AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Unfortunately, those footsteps returned a minute later. Tabitha kept the pillow over her head, trying to ignore Julie. Surely, she would give up eventually.
The next thing she knew, freezing water was being poured all over her.
“Fuck!” Tabitha rolled out of bed, away from the jug Julie was pouring from, but it was too late; she was already drenched in ice water. “What the hell, Julie!”
“I’ve turned the shower on for you. It should be nice and hot by now.”
Tabitha glared at Julie, but she was already shivering and a hot shower suddenly sounded good right about now. She grabbed a towel and stalked to the bathroom.
Once she was in the warm water, she decided she may as well wash. Surprisingly, she did feel a little better once she was clean, though she wasn’t going to admit that to Julie. She trudged back to her room to find that Julie had changed the bed linen and set out a fresh pair of clothes for her.
Tabitha ignored the clothes and reached for her pajamas, but Julie slapped her hands away. “No more sad day pajamas. Get dressed properly.”
“You do realize that I’m the future Queen of England, right?”
“And I have orders from thecurrentQueen of England, so get dressed.”
Tabitha grumbled under her breath as she pulled on the clothes Julie handed her. Once she was dressed, Julie took her by the hand and practically dragged her through to the dining room. The table was already laden with food, and Julie served Tabitha up a big bowl of muesli and fruit salad with yogurt.
“Eat.” She leveled Tabitha with a stern gaze.
“I’m not hungry.”
“I don’t care.”
“I’m going to throw up.”
“No, you won’t. Eat now or I resort to drastic measures.”
Not wanting to be drenched in freezing water again, Tabitha reluctantly picked up her spoon. To her surprise, once she started to eat, her appetite started to take notice and she began wolfing down the muesli and fruit salad. She finished the whole bowl, feeling better than she had before.
“Good. Now, we’re going for a walk in the garden, and then we’ll talk.”
“I don’t remember you being this bossy,” Tabitha muttered.
“I don’t remember you being this lacking in basic self-care, but here we are.”
Julie linked her arm with Tabitha’s and forcefully guided her outside. Tabitha had to admit that the fresh air was pleasant after nearly a week of not leaving her room. Julie led her to a bench and sat her down.
“Now, tell me what’s wrong.”
Tabitha sighed. She didn’t imagine Julie would let her get out of this, and honestly, she could use someone to talk to. “How much has my mom told you?”
“Not a whole lot. She said that you were caught having an illicit affair with your female bodyguard, who was fired and replaced, and you haven’t been yourself ever since. She wanted to get you committed to a very posh rehab centre, but I convinced her to let me try to help first.”
Some of Tabitha’s resentment melted away. The last thing she needed was to be stuck in some hospital. She’d take Julie and her ice water over that any day.
“Her name is J,” Tabitha said softly. “I’m in love with her.”
If Julie was surprised by the fact that Tabitha was in love with a woman, she didn’t show it. “Tell me more.”
So, Tabitha told her. She told Julie about how she and JK got together, and how they had slowly grown closer. She told her about how JK had saved her life, and about Alice’s betrayal. Finally, as tears started tracking down her cheeks, she relayed the story of JK’s departure.
“She didn’t even try to fight for me,” Tabitha sobbed. “I love her, and I think she loves me, but she doesn’t even care enough to try and find a way for us to be together.”
“Oh, Tabitha, I’m so sorry.”
Julie pulled Tabitha into a tight hug, letting Tabitha cry on her shoulder. Tabitha wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually, her tears slowed and she pulled back. “I don’t know what to do, Julie. I know I have to move on, but I don’t know how. It’s like J has taken my heart hostage, and I don’t know how to get it back.”
