Page 45 of Wish You Knew
Stomped on by Scott.
I hated how easily he’d done it, with only a few words.
Saff had hit the nail on the head with her summation of the situation.
Had Vivian and Bas seen it too?
I felt like a fool for thinking there was more between us.
The door pushed open and Vivian stuck her head in. “We can slip out the back way if you’d like?”
“Perfect,” I breathed. “What did Scott say?”
“He wasn’t there, he was…” She trailed off.
I didn’t need for her to say anything else. I knew he was out there, chatting up some other unsuspecting woman, as if we had never happened. Back to his old ways without even talking to me. I swallowed hard. It couldn’t get to me.He couldn’t get to me.This made his position perfectly clear.
“Let’s go.”
The hundred hours which followed had me covering an entire gamut of emotions. Vivian had made up the sofa bed in her room, while I collected my stuff from the guest room. I planned on making a getaway as early as possible in the morning. I tossed and turned, unused to sharing a room with someone, waking every time there was an unfamiliar noise. At some point, I heard the front door slam, and some drunken singing. The sounds came close to the door of Vivian’s room, but diverted at the last minute. Unsure as to whether it was Scott or Bas, I ended up staying awake, scared one of them was going to come into the room.
When the birds finally started chirruping around half five, I gave up and slipped into the en-suite to get a shower.
The water soothed my fractured thoughts, as I lathered citrus smelling shower gel over my body. The scent was refreshing and uplifting, both of which I needed right now. Once showered and dressed, I re-entered the bedroom. It was empty. After I’d packed the remainder of my things into my suitcase, I perched on the end of the bed and checked my phone for train times.
There was a tentative knock on the door.
I held my breath.
“Rosie?”
“It’s okay, Vivian. You can come in, I’m dressed.”
She pushed the door open and entered with a tray in her hands. The aroma of pancakes filled the room. My stomach growled. I wasn’t sure I could manage to eat anything. Almost as if she could hear my internal thoughts, Vivian spoke.
“I know you probably don’t want to eat, but I know what catering on those trains can be like. You’ll be eating a fatty bacon sandwich with a million calories and no taste.” She smiled as she placed the tray on the dressing table. “This will keep you going.”
I couldn’t deny they looked amazing. Small and perfectly formed, there was a side of bacon and one of fruit, all topped off with maple syrup. Standing next to the plate was a piping hot cup of coffee.
I couldn’t resist. “Thank you.” I perched on the stool and began eating, trying to avoid looking at my reflection in the mirror.
“Let me know when you’re ready to go. I have a taxi driver on standby for you.”
Seriously, she had thought of everything. I wiped a dribble of syrup from my chin. “I can’t thank you enough, Vivian. It’s been lovely getting to know you.”
“And you too, my dear.”
“I hope we get to see each other again.”
Vivian nodded knowingly. “We will.”
I finished my breakfast and drained the last of the coffee. There wouldn’t be a decent cup until I got home. Quickly, I went to brush my teeth while Vivian arranged my lift.
“Take care, Rosie,” she said, when we were at the front door. “Do let me know you got home safely.”
“I will.” Impulsively, I pulled her in for a hug. Vivian was probably the best thing to come out of this whole fiasco.
The journey home was fairly uneventful. It being so early, there were several commuters on the train, heads buried in laptops and ereaders or phones. No-one spoke. There was almost a quiet reverence in the carriage. I dozed for a little while, my unsettled night catching up with me.
