Under My Skin

26 | play with me

Chapter Twenty-Six:

"The last four days, you've had your tongues down each other's throats every chance you can." Lydia hissed into Ria's ear, peeking around to ensure the two of them were out of earshot of Reid, who was making his way over, with Blaine, to the table where Felix, Indiya, Hazel and Leela were already residing.

The rooftop bar had been partially reserved for Reid and Lydia's joint stag and hen party, which meant there were less than a total of twenty people in attendance. The bar was lit with reflective strobe disco lights, a heavy R&B beat pounding in the air and bouncing off the walls. A continuous stream of alcoholic beverages welcomed the guests, leaving nobody's glass vacant for more than a few seconds.

"You knew?" Ria blurted out, staggered by Lydia's revelation, "If you've known the whole trip, why haven't you said anything?"

"Would that have stopped you?" Lydia replied with a rhetorical question. She hiked up the ruffled hem of her pristine white sequined dress to prevent any further creasing as she perched on the edge of a bar stool, signalling for Ria to take a seat opposite her, "Look, whatever I might think of your secret relationship with Blaine, it's really none of my business who you shag or not. It's not Reid's either, but we both know he won't see it like that."

Ria released an uneasy laugh, "You're the last person I'd expect to hear say something like that." She peered at the group and noticed they were oblivious to her and Lydia's absence, "How long have you known?"

Lydia offered a knowing smile, "For a long while now. But the engagement party confirmed it for me. The way he looked at you...like, he couldn't see anyone but you. Like he didn't want to see anyone but you."

Ria's breath caught in her throat as she absorbed Lydia's words, "so, when are you going to tell Reid, then?"

Lydia blinked up at Ria, "Why would I do that? If I tell him, he'll flip. It'll become the only thing he worries about. His best mate – the man he calls his brother shacking up with his little sister."

There was something somewhat unnerving in the way Lydia spoke. A bitterness clung to each word, encapsulating it and seeping through her mouth. Ria glanced over at the girl with the buttercream-coloured hair who was anxiously chewing away at a hangnail on her thumb and gazing off into the distance; she realised what the words conveyed. Jealousy in its rawest form.

If Lydia wanted, she could have single-handedly ruined Ria's relationship with Reid by exposing her lies, but Ria realised that wasn't what she wanted. All the girl wanted was to be the centre of Reid's attention, at least during this period of their lives - before the wedding.

"You...you don't have to worry, Lydia. Reid doesn't suspect a thing. I'll... we'll hide it better. The next two days in Ayia Napa will only be about you and Reid." She said with reassurance, hesitantly placing a hand upon the blonde's shoulder.

Lydia jumped at the physical contact, "No. Not just for the holiday. Hide it for the next two months. Until the wedding." She reiterated, reconnecting eye contact with Ria.

"Until the wedding?" Ria repeated as though she hadn't quite understood the weight of Lydia's words. It was true that she had lied to Reid for almost two months, but a further two months was a long time to hide her growing relationship with Blaine. They would be living under the same roof, and she knew there was no way she'd stay away from him during that time.

They had already crossed more boundaries and broken more rules than she could physically count. She'd briefly opened her heart up, and Blaine had pulled up and made himself a home in there.

"Yes, can you do that for me?" She pleaded, the blue of her irises emitting desperation in every form, "Please."

Ria caught a glimpse of the table ahead of them from her peripheries. Saw the way that Reid and Blaine were skimming down, laughing at something silly written on a pamphlet. Saw the way Blaine noticed her within milliseconds, the way he licked his lips when they made eye contact. The way that cheeky smirk arose on his face, the one that he reserved only for her. And she knew the answer to Lydia's question.