Faithful

by Bay, Louise

  -

  When Anna and I walked into Lawton’s, I could tell it was going to be a night to remember. All eyes were on Anna and her fantastic legs. It was just the reaction she was looking for. When we finally found Bridget and Alice, Bridget had already managed to convince the guys sitting next to them to buy a bottle of champagne. What a great way to start an evening.

  I briefly wondered whether any of the people here knew Daniel. I felt sure someone here would know him. I told myself to snap out of it. As I said to Anna, even if we had to fake it, we were going to have a good time tonight.

  The three guys next to us bought us a second bottle of champagne and then Bridget thought it would be rude if we didn’t ask them to join us. So, of course they did. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or a free bottle of champagne.

  Bridget got very friendly, very quickly with one of them. They all looked like they were mid-thirties and were well dressed. The one Bridget had her eye on (luckily, the same one who had his hand on her thigh) was very pleased with himself. He was one of those guys that has plenty of everything—confidence, looks, money, women—everything a guy would want. You could tell he was a player. He was a better looking version of Charlie and watching him made my skin crawl. He was enjoying Bridget’s attention but his eyes flitted around the room every couple of minutes, just to make sure he wasn’t missing out on something better, someone hotter.

  The guy next to me was less good looking and to be fair to him, he was really trying to be nice, asking me about my job, where I lived and all that stuff you’re meant to ask about when really he just wanted to know whether I was easy and he was going to get lucky. I did a pretty good job at faking it I thought. As much as he seemed like a nice guy, I wasn’t ready to start anything with anyone. Whatever happened with Daniel and me, I needed our break to recover properly, and that’s what I was going to do. I couldn’t even flirt with the guy next to me. Just because Daniel saw our time-out as an end and was moving on like lightening didn’t mean I was going to do the same thing.

  Eventually our group moved downstairs where there was a small nightclub. The guy that initially took an interest in me moved on to Alice, who was much more receptive and they were rubbing up against each other on the dance floor. It was as if I was watching everything from outside myself. I didn’t really feel part of the evening. I wondered what Daniel was doing, wondered whether his ex-wife was living with him in New York now, wondered whether they would be remarried. Anna looked over me and I re-plastered my fake smile on my far too made up face. She had caught me and came over and dragged me to the bathroom.

  “So I heard from Ben. I had a missed call and then he texted asking me where I was and apologized for not being in touch.”

  I could tell Anna was delighted but she was trying not to be too obvious about it.

  “Right, that’s good. Did he offer any kind of explanation?”

  “No, but I guess he can’t say much on text. I’ll text him back tomorrow and see where things go.” There was nothing I could say, but it sounded like a bit of a booty call, calling at this time of night on a Saturday night when he’d dropped off the face of the planet.

  “So what’s with the guy you’ve been dry humping on the dance floor? Is he going to get lucky tonight?”

  “Urgh, no way. I’m faking it!” We started laughing. If we were both faking things to this extent, maybe it was a sign we shouldn’t be here.

  We left Bridget and Alice at Lawton’s and headed home. Our hearts really weren’t in it and I’d had enough faking it for one night. It was just after midnight and I hadn’t really drunk after we had gone downstairs to the club so maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be a complete right off. I would have no excuse not to go for a run.

  As we headed upstairs to Anna’s flat, there were big muddy footprints going up the stair carpet

  “Gross, these carpets have just been cleaned. Some people are ASSHOLES,” Anna screamed hoping to catch the attention of the upstairs neighbors who were three guys in their twenties and Anna was constantly battling with them over noise levels and the like. What weren’t so familiar were acts of deliberate vandalism. As we reached the front door, it was open and the door frame splintered – the door was broken down. I felt my heart speed up and the pleasant alcoholic fuzz was replaced by pure adrenaline.

  “Those fuckers! I knew they would try and get their revenge for me breaking up that party last week.” Anna went to storm into the flat but I grabbed her arm to stop her.

  “We need to get out of here. We don’t know if it’s the guys upstairs and we don’t know if there’s anyone in here.” I could tell Anna was going to start arguing with me until she saw on my face how serious I was. “Come on. We need to phone the police.”

  Anna silently just followed me and we went to the end of the road, out of sight of the flat and I phoned the police. She was shaking and couldn’t speak so I spoke to the operator and gave them details of what had happened and where we were. Anna started to cry as the police cars turned up and I put my arms around her to try and comfort her. She wasn’t as tough as she made out. So much for our night of having fun.

  The police established that the burglars were no longer in the flat and they asked us to go in so we could tell them what had been disturbed and what had been taken. We went in together clutching each other’s hands. It was horrible, knowing an uninvited stranger had been in amongst your things. My mind started racing to my most precious possessions and I reached for my bracelet. My bracelet from Daniel that I never took off. That was the most important thing; he was the most important thing.

  My eyes started to well up, I just wanted him to be here to blanket me in his arms and tell me everything was going to be OK. I missed him so much. I would never again feel that comfort from him and I needed to be strong and get used to it. I had made my bed and I was lying in it, all alone.

  As we made our way into the living room, nothing looked different. I’d never been burgled before so my only reference point was movies and detective shows. I expected everything to be everywhere but the kitchen and living room looked as we left earlier in the evening.

  “They seemed to have gone directly to the bedrooms, and specifically this bedroom.” The female police officer was pointing at my room. So Anna and I headed there. My clothes were all over my bedroom floor as they were before we’d gone out, which I imagine why the police thought my room had been the target but the room was how I’d left it. My wallet was even lying on my nightstand from when I transferred my cash and cards into my evening bag. I went over to the bed to check my wallet and all the remaining store cards and credit cards were all still there—nothing was missing. I moved to my jeweler that I kept in a drawer in my wardrobe. The only proper jeweler I owned had been given to me by my parents or inherited from my grandmother and as I dived into the drawer as I came across each important piece my breaths got easier. None of it was missing.

  “I don’t know what they took?” I spun around to look at Anna. “All my jewelry and my cards are still here. Let’s go to your room.” We hurried out and went back through the living room and into Anna’s bedroom but everything seemed to be there.

  “Were they looking for something in the wardrobe?” The policewoman asked looking at my clothes on the floor.

  “No, I was clearing out my wardrobe. This is how I left it.”

  “Would they have been looking for something in particular?” Anna asked no one in particular.

  “Usually these are crimes of opportunity and anything that would be easily sold would be taken but all your electrical goods are still here and your wallet. It is strange,” the policewoman responded.

  “Do you think they were interrupted before they got a chance to take anything?” I was trying to come up with an explanation, it seemed so odd. Someone had made a real effort to break to door down but hadn’t taken anything? It didn’t make sense. Before I could ruminate anymore Anna screamed at the top of her lungs and the police woman and I ran into Anna
’s bathroom after her.

  On the mirror over the sink someone had scrawled in lipstick “Two days.” My legs went weak and I grabbed Anna as we both collapsed. The relief that I had felt at nothing having been touch was replaced by fear. This didn’t feel like a crime of opportunity, it felt like we were being targeted. Two days? What did that mean? We were quickly ushered out of the flat and into the back of a police car.

  “What’s going to happen in two days?” Anna was shuddering and could barely get her words out.

  “I don’t know Anna, I just don’t know.” My mind was blank.

  The police questioned us for hours, separately. It was awful, they were clear that the message was aimed specifically at one of us and that one or both of us knew what it was all about. I got questioned on my job, about ex-boyfriends, whether I or Anna took drugs or owed anyone money. It was all ridiculous—neither of us were that interesting. But the police convinced me that they were right, that if I could just think hard enough then I would have the answer.

  I went through the possibilities in my head. Could it have been Charlie? Was he trying to scare me? Frankly, he just wouldn’t have the bollocks to break into someone’s house and why would he? We had found some sort of peace with each other. What about Fran? I’d made no peace with her at all. I’m sure if she found out about Charlie and me meeting she would be pretty pissed off and her brother was a convicted criminal. But what would that message mean? And I’m sure she wouldn’t want to upset Anna. Fran didn’t make sense but nothing did. There was nothing at work that would make me think it was connected to anything I was working on. It wasn’t as if I had Russian oligarchs or Sicilian mafia for clients. Most of my clients were in the FTSE 100!

  It was about 4 a.m. when we got out of the station. There was no way I going back to the flat despite the police saying we could. Anna was still in no fit state to make any decisions—she was barely talking—so I got the police to drive us to a nearby hotel.

  “Who do you think it was?” Anna was turned toward me in the bed nearest the window. I was just climbing under the covers in my robe after a hot shower.

  “I have no idea. Really, no idea. Maybe they just got the wrong flat?”

  “Do you think it was connected to Daniel?”

  God, it hadn’t even occurred to me.

  “No, no not at all. Why do you?”

  “Well no, not really, but won’t he be back in London in a couple of days? It seems like a weird coincidence.”

  “What and he thought it would be a nice way to remind me by breaking into your flat and writing on your bathroom mirror?”

  “Well, no I guess not.” Anna was silent for a couple of beats and then said, “I don’t think it was him, but maybe someone is trying to get to him and is threatening you.”

  “Look, I told the police about Daniel when they asked about ex-boyfriends, so if that is the reason, I guess they’ll find out.”

  -

  There was no way I was going to have Anna or me back in the flat before the “two day” deadline had expired but we couldn’t stay in this hotel. We got a great deal last night because we checked in a 4 a.m. but this room would be around £400 a night so we had to move hotels today. We could stay with friends but I’d prefer to have my own space rather than sleep on someone’s sofa. It’s not like many of my friends have spare bedrooms.

  I hadn’t slept a wink last night but Anna had drifted off eventually. I decided to go and settle our account while Anna was still asleep, it would take my mind off things. The only thing I had to wear was my clothes from last night so without any of the fun, I endured the walk of shame down to the hotel’s reception. Luckily this early on a Sunday morning the only people around were hotel staff.

  “Hi, can I settle up for last night? We’re going to check out this morning.”

  The receptionist was the one that checked us in last night, and I’d explained to her that we’d been burgled but she still looked at me strangely before she started tapping her keyboard.

  “I can check you out but you’re paid up for a week, and we were going to upgrade you today. Are you sure you want to check out?”

  My brain wasn’t fully functioning. “No, we arrived last night, or early this morning really, I gave you my credit card details but I didn’t pay anything last night.” My credit card wouldn’t have space on it for a week in this hotel.

  “Yes, I remember, but your account was paid for a week just an hour or so ago.”

  “How?” My heart started to thud again. Had whoever had broken in last night followed us to the hotel and wanted us to stay here like sitting ducks?

  “By telephone. Someone called Armitage.”

  Of course. A mixture of warmth, relief, and love washed through me all at once. I felt safer than I had done since before we had arrived back at the flat last night or even perhaps since I left Daniel. I had never experienced a man who looked after me before. Daniel was the first man that just made it all better.

  Even when we weren’t together.

  Even when I asked him to stay away from me.

  Even when he was back with his ex-wife.

  “Oh right, OK. Thanks.”

  “You just tell us when you are ready and we will move you to your new room.”

  I smiled and nodded. I was afraid that if I spoke my voice would crack. I didn’t want to lose it in front of the receptionist.

  After I dried my tears I opened the door to our room. Anna wasn’t in bed.

  “Anna?” I called out.

  “I’m in the bathroom. Where have you been?”

  “Just sorting out the bill. We are booked in for the week but we have to change rooms.”

  “What? I can’t afford that and neither can you. We’ll have to go back to the flat.”

  “Daniel has paid the bill. We don’t have to pay.”

  “What? What the hell is going on?” Anna stormed out of the bathroom and stood looking at me accusingly.

  “All I know is that I went down to reception to pay the bill for last night and they told me that we were paid up for a week. When I pressed them they told me Daniel had paid, but we have to move rooms. That’s all I know. There’s no point getting snippy with me.”

  Anna slumped on the bed next to me. “I’m sorry. I’m just completely freaked out. How did Daniel know we were here?”

  “I have no idea. But Daniel has a way of getting any information he wants.”

  “Do you think he’s the reason we got broken in to?” Anna was calmer. I could understand her being freaked out.

  “I really don’t know, but my gut instinct says no. But maybe that’s just because I’m in love with him.”

  “Still?”

  “Always.”

  “You need to call him.”

  “And say what? ‘Sorry for being a selfish idiot and needing time away from you’?”

  “Or you could just say ‘thank you for picking up the tab for the room’!”

  We both started laughing. It was the first time either of us had cracked a smile since the club.

  “You’re right, I should call him. It’s polite.” I took a deep breath. I needed to do this. He was days away from being back in London and sooner or later I was going to get the closure I’d been dreading. “I can’t do it until this afternoon though, he won’t be awake.”

  Anna jumped up and looked at me. “Let’s go and get some stuff from the flat and then come back here and have some lunch.”

  “OK, sounds like a plan. But let’s check into the new room first.”

  We didn’t have much with us to pack up so we quickly made our way to the lobby and reception. The receptionist came up with us to the new room which I thought was a bit odd. I guess it was a Sunday morning and she wasn’t busy. We were on the executive floor so we needed to use our key in the elevator. The executive floor was decorated in a slightly different way to the rest of the hotel. It was more modern and less traditionally English. It reminded me of Daniel’s house. I didn’t have to loo
k for reminders, he was just everywhere I went, everywhere I looked, he was in my heart.

  Anna went first into our room. “Oh my fucking god.” I hesitantly smiled at the receptionist, embarrassed not only that we were dressed in last night’s clothes but now because Anna was swearing like a navvy. I hope she didn’t think we were prostitutes.

  “Thanks for showing us up. We’re just going to pop back to our flat and pick up some things if the police let us.” I was desperate to remind her why we were here dressed like we were.

  “If you have a few moments, I’d like to show you a few things in the suite.” She gestured for me to follow Anna into the room. The suite? I guess that answered the question as to what Anna was shouting about. Of course Daniel would get us a suite.

  And of course it was beautiful. Anna and I had a bedroom each and it made Anna’s flat look like a shoebox. It had amazing views of the City. Once we were finished with our tour of the suite and directions on how to use the steam room, the sauna, and the hot tub on the balcony, I showed out the receptionist. Anna managed to get a grip of her excitement, but I knew it couldn’t last and I wanted us to be on our own before she exclaimed that the bathroom was bigger than the Blue Banana. I could just tell it was coming.

  “Oh my god. Can you fucking believe it?” Anna whispered to me when I found her on the balcony

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  The suite was beautiful, but if felt bittersweet. Part of me wondered if Daniel was trying to make up in advance for the fact he was going to have to tell me he was back with his ex-wife.

  We were just headed across the lobby when the doorman approached us.

  “Good morning, Miss Thompson. I can have your car brought around for you if you are going out.” He must have mistaken me for someone else. Someone rich so that was some consolation.

  “That’s OK, we’re going to walk.”

  “I’m sorry. I have strict instructions to ensure you don’t leave the hotel unless you are with Mr. Armitage’s driver.”