Page 6 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘I reckon it’s been nearly five years. You’ve been off travelling when I’ve been back the last few summers.’
‘That long? Wow. It feels like so much has happened since then. You first. How have you gone from being engaged to a City banker and teaching in London, to being back in Blossom Heath and dating Jake Harper?’
Rose laughed. She explained that she’d returned to Blossom Heath in spring last year to care for her aunt and, after losing her teaching job in London, she’d ended up taking a temporary job at Blossom Heath Primary School.
‘I found Scout when I first got back; she was a stray and I ended up adopting her. Let’s just say that Blossom Heath won my heart and I couldn’t go back to London.’
‘Sounds like it wasn’t just Blossom Heath that won your heart,’ said Tori, with a sly smile.
‘Well, no, Jake had a lot to do with it. I don’t think I’d realized how badly things were going with my ex until I met Jake. Being back here made me see what I really wanted out of life, I guess. Then, when Mrs Connolly, the headteacher at the village school, offered me a permanent job, I knew that I just couldn’t leave.’
‘Wow. That must have been tough, though, breaking off your engagement, I mean?’
‘It was, and I did question whether I was doing the right thing, but I knew deep down that Jake was the one I wanted to be with. I know it sounds corny, but maybe you justknow somehow, when you meetthe one.’
‘Oh, so Jake’s “the one” now, is he?’ Tori teased; she noticed Rose’s cheeks turning redder.
‘Well, yeah, I think he actually is.’
‘That’s amazing, Rose. I’m really happy for you both and I’m so pleased you’re back. I can certainly do with all the friends I can get right now…’
‘Why, what’s up?’ Rose replied quickly, her eyes narrowing.
Tori hung her head; she wasn’t sure where to start. She’d made such a mess of things.
‘It’s not you and Ryan, is it?’
Tori could feel the tears about to flow. This time she didn’t hold back, she let them fall freely. Rose pulled her chair closer and placed an arm around Tori’s shoulders.
‘Tori, what is it? What’s wrong?’
‘Oh God, Rose, I’m such an idiot,’ Tori whispered in between sobs. ‘Things with Ryan are… well, they’re over.’
‘Oh no, I’m so sorry. What happened?’ Rose asked, pulling a tissue out from the pocket of her jeans and passing it to her friend.
‘That’s the thing – nothing. I don’t even know what I did wrong. Everything was fine and then he just turned around and said he didn’t want to be in a relationship anymore. No reason, no explanation… nothing. He just said, “I’m not a relationship guy.” But what does that even mean, Rose?’
‘And he didn’t say anything else? Just that he wanted to end things?’
‘No, nothing. I’ve literally got no clue what went wrong. He just seemed to change his mind about everything overnight. I mean, we had plans. We were coming back home to start looking for our own place together; I was going to move out of Mum’s and he was going to leave his housesharein London to move here. I thought we’d end up getting engaged before Christmas and then… this happens.’
‘It just doesn’t make any sense,’ said Rose. ‘I’m not surprised you’re feeling confused. I would be too.’
‘We were talking about all the plans we had for when we got back from travelling and then… he just ends it. I thought we were happy, at leastIwas.’
‘God, Tori, I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. He owes you a reason at least; you can’t just end things out of the blue after four years together without some sort of explanation.’
‘I just don’t understand,’ said Tori, balling up the tissue she had in her left hand and clasping it hard. ‘But it’s even more complicated.’
‘How?’
‘I couldn’t face telling Mum the news over the phone… I still haven’t explained things to her. If there’s a chance that Ryan and I could make things up, I don’t want Mum to have a bad opinion of him. Especially after how Dad let her down; I’m not sure she’d ever forgive Ryan if she knew… I’ve said he got offered some work in Thailand and is staying on a bit longer.’
‘Oh Tori,’ said Rose, rubbing her friend’s arm.
‘I know. At first, I thought I’d break the news once I got home but I couldn’t bear to do it. She was so excited about us being back in Blossom Heath for good and looking for a house together…’ Tori paused. ‘Last night she even offered to pay the deposit for us. Oh, Rose, she had a brochure and everything and she wants to take me to Meadowgate Meadtoday to look around the show home. What am I going to do?’ She looked up at Rose, her eyes wide and her face streaked with tears. ‘I know I shouldn’t have lied – I’ve just made it all a thousand times worse.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Rose, handing her friend another tissue. ‘Your mum will understand. All she wants is for you to be happy and you know she’ll support you whatever. This whole thing is Ryan’s fault, none of the blame lies with you. You do know that, Tori, don’t you?’
