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I bite back telling him I don’t feel safe here, because I have visions of him charging back from the States to look after me. Following a couple of weeks on tour, and wrapped in cotton wool by security teams, I suddenly feel exposed. I haven’t told him about the emails from Lily either, and I hope her messages are a rant of disgust and not the start of something.
“I’m okay.”
“Liar.” He huffs. “I wish I was there for you.”
“Of course, I wish you were here, Dylan, but this isn’t long.”
“I love you, summer Sky. I couldn’t sleep last night.”
I tense. “Promise me you won’t start taking anything. Not when you’ve left the medication alone.”
“Nope, I’ll just cover myself in your strawberry body wash and imagine I’m covered in you,” he says in a low tone.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
God, I want to be with this man. I woke up cold this morning, realising how I’m used to waking in his arms. The microwave beeps.
“I’ll talk to you later?” I ask him.
“Sure thing. Enjoy your curry and don’t drop it on the floor,” he teases.
“How do you know I’m eating curry tonight?”
“Because I know you.”
We end the call and I hold the phone to my chest, summoning images of Dylan into my mind to calm the anxiety over Tara.
Attempting to watch TV and eat, my mind remains full of images of Tara in the hospital bed so I open my laptop. Maybe if I wrote instead, immersed myself in a different world, I won’t worry about either.
I read a couple of emails, one from my older brother, asking if I’ll visit him as I’m in the States. I reply, telling him the news. We were all close, attended the same school, and teen parties. I hope Tara’s situation doesn’t hit him as hard as me.
As I scroll through my messages, my heart seizes. Lily Parker. Again. This one was sent half an hour ago. And this one I decide to open.
If you’re back in England, I need to see you. What did he do to you?
Unease prickles across my scalp. My original fear she was a crazed fan doesn’t seem far off the mark. I believe and trust Dylan now—I’m uncomfortable with his behaviour but nothing in the Dylan he is now threatens my trust. Why is she doing this?
I don’t reply.
