by Alice Raine
THIRTY-THREE
Sean
Later that evening, after stewing in my own depressing thoughts for far too long, I gave in and called Jack. As a man I was not quite as keen as women are to share my feelings with gossipy chats, but if I didn’t talk to someone soon I was going to explode. Or have a meltdown. And I wasn’t sure which would be worse right now.
Much to my annoyance, the call went through to voicemail, so I ended it and stood in the middle of my bedroom wondering what else I could do to keep my mind active and stop me heading straight to Allie’s house.
Of course I’d already been over there once tonight. It had been instinctive, some sort of magnetic autopilot that had led me to drive there on my way home from the studio. I’d intended to go to her and beg her to take me back, but in the end I somehow managed to obey her wish for time and space.
I had however taken up my old stalker habits and loitered in the car park so I could watch her through the windows for a while. Thank goodness I was registered on her guest list at the front gates or I might have ended up attempting to scale the goddamn fence in an attempt to be closer to her.
Yep, stalker Sean was well and truly back on duty. I wasn’t proud of my actions, but I’d desperately needed to be near her, even if it was in the form of a twisted observer.
Secretly I’d been hoping she would look out the window, see me, and invite me in, but she hadn’t. Instead, Allie had wandered aimlessly around the lounge for a while, wiping at her face every now and then as if she were still crying. Eventually she’d made herself a drink and sat on the sofa, but the drink had been forgotten and left to go cold as she simply sat there like a statue and stared at the floor.
It had given me a small flicker of hope to see her looking just as shattered as I felt. Not that I wanted her to hurt, of course, but seeing her so torn up made me believe that she felt as strongly about me as I did for her, and would eventually be willing to take me back.
I’d left shortly after that and headed back to the house to hole up in my room, which was where I was now, fidgety and clueless about what I should do next.
Without the distraction of Jack to talk to, I started to think about going back to see Allie again, but then I’d just be failing her by not abiding by her wishes. Fuck. This was torture. I ran my hands through my hair and gripped the back of my neck as I wondered what to do. It was nearly ten o’clock, so technically I could go to bed, but with my mind this active there was no way I would be able to sleep.
Besides, I didn’t even have to be up early tomorrow. After I’d seen the studios’ nurse to get my hand bandaged she’d told me I’d broken two knuckles and that I needed to take at least three days off to allow my wounds to begin their healing.
I suddenly desperately wished my sister was here and not in Ireland thousands of miles away. We lived on separate continents for much of the year, but we were close and she was a great listener. Evie and I had never really discussed my dating issues, but I had a sneaking suspicion she would definitely know exactly what I should do to win Allie back. Pursing my lips, I quickly calculated the time difference. It was nine forty here, which meant it would be five forty in the morning for her, and after a brief deliberation I decided that she probably would be awake.
Evie was an artist, and a good one too, her work consisting of mostly photographs and oil paintings of the stunning Irish landscapes. I also happened to know that early morning was her favourite time of day, because she said the light was at its most magical as the sun was rising.
I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found her number and pressed call before I could change my mind.
Evie answered on practically the first ring, her voice cheery and chipper, even with the early hour. ‘Hey, big bro! It’s not often I get a call from the famous one on a weekday, to what do I owe this pleasure?’ I winced at the nickname. Not ‘big bro’, I actually quite liked that term, but ‘The Famous One’ was her favourite way to wind me up, and so knowing I didn’t like it, she obviously used it all the time.
‘Hi, E. I just wanted a chat with my favourite sister, that’s all.’ I felt stupid calling my baby sister for advice on women. I never did this type of thing. Mind you, that was because, until Allie, I’d never really dated.
‘I’m your only sister, Sean, and you never just want a chat. What’s up?’ Chewing on my lip I pondered if I could just dive right in and ask her. Was it weird to go to Evie for advice on my love life? She was eleven years my junior, for goodness’ sakes, it should probably be me offering her advice. Although thinking about it, Evie and Allie were about the same age, so perhaps she was exactly the person I should be talking to.
‘I, uh, I was hoping for some advice.’ Clearing my throat several times I finally spat out my final words. ‘About a girl.’
‘A girl? Oooh, this sounds juicy. Hang on, let me just wash my hands and then I can give you my full attention. Mum mentioned you had a girlfriend, but I thought she was winding me up. I mean, you never have a girlfriend.’ My sister gave a snort of laughter.
My cheeks felt like they were flaming from embarrassment, but I definitely felt better talking to Evie than just sitting in my room on my own. ‘Yeah, yeah. Are you painting?’
‘Yep. As always.’ I could hear running water in the background and then the rustle of a towel before Evie spoke again. ‘OK, I’m all ears. So come on, tell me all about it. Who’s this girl? Please tell me it’s not that dog of a woman you work with?’ Despite my low spirits I couldn’t help the smile that slipped to my lips at my sister’s eager enthusiasm to insult Savannah.
My parents had supported the fake engagement idea when I’d told them, both agreeing that the extra money was too much to turn down, especially seeing as I was single and had been for practically forever. But my sister had hated the idea, because quite simply, she hated Savannah. They’d met a few times over the years during Evie’s visits, and the dislike had been instantaneous. Evie’s gentle, almost hippy-like disposition had clashed with Savannah’s greed and extroverted ways.
I had a feeling she’d like Allie if they ever got the chance to meet. That thought had me swallowing down a huge lump that formed in my throat.
‘God no, of course not. She’s called Allie, and I’ve been seeing her since Christmas.’
There was a splutter down the line. ‘And I’m only hearing about her now?’
‘Yeah, sorry, but with my filming schedule we haven’t spent that much time together so things are still pretty new.’
‘Hmm. OK, I’ll let you off. But still, my bachelor brother is actually dating a woman? A real flesh and blood woman? This is huge news!’
My heart sank as I realised I needed to correct her. ‘Well, technically we kind of broke up, but I want her back.’ I wanted her back so badly that it hurt. Swallowing hard, I tried to clear that stupid lump of emotion that had formed in my throat, making my voice all reedy and thin. ‘That’s what I need your advice on.’
‘Wow … OK. I’ll do my best, but maybe you should fill me in on some background first.’
So I did. I told Evie everything about my time with Allie, right from our days being snowbound in England, through to the disaster of her arrival in LA when she’d learnt about the fake engagement, to a recount of today’s debacle, with Savannah trying to make some sort of deranged play for me.
‘Jesus, that woman is a bitch!’ Evie exclaimed heatedly. ‘I can’t believe Allie slapped Savannah though, I would have paid to see that! I think I love your girlfriend already.’
Evie’s laughter was cut short when I let out a heavy sigh, because at the moment Allie wasn’t my girlfriend, was she? We were on a break.
‘Sorry, I got side-tracked,’ Evie murmured, but I could still imagine the glee she felt about Savannah finally getting her comeuppance.
‘So let me see if I’ve got this right. As it stands now, you and Allie are on a break, you’ve demanded that Savannah be removed from LA Blue, and there’s going to be
a press conference soon to announce that you aren’t engaged to her?’
‘Yep.’
‘But you want Allie back, right?’
‘More than anything.’ There was a sniff down the line, probably my sister getting a little emotional, and then she cleared her throat and got back to business.
‘Well, so far I think you’ve done all the right things. It would have been better to have the press conference a while ago when you knew you were serious about Allie, but hey, we live and learn.’ Shaking my head at my sister’s never-ending positivity, I lowered myself to the edge of the bed.
‘And do you think Allie loves you?’ Evie asked softly, her tone more carefully controlled this time.
‘Yes. She says she does, anyway. I think it’s just all this shit with Savannah that has her freaked.’
‘Hmm,’ I could almost see my sister nodding down the phone as she thought it through. ‘I think you should give her a few days’ space, like she asked for, and use that time to stay the heck away from Savannah. Hopefully by then the press conference will be organised and you can clear up the rumours about the engagement, which will allow you to date Allie properly. Being with you officially should make things more concrete for her.’
Pulling in a breath through my nose, I nodded, hoping with every fibre of my being that Allie would give me that chance.
‘Dating a celeb would be hard enough in the first place, but hiding your relationship must have been really tough for Allie. I think once you two can be a real couple, it’ll be easier for her. From what you’ve told me it sounds like she’s really into you, so I’m sure she’ll give you a second chance.’
Since Allie and I had sort of spilt up when she’d first heard about the fake engagement, this would technically by my third chance, but I didn’t bother to point that out to Evie.
‘OK. Thanks, E.’
‘No problemo. Once you get your arse in gear and sort things out with this girl, I want to come for a visit and meet her. Any woman who has slapped Savannah Hilton will be a lifelong friend of mine.’ I gave a dry snort of laughter and nodded.
‘You’re welcome here anytime, you know that. I’d love to see you. I tell you what, I’ll transfer some money to you and you can book flights for a convenient time.’
‘The famous one is paying for my flights too?’ she teased, knowing that I always happily paid for her to fly out and see me. ‘Awesome! In that case, I’m definitely coming out to visit. Once I finish this commission I’ll have a bit of spare time so I’ll arrange someone to look after the cats and text you the dates I’ve picked.’
‘One last thing,’ Evie said, her tone suddenly more serious. ‘Where are you staying?’
Looking around the room miserably I sighed heavily. ‘I’m at the house the studios put me in. Why?’
‘You’re seriously still in the house you share with Savannah? Jeez, Sean, get your bags packed and get the hell out of there! How do you think that will look to Allie if she decides to check up on you?’
Shit. I hadn’t even thought of that. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Immediately I stood up and began pacing back and forth across the room as I briefly catalogued everything I’d need to take with me.
‘You’re right, E, I need to get outta here.’ Thank god I had my apartment to fall back on. It would be a bloody relief to get out of this stifling house and finally move into the beachfront place. In fact, as I thought about it now, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t put my foot down earlier and moved there weeks ago.
When the hell had I become such a pushover?
Nodding my head, I gingerly swapped the phone to my busted hand and used my good hand to yank open the door to my walk-in wardrobe where I kept my suitcase and the holdall for my gym gear. As soon as I ended this call I was going to pack up and move, which was a plan that had dual positives: firstly it would get me away from Savannah, but also, it would give me something to occupy my time and stop me running to Allie.
‘Evie, as always you’ve been amazing, thank you so much.’
‘No worries. I’m just glad you felt you could call me. I’m here anytime you wanna chat. I know we’re far apart, but you know I love you, right?’
Pausing in my scrambled start to my packing, I closed my eyes for a second as I felt my chest swell with affection. ‘Yeah, course I do. I love you too, E.’
‘Cool. Well, enough of that sentimental crap, go pack your things and get the hell outta Dodge. Call me in the next few days with an update, yeah?’
‘Will do.’ Hopefully I’d have some good news by then and I could call my sister on Skype with Allie firmly tucked by my side. Please let that be the case. If Allie did take me back, then it was about time they met, even if it was only over a video call.
Finishing the call, I began to pack my stuff. The task was slowed by my dodgy hand, but I continued regardless, opening drawers left, right, and centre and shoving the contents into my cases without even bothering to fold them. I could kill some time in the new place hanging them up, but right now I was set on leaving and wanted to get out as speedily as I could.
Looping the empty holdall over my shoulder I picked up my case and left my room to head downstairs. Dumping it by the front door I drew in a relieved breath that there was no sign of Savannah, and took the empty bag and descended the second set of steps that led to the gym so I could grab the things that belonged to me.
Unfortunately, as I rounded the corner I practically ran headfirst into the woman herself. Fuck. I’d been hoping not to see her. Mind you, it didn’t matter if she was here or not; I wasn’t planning on communicating with her in any way, shape, or form.
‘Sean! Thank goodness! I was wondering where you were.’ Her voice was syrupy sweet and so flirtatious that I wanted to gag. I didn’t, instead choosing to blatantly ignore her. ‘Are you heading to the gym? I’ll join you.’
I sidestepped across the corridor and continued on my way, irritated when Savannah and her cloyingly musky perfume followed me.
‘Look, Sean, about today … I know it was probably a bit of a shock, but it’s for the best.’ Even though I was snubbing every word that came from her puffy Botoxed mouth, Savannah just didn’t seem able to stop herself. ‘I mean, she was just so, so normal. You’d be far better off with someone like me, wouldn’t you?’
Ignore. Ignore, Ignore. I could hear her, but by focusing on images of Allie in my mind I found it surprisingly easy to block Savannah out so all I heard was a mildly irritating squeak. It was like a fly trapped in a bottle. Whine, whine, whine. I should have trained myself to block her like this years ago.
I tugged my iPod deck from the wall and wrapped the wire up before tucking it in the end pocket of my holdall and scanning the room for my other items.
‘Sean?’ Even I noticed when Savannah’s voice lost its sultry edge and took on a high, wobbly, panicked sound. Good, she fucking deserved it.
Making my way to the kit area, I grabbed my sparring gloves, the heavy gloves I used on the punch bag, the focus mitts, stopwatch, and my skipping rope, stowing them all in the holdall and lifting it to my shoulder. The dumbbells and weights bar were mine too, but with my busted hand and Savannah hanging around me like a pesky fly I decided to get them on a different day.
Turning towards the door, I strode back along the corridor and up the stairs two at a time, aware of Savannah practically tripping over her feet in an effort to keep up with me.
‘Sean? Stop it now, you’re being silly.’
Dragging the front door open, I lugged my case outside, shaking off Savannah with a low snarl when she attempted to grab my arm and stop me.
‘Where are you going? Sean? Sean?’ Savannah was so high-pitched that I actually winced as she continued to wail as I threw my cases in the back of the Jeep and jumped into the driver’s seat.
‘All right, all right, I’m sorry, OK? I’m sorry. I went too far and it was stupid. Don’t leave like this, Sean. I’m sorry!’
Well, what do you know? Savannah did know the me
aning of sorry. I thought that was genuinely the first time I’d ever heard her say it in a tone that was even vaguely sincere. It was too late, by a very long shot, but interesting nonetheless.
Flicking the key in the ignition, my trusty Jeep started immediately, so with a rev of the engine I roared off down the driveway leaving a trail of bouncing gravel in my wake and Savannah’s figure throwing her arms into the air in frustration. That sight filled me with twisted contentment and bought a smile to my face for the first time in several hours.
So, that was it. I’d left the house and I’d left Savannah, and was now headed to the peace of my beachside house. After the craziness of today that sounded like utter heaven. Plus, I’d really upset and pissed off Savannah, which was always an added bonus.
Yeah, all things considered, that had gone pretty damn well, even if the rest of my life seemed to be sliding down the shitter.
THIRTY-FOUR
Cait
The excitement of the new house still hadn’t worn off, and when I woke up and realised it was Saturday, which as well as being my day off was my planned shopping day with Allie, I practically bounced out of bed with excitement. We weren’t planning on buying anything particularly extravagant, just bits and pieces for the house, but seeing as I hadn’t actually put down roots anywhere for nearly four years, this was a pretty big deal, and I was really giddy about it.
Skipping down the stairs, I found Allie already on the sofa and grinned across at her. ‘Morning!’ To my surprise, Allie didn’t reply or even move. Huh. It seemed like she hadn’t even heard me.
I leant over so I was in her field of vision, but she looked totally spaced out. It was still early, so maybe she was just tired. Waving a hand in front her face, I tried again. ‘Allie? Babe? You in there?’ Finally I got a reaction as Allie blinked twice and her blue eyes dilated and focused on me. Her eyes that I noticed were puffy and red-rimmed. Had she been crying?
‘Oh, hi, Cait. Sorry, I was miles away.’ A million miles away from the look of it. Allie had been distant for a few days now, but every time I’d questioned her on it she’d just blamed it on being in ‘writing mode’. I knew from experience that when Allie was deep in her writing she often withdrew a bit, so while I’d accepted her excuse up to now, her red-rimmed eyes were definitely causing me concern.
