Right Here Waiting for You

by Pugh, Rebecca

  ‘I can’t believe you’d have the sheer audacity to even show your face after everything you did! Does it give you some weird sort of satisfaction? A freakish little kick maybe? To sit there and act the innocent one?’ People were turning to look at them now. Sophia was near enough shouting. The man who had introduced himself as Michael placed a hand on her shoulder and tugged her away, but not before Sophia could hiss, ‘What is wrong with you, Magda?’ She sent her a scathing look before giving in to Michael’s pull. She looked as if she had plenty more to say but snapped her mouth shut before she could say another word. Magda watched as Sophia ordered herself a drink. She certainly looked like she needed one, if the thunderous expression on her face was anything to go by.

  Magda let out a breath. Nothing could make this situation any better. She glanced at Cameron, who was watching her, and shook her head. No, she didn’t want to talk about it.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked gently, placing a hand on her back.

  ‘I’m fine.’ Magda got up and away from his concern, away from his prying. Her cheeks were hot from embarrassment. She hadn’t expected Sophia to cause a scene, but then again, what exactly had she been expecting? To be welcomed back into Sophia’s life with open arms? Fury was building up inside of her. She could feel it, hot and dangerous in her chest. Sure, she’d done wrong and she wasn’t too proud to admit it, but she wouldn’t allow herself to be spoken to in that way. She took another look in Sophia’s direction. To push it or not to push it? She decided against it. ‘I’m going to go outside for a breather. Back soon.’

  Pushing her way through the crowds of people, Magda made her way outside and into the cool night air. She positioned herself around the corner, away from the entrance and standing apart from the few smokers outside. She leant against the brick wall of the building and closed her eyes.

  ‘You look like you could do with a cigarette.’

  Having not noticed anyone else when she’d hidden herself away, Magda opened her eyes and sought out the person partly hidden in the shadows. The form stepped forward, revealing more of himself as the dim light lit up his features. Magda couldn’t believe it.

  ‘Tom Archer?’ she whispered, taking a hesitant step closer.

  ‘Damn right it is.’ With a wolfish grin, Tom held out the open cigarette packet. ‘Long time, no see, eh?’

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘Are you okay? What the hell was all that about?’ Michael’s hand rubbed Sophia’s back as she tried to steady herself with her hands on the bar. She was taking regular deep breaths but they were doing sod all to help slow her racing heart.

  She’d never been much of a drinker, but tonight she needed one more than ever. She just couldn’t get her head around the fact that Magda was here, in Worthington Green. At the reunion, for goodness’ sake! It felt bizarre. Surreal. Her worst nightmare come true. This was the thing she had been dreading since the invitation had arrived. She’d done her best to weigh up the chances of Magda turning up. She’d thought it would be okay. That she’d be safe to go out and enjoy herself for once. She’d been wrong.

  She took a massive gulp from her drink and nodded. ‘Yeah. I’m great. It just caught me by surprise, that’s all. I didn’t expect to see her here. And it’s a long story.’ She glanced quickly towards the entrance for the millionth time since Magda had disappeared through the doors, checking to see if she was coming back towards them.

  ‘Oh, you know her then? The woman who just nearly choked to death while you stood and watched over her?’

  ‘Oh, I know her all right,’ Sophia murmured. Despite her anger, she did feel a bit bad about watching as Magda choked. ‘I know her very well actually. We grew up together. Here, in Worthington Green. She left a long time ago though. We had a few… issues between us which never really got resolved.’

  Michael nodded as if he understood, even though Sophia knew he couldn’t possibly. ‘I see. Are you going to be okay or would you rather leave? Does her being here make you uncomfortable?’

  She thought about it for a moment. ‘No, I’d rather stay. I think she’s gone now anyway. I don’t want to let her ruin the night. We’re here so we may as well enjoy it, right?’

  Michael smiled back and nodded. ‘I agree. Another drink?’

  ‘Sure. Why not?’

  For the remainder of the night, Sophia found she couldn’t relax completely, but she didn’t want to let Michael know that. She was desperate to enjoy herself now that she was here and didn’t want to let Magda’s presence ruin what she’d been looking forward to, although she’d be lying if she were to say it hadn’t affected her. Because it had. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get Magda’s face out of her mind.

  While Sophia drove herself mad trying to figure things out in her head, Michael seemed as cheerful as ever, and more attentive than normal, which she couldn’t deny she was enjoying. She drank a bit more than she’d meant to and loved how free and wild it allowed her to feel, how easy it became to let loose and enjoy herself.

  After sitting at the bar with Michael, they eventually decided to move to the dance floor. It was jam-packed now the night had worn on a bit, heaving with bodies fuelled by alcohol and joy at being back with their old friends. The event brought with it the sense of youth a lot of them had probably long since forgotten as adulthood had taken over, bringing with it the usual responsibilities and stresses.

  It was hot and stuffy in the hall but Sophia didn’t notice as she shimmied around Michael. He didn’t stop smiling the whole time they were dancing with each other and she felt the same way. It was fun and made her feel ten times younger than what she was. Michael had taken off his suit-jacket and looked more dashing than ever as he danced circles around her. His eyes were on hers the whole time and Sophia couldn’t take hers off him. As the flashing lights illuminated his face, her enjoyment intensified and she was pleased she’d agreed to attend after all. She wouldn’t have missed this for world. Michael made it even better. He always did. Everything seemed better simply by having him by her side. From the look of things, he was enjoying her company too. He was dancing around the floor without a care in the world. She had to admit, he did look a little ridiculous, but it was only making her laugh more. He didn’t seem to care what anybody else thought of him, and she always found that refreshing about him, and wished she could be the same.

  ‘I need to sit down,’ Sophia laughed, once she felt she could take no more. She flapped at her hot face with her hand and weaved her way through the dancing bodies back towards the bar. She asked for a glass of water and turned to see that Michael had followed her. He ordered the same and they both gulped from their glasses.

  ‘I think I’m a bit drunk,’ Michael laughed as he swayed a little. ‘Okay. More than a bit drunk. I’m definitely not sober, that’s for sure.’

  ‘I should have known better. Those drinks have gone straight to my head.’ She giggled a little. ‘What time is it?’

  Michael checked the time on his phone. ‘Just past eleven.’

  She hoped the babysitter was getting on okay with the kids. Perhaps she should pop outside and give her a ring, just to check? She nibbled her lip as she swayed on her decision, but then the choice was snatched away from her when Michael pulled her along behind him, back towards the dance floor, where they remained for the rest of the night.

  ‘Wow. It really hits you when you step outside, doesn’t it?’ Sophia swayed a little as they began the walk back to hers to collect the children. ‘It’s flipping freezing out here.’ She spotted Michael’s car in the car park. He’d be leaving it there overnight. No doubt a lot of the people who had been at the reunion would be doing the same.

  ‘Here, take my jacket.’

  The scent of Michael’s aftershave whipped itself around her as Sophia allowed him to drape it over her shoulders. It didn’t really make a difference to how cold she felt, but she decided to keep that to herself and hugged the jacket tighter around her.
r />   ‘I hope Harry behaved himself.’

  ‘Course he will have. He’s a good boy.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ snorted Michael, who was trying his best to walk in a straight line. He kept stumbling slightly to the left and right, and Sophia laughed at his feeble attempts. ‘So have you set a date for your night with Mr Simon?’ He asked the question in a jokey manner, with a glimmer in his eye.

  ‘Bugger off!’ With a playful slap to his shoulder, Sophia shook her head. ‘We haven’t set a date yet, but he was thinking next week. I told him I was busy this weekend. He’s told me a million times about how excited he is to meet me in person.’ A small smirk danced upon her lips.

  Michael swerved the comment. ‘Do you want to tell me about what happened tonight with that woman? You said you grew up together.’ Michael glanced at her. ‘I get the feeling it wasn’t just a small tiff between mates. Am I right?’

  ‘You are,’ Sophia nodded. She didn’t really want to talk about it. She was still reeling from Magda’s appearance, although the entertaining evening she had spent with Michael had done a good job of dulling the shock. The alcohol had also helped numb her emotions concerning the reappearance of her old friend. Perhaps that’s why she felt a bit numb to it now? As if it wasn’t real and she’d imagined Magda sitting at the bar. She realised Michael was still waiting for her reply. ‘It’s weird,’ she said with a shrug. ‘And a long story. Not one best told when slightly drunk.’ Or ever, she thought to herself.

  ‘Come on. Tell me. I’m intrigued now. We tell each other everything, don’t we? Best mates and all that?’ He nudged her with his elbow.

  ‘We don’t tell each other everything, do we?’

  Michael stumbled over his own feet but managed to regain his balance. He paused and turned to look at Sophia, wearing a completely serious expression before bursting into laughter. ‘I’m sure that we do.’

  ‘It’s not really that big of a deal,’ Sophia ventured, wanting to close the subject. ‘I mean, we fell out. She moved away. That’s it really.’ She almost believed the lie herself. It was more than that. So much more.

  ‘Yes, but what did you fall out over? That’s what I want to know.’

  ‘Silly things,’ Sophia said. ‘Silly, childish things. The type of things teenage girls tend to fall out over.’

  ‘What? Like make-up, clothes and boyfriends?’

  ‘Something like that.’ She smiled.

  ‘I know it was more than that. I just don’t understand why you’re so reluctant to tell me. She really hurt you, didn’t she?’

  Foolishly, Sophia felt tears beginning to rise. She wouldn’t let them break free. ‘She did, but it’s all in the past now.’

  ‘If it’s all in the past, why are you still so bothered about it?’

  Sophia paused, turning to look at him. ‘I’m not.’

  ‘Your face looked like thunder when you saw her sitting there. As soon as realisation hit, you stopped patting her on the back and stepped away. So basically, you would have rather allowed her to choke to death than continue trying to help once you knew it was her.’ Michael cocked his head to the side. ‘Am I right?’

  Sophia continued walking. ‘I was just surprised, that’s all. I didn’t expect her to turn up, let alone be right beside us at the bar. It was a shock. A massive shock.’

  ‘You were best friends once upon a time. Haven’t you missed her?’

  ‘I suppose I have.’ She nodded slowly. ‘In a strange sort of way. In a way I can’t really explain. I missed her so much when she first left town. I often hoped she’d come back soon after, just so we could bump into each other and perhaps sort everything out between us. But she never did. Or if she did, I never saw her.’

  ‘Maybe she came back to see you. Maybe that’s why she was at the reunion tonight. You don’t know, do you?’

  With a quick shake of her head, Sophia felt relief wash over her when the house came into view up ahead. There was no way Magda had come back to see her. If she had, then why had it taken her so long? Sophia was still angry at her, and too much time had passed by now. ‘It doesn’t matter. Like I said, it’s all in the past. What’s done is done. Now come on, you drunken fool. Let’s get inside into the warmth. My fingers are frozen. I need to make sure those kids of ours haven’t destroyed the house.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rather than lingering around outside the hall, Magda and Tom decided to head down to the harbour, the setting of their teenage memories. It was blustery, whipping Magda’s hair up and around her face, but she didn’t mind too much. After seeing the expression on Sophia’s face at the sight of her, anywhere was better than there. Plus, the thumping music from within had started up a headache and Magda couldn’t get away from it quickly enough.

  ‘Flipping heck. I’m going to get blown away in a minute. Come on, let’s go beneath the pier. Might be able to escape the wind. God, this place brings back some memories, eh? I must have drunk my body weight in alcohol right in this very spot.’

  She followed Tom down beneath the wooden slats and they rested against the wall in the darkness. ‘Is that cigarette still up for grabs?’

  ‘Sure.’ Tom passed the open packet over to her and handed her his lighter too.

  Magda hadn’t smoked for years. She’d done it quite a lot when she was younger, but had given up when she’d met and fallen for Greg. He hadn’t liked smokers. Magda closed her eyes and inhaled, the familiarity of the action rushing back to her as if she’d never stopped.

  ‘So, you came back for the reunion then?’ asked Magda, trying to make out his features in the darkness. He still looked like Tom, just a bit more weather-beaten. ‘Why on earth would you swap Thailand for this place?’ She let out a small burst of laughter at the thought of it. Perhaps she should have gone to Thailand herself rather than thinking that coming home had been a good idea.

  ‘Thought I’d pop back. Check up on Dad in the shop. Catch up with a few old mates. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Until I was stood outside the hall, that is.’ The tip of his cigarette glowed in the darkness as he took a drag. Each movement he made was accompanied by a creak of his leather jacket.

  ‘I know what you mean. I’m beginning to regret my decision to come back too. Seems to have done more bad than good, if I’m honest.’

  Tom nodded. ‘See anyone familiar in there?’

  Magda shrugged. ‘One or two people, I guess. Not many though. I’ve forgotten who they all were.’

  ‘How about Sophia?’

  Magda was surprised to still feel that pang of jealousy she’d felt as a teenager, that Tom had had a thing for Sophia and not her. ‘I did see her, yes.’ Tom knew all about what had happened all those years before. He knew why their friendship had broken down and become something unfixable. He’d been part of it. He also knew it wouldn’t have been easy for either of them, seeing each other for the first time. She was tempted to lay the blame for it entirely at his feet but knew that it wouldn’t be right or fair to do so.

  ‘How did that go?’ he asked.

  ‘Disastrously, if you must know.’ Magda flicked the ash from her cigarette then stared down at it between her fingers.

  ‘Should have known.’ Tom looked at the ground.

  Silence descended between them, besides the sound of the sea rolling up and down the sand.

  ‘Do you know about me and her?’ he asked after a short while had passed.

  Magda straightened. ‘What do you mean?’

  Tom sighed. ‘I’m not only back here for the reunion. I’m back to see my child and her mother.’ He waited for realisation to hit. ‘As in, Sophia is the mother of my child.’

  Magda’s mouth popped open. ‘She’s a mother now?’

  ‘Yeah. Didn’t you know?’

  ‘God, no.’ The news was a shock to Magda. It made her want to cry. That her old friend had given birth to a baby girl and she hadn’t been there beside her. They’d always promised they’
d be best friends for ever. Silly promises but ones they had meant to keep. And Tom Archer, the boy she’d spent so long mooning over, was the father of Sophia’s baby. It was a lot to take in. A lot to get her head around. ‘I can’t believe it. She’s a mother. And you’re the father of her daughter. That’s… crazy.’

  Tom rubbed the back of his neck with his head. ‘Yeah, I guess it is. Although I wouldn’t say I was the father. I mean I am biologically but I’m not sure I stuck around long enough to earn that title.’

  ‘You mean you didn’t stay and help her with the pregnancy?’

  ‘No. I was a dickhead. I walked away. It was only six years ago, but a lot can change in that time. I suppose I felt that it was too much too soon and I couldn’t handle it. I was a coward. I wanted to travel, do something with my life. But while I was away, I couldn’t stop thinking about them both. I knew I’d made the wrong decision in leaving them, and the urge to come back to see them continued to grow stronger and stronger. I was an idiot for walking away though, for leaving Sophia to handle it all on her own.’

  A surge of anger fired up in the pit of Magda’s stomach. How could he do that to her? ‘And this was after we…’

  ‘Yeah. This was way after us. After you left, me and Sophia wanted to give it another go, after she found out about me and you. We were good for a good couple of years. She fell pregnant and when she told me I…’ Tom went silent. ‘I guess I just ran away from it.’

  ‘Nice one,’ muttered Magda. She’d finished her cigarette and was now watching Tom with her arms folded across her chest. ‘I can’t believe you did that to her. I thought you were…’

  ‘Thought I was what?’ asked Tom, keen to hear what she’d say next.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she sighed. ‘I guess I thought you were better than that.’

  ‘Magda, I slept with you behind Sophia’s back. I think that probably tells you everything you need to know about me, doesn’t it?’