AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Petra.” I cut her off firmly. “It’s fine. You still live here, even if you’ve spent some time away. I’d love to have you back. I’ve… missed you.”
Silence.
“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered. Then, a pause, before she continued faintly, “It might still end up being just for one night. We need to talk when we’re in the Cotswolds. Properly. And decide what’s going to happen, going forward. Whether we’re staying together or splitting up. I need to know now.”
“We do need to talk. Petra…” I sighed. “There is something I need to tell you. When we’re there.”
“I gathered that from last night,” she said with a little chuckle. I could hear tears in her voice, though. “Is it a game changer?”
A brief pause while my mouth opened and shut.
“Yes,” I said eventually. “But I don’t know which way it’ll go. What you’ll want.”
“Okay,” she choked.
“Hey, don’t cry,” I whispered softly. “We’ll figure something out, okay?”
“I hope so,” she whispered back, and I heard her sniff. “I do love you, you know.”
“I’m working tomorrow morning, but you still have your key. Come back whenever. And I’ll see you when I get home.”
“Okay,” she whispered again, but her voice sounded more stable.
“Sleep well, Petra.”
I hung up, and let myself fall back on the bed, heart racing. Work wouldn’t be impressed by me dropping out of Saturday’s shift, but perhaps Laura could help smooth things over. I fired off a text to her and my line manager before I could forget, then reached down and pulled the suitcase out from under the bed. The last time it had been used was over a year ago. We really did need a break – a holiday break, not just a break from our relationship.
And the Cotswolds was the perfect place.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Petra was there when I arrived home, and it felt like she’d never been away. She was there when I walked through the door, and came into the living room to meet me.
“Well, hello there,” I said. Even in two days, I could see a difference in her. She looked softer. Lighter.
“I looked at the albums,” she said. “It worked, it really did. I feel… different. Like a tiny little flame has reignited in me. I want to try, Jean. I really do. But I want to know what it is you have to tell me before we say any more.”
The moment hung heavy between us, and I opened and closed my mouth several times before looking around at the living room.
“Not here,” I croaked. “Let’s just wait until we get there. Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night I’ll tell you. Okay?”
There was no way it was happening in this house. Not in this village, not even in the entirety of Cornwall. It had to happen away from here, I knew that now. That way, if it went completely horrifically badly, I’d never have to go back there again.
“Okay,” she sighed, clearly trying her hardest to be patient. “I’m just about to start packing. Do you want to come up and put your stuff in?”
It had always amused me how differently we packed for holidays. In this respect, we were polar opposites. I was strictly methodical. While she sat on the bed sifting through her sock drawer, I selected underwear, two tops for the daytime, one to change into for the evening, a pair of jeans, my toiletries and my walking boots. Each item had its place in my half of the suitcase, and fitted like a game of Tetris. Petra, on the other hand, crammed armfuls of stuff in haphazardly, and it soon spilled over into my section. I finished way before her, and watched her pack with barely-concealed mirth.
“Petra, you’re not going to need four pairs of knickers for one night,” I said as she was considering a fifth pair.
“But what if I piss myself?” Her tone was mournful as she stared at the suitcase.
“What, four times? When have you ever pissed yourself? And if you work by that logic, surely you’d need four pairs of trousers too? Or four skirts?”
“What if my period starts, though?”
“It’s just finished!”
“Nail varnish remover,” she muttered, scrambling to her feet again.
