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“What did she say?” Adaline side whispered to me.
“She wants to tag along,” I said looking at her face and mouthing the words so Gabby couldn’t hear.
“Well, she can fuck right off, you’re mine,” she said and linked her arm through mine.
Haydn chose that moment to drive away leaving a car-sized gap between us. Gabby’s eyes widened when she saw Adaline’s dress. Her careful assessment had come to the same conclusion I had. Adaline rocks the fifties look.
“You came as James Dean, he is such a hero of mine,” Gabby gushed and came forward to kiss my cheek.
Linking her arm on my other side, I decided that having her close was better than watching my back. I leant down to Adaline’s mouth, not caring she wore lipstick. I kissed her thoroughly, I knew it was juvenile, but I needed to make a point. Once I broke the kiss, Adaline grinned and took a sneaky glance at Gabby over my shoulder. Adaline gave me a wink and started the walk to the mansion doors.
We walked, with Gabby hanging onto my arm with a vice like grip. The doors swung open by doormen in tuxedos. Further along, waiters held trays of champagne. I dropped Adaline and Gabby’s arms to grab two glasses, handing one to each of them. I took one for myself but had no intention of drinking anything this evening. The corridor that lead to the function room was lined with mirrors. It was like walking down a room in the fun house at a fun fair. I felt like a caricature of my normal self.
The club’s restaurant had been transformed into a school disco, complete with trestle tables laden with bowls of punch. Loud chatter filled the room. I glanced at Adaline who frowned and pulled on her drop silver leaf earrings. It was a sign she was uncomfortable. When she caught me staring, she smiled and linked our fingers to walk to the back of the room. At the rear of the room were a row of chairs and a large pillar. She took us to stand between the pillar and the window. She stood next to the window. Long red curtains hung at the edges. She examined the depth between the curtains and the glass, disappearing for a moment. Adaline came back out from behind the curtain and tugged me with her. She rested against the wall which was just wide enough for her to stand and not ruffle the curtains. I pressed my body against hers holding her arms above her head. In her heels, Adaline was only a few inches shorter than me. Moving closer I kissed her, she pulled her arms down and wrapped them around my neck, lightly scratching my nape. Her touch had my cock rock hard. I loved the gentle kneading and scraping she did when she kissed me back with passion. The intensity made me forget everything and everyone.
It was Gabby’s voice that broke the moment. I slowed the kiss to soft presses of my lips against hers.
“He came in this direction, he must be somewhere around here,” Gabby said. I put my hand over Adaline’s mouth and lifted my finger to my lips. I spoke into her ear.
“Gabby is looking for me, if we stay here long enough, she’ll go away.”
“Go out there and meet her, don’t hide Callum,” she urged. Taking her hands away from my neck, she straightened her dress and arranged her cleavage to be more modest after I kissed her stupid.
“Do we have to, I really don’t want to,” I whined, forgetting she wouldn’t hear the whining.
“I know, but I’m with you every step of the way.”
She didn’t give me anytime to answer and pulled back the curtain. Gabby had her back to us. The curtain must have brushed her legs because she whirled around in surprise.
“Oh, there you are, Callum, you must come and meet Kevin. He’s dying to see you, I told him you’d lost a tonne of weight, and he didn’t believe me.” She gushed and took an appraising look at my body. I shivered, I didn’t want her approving look, it repulsed me.
Gabby ignored Adaline and grabbed my hand to pull me away, I looked to Adaline to take her hand, but she shook her head. I could have cried, I needed her to stand by me. The further Gabby pulled me away to worse my stress levels soared. I started to sweat, my palms becoming damp in her hand.
“Hey, Kevin,” Gabby called out to a group of men. I recognised none of them, but then I spent little time with anyone while I was at school. I was the last one in bed at night and first up in the morning. I couldn’t describe what any of my roommates looked like, I couldn’t place them. The four men wore matching leather jackets, white t-shirts, and blue jeans. We were all in matching attire. My auburn hair was the only differing aspect of our appearance. Their clothes looked expensive and brand new. My jacket was battered and second hand, it wouldn’t have surprised me if this jacket had been on the back of a biker for a dozen years. Theirs looked straight from the hanger in the shop and they didn’t manage to pull off the bad boy rocker look.
“This is Callum Hague, you remember him, don’t you?” Gabby said to the group. All four men shook their heads, looking at Gabby for a hint. “Never mind, you will in a few minutes. Callum, we’re going to do the presentation, keep an eye on the screen,” she said and gave me another wink.
The small stage at the end of the room had a lectern with a slim microphone. To its left was a huge screen with the school logo and Latin motto. My old school’s motto wasnothing without effort, kind of ironic for a school full of rich kids.
Adaline came to my side and took my hand tugging me away from the group. They’d ignored me, so I didn’t bother saying goodbye. She pulled me harder towards the exit.
“Where are we going?” I called after her, she didn’t answer. I tried again once I could stand in front of her, blocking her progress.
“We need to leave, now,” she said and grabbed at my hand again. I stuffed them in my pockets out of reach.
“It’s only been forty minutes, you said I have to stay for a whole hour,” I said.
I was amused at the turn of events. I couldn’t wait to leave, but I needed to know why Adaline thought we should go.
“The bitch has set you up, I don’t want you here to see it,” Adaline said, nodding to the stage area.
I glanced in that direction to see Gabby tapping the microphone. She waved away the chorus of wolf whistles and talked. The screen to her left changed, and in bold letters, it saidThen and Now. Seeing those words, I knew exactly what she would do. The horror of what she was about to do filled my veins with ice.
“I introduced a man to a group of his peers, and they had no idea who he was. When I saw Callum Hague eighteen months ago across the room at a party, it shocked me how much he’d changed. It sparked the idea of this reunion and how people have changed since we were in school.”
The screen changed, and Adaline tugged on my arm to leave, but I wasn’t moving. I perversely needed to see how she would humiliate me this time. I’d never had my picture taken, to my knowledge, for my company or anything else apart from family snaps that my mum had taken. I hated my picture being taken. A few were taken overseas, but that was more from the charity workers to show off the progress and not me up a ladder. There was only one way she would show a now picture, and that was from the cloakroom quickie.
“Lads, this is the guy I introduced to you,” she said and pressed the button on her mini remote control. “Do you remember him now?”
