Page 46 of Forever After All

My flight landed at 9 a.m. UK time.

I should have bought a hell of a lot more than two pairs of boxers, a pair of jeans, and two shirts. I discovered how awful my packing was when I was on the plane, but there isn't anything I can do about it now.

I pull my phone out, luckily I was able to charge it on the plane, and I call Alice. She answers straight away.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to ignore you. I just need to do this." Alice's voice breaks a little, sleep lacing her voice, and the first words that leave her mouth come in the form of an apology. She has nothing to apologise for. "Wait, what time is it? Why are you calling me at…four o’clock in the morning?" Alice yawns. "Sorry, jet lag." She yawns again.

I know that feeling well.

"I just wanted to make sure you’re okay," I say quietly, relieved to hear her voice.

"I'm okay," she replies, sounding a little more awake, the longer she talks. "I'm sleeping in my childhood bed, so it's not very comfortable. I just needed to crash, I needed to see my mum and dad. I'm going to go to a hotel today." Alice's voice drops a little in volume. "They still don't know my reasons for being here and I'm keen to keep it like that. They know I'm here to visit for a few days, and they know I'm going to Danny's funeral. They just don't know the reasons why."

"You should tell them, you should tell them why you're there, Alice." I urge her to confide in her parents.

"But then I'd have to do it all again, and I couldn't handle the look on my dad's face. I'm not telling them, Carter. I need to protect myself."

I nod like I expect her to see it, even though I know she can't. Just hearing Alice's voice makes me feel calmer and happier.

"The funeral is on Monday. As soon as it's over, I'm coming home. Then we can talk, okay?" Pleading down the phone, this woman doesn’t realise I would do anything she wants.

"Okay, Alice. I'll call you on Monday. I'm here if you need anything. Whatever the time, just call me." I end the conversation by pressing the little red button on my screen.

Little do you know that I'm already here for you, princess.

Five hours after my plane lands, I check in to my hotel,The Peak View Spa and Golf Resort, in a small town outside of Bristol, and sink, fully-clothed, into the relatively small but comfortable bed. It creaks a little under my bodyweight, but the mattress is soft and envelops my body. My knees aren't what they used to be, in fact, they’re ruined, and sitting in a plane seat for hours makes me feel stiffer than usual, and no matter how comfortable the seat might be, you can't move or stretch like you would anywhere else.

I stopped in the city to pick up a few things. Toiletries, a jacket, other clothes, and essentials I was so keen to leave home without.

Leaning back against the pillow, I adjust it to make myself comfortable, and at 2:30 in the afternoon, I fall into a dangerous jet lag-fuelled nap.

I open my eyes to darkness and groan as I sit up in bed. Feeling hungover without drinking, I undo the button on my jeans. The metal pressing into my skin as I turned over in bed is what finally woke me up.

The small blinking red light on the clock is the only thingvisible in the room.

Ten past ten. Shit. I'm never going to sleep tonight.

I drag my clothes off my achy body, leaving them in a pile on the floor, then head for a shower. Grabbing a washcloth from the shelf, I clean my body and wash the day of travel down the drain. I rub my hands through my beard and hair with the generic all-in-one body and hair wash on the shower wall. Turning the metal handle in the shower, it squeaks a little as the water grinds to a halt, and steam swirls around me.

Grabbing a far-too-small-for-me towel off the rail, I try to wrap it around my waist, and it doesn't even meet in the middle. I stare down at my hands and try to pull the towel in tighter—with no luck. Who are these things made for, because it isn't an adult, that is for damn sure. With nothing else to do, I swing my dick from side to side, making a satisfying slap against each thigh as I do, and I laugh to myself as I do it. I might be a thirty-four-year-old man, but that doesn't mean I'm a grown up.

I throw the towel onto the sink and step back into the main room, looking for the boxers I bought earlier today. I look down at my phone to check notifications.

Alice: I miss you. Having a fucking nightmare with the hotel.

Sent ten minutes ago.

Me: What's wrong?

Alice: Checked in about 20 mins ago. No hot water. No phone line, main lights not working in the room. One small lamp is on. Sitting in the dark.

Me: Could you move to another room?

Alice: They think the hotel is full. Someone is going to check. I can't go back to my parents’ house. It's too uncomfortable.

I hear a small knock on a door close to mine and a female voice.

"We’re still checking if there is anything we can do. I don't know if we've got any more rooms. It won't be too much longer. We'll come back with an update. I’m so sorry about this, Miss Barretta. We'll let you know shortly."

---