Page 70 of From LA to London, With Love

“No, no…nothing like that.” I dug my fingernails into my hand, trying not to break down.

“I’ll let you know once I hear anything. I can’t believe he’s doing this to you.”

I heard barking in the background.

“I’m sorry. I have to go. I’m at the vet getting a certificate that Alfie is fit to fly, and they’ve just called me in. I’ll call you from LA.” Jenny hung up.

I raced to the bathroom and started dry retching. What the hell was happening?

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

SOPHIE

“IS EVERYTHING OKAY?” Erin asked. “You seem kinda out of it tonight.”

“Yes, sorry!” I turned my attention back to the card game but struggled to focus.

Chris had been gone for two days, and I wasn't coping well. During the day, I tried to pull it together for Elliot’s sake—and so my parents wouldn’t suspect anything was amiss—but I wasn’t sleeping, I’d lost my appetite. There was a permanent ache in my chest. I kept going over and over the night of his birthday, trying to work out where it had all gone so terribly wrong. I didn’t want Mum and Dad to know because they’d judge Chris if I told them he’d left without any explanation. I hadn’t given up hope he might return, that it was all some terrible misunderstanding and we’d get back together, so I didn’t want them to think less of him. At least, not yet.

As a distraction, I’d been throwing myself into business planning with Rose and Mia, volunteering at Pride House, getting out for walks on the Heath with Elliot, and leaning on Josh for emotional support. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Chris.

Alex approached, with Josh by their side, smiling. “Sophie, sorry to interrupt. Could I borrow you for a second?”

“Sure.” I managed a weak smile. I turned to Erin and her friends. “Why don’t you keep playing without me? I was losing miserably anyway. I’ll join in again for the next game.”

Josh and I followed Alex into their office, where they gestured for us to take a seat.

Alex clapped their hands together, looking excited. “So, I have some great news! We’ve recently received a very generous donation, which means that now the building is fixed up, we can start expanding Pride House’s activities. I spoke to the young people, and a number of them are worried about their career path and job opportunities. Some of them don’t know what they want to do, and many of those who have an idea aren’t sure if it’s the right choice for them, or how to go about actually pursuing that career. So, I’ve been thinking we could do a work experience program for them, so they can get some hands-on experience. A lot of them don’t have the family connections to help them get those types of placements. I’m just not sure if we’ll be able to find organizations willing to participate. Do you think your companies would be up for it?”

Despite my misery, Alex's words sparked a flicker of excitement. “I wonder if…I’d need to talk to my business partners, but…” I paused, gathering my thoughts. “I think I’ve mentioned that I’m planning to set up a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm with a few friends? If all goes to plan, we’ll have a number of corporate clients who’d be perfect to host the teens. And hopefully, since they’d be interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion if they engaged us, they’d be open to supporting LGBTQ+ young people.”

Josh, who’d been staring at a pile of paper on Alex's desk with a strange look on his face, chimed in. “And on a more cynical note, I’m sure they’d love it from a marketing perspective! Being involved in a program like that would be great PR. It sounds like an awesome idea, Alex. I’ll speak to my boss and see if my work can help too.”

Alex's face broke into a grin. “That sounds amazing! And Sophie, if you could possibly ask Chris if he knows any companies who could provide work experience placements in the film industry, that would be great–I’m sure they’d be very popular.”

For a second, Alex's plan had distracted me from Chris, but the mention of his name brought all the pain flooding back. I didn’t want to speak in case my voice betrayed me. It took all of my effort not to cry.

“Are you okay?” Alex looked at me closely.

I took a deep breath and dug my nails into my hands, gathering strength to respond.

Josh jumped in to save me. “Sophie hasn’t been feeling one hundred percent today. Do you need to head home, Soph, or should I get you some water?”

I swallowed. “Thanks, Josh. I might just go to the bathroom.”

In the bathroom, I spent a minute sitting on the toilet, doing deep breathing, and then splashed water on my face. Feeling less like I was going to break down, I rejoined the card game.

After we finished up, Josh insisted on walking me home. I didn’t need any convincing.

“How are you?” He looked at me sympathetically.

“It’s good getting out of the house and keeping busy. Until Alex mentioned Chris, I’d been feeling a bit more like my normal self.” I sighed. “I just wish I’d never fallen for him. I’m kicking myself for believing he was different from other men. I thought he was kind, thoughtful, and sensitive, but it turns out he’s just another asshole. Who tells someone they love them and then leaves the next day, without any explanation?”

Josh shook his head. “You know, I’m just as surprised as you are, Soph. I thought he adored you. Did you get on to Jenny?”

“Yeah, I spoke to her today. She still doesn’t know what’s going on. Chris isn’t telling her anything.” There was a lump in my throat.

Josh looked at me, that strange expression on his face again. “So, um, I’m not sure if I should tell you this…It’s not the best timing, but…when we were in Alex’s office before, I noticed some papers on their desk that had Chris’s name on them. From what I saw, it looked like Chris donated £50,000 to Pride House a couple of weeks ago, on the condition his donation was kept anonymous, so I’m assuming he was the anonymous donor Alex mentioned. Sorry, Soph, I know that’s probably not what you want to hear right now when we’re talking about what a dick he is, but I didn’t want to keep it from you.” Josh grimaced, his eyes soft with concern.