaning. I held my hand over my mouth. Alex had a girl over and they were having sex.

  Curiosity got the better of me and I crept along the hallway to outside his room. Much like my encounter with Nik, it was over in minutes, but when I heard them talking my heart beat wildly in my chest and, without thinking, I opened his door.

  ‘What the hell?’ Alex hissed when he saw me standing in the doorway – the hall light instantly illuminating his face.

  But my horrified expression wasn’t directed to him. It was on my best friend – Emily Walters – clutching the bedsheet up to her chin, a look of abject panic on her face.

  It was hard to breathe. I closed the door behind me, scrabbled around for my phone and trainers, and left the flat, the midnight air hitting my face as tears welled in my eyes again.

  There was only one person I wanted to turn to, the only other friend I could confide in; and, knowing him, he was still probably awake studying. He was the only one from our year who hadn’t finished exams and couldn’t come to the party because tomorrow was his Cambridge STEP paper.

  No. I couldn’t distract him – his future depended on that one exam.

  But I had no one else to turn to.

  When I reached his house, I slipped open the side gate and went to the back garden. I could see him bent over his desk – the lamp on it throwing a glow around him. I texted him to say I was outside and seconds later his head bobbed up and he lifted his window, peering into the darkness. I held my breath. If he told me he was busy, I would go.

  ‘Lina?’ he whispered.

  I hopped onto the bench and shimmied myself up the side of his house, planting my feet on the nails we had secretly hammered in for this very purpose until I reached the ledge where I could tiptoe along to his window.

  Ash hauled me in through the opening and I clattered to the floor in a heap. Then I crumbled. Big ugly sobs choked me as I curled up in a ball.

  ‘Lina, what’s wrong? What happened?’

  ‘Everything’s a mess. My life is a mess.’

  Ash pulled me up into his arms and I buried my face into his T-shirt where my tears soaked through. He held me and rocked me back and forth and, when I could find the words, I told him everything. Everything. Sleeping with Nik, how much it had hurt and seeing my best friend in bed with my brother. I had no clue whether anything I said made sense, but he held me for ages until sleep washed over me.

  Chapter 18

  Now we are twenty-eight

  The next couple of days of our Cypriot adventure fell into a similar pattern. Ash would be up at the crack of dawn to run along the coast, and I would have left for the dig by the time he returned. The only opportunity to see each other was in the evening when he brought home leftovers and we would talk about our day. But the initial excitement of being here together had faded. And worst of all, I was no closer to solving the mystery surrounding Mum’s discovery.

  At the end of my fourth day of digging and having my findings dismissed by the supervisor, I figured I had nothing to lose but to come straight out and ask him about what had brought me here.

  I knocked on the Portakabin’s door and the supervisor beckoned me inside.

  ‘What did you find now?’ he said, not looking up from his phone.

  His tone couldn’t have been more impatient, and it irritated me. What if I had found something of value? Would he just shrug and throw it away again?

  ‘I wanted to find out how I could speak to Elias Demetriades – the man who unearthed this site.’

  He stopped typing on his mobile. There was distrust in his eyes. ‘He’s busy, so no.’

  ‘But I really need to speak to him. I have some important things I want to discuss.’

  He pushed himself up from his seat, cracking his knuckles on the table. ‘What do you have that is so important?’

  I stood straight. ‘I think my mother worked with him, about thirty-three years ago. I think she was the one who discovered the jewels from the tomb, only no one believed her at the time. Anyway, I think she was here with Elias and that’s why I want to talk to him.’

  He came to stand in front of me, too close, observing me through narrowed eyes, his hands rubbing against his stubbled chin. Before he could respond a commotion outside caught his attention. There was shouting and calls for first-aid assistance.

  One of the other men that worked on the site tapped on the door. The supervisor grunted for him to come in and a brief conversation passed between them. I understood enough words to deduce that Marie had fallen down a pothole and couldn’t walk on one foot.

 

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