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ChapterThree
‘Hiya.’ Heather’s voice came from behind Sarah as she waited outside The Crown and Sceptre. ‘You alright?’
She accepted the hug from her flatmate, exchanging greetings.
When Sarah first arrived in London to start her internship, the company paid for a hotel in Kensington, right near the office, for two weeks to give her a chance to find somewhere to live. Thankfully it was a quick search and by the beginning of the second week, one of the receptionists announced that her cousin had a spare room at her four-bedroom flat in Shepherd’s Bush. It was only two stops from the office on the Tube.
The lads, as her two male flat mates were affectionately known, had very full social lives, which meant they used the apartment as a place to keep their clothes and occasionally sleep in.
Heather worked in a nursing home that appeared to host the most colorful residents in all of London. She always had a story to share from the nursing home involving a series of incredible coincidences and outlandish adventures. Some she merely witnessed, but many she played a starring role in.
After ordering their food and drinks at the bar, they found a booth in the middle of the pub while Heather regaled Sarah with her day’s activities, which included a mistaken identity and a wayward goat. Sarah let Heather envelope her into her crazy world, grateful to have a friend to share a laugh with.
‘Enough about my day. Tell me everything Marisa said.’
Heather’s eyes sparkled with anticipation once Sarah finished recounting the meeting with her boss.
‘This is so exciting, I’m so happy you’re staying.’ She reached over and clasped Sarah’s hands in hers. ‘You’re like the sister I never had and best friend all rolled into one.’
Sarah blinked back the tears that threatened to dampen the moment. She wasn’t comfortable with public displays of emotion, unlike her flatmate, but had come to appreciate Heather’s friendship. And now she was staying in London, the notion of having a best friend was the icing on her cake.
She returned the squeeze of Heather’s hands. ‘I’m so relieved and thrilled. I didn’t want to face the prospect of going home if I couldn’t find another job here.’
‘Have you told your Mum? I bet she’s not quite as thrilled you’re staying on?’
Sarah reached for her wine and took a sip. Her relationship with her family was not one she’d elaborated on. Heather was really close to her mother and two brothers and visited them often.
‘I haven’t had a chance to phone them yet but I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.’ She was saved from further enquiry by a shout and scraping of furniture as it was aggressively thrust aside. All eyes swiveled to the corner of the pub.
A man held his forearm across the throat of another who he’d shoved hard against the wall. A redheaded woman stood nearby, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
‘The lady said she wasn’t interested,’ he growled at his captive. ‘Are you deaf or something?’
‘That’s enough.’ The security guard appeared and escorted the man with hearing difficulties outside.
A shiver of familiarity washed over Sarah and she found herself confronted by memories she wanted to forget, for the second time that day.
‘Well, that was a bit of excitement,’ said Heather, turning back to the table. ‘Sarah, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’
Her breath shuddered as she exhaled. ‘I feel like one is haunting me today.’
‘What do you mean?’ Concern washed over Heather’s face. ‘Did you know that guy?’ She gestured towards the area where the argument took place moments before.
She shook her head. ‘He just reminded me of someone else.’
Sarah was so used to keeping her heartbreak locked deep inside her. She’d mentioned she’d broken up with someone just before moving to London, keeping the details brief whenever Heather had queried her.
‘The guy from back home… Alan, Axel?’
Every emotion, thought and memory Sarah had worked so hard to push down threatened to erupt in an internal firestorm. They stampeded through her body in every direction, and she couldn't grab hold of a single one to make sense of what she was feeling. This was ridiculous. How was it possible that the mere thought of him could bring her undone?
‘Alex,’ she whispered in answer to Heather’s question.
Her roommate’s hand curled over her own. ‘He really did a number on you.’ Her tone was enquiring, but gentle. ‘You don’t talk about him very often.’
Today was supposed to be about celebrating her future, not wallowing in the past. A past she couldn’t change and just wanted to be free of once and for all. Ironically, the only person she’d ever trusted with her heart was Alex – and he smashed it to pieces.
‘There’s nothing to talk about. It’s over.’
