“Hello, Adrian, are you there?” The phone is silent. “Hello!” I say again, this time in a much firmer tone.
“Hello,” a calm British voice replies,
“Adrian, is that really you?” I say with desperation in my words.
“Yes Alanna, it is me.” I am elated by his voice. Finally, my Adrian is talking to me.
“Oh Adrian, I have missed you so much. I have been out of my mind with worry about you.”
“Alanna, how are you feeling?” He says rather sharply.
“Wonderful, now that I am talking to you.”
“I am glad to hear that you are recovering. However, this is not a social call.” I am confused by his sharpness and by his words.
“What?”
“I am just calling you to tell you, to stop harassing me.” I am stunned, is he really saying this?
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me Alanna, stop calling me, and stop the emails and the texts.” I am hurt my him. I never expected him to act in this way. He sounds very assertive in his words.
“Adrian, I love you.”
“I don’t care, I do not love you.” Tears pour from my eyes at the sound of his words.
“You do not mean that.”
“Yes, I mean every word that I am saying, get the picture Alanna, I do not love you, I never have and I never will.” I am now sobbing, down the phone to Adrian. My heart is pounding and I cannot breathe. I swallow hard and force out words.
“Adrian, please don’t do this. I love you more than life. I need you, please take back what you said.”
“I will not, you were just a distraction. I do not need you anymore; please do not contact me again.” He hangs up and the phone again is silent, I throw the phone to floor, and slide under the covers. The hotness, of my tears and panting in my breath forces me to throw them back from my face.
“You look awful.” I hear in a very sarcastic voice. I wipe away the water from eyes, and focus on this voice. I slide up the bed and I lean forward. I see a very tall guy, with thick black hair. I rub my eyes and I see Michael stand before me.
“What is going on with you?” He says smirking at me. I creep up into the bed, I sit up straight and I look at Michael. His eyes are still as piercing as ever, his hair is shorter than before. He stands coolly wearing dark blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt and a black leather jacket. He is gorgeous and I am reminded of how stunning he is. I gaze at him for what seems like hours. I am far too upset about what Adrian has said to me, to try to force out words. He says he never loved me. I am plagued by thoughts of his kisses, and I feel that cannot be true. I have a lump in my throat at the thought of him. If what he says is true, then was everything we had just a lie?
“Alanna,” Michael says bitterly. I lean my head back and look up at him, with my stinging eyes.
“Yes, Michael?” He has a considerate look on his face.
“How are you?” I clear my throat and whisper.
“Physically I am fine, but I am an emotional wreck.” Michael shakes his head,
“Alanna, why are you crying?”
“Adrian called me; he told me he never loved me.” He rolls his eyes at my words,
“That bastard, I could kill him for the way he is acting.” I sigh and I have never seen Michael look so disappointed in someone.
“He said I was harassing him, he wants no contact with me, and what will I do?” Michael walks over to my bedside; he sits on the edge of my bed and takes my hand in his. His long thin fingers intertwine with mine and my skin tingles at his touch. With his other hand he lifts up my chin, my hair falls over my face with my movement and Michael carefully pushes it back. He looks deeply into my eyes, and I gaze into his. This man saved my life, his braveness overtook the fear that was inside of him as we ran for our lives. He stepped in front of a bullet for me and sitting here with him, I feel that I am bonded with him even more than I was before. I briefly close my eyes and the taste of Michael’s kiss floods back to my memory. I feel his hand again on my chin and I open my eyes, I look into his ocean blue eyes.
“I never thanked you for saving me,” he smirks and his lips twitch to form a great smile. He exhales and I can feel his breath against my cheek.
“You are most welcome Miss Hart.” He says in a posh accent. I smile at him and I lean back a little from him. He notices my movements and he quickly walks back over the chair. I stare at him and he stares back. There is no doubting that there is some type of chemistry between us. His bold stare sees right through me and I feel uneasy in his presence. I bite my lip as I lock my eyes on his. I catch my breath and I say,
“Michael, have you heard from Adrian?” He exhales deeply.
“No, he hasn’t called me; I am annoyed with the bastard.”
“Tell me about it,” I say as I roll my eyes deep into their sockets.
“He said that he didn’t love you?”
“Yes, he said that he never has and never will, now I am bound to the fact that everything we had was, just a lie.” Michael shifts forward in the seat; he rests his arms on his legs.
“Alanna, you and I both know that he is lying. He loves you, I know him and he is just trying to put you off him.”
“Do you really think so?” Michael gets off the seat and briskly walks over to me. He again sits on the edge of my bed,
“Alanna, he is crazy about you. However, he feels that you are better off without him. He is trying to push to you away and it looks like it is working.” I push my hair back from my face as I reply,
“Michael, you have to talk to him, he will listen to you.”
“No, Alanna he won’t, if he has this set in his mind, no one will talk him out of it.” Michael removes his hand from my face, but immediately places it on my arm. I again tingle at his touch,
“Michael, what about your father, has Adrian talked to him?”
“No, he has not had any contact with my father. We don’t know where he is.” I jolt forward with anticipation.
“He has to be in France, there is nowhere else he could be.”
“Alanna, my father has flown to St Tropez, he is not there.” I wrinkle my forehead in disbelief, where else could Adrian be?
“What about his company?”
“He has put Jeff in charge, trust me when I say, no-one knows where he is.” I am astonished and I run my finger along my lips as I think. Adrian is being careless, if he does not want to be with me, then that is fine. However, he should not jeopardise the empire that he has built, over me. I feel that he is being foolish in his actions. He will only find himself to be miserable if he does not regain the power that he has.
“Michael, you have to talk to him.”
“Alanna, I would not give that idiot the pleasure.”
“Don’t talk about him like that.” I pull my arm away from Michaels grip and he looks astounded at my movements.
“I will talk about that fool in any way I want.” I tut rather loudly,
“You aren’t funny, or clever. You pretend that you do not care about him, but I can see right through you. You are more worried about him than anyone else.” I frustrate Michael; he rises up quickly and sits again on the chair.
“I doesn’t matter if I am worried or not, he is an idiot for the way he is treating you.” I slide the bed covers off my legs, and I edge out of the bed. Michael immediately stands up and approaches me. I look up into his eyes,
“Michael, you don’t fool me; I know that you are hurting over him.” He sits down next me and he slides is arm over my shoulder, he pulls me close to him and whispers in my ear,
“Sweetheart, I am hurting but in a different way to you. I promise you that, I will always be here for you. I will never abandon you in the way he has.” I rest my head against his shoulder and I close my eyes. For a second, I pretend that everything is okay and that Michael is my one and only man.
Four
“Wonderful, I must thank you sincerely for looking after my daughter.” I hear my mom say
as looks up at Dr James.
“It has been my pleasure and I have enjoyed getting to you know all of you.” He says beaming. I whistle gently while I finish my packing. My mom looks over and smiles to me.
“Happy my dear,” I glance over to my mom and flash a friendly smile.
“I will be glad to back to normal.” I admit. I throw my wash bags into my overnight bag and zip it up. I walk into the bathroom and switch on the light. I glance over the surfaces to see if I have forgotten anything. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. My hair is hung freely down my back and is massively curly, my eyes are huge and I can see that despite the pain they still have their sparkle. My lips are full and are as red as rose. I have chosen to wear a loose-fitting sweat suit, my stomach area is still rather tender and I do not want to aggravate my stitches by wearing tight clothing. I have not looked fully at the extent of the scaring, although I know that it is prominent. I sigh and stare at my reflection, I am thrilled that I am leaving hospital however; I am very disappointed that Adrian will not be there when I get out. My life will be very different now and, I have come to realize, things will never be the same again.
“Alanna, are you ready?” My mom shouts. I look again at the girl staring back in the mirror; I exhale and switch off the light as I close the door behind me. I walk over to my bags and I see that my mom has already lifted them from the bed.
“Mom, let me help, give me one of the bags.” I say reaching my hand out to her. She quickly swats away my hand.
“No, Alanna I can manage.” I sigh, as I pout my lips at her and then I turn to Dr James. His deep brown eyes are wide and beaming, but somehow he still looks deeply saddened. I walk over to him and smile up at the six foot-two, dark haired doctor.
“James, are you, okay?” He nods his head quickly.
“Of course, I am fine.” I tilt my head to the side and narrow my eyes at him. “Really Alanna, I am good.” Somehow, I do not believe him. He looks very miserable and I am almost sure that it has something to do with Emma. I feel compassion towards him; I know how hard it is to love someone, who fights their feelings with everything they have. I understand how James feels about Emma, as it is similar to the way I feel, about Adrian. I get his emotions and I know the pain that he has to fight every day. Loving Emma is what defines him and I hate to see the despair in his eyes whilst love is not returned.
“Okay, I will miss our daily chats, we must stay in contact.” I say lovingly to him.
“Yes absolutely, I will call you, look after yourself.” He says.
“James, did you ever call Emma?” He looks down at the floor and then back to me again.
“I saw her the other day; things are still the same between us. She will not open up and tell me how she feels. I do not know what else I can do. I have told her repeatedly how I feel about her. She never responds and I never get the answer that I crave.” I feel sad at his words. He is hurting and I hate to see people in pain.
“I guess Emma has a lot in common with her brother.” James rolls his eyes and exhales very loudly.
“Has Mr Black still not contacted you?”
“He has, but what he said, I wish I never heard.” I feel the sting in my throat as I force out my words. A hot rush is flooding over me and I hate this feeling. Over the last few days, I have had to cope with this rush. My head starts to thump and my body temperature multiples, every time I think back on Adrian’s words. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, every time I get the feeling. It soon fades off until the next time Adrian enters my mind.
“He is an idiot to let you go.” I feel awkward hearing James slate Adrian. I know he means nothing in his words, but I still do not like to hear anything negative about him. He is my world and I love him.
“Never mind, I guess I better get going.” I say in a sweet voice. I look up at James who towers above me. I reach out my hand to shake his. However, I am surprised when James pulls me close to him and gives me a very tight hug. I stand in his grasp for a little while, but he holds on longer than I would like. I gently pat him on his shoulder and I push him back slightly. He notices my movement and pulls away from me.
“Sorry, I needed that more than I knew.” I gently press a smile from my lips.
“I thought you said you were fine?” I insist. His smile quickly fades.
“I thought I was, but things have a way of creeping up on you, when you least expect it.” I give him another gentle hug and then I make my way over to my mom who is waiting by the door. I gaze back at the room and it is filled with many memories, that I would rather forget.
“Goodbye, for now,” I say to James as I push open the oak the door.
I walk rapidly down the hallway of the hospital with my mom, in complete silence. We approach the front door and I walk out into the cold. I feel like an ice block as I open the car door. I look around at the busy hospital entrance and I take in the view. There is several yellow cabs all parked in a straight line, the drivers wait outside their cabs and rub their hands together trying to fight off the frostiness of the cool air. I notice a young girl about my age, standing alone. She looks as if she is in terrible pain and there is no-one around her. I see her clench her teeth and bow down in pain. I immediately walk over to her and ask her is she okay.
“I am sorry to bother you, but are you, okay?” She looks up at me and forces out words.
“Yes… I am okay, thanks for asking.” Something in her voice tells me that she is lying. I walk closer to her and ask I again.
“Are you sure, you look as if you are in pain.” I say and the girl again buckles over in pain, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards her. I jolt forward and I try to keep my balance on the icy street.
“Maybe, I am in a little pain. Could you reach into my bag and pull out my pills?” I immediately do as she says. I reach into her brown leather backpack and take out a small bottle of pills.
“How many do you need?”
“Just one, thanks.” I hand her the pill and she quickly swallows it. I put the pills back into her bag and step back from her.
“Thanks for that, I am Summer.” She says as she smiles towards me. I smile back at her and introduce myself.
“No problem, I’m Alanna.”
“I take it you were the patient?” She says, a little too forward.
“Yes and you,” I say just as forward as she did.
“I had an op, but it’s all good now.”
“Oh,” I say shifting my eyes from her.
“Why were you in hospital?” She says and yet again, her tone is rather forward. I flinch and I look down at the ground; I look back to the girl, who is leaning against a wall as she speaks. Her hair is bright red, and her eyes are chestnut brown. She has a slender frame and she drowned in an oversized shirt and baggy jeans. Her tennis shoes are tired and her backpack looks as if it is worn out. I feel sorry for this girl, she has just told me that she had some kind of surgery and yet there is no one here with her. I wonder about her, does she have a family. If she does, then where are they? Why would they leave this girl alone in the cold?
“I was… shot.” I choke out, my mind flashes back to that, long thin faced stranger that shot me. A cool shiver climbs up my spine and I close my eyes firmly.
“Hey, are you okay?” The girl says as she moves away from the wall and walks over to my side. I open my eyes to haze; I wait until it clears, and then I focus on the girls freckle filled faced.
“Yes, I am okay, is there anyone here to collect you?” The girl fidgets and looks awkward.
“No, my Dad cannot get off work and I don’t have anyone else.” I glance at her and I feel uneasy. I look at her again and I take in her face and the tiredness of her clothes. I feel deeply sorry for this girl, so I say,
“Why don’t I give you a ride?” She smiles and then it fades.
“I do not want to trouble you?”
“Don’t be silly, where do you live?”
“It is not far from here,”
“Come on then,” I say to her and she quickly agrees and follows me to the town car. I walk over with Summer and my mom looks uneasy but,at the same time, she is welcoming of the strange girl.
“Mom, this is Summer. She needs a ride and I thought we could drop her off on our way back.” My mom pushes a slight smile from her pursed lips.
“Absolutely, nice to meet you Summer, my name is Belle.” We enter the car and I take the back seat next to my mom. Summer eases herself gently onto the side-facing seat and places her backpack on the floor. The car pulls away and the look on Summers face is glee. I cannot help but wonder about her. I would like to know more about this girl.
“Do you attend school?” I say smiling at her.
“Yes, I attend NYU.”
“What do you study?” She hesitates a little then finally says, “Creative writing, although, that wasn’t my original major.” She says tensely. “My dad wanted me to go to Law School.” Summer seems agitated when she talks about her father. I wonder if there are issues between her and her father. Possibly, I feel this way because of Adrian and Emma’s story with their father Edward.
Three Thousand Miles - Jealousy (book #2 of Three Thousand Miles Series) Page 7
