Page 28 of Rivers of Ink
“Thank you, you’re the best.” Alicia tried to smile, but the tears started again.
“Come on, hon, you need to tell me what happened. It’s not that I don’t mind you being here, I don’t see much of you these days since you pretty much moved in with Callan. I can’t say I wasn’t surprised to see you here this morning though. I thought you were staying at Stratfield Manor last night?” Nell sat down on the bed and leaned against the wall, helping herself to one of the biscuits.
“Shit, all my stuff is still there.” Alicia rubbed her forehead. She’d have to get in touch with Wren or Aidy and ask if they could bring it over for her. That meant turning on her phone. The thought filled her with dread.
“Where’s Callan then?” Nell asked. “Can’t he bring it back?”
Alicia shook her head. “I don’t want to see him.”
“Seriously, you have to tell me what’s going on.”
“I found him kissing his ex.”
The words hung in the air, and now she had said them aloud, Alicia knew she couldn’t take them back.
“He was what?” Nell’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “What was she doing there anyway?”
“My thoughts exactly. She came with Jason, you know the guy who recently started at The Unbound Soul?”
There was a knock on the front door, and Nell went to answer it. Alicia reached for the crisps and ripped open the packet. She selected a small one and put it in her mouth, letting it dissolve on her tongue, the saltiness helping her nausea.
“You’ve got a visitor,” said Nell as she came back into Alicia’s bedroom.
An iron fist gripped Alicia’s chest, and the crisp turned to cardboard. She didn’t want to see Callan, not right now. When Wren, not Callan, appeared, Alicia let out a hard breath. The redhead had her overnight bag clenched in her hands and pinched eyebrows.
“Hey, how are you?”
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on honeymoon by now?”
“We don’t leave yet. I wanted to check you were okay.” Wren reached down and gave Alicia a small hug. She perched on the end of the bed while Nell hovered awkwardly in the doorway.
“It’s okay, you can stay,” said Alicia. She patted the bed and her friend sat down beside her. “Thank you for bringing my stuff over. I’m sorry if I’ve put you out.” She thought about what Wren had just said. “And I’ll be fine, eventually. Thank you for coming over though.”
“Oh, Ali,” sighed Wren. “You don’t know what happened after you left.”
Alicia’s brows knotted together. “What do you mean?”
“Callan and Jason got into a fight and Aidy was caught up in it.”
“Sorry, what?” Alicia couldn’t believe Wren’s words. “When?”
“We think it was shortly after you headed home. He was talking to Isobel about something and it all escalated out of control.”
Isobel. That name again. She felt Nell’s hand rubbing her shoulder.
“She always ruins things,” she whispered. Alicia met Wren’s eyes. “How’s Aidy?”
“Thankfully we’d had the photographs done before Callan punched him, otherwise he’d have a swollen nose and black eyes to commemorate our big day.” While Wren tried to joke, Alicia couldn’t help but feel contrite.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Ali.” Wren sighed. “It wasn’t your fault, you should know that. There were so many other people that made bad decisions last night. You definitely weren’t one of them.”
“Why would he hurt Jason though?”
“Grief does strange things to people. Given that it’s hasn’t been long since he lost Xander and the history between him and Isobel, it’s no wonder he lashed out.”
“You know Callan was kissing Isobel last night too?” Nell asked Wren.
