AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Estelle pushed open the door, seeing her dirty and battered Defender sitting on the gravel next to Elyse’s clean and pretty car. ‘Yeah, come on. Let’s get back to mine and I’ll put dinner on.’
Just after six, James’s Ferrari pulled up outside Estelle’s house with a throaty roar.
‘He’s here!’ Elyse called through from the living room.
Leaving the washing-up, Estelle dashed out of the kitchen, shaking water off her hands and drying them on her jeans.
Elyse was already wheeling her suitcase through the front door.
Outside, Chester and Joy were sitting obediently, their tails brushing the ground, their tongues lolling, and their eyes following James as he manhandled Elyse’s suitcase into the small boot.
‘You ready?’ he said to her.
She nodded, glancing between James and Estelle as if waiting to see how they would say goodbye.
A muscle twitched in James’s jaw.
Staying where she was in the doorway, Estelle raised a hand. ‘Safe travels.’
‘I’ll message you when we get there,’ James said. ‘We’ll head off now.’
He didn’t move. Estelle yearned to close the gap between them and let him know just how much she wanted him to stay.
The silence was becoming uncomfortable.
‘Okay!’ she said brightly. ‘You two go. I’ll get back to the dishes.’
Before either of them could reply, she closed the door and strode back to the kitchen.
You can still message him.
She picked up her phone.
Estelle: I’m going to miss you more than I want to admit
Estelle: And think of you even more
Two and a half hours later, Estelle saw that James had seen the messages.
He didn’t reply.
Putting on the Spice Girls, she channelled her hurt into cleaning the mess that was Elyse’s room. After throwing the bedclothes in the washing machine, Estelle got in a bath to soak, periodically checking her phone in case James had replied. What was he doing now?
Probably shagging Elyse.
Get over yourself!
Her heart was thumping painfully in her chest, full of emotion she didn’t want to express. No-one would know if she cried now. But if she took the lid off her tears, she could no longer deny how much of her heart she’d given to James.
Go to sleep.
Putting Chester and Joy to bed in the kitchen, she turned off the lights and went upstairs.
Lying in the darkness, she stared at the shadowy ceiling, the corners of her eyes liquid. She was exhausted, alone, and the prospect of the festival now filled her with dread.
I can’t do it.
You can. You’ve been fighting fires for the last ten years on your own. Different circus, same clowns.
