Starr Destined (Starr Series) (15 page)

Toby gestured that he was heading for the bar to get a drink, so I followed him over, giving the sexy brunette a wink as I went, making a mental note to try and hook up with her again later. 

Abbey came up to me with a couple of guys.

“Jamie, Glenn and Bradley are friends of mine who are dying to meet you.  They’re designing a new menswear range, and they’re disappointed because they couldn’t persuade Liam to model their collection for them,” she explained, as the guys shamelessly eyed me up.  “Apparently, he said it would be more your thing, so I said I’d introduce them to you.”

“And your brother was right - you’d be just perfect, don't you a
gree, Brad?  Especially with those cheekbones.”  Glenn, an Asian guy and the smaller of the two, grabbed my arm and pulled me down so he could touch my face.

“He most certainly would.  Perfect body proportions.  So, would you be up for it?  Is modelling something you’ve ever considered?”  The other Elvis lookalike guy, Bradley, shamelessly checked out my arse.

“I’ve thought about it, but I’ve always been too busy studying.  And now I’m about to head off to Australia, so I’m afraid I can't help you out.”  At least I didn't have to lie to come up with an excuse to turn them down.

“Really?  How disappointing, I was
so
hoping we could get you to walk the runway for us.  It would be a dream come true to have both you and your hunky brother modelling for us, but we’d happily settle just for you, seeing as we couldn’t twist his arm.”

“No, I think it would probably be Liam's worst nightmare,” I chuckled.  “And trust me, no one can make my brother do anything he doesn't want to.”

“Yeah, we gathered that much.  Your brother has such a dominant, powerful aura about him doesn't he? So intoxicating.  Sera is one lucky little lady, I really feel quite jealous of her,” the little guy sighed dramatically.

“But you have to admit, Glenn, they do make a gorgeous couple.  Sera, with her delicate ethereal beauty. Liam, the classic macho hunk, standing guard over her.  I could just eat up the pair of them, they’re so delicious.”  Bradley clapped his hands together.  “I’d love to design coordinating outfits for them, wouldn’t you, Glenn?”

“Mmm, that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?”  Glenn murmured.  “Well, I guess we should circulate, but it was lovely to meet you, Jamie, and if things don't work out for you in Australia, be sure to look us up.”  Then he and his boyfriend wandered off together.

“Thanks for that, Abbey.  Nothing like being mauled by a pair of queens to make a bloke’s evening,” I grumbled, as Toby practically wetted himself because he’d found it so hilarious watching her gay friends checking me out.  I could just imagine him telling his version of things to our rugby club mates.

“Oh don't be so melodramatic.  Bradley and Glenn are perfectly harmless sweeties.  And one day, when they’re rich and famous designers, you’ll be boasting about this little encounter,” she replied.

“Yeah, right, of course I will.  So, did you have a fun evening with my brother earlier?”  I asked Toby, as he picked up his Jack and Coke.  He passed Abbey her cocktail, before she wandered off to take a call on her phone.

“He was okay.  Basically, we just got a lift with them, and then did our own thing.  It was weird though, being out with The Big Guy.  It felt like I was with the head teacher or something, as if I had to be on my best behaviour.”

“He and Sera haven’t come with you to the club?”

“No, they headed off home pretty early actually.  I think they had some sort of an argument, so maybe now they’re busy having make up sex,” Toby smirked.

“Oh God, too much information.”  I groaned.  I really didn't want to think about that, as a picture of Sera’s beautiful face popped into my head. 

Then I looked up - and saw that beautiful person in the flesh, as Sera walked with Abbey, and they headed towards us at the bar.  I’d wanted to see her before I headed off to Australia, to clear the air between us, but once I'd found out about her and Liam, it’d just seemed too weird.

She looked stunning, of course, in a very low cut yellow dress, turning heads as she worked her way over, although her hair looked different - straight instead of curly, I worked out.

“Hi Jamie, good to see you.  How’s things?” she smiled, and somehow all the awkwardness I'd worried there’d be between us wasn’t there, and it was just great to see her. 

“I’m good thanks.  What can I get you?  I guess you changed your mind about coming here.  So where’s Liam - I’ll order him a drink as well.”

Sera pulled a face.

“Actually, I came on my own - we sort of had a row,” she explained.  “I’ll just have an orange juice, please.  It seemed a good idea to come here without Liam at the time, but now I'm not so sure.”

“One OJ coming right up.  But Liam does know you’re here, doesn’t he?”  I checked, as I caught the eye of the bartender to order her drink.  “Shit, he doesn’t, does he?”  The guilty look on Sera’s face said it all.

“No, and he’s going to go ape-shit crazy when he finds out.  I guess I just wanted to prove a point, but now I'm wondering what on earth I was thinking,” she sighed.

“Well, I won’t tell him if you don't.  Trust me, if anyone knows what my brother can be like, it’s me,” I winked at her.  “Come on, let’s sit over here where it’s a bit quieter.”

We went and sat on some low leather chairs in the corner, and put our drinks down on the table.  “Yeah, of course you understand Liam better than anyone,” Sera smiled.

“So, if you don't mind me asking, what was the ‘sort of’ row about?”  She could always tell me to mind my own business, but I had a feeling she needed to talk about what was bothering her with Liam, and at least she didn't have to explain what he was like to me.

“He wants to lock me up in a gilded cage, because he says I’m vulnerable and at risk.  Just because I’m a girl.  As if I haven’t looked after myself all these years before I met him.  He worries about me to such a ridiculous extent that I’m starting to feel suffocated.  He wants to come everywhere with me - like to the Grad Ball, which I knew he’d hate, but no, he had to be there like some kind of pe
rsonal body guard.”  She grabbed her glass and took several large swigs of her drink as she frowned.

“I can imagine, but that’s just the way he is - the way he’s always been, for as long as I can reme
mber.  And as he’s never had a proper girlfriend to worry about before, I guess maybe he’s going a bit overboard.  But I'm sure his concern is coming from a good place,” I found myself defending my brother.

“I know, I know you’re right, Jamie.  But do you think this overwhelming need to protect me has anything to do with his childhood?  He told me about how your mum died, which must have been awful for him, for both of you.”

“He told you about our mother committing suicide?”  Sera nodded.  “Wow.  That really surprises me, to be honest.  He never talks about that, or opens up about her, even to me.”  Liam and I never really spoke about either of our parents.  No point in digging up all the old shit when you couldn’t change anything, was our unspoken agreement.

“Well, that’s not healthy, is it?  I think he’s bottling a lot of things up inside him that maybe make him act irrationally at times.  Life is one big risk, and he can't wrap me up in cotton wool forever, can he?  Perhaps he needs to see someone, get some counselling maybe, to help get things into pe
rspective, get a more balanced view on things.”

I shook my head.

“Liam is an incredibly private man, and I don't think he’d ever feel comfortable opening up to a stranger, a counsellor.  The fact that he’s confided in you about any of his background at all is pretty amazing.  I'd say if anyone can help him with any issues, it’s going to be you.  How did you get him to open up like that?”

“I don't know really.  It just happened when I was having a hard time dealing with some stuff about my mum, about how she’d died.  Liam just got it, he totally understood how I felt, I guess because of what happened with your parents.  We just connected with each other somehow, and then it seemed we both felt comfortable talking about lots of difficult stuff that we hadn't been able to with anyone else up till then.”

I stared at her, as I found it hard to imagine them confiding in each other like that, but it was obvious that, however it had come about, Sera and Liam had developed some special close bond between them.  Maybe they could be good for each other.  Maybe she could make Liam more human.  But maybe I could also see why he felt Sera needed some help too, the way she always pushed people away if they tried to help her.

“Maybe he isn’t the only one with issues?  You know, you have to admit that you’re ridiculously stubborn, the way you always insist on managing on your own.  That’s why I stood back and let you just get on with things.  It was Liam who pointed out to me that letting a girl walk the streets of London alone in the early hours of the morning wasn’t such a great idea, which stupidly hadn't really occurred to me before.  I just looked on you almost as one of the lads who could take care of the
mselves, because that’s what you told me.  Liam sees the bigger, wider picture, I guess because he’s used to looking out for me, to being the protector.  Look, I've wanted to say for a while that I'm sorry I was such a selfish prick when we were seeing each other, and that you deserve someone better.  I’ve wanted to apologise for ages, but there never seemed to be the right moment somehow.”

Sera smiled as she took my hand in hers.

“You don't need to apologise, Jamie.  I think we both made mistakes.”

“I really did think I was in love with you,” I said wistfully.

“I think more likely you were in lust with me, Jamie.  That’s a whole different thing.  I didn't really understand the difference myself, not until I met Liam.  It’s hard to explain.  The thing is, on paper you should be the perfect boyfriend for me, and I did always really like you.  And I can maybe see how, to you, Liam might seem an odd match for me.  But when we met, it was just as if something clicked between us.  Whatever was missing between you and me…”

“… is there between you and Liam.  He said pretty much the same thing, and I can see the change in him since he met you.  You’re so good for him, and I think you’ll be really great together.”

“Thanks, Jamie.  That means a lot to me.  I hope we can still be friends after everything that happened?” she said.

“Sure, I’d like that.  Look, now you’re here, why don't you just relax and have fun?  Get all your frustrations out of your system, and then talk to Liam tomorrow to sort things out when you’re fee
ling calmer maybe?”

I felt like a proper agony aunt - or uncle - doling out sensible advice like this.  When did I get to be the grown up one?

“You're probably right, but the stupid thing is, now I'm here on my own without Liam, it feels all wrong, and I hate it.  I wish he was here, or I was back at home with him.  How irrational is that?”  Sera’s eyes filled with tears, as she rummaged in her bag to find a tissue, then blew her nose and dabbed at her eyes.

“I guess it’s still early days in your relationship, and it’s a learning process for both of you.  So what do you want to do?  Phone him and tell him to get his backside over here?  Or head off back home?”

“I think I’ll go home.  Don't tell Abbey about any of this - she thinks I should stand up to Liam more, so she won’t approve of me running back to him like this.”  Sera frowned as she threw back the last dregs of her orange juice, and then slammed the glass back down on the table.

“Fuck what Abbey thinks.  You do whatever feels right for you, Sera.  If you want to go home, I’ll go and organise a cab and see you back safely.  And before you start arguing with me, I think it’s safe to say Liam would kill me if I let you walk out of here alone.  So for my sake, let me do the right thing for a change, and go with you.”

“Okay, if you insist,” Sera smiled at me through her tears.  “Just this one time, though.  I refuse to turn into one of those weak soppy girls who can't manage on their own.”

“Just wait here for me.  I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I promised, determined to act like a proper gent for once in my life.

I felt unsettled
and unable to sleep after we got back from the Graduation Ball.  Sera had been right - it wasn’t really been my kind of thing.  I'm more used to mixing with other entrepreneurs and businessmen rather than art students and graduates, so I hadn't minded in the slightest leaving early. 

I’d assumed we’d come home and spend the night together, but Sera insisted she wanted to be alone.  She’d been in a funny mood all evening, and I wasn’t sure I could put it all down to her ho
rmones being all over the place. 

Women.  So fucking hard to fathom out.  Well, Seraphina was anyway.  I thought I understood most women’s agenda, but not hers. 

Most women would jump at what I was offering.  I wanted her to move in with me.  I wanted to buy her nice things.  I wanted to take care of her.  I wanted to
marry
her.  Kimberley would have jumped at the chance of any of these things if I’d offered them to her, but I’d never wanted to.  No, I'd fallen for Ms. Independence, Ms. ‘I can manage on my own’, hadn’t I?  It was so fucking frustrating. 

But that was Seraphina.  I just had to accept the way she was and hope that in time, if I was patient, she’d agree to marry me.  Well, she had to eventually, because I wasn't going to give up.