I’M SICK.
No, I feel as though I’m dying. Julie’s had the cold. Even Connor had a head cold over the weekend, and what do I get? Full on man flu, and I can really do without it. Aches and pains course through my body. What a way to start a new week. All I want to do is crawl into bed in a darkened room and sleep, but I can’t; I’m halfway through reading this new script Trevor has sent me.
Trevor is desperately waiting for my thoughts on this, and so far, so good. He’s excited about this one; he and my dad can’t stop talking about it. The Turning Point. It’s a romance about a young woman who has come to a crossroads in her life. She’s not sure what she should do for the best moving forward. She’s had a tough life, lived on the streets, been involved in all sorts, but ultimately, she wants something better. A better life for herself. A job. She’s not looking for much, just the basics.
It’s a great storyline. Maybe it’s because I’ve been there at the crossroads. Been unsure of what happens next, what path to follow. I really am getting sucked straight into the story and, when reading a script, that can make or break it for me.
“Ella, Julie is coming over. She’ll stay with you while I’m out.”
“Connor, I don’t need looking after. I have the flu, that’s all. Now go and look at apartments. I wish I was fit enough to make sure they’re all decent inside.” I have no idea what I’ll do when he moves out into his own place, but he’s right, he has to do it for himself. And I can’t expect him to stay here with me when another man has shared my home. It’s still early days in our relationship, so maybe this will work out well for us. We can do the whole dating thing, as opposed to living together.
“Just humour me, will you? Anyway, Julie wanted to see you. There’s soup in the fridge; Callum brought it around earlier. If you need me to bring anything in, drop me a text. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Okay. Go on and get out of here.”
He bends down and kisses my nose. “See you later,” he says before leaving me curled up on the couch watching TV. I hate daytime TV. I would hate to sit in the house day after day and have nothing to look forward to other than this drivel.
I was meant to be meeting up with Jess and Alex today to talk through some of our ideas. We want to raise awareness to women who are in domestic abuse situations that there are places for them to go. There are people who can help them. Jess and I discovered after doing some research that a small percentage of woman who have been victims find themselves living on the streets because they have no one to turn to. No one to help them through what is a very difficult and traumatic time. It makes me sad that in our day and age things like this are still happening.
Jess is passionate about helping women who find themselves in dire circumstances and I’m just as passionate about helping out the homeless, and I’m sure with Alex’s help, we can raise some much needed awareness for two great causes.
If I close my eyes and get some sleep, I might be able to do some research later and then reschedule my meeting with Jess and Alex later in the week. I know how busy they are. Alex has Libby, the kids, and an empire to run, and Jess has Fletcher, and a new baby, and her business, although she has said she doesn’t know which one causes her more trouble. I couldn’t help but laugh when she said that.
“I guess you couldn’t wait to jump into bed with my best friend,” Donovan slurs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after taking a drink from the bottle of beer in his hand.
“Oh, come on! Don’t you dare, especially after all these months of you being in L.A., staying in my house and having other women in my bed.”
He takes a step toward me and I step back. I don’t want him anywhere near me. He stinks of alcohol and he looks like shit.
“What’s wrong, Ella? Take a good look. You did this to me. You put me out on the streets. You took my job from me.”
“And you took nothing from me? Everything that has happened has all been your own doing. You walked away from me after telling me you loved me, knowing what I would be facing.”
He starts walking and I realise I have nowhere to go. “But I knew Daddy would help you. The guys I dealt with weren’t going to be so patient. I did what I did to protect you.”
“What do you mean?” I yell.
“What I mean, my gorgeous Ella . . .”
“I’m not yours.”
He shakes his head in frustration. “They were coming for you if I didn’t pay them what I owed. I was protecting you. I couldn’t let them harm you.” I’m gobsmacked by his revelation. The back of my legs hit the couch and I sink down, taking in what he’s just said. He was protecting me.
“Ella, babe, I love you. That hasn’t changed.”
“But I’ve changed.”
“Yes, you have. You’ve gone from my fun-loving, gorgeous girl to a slut. What is it? Do you think sleeping with Connor will get you something that I couldn’t give you? Sleeping your way to the top doesn’t suit you.”
“It’s funny, I already thought I was at the top of my game. Can you leave?”
“I’m not going anywhere. You and I need to talk about us.”
“Donovan, there is no us. There hasn’t been for four months. Please, just go. I don’t have the energy for this today.”
“No.” He pushes me until my back is touching the fabric of the couch. Donovan sits down and puts his arm around my shoulders; I flinch under his touch. The smell of alcohol is so much stronger now he’s right beside me. It’s turning my stomach.
He puts his other hand on my knee. I look at his hand and then at his face. Whatever he thinks is going to happen here, I won’t let it.
I try to stand up but his grip on my shoulder tightens. His face closes in and . . .
In a blind panic, I open my eyes. My heart is racing and tears stream down my face. It wasn’t real, just a dream, I tell myself over and over. I can’t control my breathing. I try to take deep breaths but I can’t. I just end up gasping for air.
Everything in the room is blurry. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths, calming myself down. I reopen them and everything is as it should be. A dream. A stupid dream. I’ve not had one of those for weeks.
I thought I was long past this stage, but obviously, I was wrong.
Picking up my phone, I look at the time. Twelve-forty-five, and Julie has texted
I’m running late. Something came up but I’ll see you soon.
I should text her back and tell her not to bother coming over, but there’s no point, she’ll come over anyway. My grumbling stomach tells me I should eat, although I’m not sure I can face it, but I could do with some water. I push the cover aside and stand up and walk through into the kitchen, my body shivering with cold.
Connor has me smiling and he’s not even home. Sitting on the work surface is a bottle of cough medicine, a packet of tissues, and some painkillers, along with a note and a bar of chocolate.
Just in case you fancy some chocolate. C xx
He thinks of everything. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and take the painkillers followed by the cough medicine. Then I take the tissues and make my way back into my front room and get myself comfortable on the couch.
Flicking through the channels, I find there’s nothing worth watching. I almost jump from my seat hearing the front door close. The intercom didn’t buzz so it must be either my dad or Callum, or maybe both of them. It can’t be Julie; she always buzzes to get in. I really should give her a key for days like today when I can’t be bothered moving.
“If you don’t want to catch the flu, I would turn around and go home,” I call out with a laugh. It’s only one set of footsteps I hear crossing the floor. Maybe it’s Connor home earlier than he planned.
“After travelling all this way to come home to you?” My heart falters hearing his voice. I begin to shake. I stare at him with wide eyes in disbelief that he has the cheek and audacity to be standing in my home, in my living room with a case in his hands, as though it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I stare into his deep blue eyes and my chest aches, panic already setting in. My heart is racing. He puts his case down and takes a step toward me.
To be continued
xxx