Page 30 of Rivers of Ink
“Is she okay?”
“If by that you mean sobbing her heart out, not eating, and refusing to see you, then yes, she’s okay.” Nell’s tone was deservedly harsh. “Where’s your bedroom?”
Unable to speak, he pointed to the door. He felt Aidy and Wren watching him. “I should go help Nell.” He found her pulling out clothes from drawers and wardrobes.
“Is this what Alicia wants?” he asked.
Nell faced him, her eyes blazing. “It’s what she needs right now.” She carried on searching through the cupboard, then turned back to him. “You’re an idiot, Callan. She’s in love with you and you spent last night making out with the ex you claim to have no feelings for. What is she supposed to think?”
“Isobel kissed me! I don’t have any feelings for her and there’s no way I’d get back with her.”
“Doesn’t sound like it from what Ali told me.”
Nell pushed past him and headed into the bathroom. Callan followed her.
“Can I come over and talk to her?”
“No.” Nell stuffed the remainder of Alicia’s cosmetics into the bag and elbowed him out of the way.
When he got back into the living room, the three of them were in quiet conversation.
“Guys, what can I do to make this right?”
“You need to decide what you want.” It was Wren who finally answered him. “I think you have a lot of making up to do with Alicia, right, Nell?”
“Right.” Nell nodded in agreement.
“And you need to cut all ties with Isobel. All the bad stuff seems to come back to her,” added Aidy. His tone was measured and had the most impact.
There weren’t any ties to cut, thought Callan. I have no feelings towards her anymore, at least not in that way.
“We’re leaving now,” said Aidy. “Wren and I are going to find a cheap deal on a hotel in London and then we will have a slap-up dinner and get really, really drunk. You’re going to pay for it. It’s the least you can do. I’ll message you how much you owe me.” He embraced Callan briefly.
Once they had left, Callan wandered around the flat looking for any trace of Alicia. Nell had done a thorough job—maybe not for the first time. It was as if Alicia had never been there. He sank down on the sofa and curled up into the foetal position, clutching his knees to his chest. The futility of the situation enveloped him, and he didn’t know what to do to change it.
17
It had been little over a week since the wedding and Alicia had spent almost the entire time hiding out in her room at Nell’s flat. She had switched her phone on occasionally, only to be bombarded by messages and voicemails—most of them silent—from Callan. Every attempt he made to contact her had been ignored or deleted. Nell had told Callan that Alicia wouldn’t be going back to work for the foreseeable future and to not come by the flat. So far, he had obeyed.
Now she was back in the same situation she had been a few short weeks ago, unemployed and single. Maybe it had been a bad decision to work for a person she was—scratch that, had been—attracted to. It was time to decide what she was going to do next.
Earlier that day, Alicia had received a message from someone she had previously worked with, saying there might be an opening in their London office if she was interested. She was seriously tempted to find out more.
“Think about it though, Ali,” said Nell, “there’s either the commute or a stupid rent to pay. I’d miss you if you went.”
Involuntarily, Alicia’s eyes filled with tears. Nell had been brilliant, leaving her alone when she needed space or being there when she needed company. Moving out would be horrible. They were bingeing on wine and noodles. Rory was working late, again, and Nell was pissed off with him, which gave her a good opportunity to rant.
“I know. What else can I do though? We know that all the jobs around here are shit. Remember the job hunt we went on before I started at The Unbound Soul? Crappy holiday cover jobs or things that last two weeks before they realise I can probably run the whole department and get rid of me?” Alicia drained her glass and poured another. She had been drinking heavily; it was an easy way to dull the pain and helped her to sleep.
“You could always come and work with me. I need a capable pair of hands to chase stuff up.”
“Ooo, that sounds like fun,” Alicia teased. “I can be your secretary.”
“You were happy enough playing secretary to Callan.”
“Ouch, that’s low, Nell.” There were more than a few grains of truth to Nell’s observation. Alicia had been so happy with Callan that a lot of the things she said she wouldn’t do as a job—like getting coffee—she’d ended up doing anyway. The Unbound Soul had been easy and enjoyable, mostly down to the relationship she had with her boss. A relationship that was now in tatters.
“Why don’t you try to speak to him, Ali?” Nell’s encouragement was somewhat tempered by the fact she had a noodle hanging out of her mouth. “Find out what really went on with Isobel.”
