Distracted By You: Book 1 in The Exeter Running Girls Series, стр. 18

I took a healthy swig of the cider then held out my hand to him.

“Can I see?”

He looked up with curious eyes, but dutifully pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the conversation. I perched on the desk next to him with the phone in my hands and read through the texts.

They weren’t that bad. Ellie had flirted outrageously and asked him out again. As far as I could see, she hadn’t said anything stalker crazy, not creepy like Kyle, and despite the fact Tye had said no, neither had he been rude.

“So let me understand this…” I looked up from the phone in thought. “In an effort not to be rude to her in your rejection, you opted to be rude to me instead?” My raised eyebrows brought a wince to his face.

“I didn’t mean to be. I’m just angry.” He suddenly took the bottle from my hand and glugged a healthy couple of mouthfuls before he pulled away with repulsion.

“God – how on earth can you drink this?”

“I like it,” I said sharply, stealing the bottle back. “There’s a lonely beer in the fridge that Leonora left here one time if you want it.”

He quickly scrounged through my fridge near my legs to find the beer. While his back was turned, I typed a quick message to Ellie from his phone.

I’M SEEING SOMEONE ELSE. T

“Problem solved,” I handed the phone back to him with a sigh as he re-emerged, already glugging from the bottle. “Ellie may be a flirt, but she has a good heart. She wouldn’t take another woman’s man so that will get her to leave you alone.”

He took the phone and read the message, the first smile of the evening creeping to his face as the works sunk in.

“Seeing someone?” He quoted, looking back to her.

“She won’t ask you who so it’s a safe lie. It will just make her stop,” I picked up the cider and moved to sit on the end of my bed, feeling completely deflated. You know how when a balloon goes down it crumples into that little piece of stretched-out elastic? All wrinkly, no bounce and pitying itself. That was me.

The words stung as I said them to Tye, but from how this evening had started, there was no chance this was a date. At least all my nerves had gone, the little people in my stomach were no longer somersaulting, they were sitting around yawning with boredom instead, one or two with sadness. Maybe three.

“Thanks,” Tye pocketed his phone and returned to the desk chair. “How did you become friends with her anyway?”

It would seem god had ignored all of my fervent prayers not to talk about Ellie all night.

“She’s actually really kind. I understand it’s not the side of her you have seen, but she loves the chase after a guy. That’s what she’s in it for.”

“So, she’s actually not that interested?”

“Nope.”

“Ha,” he laughed, shaking his head as he swigged from the bottle. “I have a feeling I should be offended by that.”

“I don’t really know why she does it.” I looked down at my own bottle, wincing as I revealed the reason it had perhaps all started. “It may be my fault though that she went after you.”

“Your fault?” His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What did you do?”

“I had this theory that Leonora and Ellie between them could conquer all of the heterosexual male population.” I shrugged, realising how ridiculous it sounded. “It had been a joke one night after a lot of drinks and, in my defence, it did appear to be true. Then you proved immune to Leonora’s charm.”

“Not my taste,” Tye grimaced at the thought.

“Really? What’s not to love? She’s gorgeous.”

“She is not a one-man woman, that’s the first reason. The rest is a long list.”

“Intriguing,” my eyes watched him carefully. Despite the smirk of humour he seemed sincere. “The idea that anyone could have a list of what is wrong with Leonora is strange. Anyway, when Leonora proved to not push your buttons, they decided to test my theory.”

“So between them they set Ellie on me?” He laughed, still shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yet, you appear immune to her too,” I gasped for dramatic effect. “Despite her most seductive efforts. I still admit I’m surprised.” I paused, letting the thought hang in the air as I sipped my cider.

“Surprised? Why?” He repeated with a frown.

“As I said, most guys if they don’t like one, they like the other.”

“Ellie is not my taste either.”

“Again, she’s gorgeous.”

“And again, she’s not a one-man woman.” He spoke as if this point was obvious. “She’s also very annoying.”

“That’s your experience of her,” I laughed, thinking back to the first time I had met her. “The four of us met in freshers’ week. Leonora, Ellie, Cara, and me. It was a meet up for the Runners Society. In the first race, when Cara fell over and sprained her ankle, Ellie carried her across the line. Sure she’s a flirt, and maybe she’s a little annoying, but a kinder heart would be difficult to find.”

Tye nodded at my words, thinking over them for a minute.

“Cara – is that the tiny one?”

“She’s not that tiny!”

“She’s mini.” Tye sniggered, relaxing back into his chair, and looking more at ease.

“She’s bubbly, and full of energy,” I defended.

“Like one of those little dogs that yap and jump around?” His face showed he was just teasing, yet I still threw a cushion from my bed across the room at him, which he dodged easily, pushing to the side on the wheels of my desk chair.

“Evil man.”

“To prevent another pillow missile, I’ll apologise. As I’ve never met her, I can’t