The Complete Perfect Series

by Lindsey Powell

  “Lydia.” The feeling is mutual as Charles looks less than thrilled to see her with me.

  “Can we talk for a few moments?” I say. I want to get this over with as quickly as possible.

  “Uh… Sure. Follow me,” he says.

  Lydia and I trail behind him as he walks us to his office. I feel the familiarity of knowing where I am going, but it brings me no comfort.

  On entering his office, Charles gestures for Lydia and me to sit down. We take the seats that are in front of his desk and after closing the door, he goes and sits in his chair on the opposite side of the desk to us.

  I feel awkward being sat here, and I can see that Charles feels the same.

  “What brings you here, Stacey?” he asks.

  “I don’t know really.” I’m not quite sure how I saw this conversation going, and now I am here, I haven’t a clue where to start.

  Lydia remains silent beside me.

  “Right. Well, that doesn’t give much away. I haven’t heard from you in weeks, and then you turn up here and you don’t know why?” Charles is clearly irritated that I am here.

  “It’s complicated. I’ve… Um… I’ve been in an accident and I was hoping that by seeing you, I might get some answers.”

  “An accident?”

  “Uh, yeah.” Charles just stares at me, and I start to feel that coming to see him was a big mistake. I don’t think I am going to get any answers here.

  “Are you going to expand on this accident?”

  “Well, I was stabbed. And things are a bit hazy, since the stabbing,”

  “You were stabbed?” He raises his eyebrows in shock. I nod at him, not knowing what else to say. “And why would coming here give you answers?”

  I scoff at his response. I thought that he might have at least asked how I was.

  I look to Lydia who is staring daggers at Charles. I shake my head and realise that seeing Charles is probably the worst thing that I could have done. Seeing him isn’t going to bring my memory back. All it does is make me realise how wrong we ever were for one another.

  “I don’t mean to sound rude, but I have a meeting taking place in five minutes. Can we hurry this along?” His tone sounds bored. How foolish I have been to come and see this man. Charles only ever thought about himself, and it looks like things haven’t changed in the slightest.

  “Are you really not going to be a bit more considerate?” Lydia says, making me jump. “Stacey has been through a traumatic ordeal, and she came here hoping that you might be able to help her, and all you care about is getting her out of here, so you can attend some sodding meeting.”

  “It’s okay, Lyd.” I place my hand on her arm to try and get her attention. She looks to me and I can see the fire in her eyes. “This was a waste of time. Come on,” I say as I stand up. “Let’s go.”

  Lydia stands up and I lead the way to the door of Charles’ office. I place my hand on the door handle and turn back around. “You know what, Charles?”

  “What?” he says. He looks completely unfazed by Lydia’s outburst.

  “I pity you.”

  “You pity me?”

  “Yes, I pity you. It must be very lonely being Charles Montpellior.” I don’t wait for him to answer me as I open the door to his office and walk out of the building, and out of Charles’ life for good.

  Chapter Eleven

  Stacey

  Lydia and I drive back to the flat and I wearily walk up the stairs to the front door. I unlock it, and Lydia follows behind me. I go straight to the lounge and dump my handbag on the coffee table. Lydia enters the room and I slowly sit down on the sofa.

  Today’s effort at trying to regain my lost time was a complete disaster.

  “Are you okay, babes?” Lydia asks me.

  “Not really.” I sigh and feel frustration taking hold. “I really thought that seeing Charles would help in some way.”

  I close my eyes and rub my temples to try and soothe the dull headache that I have acquired since leaving Charles’ office.

  “You were only doing what you thought was best.” Lydia is trying to make me feel better about the whole situation, but it doesn’t work.

  “Things between us were bad towards the end, but I really thought that some part of him would give a shit about helping me. I feel so stupid.”

  “You’re not stupid. You’re just trying to make sense of it all. I can’t imagine what you are going through right now.” Lydia sits next to me and puts her arm around my shoulders. I rest my head on her shoulder and feel thankful that at least she wants to help me.

  “I hope that you never have to. It’s so frustrating. But I think the worst part is knowing that this could be permanent.”

  “It’s not permanent.”

  “It might be, Lyd.” My comment halts our conversation.

  The reality of the situation is kicking in.

  I may never remember what I had with Jake.

  I may never remember how I finally came to leave Charles.

  I know that Lydia and Jake have told me what happened, but it’s almost like I am listening to someone else’s story.

  “I think I’m going to go and lie on the bed. Martin will be here in a couple of hours and I feel wiped,” I say wearily.

  “Okay, babes. Maybe getting some rest will make you feel better.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” I stand up, pick up my handbag and walk out of the lounge and to my bedroom. I close the door behind me and sit on the edge of my bed. I take my phone out of my handbag as I feel the urge to look at the photo of me and Jake.

  My heart does a little flutter at the sight of him in the photo, and guilt sets in that I chose to see Charles.

  What was I thinking?

  My fingers tap a few buttons on my phone, and before I realise what I am doing, I find Jake’s name in my phonebook and I hit the call button.

  Jake

  I am about to leave the office to go and get a late lunch when my phone starts to ring. I look to the screen and see that Stacey is calling me. I don’t hesitate to answer the phone.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Jake. It’s Stacey,” she says in greeting. I smile as she announces that she is the one calling me. I decide not to draw attention to the fact that I knew it was her calling before I even answered. I figure that she doesn’t need reminding that I already have her number stored in my phone. It’s just good to hear her voice, even if I did only see her a couple of hours ago.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask her.

  “Not really.” She doesn’t expand on her answer, leaving me in suspense. It looks like I am going to have to help ease her into this conversation.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “I guess so,” she says with a sigh. “I just…” She struggles to find the words for whatever she is trying to say.

  “Stace, what’s wrong?” I might as well cut straight to the point. I know that something is bugging her.

  “I’m not really sure why I called.” My heart drops at her answer. “I just… I found this photo on my phone. It’s a photo of you and me, and I just felt like I needed to speak to you.” My heart lifts again at the fact that she just wanted to speak to me. “I know that probably sounds silly.”

  “Not at all.”

  “I also feel like I should apologise to you.”

  “Apologise?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry that I went to see Charles. It was a mistake to go and see him. Lydia told me not to, but I didn’t listen.”

  “Why would you need to apologise to me for that?”

  “Because… Lydia told me that it might upset you.” It bugs me that it takes Lydia to tell her that this may have upset me, but I have to think about the fact that she doesn’t ‘know’ me at the moment.

  “It’s okay. You thought that it would help you and I respect that.” Well done, Waters, keep cool about it. “Did it help?”

  “No.” I hear her sigh down the phone. “It was a disaster. Charles is and always will be a selfish
prick.” I feel relief that she still thinks that Charles is a prick. I must admit that a small part of me thought that she might go back to him, seeing as he is her last memory.

  “What happened?” I am intrigued to find out more.

  “Well, to cut a short story even shorter, I told Charles that I was stabbed, and he asked me to hurry things along because he had a meeting to get to.” I remain quiet as my jaw ticks.

  That guy is such a tosser.

  As much as I was unhappy about Stacey seeing Charles, I’m even more pissed that he didn’t show any interest in helping her.

  “Jake?” her voice breaks my thoughts.

  “Yeah, I’m still here.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I need to change the subject. Speaking about Charles makes my blood boil. “So, what are you up to now?”

  “Oh, I’m just led on my bed.”

  Now that is a sight that I can picture vividly. It’s also an image that I welcome. It’s just a shame that she isn’t in my bed, waiting for me. I feel my cock stir at the image and I fidget in my seat.

  All in good time, Waters, all in good time.

  “Martin is coming to see me later. I presume that you already know that I have a friend named Martin?” Her tone turns playful and I love to hear her sounding more relaxed. I chuckle at her words.

  “Yeah, I know that you are friends with Martin.” I want to keep the conversation light, even if it is just to keep her on the phone for a bit longer. “I actually met him once.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, but from what you have told me about him, he obviously kept his personality very low-key when I met him.”

  “Of all the things Martin could be described as, I would never have put low-key in the same sentence as his name.” She starts to laugh which makes my cock stand to attention. Even her laugh turns me on. “So, anyway, I better let you get back to whatever it is you were doing. Thanks for listening to me, Jake.”

  “Anytime.”

  “So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?” she asks it as a question rather than a statement. Maybe she thinks that I have changed my mind? Like that is ever going to happen.

  “You will. Have a good evening, Stacey.”

  “You too.” The phone goes dead and I pull it slowly away from my ear. I look to the screen and see my background picture before it times out. The image of Stacey and I together makes me yearn for her, more than I am already.

  I remember that I was going to get some lunch before she phoned. I stand up, put my phone in my pocket and head out of my office. For the first time in over a week, I feel a sense of hope. Hope that we can put right all that Caitlin’s actions have put wrong.

  Stacey

  There is a knock on the door at quarter past seven, and I leave my bedroom to go and answer it. I am so excited to see Martin. His fun-loving nature is just what I need right now. I open the door and see Martin stood there with a bunch of flowers and a big box of chocolates.

  “I know that you can’t have any alcohol, so I brought chocolates instead,” he says as I usher him inside.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a glass of wine. But chocolate will do for now,” I reply. Martin hands me the flowers which are so pretty. Pinks, whites and purples. I couldn’t tell you what flowers they actually are though. Green-fingered I am not. “Thanks, Mart. They’re beautiful.”

  “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady.” He moves towards me and pulls me into a gentle hug. I smile and put my flower-free arm around his waist. “How are you doing, baby girl?” he asks me, sounding more serious.

  “Oh, you know, fine.” Martin pulls back and looks at my face.

  “Well, that was the most unconvincing answer that I have ever heard. Come on,” he says as he pulls away from me and takes my hand, leading me into the kitchen. “Get that kettle on and tell Uncle Mart all about it.” He points to the kettle and I salute him. I fill the kettle and get two cups out of the cupboard, and Martin takes a seat at the kitchen table.

  “So, where’s Miss Lydia then?” he asks.

  “She’s in her bedroom having a lie down. I expect that she will come and join us shortly,” I say as I busy myself putting the flowers in a vase.

  “So, for the time being, I get you all to myself?”

  “You sure do.” The kettle finishes boiling, and I make Martin his cup of tea whilst I opt for a green tea.

  “Does that mean that I can grill you on that delicious man that you have been getting naked with?” Martin asks as he proceeds to open the box of chocolates.

  “Martin!” I exclaim.

  “Oh, honey, you know I like to speak my mind.”

  “Yes, but do you have to be quite so blunt?”

  “What’s the point in being vague? Now, come on, spill the beans.” He sits eagerly awaiting a full report whilst popping a chocolate in his mouth. I carry the cups over to the table and hand Martin his before I sit opposite him and sip my tea, trying to think of where to start.

  “There’s not much to tell really.”

  “Oh, please. You could talk about that man’s abs all day long and I wouldn’t get bored.” I burst out laughing. He really has no shame. It takes me a few moments to calm down before I can speak.

  “Well, I don’t remember what his abs look like, so I can’t tell you about those. But I can tell you that I am meeting him tomorrow night to talk.” I feel a little thrill shoot through me at the thought of spending some time with Jake. My mixed emotions seem to be changing for the better.

  In the hospital, I was scared. Scared of not knowing and scared of being unsure about anything. Now that I am home, and I have had a few days to process some things, I feel more certain. I may still have amnesia, but I am excited to see how things progress with Jake.

  The photo of us together was the jolt that I needed.

  “Nothing is coming back to you at all?” Martin asks me. I shake my head at him. “Oh, baby girl. Maybe that isn’t such a bad thing?”

  “How do you mean?” I can think of nothing worse than having part of your life erased.

  “Well, this way, you get to forget some of the bad stuff that happened, and you get the thrill of falling in love with Jake all over again.” He takes a sip of his tea and smirks at me.

  “How do you know that I will fall in love with him?”

  “I just know. Trust me, Jake is the one for you.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Stacey

  I wake up at ten o’clock the following morning. Martin didn’t leave until midnight last night, but it was worth staying up late to spend some time with him. It’s going to be so much easier to see him now that I’m no longer with Charles.

  I smile as the thought of seeing Jake later pops into my head. Martin helped to put things into context for me. I know that Lydia has been trying to get me to let Jake into my life but hearing it from someone other than her just shows me how much I must have thought of him before I lost my memory.

  I get out of bed and go to the bathroom to use the facilities. Once I am finished, I knock on Lydia’s bedroom door. There is no answer, but I can hear faint sounds coming from the lounge, so I figure that she must already be up.

  I go to the lounge and see that Lydia is sat on the sofa, watching the television.

  “Morning, Lyd,” I say as I walk in and sit in the chair.

  “Morning, babes. You okay?” she asks me.

  “Yeah. I feel good actually.” It’s the first time that I have woken up since the incident and actually felt positive.

  “That’s great. It was good to see Martin last night.” Lydia joined us after Martin had been here for about an hour.

  “It was. He helped me to make sense of the whole Jake situation.” I instantly regret my words as I don’t want to offend Lydia, seeing as she has been trying to help as well.

  She frowns at me. “And I haven’t helped you at all?”

  Oh shit, I need to shut down her overactive mind.

  “Yes
of course you have. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that, hearing another person voice their opinion has helped me. I can’t explain why. It just has.” I shrug and hope that Lydia will be somewhat satisfied with my answer.

  “Hmm. It’s a good job that I understand what you are trying to say.” She smiles at me and I am relieved that she gets it. “So, what are we doing today?” she asks me.

  “Well, I was kind of hoping that you would take me to The Den.”

  “What?” she yells. “No way, Stacey. It’s too soon for you to go there. There is no way that you are going there yet.”

  “Oh, come on, Lyd. I need to see if it will help me remember something. Maybe returning to the scene of the crime will trigger a flashback.”

  “It’s not happening, so you may as well drop the subject now.” I knew that she might freak out a little at me asking to go there, but I never expected her to be so set against it.

  “Please, Lyd.” I pout at her, hoping that she will change her mind.

  “Nope.”

  “But––”

  “NO! When you are stronger, I will take you, but not before.” She looks at me with her arms folded across her chest, and I know that there is no way that I will change her mind. Lydia can be very stubborn if she feels the need to be, and my hopes plummet.

  “You have no idea how frustrating all of this is for me. I want to regain my memory, Lyd.” Tears start to fall down my cheeks. Lydia gets up off of the sofa and comes over to the chair. She perches on the arm and puts her arm around my shoulders.

  “I will help you, babes. Just not today. I promise that we can go soon though. You are not strong enough right now.”

  “I am,” I protest.

  “No you are not. I know you, Stacey, and I know that you are not ready to face the place in which Caitlin stabbed you.” I feel crushed at her words. I wipe my tears away and I mentally try to think of ways that I can get there, without the help of Lydia. I can’t ask Martin. He would worry too much and end up telling Lydia where we are going, and then she would stop him from helping me.