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Jack, it’s me, Mel,she’d started, stunning me into silence even though deep down, I knew it was going to be her when I answered.I don’t know why you’re ignoring me, but you’ve left me no other option. I’m coming to see you. There are things you need to know, things…
It was at that point that I’d hung up, too shocked to say anything, too freaked out to possibly believe it was true.
Could she really be coming here?
Although I’d acted like it was nothing, just an automated call from some warranty company or whatever, I could tell Lu didn’t buy it. But I hadn’t said anything more and instead, fired off a quick email to my parents as soon as I’d woken up this morning, asking them exactly what they’d said to Mel when she contacted them. I still hadn’t received a reply and so I had no idea what or how much they’d told her. They knew we’d broken up, they knew the reasons why, but fuck knows what Mel had said to them. Had she made up some bullshit that somehow convinced them she needed to see me and so they’d told her exactly where I was.
“Fuck,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand down my face in frustration.
Mel showing up here is the absolute last thing I need, and I knew, no matter what she had to say to me, nothing was going to change my mind about her or what had happened between us.
A repetitive ringing noise is what drags me from sleep and when I force my eyes open, I can see it’s now daylight. It feels like I’ve been asleep for about five minutes and it takes me a second or two to realize what it is that’s woken me.
By the time I put two and two together, the ringing has stopped. Reaching for my phone, I see the sameunknown numbermessage on my screen, signifying the missed call that I know has to have been from Mel.
I’m grateful Lu is in the shower, the sound of running water drifting through the closed door of her bathroom.
The phone rings again and I almost drop it in shock, fumbling a little as I quickly move to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Jack,” comes my name, a long exhale telling me she’s relieved I’ve answered this time.
“What do you want, Mel?” I ask, not bothering with a hello. “Why the fuck do you keep calling me?”
“Because you won’t respond to my messages,” she says, as though it’s obvious. “You didn’t even tell me…”
“I thought I’d made it abundantly clear I didn’t ever want to speak to you again,” I say, cutting her off. “I don’t care what you have to tell me, Mel and I sure as shit don’t want to see you.”
“But, Jack,” she says, her voice pleading. “I need…”
“No,” I say, cutting her off again. “I don’t give a fuck about what you think you need. You and I are over, so please, stop calling me.”
“I…”
I hang up, just as the shower cuts off. My heart is pounding in my chest as I flick my phone to silent in case Mel still doesn’t get the message and decides to call again. Guilt flashes through me at the secret I know I’m keeping from Lu, at how much it will hurt her if she ever finds out. Fuck, I can’t even imagine what would happen if Mel does show up here and Lu discovers that I knew it was a possibility.
“Hey, sleepy,” she says, smiling as she opens the door and walks into her bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body.
“Hey,” I say, dropping my phone on the bed as I reach a hand to her.
Lu takes my hand in hers, sitting beside me as she leans in and kisses me. “You okay?” she asks. “You don’t look so good.”
I shrug. “I’m okay,” I tell her, offering a small smile. “Just didn’t sleep that well last night.”
It’s not a lie. Not exactly.
Lu returns the smile, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips again. “Why don’t you stay in bed,” she whispers against my mouth. “Try and get some more sleep?”
I slip my other hand into her hair, holding her against me. “I’ll stay if you stay,” I whisper, brushing my lips against hers.
She sighs, squeezing my hand. “I don’t think you’d get much sleep if I stayed,” she says.
“But it would be fun,” I offer, kissing the corner of her mouth.
Lu pulls back, offering me an apologetic smile. “It would,” she agrees. “But I can’t. With Ellen away, I’ve got to…” she trails off as I sit up to face her, cupping her jaw in my hands.
“It’s okay, Lu. I get it, seriously.”
