“Can we go?” I ask Cameron.
He smiles and nods. “I’m just going to go to the bathroom, then we will head.” He disappears up the steps two at a time. Abbie and Bridge flop down onto the chairs either side of me.
“OMG,” Bridget whispers. “Let’s talk about Josh’s tatt.”
“Let’s not,” I reply.
“Why are you so pissy?” she asks.
“Are you serious?” I snap. “This is bullshit.”
“What’s bullshit?”
“This,” I gesture at the arena around us. “This isn’t fucking kickboxing. This is how to kill a person in fifteen minutes.”
She nods, “But it’s totally hot, right.” I shake my head in disgust at her.
“You’re an imbecile,” I snap. Will’s phone rings and he smiles and talks to someone on the other end and hangs up.
“Cam’s too lazy to walk back so we have to meet him at the door.” We nod and join the queue to get out. Ten minutes later I have a tipsy friend on either side of me linking my arms as we head towards the exit. Abbie is still going on about banging Mr Italy and asking Will to go and find him to tell him the mother of his children is waiting for him, presuming that’s her. Will is very wisely declining to do it, although he is finding it quite funny.
“I thought you were the mother of my children,” he says as he elbows her in the stomach.
“Hell no,” she replies. “I’m way, way, way, way,” she moves her hand around in the air “too hot for you,” and she pokes him in the chest. Abbie and I are in fits of giggles. She really does know how to take my mind off things. Cameron joins us from the left and Bridget grabs his arm to link with hers, then we walk a little bit further before Cam stops and turns around.
“What are you doing?” he yells out. We all turn at once to see who he is talking to. Joshua is standing still in the middle of the crowd, glaring at us. He is in faded blue jeans and a white T–shirt and has an exercise bag with the strap across his body on one shoulder. Perspiration is still beading on his forehead, a side effect from the exertion of the fight. He takes a sip from the bottle of water in his hand. The veins in his forearms are pumping, no doubt from the adrenaline in his system. My mouth goes dry. Why does he have to be so damn attractive? His piercing blue eyes bore into me and he has a slight sheen of perspiration all over his skin, adding to the whole alluring effect. Damn it. He is radiating anger and glares at Cam as he storms past us.
“What’s wrong with you?” Cam asks. He turns to talk to Cam, but speaks directly to me.
“What in the fuck is she doing here?”
Will steps in front of me. “Stop being a prick, Josh. She’s here with us.” My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I turn and start storming to the cab rank. I have never been so humiliated. Abbie and Bridget scuttle after me, both of the boys staying with Josh.
“You’re not to hang with her, I told you that.” I stop and turn. That’s it. My blood has boiled. Who in the hell does this guy think he is? Master of the universe. I will not take one more fucking minute of his shit. I storm back to where he is standing and push him hard in the chest.
“What is your problem?” I yell, and he staggers back.
“You are actually!” he yells back.
I scowl. “Who in the fuck are you, and what have you done with my Josh?” I scream.
He comes up really close to my face and yells. “He isn’t your Josh.”
“No, I know he isn’t. This version is a giant, aggressive, stripper–groping prick who I can’t stand the sight of.” Everyone falls silent.
“Burned,” Will giggles. Josh and I both look at him and yell “Shut up,” in perfect timing.
“Stripper–groping,” he repeats. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Natasha, leave it,” Bridget steps in. “Let’s go.” She can see this is about to get ugly, really ugly.
“I mean, asshole,” I scream in his face, “I was at the strip club last week, and I saw your little display with the blonde whore. How was the threesome?” He narrows his eyes and steps back as he weighs up my words.
“What, are you spying on me now?” he sneers.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I scream. “It seems to me you are spying on me. What’s with the nightclub caveman act, Josh? Why in the hell did you hit Todd like that?”
He stops still and stays deathly silent.
“Todd, is it?” he sneers. I don’t answer. Ok, that was the wrong thing to say.
“So Todd is the poor bastard you’re currently fucking is he? I thought as much.”
Cameron steps in, “Josh, just go home. You’re being a dick.”
“Fuck off, Cameron. I’m talking to Natasha—this is a private conversation,” his voice dripping with sarcasm.
He leans in to my face. “You can go and tell your little friend Todd that if I see him again I’m going to beat the living shit out of him. I hope you were worth it.”