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“Hello, Lara,” Bella says as Sophie gives me the evil eye.Yeah, she knows I asked to swap shift patterns.
“Hey, guys,” I say, pretending not to be so gloomy.
“Did Mallory get off okay yesterday?” Bella asks.
“Yes.” I smile sadly, holding back as much emotion as possible.
“Aww, don’t be sad. Christmas isn’t that far away,” Bella says, pulling me into a hug.
“I’ll be okay.” I bat back the tears threatening to leak out of my eyes.
“I knew this wasn’t going to end well,” Sophie says.
“Thanks for the support,” I say.
Sophie looks down at the floor. “I’m sorry. I should have been more supportive even if I knew what was going to happen.”
I take a big breath and shake off Sophie’s comment. “I’m heading out. I’ll see you both tomorrow night.”
Joel meets me at the door. We put on our coats and head out. “You should’ve said your friend had left,” he says as we walk down the path.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been good company today. I didn’t want to talk about Mallory, to be honest. That’s why I didn’t mention it.”
“That’s fair.”
“Enjoy your evening,” I say.
“You too.”
I get in my car and head home. When I arrive, Mr Hatta is in the garden talking loudly about birds. I wave, not wanting to be rude like yesterday, and he gives a thumbs up. I’ve no idea what that’s supposed to mean, but I try not to overthink it.
Unlocking my front door, I go inside, expecting to be greeted by my hungry cat. There’s an empty can of food on the side, and Moggy’s nowhere to be seen. I rub my eyes. Maybe I’m over-tired and forgot to move the rubbish this morning. I potter around the kitchen and make a sandwich for my tea, which I leave on the kitchen table for after my shower. I take a bite before heading into the living room. There are rose petals and candles scattered all around the room. My heart starts to pound.
I follow the trail up into the bathroom, where a romantic bath has been prepared. There’s a glass of wine and a book on the side. Turning my back on the treat, I go into the bedroom, where I find Mal stark naked on the bed.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“You’re supposed to be enjoying the bath first,” she says, arching an eyebrow.
My heart starts to beat wildly in my chest. “As if I’d get in the bath knowing someone was in my house. What are you doing here?”
“Good point, but hopefully you find my gesture endearing. I had to come back. I couldn’t let the love of my life slip away.” She sits up.
“Does that mean you’re staying here?” I take a step toward her, feeling light-headed. Is this real? Is she here because she couldn’t stay away?
“It means I’m going to figure out how we can make this work.” She smiles softly.
“What about the magazine?” I need more confirmation before I leap into her arms.
“Nothing is as important as you.”
Wow. She really does want me more than anything. Happy tears stream down my cheeks. I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I lean in and kiss her. “Do you mean that?”
“Always.”
That’s all the confirmation I need, and I’m ready to risk my heart to be with her. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She leads me to the bathroom, and instead of me taking care of her, she repays the favour. Our future is unknown, and maybe it’s going to be hard, but the one thing I do know is if she’s willing to risk it all for me, I’m willing to meet her halfway.
THE END
