Chapter Thirty-three
When Sophia told Vanessa what had happened during her absence, Vanessa screamed with excitement for at least ten minutes, not believing that Sophia had finally lost her virginity. After going through all the juicy details, Sophia switched the subject to Timothy. Vanessa was happy with the way things were going with him. They were getting serious again and Timothy was even considering moving back to Belfast. Sophia was glad that Vanessa was sorting her life out. Her friend needed stability and a boyfriend that was going to take care of her.
The weeks passed by fast. Harry had been turning up to his appointments, pretending to be a client, not her lover. Sophia always chose to use private rooms for their meetings so no one could overhear what they were talking about. She had to be careful. She was suspicious that people had been watching her and someone in probation was working for her father, especially after the phone call. She couldn’t get through to her mother. After a few attempts of phoning, she got a text message from her mother stating that she was travelling with work and she was going to call her as soon as she could.
She kept asking Harry if he’d thought about her proposition, but he muttered that he was still thinking about it. She had put a new argument forward, saying that the money was just sitting in her account and she wasn’t going to use it any time soon. His mother’s operation was urgent, but Harry was still hesitating.
They slowly became inseparable. Harry spent a few nights a week in Sophia’s apartment when Vanessa was working. Sophia couldn’t lie to herself and say that the sex wasn’t important in their relationship – it was extremely good. She enjoyed every minute being with Harry. She got used to waking up in the morning with him. She still hadn’t told him how she felt about him, but during one intense night of lovemaking, she wanted to whisper in his ear that she was in love with him. Harry continued being supportive, caring, and annoyingly admiring. They stopped discussing the future; they both knew that their time was precious and they had to make the most of it.
During one sunny afternoon when Sophia was walking back to the apartment, she realised that, in a few weeks, her new life was going to end. She wished that Harry would tell her how he felt about her. She was torn between her life back in London and staying in Belfast. She still had one year of university left and it felt crazy to jeopardise it for a man who hadn’t even said that he loved her. However, the idea of going back to that miserable life filled with books and nagging wasn’t appealing to her anymore. She couldn’t imagine being without him.
“Sophia – hey! Wait!”
She turned around, smiling, until she saw Mason rushing towards her. Her heart leapt in panic, wondering if he had followed her. He looked different; his hair was slightly longer and he looked like he lost a bit of weight.
“What are you doing here, Mason?” she asked, trying to keep the calm in her voice. She could only hope that Harry wasn’t about to pop up and surprise her with an early meeting, like he had taken to doing after she finished work.
“I was hoping that you might be going this way. Do you mind if we go for a drink?”
Sophia felt sick. Of course she didn’t want to have a drink with him; she was happy to just not see him again.
“Have you been waiting here for me?”
“Well, I was hoping to bump into you. I wanted to talk to you.”
“There is nothing to talk about, Mason. We aren’t going out anymore, so there isn’t anything that we have to discuss,” she said firmly. Sophia had thought that she was clear when she told him that it was over between them, but she was clearly mistaken. She shouldn’t have gone out with him in the first place.
“Oh, come on. At least let me try to be your friend.”
“Mason, I really don’t think that this is a good idea. I’ve got to go.”
She was just about to walk away when he stopped her by touching her arm.
“So you are seeing someone else, that’s why you don’t want to talk to me. I really don’t get what is wrong with you.”
“Mason, I’m not seeing anyone. I’m going back to London in a few weeks. I’m just in a completely different place right now.”
She felt that she had to lie to him, as she didn’t want to him to know about Harry. Though Mason was a clever guy, so she wasn’t sure how long he could be fooled. It was painstakingly obvious that he was still hoping that there was a chance for them to get back together, even if they weren’t serious.
“I want to be friends with you, Sophia, and I don’t understand why you are making it difficult. Just tell me if you’re seeing someone else. Otherwise I just don’t understand why you broke it off with me. I’m sure you didn’t mean it?”
Sophia stared at him for several seconds, wondering what to tell him. Her gut was telling her that he wasn’t going to leave her alone.
“I’m leaving, Mason. Stop following me and just accept that we were never meant to be together,” she said, bristling, and started to walk away.
“I don’t give up easily.”
He didn’t follow her, but he’d made sure that she heard him. This wasn’t a coincidence they met near her house. He knew her routine, her place of work, and where she lived. She generally gets home just before half past five. Perhaps she should hang around work longer over the next week, just to be sure he doesn’t try to show up around her house again. She was scared that he had put two and two together. Mason saw Harry with her outside the coffee shop. He could also know that she wasn’t supposed to see Harry outside probation. She sighed, and vowed to be really careful from now on. Belfast was a large city, but she wasn’t anonymous.
Harry text her to say that he was going to come around after seven, so Sophia had an hour and a half to have some time to herself and relax. She had a quick shower, trying to forget about the unpleasant incident with Mason, and thought instead about Ramona. She hadn’t spoken to her for several weeks, as Ramona was away for the rest of the summer. She wished she could speak to her cousin now, especially after Mason popping up out of the blue. She also wanted to ask her cousin if she knew anything about her family. Last night she had received another text message from her mother, asking if everything was all right. She also said in the message that she was looking forward to Sophia’s return, which sounded really bizarre. Michelle never expressed any feelings; she would never say that she missed Sophia. She wondered if it was a ploy to make her feel guilty, but she couldn’t really afford to think about it now. She had to make the most of everything with Harry.
***
Harry was worried about his mother. She was too weak to get out of bed this morning. He made her breakfast and she went straight back to sleep, after barely touching the food. He had been thinking about Sophia’s proposition long and hard. He never owed anything to anyone and he wasn’t prepared to take money from her. Maybe she was wealthy, but he couldn’t build the relationship on debt and guilt. The last few weeks of their relationship had been incredible. He didn’t want to ruin it with overthinking, but things had to be decided. They had purposely avoided talking about Sophia’s plans. They lived in the present, but there were only a few weeks to go before she would have to end his dream and go back to her old life.
He wanted to tell her how much he loved her and how much he wanted her to stay, but he didn’t want to blow it. His gut was telling him that he couldn’t rush anything, so he had devised a plan. On Saturday night, they were going out for dinner for his aunt’s birthday. He had asked his aunt if it was okay to bring Sophia, and she was more than happy to finally meet her. Harry knew that his aunt and cousins wouldn’t let him down. He wanted to show Sophia that if she decided to stay in Belfast, she wouldn’t be alone. The plan was all very good and well, but he imagined that Sophia had probably already thought about it. She probably wanted to go back to London. He couldn’t possibly leave his mother and move to London. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t do it and he was hoping that Sophia understood that.
Harry also had devised another plan. Patrick
still on his mind, and Harry had merely been biding his time over the last few weeks. And now it was time. His revenge was going to be sweet and filling. Harry still had a lot of good contacts in the city, even though he wasn’t dealing. He picked up his phone and went through his contacts. During a quick phone call, his source told him that Patrick had a really good day yesterday and he’d made a significant amount of money. Harry smiled, feeling incredibly lucky that he had picked his time right to deploy his revenge. His leg was still stiff, but he didn’t care; the plan couldn’t wait much longer. He jumped in his car, and took a moment to enjoy being back behind the wheel. The other day, Harry had only just got the all-clear from the doctor that he could drive, so he knew he should take it steady. Luckily, Harry knew exactly where he was going. Patrick lived in the east part of the city with a group of friends. Harry clenched his fists around the wheel, imagining what he would do to Patrick if he could corner him alone in some dark alley. He knew that that is what Patrick and his cronies would expect - it was just too easy and predictable – and that’s why he thought of a different plan. He also knew he could do it with stealth. The neighbourhood was quiet, and at night that part of the city was always deserted, as people gave it a wide berth after dark.
Once he had reached his destination, he waited in the car for a while, making sure his car was concealed behind a tree, until a black Punto pulled out in front of Patrick’s house. He a text message from his source, saying that he shouldn’t have to wait long. Harry thought about Sophia again as he waited. He knew he couldn’t tell her what he was up to before heading to her apartment tonight, so he would have to lie and say his mum needed him, or something. He didn’t like lying to her, but he wanted to keep her away from that part of his life. He lifted his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts, and saw Patrick had just entered the house. Harry waited five more minutes, biting his bottom lip. He was starting to feel hesitant. He ran his hand through his hair, thinking about the consequences. One phone call and Patrick was going back to prison. Harry shook his head and thought: screw it. Patrick and his mates beat him up because he refused to continue with burglary and assault. Now Patrick was going to pay for what he did. He picked up his mobile and punched in a number.
“Emergency services – which service do you require?”
“I would like to report someone dealing Class A drugs,” he began in a hoarse tone. There was silence on the other end of the phone. The dispatcher probably already knew Harry’s position.
“Have you got the name?” she asked eventually.
“Patrick Samson.”
“Do you have the address of the person?”
“21 Elm Street in East Belfast. He deals heroin and cocaine.”
Then he hung up, his heart pounding in his chest. The plan was done; he just needed to wait for the police. He parked the car away from the alley where he could see exactly what was going on. He couldn’t stay long, but he was sure that this call wouldn’t be ignored. Not only was Patrick dealing, but also his house was full of stolen goods. He was smart enough to conceal the stolen goods in his loft and keep a low profile by driving a black Punto, but he obviously wasn’t smart enough to keep his friends close and his enemies even closer. Harry would bet anything that Patrick would have never expected to be dobbed in.
He waited for the police for over twenty minutes. There were a few of them, but less than he expected; however, it would be enough. Harry watched as Patrick opened the door, and he went pale almost straight away. In that moment, Patrick knew that he was finished.
Harry started his car and smiled to himself. His job was done here, now he had to go on to Sophia’s apartment for the night. On the way to Sophia’s, he saw a few more police cars going in the opposite direction.
“You should have never started with an O’Donaghue. It never ends well,” he muttered to himself over the wailing of the sirens.
Chapter Thirty-four
The weekend came, and this time Timothy arrived to visit Vanessa from Dublin. The reunited couple seemed happy and retreated to Vanessa’s bedroom rather hastily. Sophia wanted to give them space, so when Harry suggested that she should stay with him and his mother until Sunday night, she agreed. She threw some items of clothing in a bag, as she couldn’t decide what to wear for Harry’s family meal tonight. She knew how desperate Harry was to show Sophia off to the rest of his family and it was vital that she made a good impression.
“How is your mum?” she asked him as soon as she arrived. His mother seemed to have gotten worse over the last week and they were both very worried.
“She feels slightly better so I think she will be coming with us,” explained Harry, leading her into the living room.
Sophia sat down on the coach and played with her hair nervously. She took a deep breath before letting out what was on her mind.
“I don’t think that I should be going for this dinner. It’s a thing for your family.”
“Don’t be silly, baby. My cousin called me out of the blue with this crazy idea for a surprise party for her mother. We spent some time catching up, as we haven’t spoken in a while, and when I told her about you, she demanded that I bring you,” he said, sending her a playful wink.
Sophia nodded in agreement, although she felt like she wasn’t ready to be thrown into his family gathering. She’d already met Lennox and his mother liked her; for her, that was enough. Harry was much closer with his brothers and mother than Sophia was with her own parents. She used to dread her own family engagements that always used to end in tears and arguments.
Close to six, Harry’s mother came downstairs, looking pale. She’d covered her illness with makeup and her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. Sophia knew how little his mother had been out since she was diagnosed, and she was really looking forward to tonight. She smiled when she saw Sophia. In the past few weeks Sophia had been spending every spare minute that she had with Harry, and she had grown close to Mrs O’Donaghue – or Barbara, as she insisted Sophia call her. Barbara hadn’t mentioned to Harry what had happened in the hospital, but after seeing them together nearly every day, she had muttered to Sophia on several occasions that it was time to tell Harry how she felt about him. Both women had long conversations about the future. Sophia still hadn’t made up her mind about what she was going to do, and she was honest with Barbara on that front. She didn’t want to lead Harry on with false promises of happy ever after. Barbara also knew that they had to be careful, given Sophia’s job.
“Sophia, I thought I heard you downstairs. I wasn’t sure if you’d be coming tonight,” said Barbara.
“Caroline and Eve want to meet her, Mum. And so does Aunt Claire, although she doesn’t even know that we are going to show up,” shouted Harry on his way upstairs to the bathroom.
“I know, I know. Anyway, hurry up and get in the shower!” Barbara shook her head and smiled at Sophia. “Caroline will love you, so will Eve. They are both at university. I haven’t seen my sister for a while. She’s a nurse, so she is really busy with her shifts at the hospital.”
“So she’ll be happy to see you?” asked Sophia.
“Yes, I’m sure she will. Though I know she’ll be disappointed that Lennox cannot be there. He was always her favourite nephew. She always tried to straighten him up, but Lennox is stubborn and he’s always done what he wanted. I hope that you’ll get to meet him at some point.”
“Oh, I already have. Harry took me to see Lennox a couple of weeks ago.”
Barbara looked surprised. “Did he? So what did you made of my other son then?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know if he is regretting what he did, but he asked about you and about a lot of his mates.”
“The prison won’t teach him anything – as I said, he is a stubborn one. I’m not surprised he asked about me. Unfortunately I haven’t been to see him recently and I really should.” Barbara sighed, looking suddenly on the verge of tears. “You probably think that I’m a terrible mother. Two sons in prison and the third one ris
king his life for me.”
Sophia shifted her weight to the side. Although Harry was out of earshot in the shower, she still felt uneasy about this conversation.
“I can’t judge.”
“I have tried everything with Lennox, but he never listened to me. My other boy was the same. He told me that he wanted to leave home, so he went to Dublin to study. I was hoping that at least he could be the one with the degree, yet the next thing I know he ends up in prison.”
“Yes. Harry told me about him.”
Before Barbara could speak, Harry thudded down the stairs, shouting that they had better get a move on before they are late.
As Harry ushered them out of the house, Sophia kept glancing at Barbara, feeling like she needed to finish that conversation later with her. She never had a chance to talk to her properly about her other sons. Despite how close they had grown, Sophia had never wanted to disturb her and ask random questions.
In the car on the way to the restaurant, Sophia thought about their first meeting in probation. She never thought that she would be going into a family dinner with one of her clients. She swallowed the tears, thinking that there was only a few remaining weeks that she had left with him. Her head was a terrible mess, and her heart ached for the right decision. It was clear that Harry wasn’t going to move out and leave his mother alone, and she just couldn’t ask him to do that anyway. But she still had a university course to finish and she couldn’t even imagine telling her father that she was going to quit uni because she’d fallen in love. Someone was going to get hurt, whatever the decision.
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