I am not playing happy families with Michael, not even for the sake of the girls. I figure if I agree to an ice cream with them all then it will get him out of my flat.
I turn on my heel and jump in the shower, letting the hot water run over me as I try to reclaim my patience with Michael. Then I sit on the bed in a towel and message Elias.
Have a wonderful day. Hope to see you soon xx
He messages back immediately.
I was thinking, there’s plenty of trains from Manchester to Swansea.How about I come down and visit? Shall we plan something when we speaklater? Xx
Although I had arranged a time when we could talk, it’s not looking likely with everyone hanging around. I need to get Michael and the girls out of earshot. As for Elias coming to Swansea, as much as I would love that, I can’t imagine the girls’ response if Elias comes down in the middle of them plotting to get their parents back together.
So, instead of doing what I want, I go out for an ice cream and watch the clock as Michael reminisces about anything he can think of as we stand on the beach with our 99s. When a gust of wind blows in Michael’s face, and he gets a mouthful of sand, it keeps him quiet for a moment. I try to look concerned as he splutters about. Looking at him being over-dramatic, I realise that any feelings between me and him are well and truly gone. He might think he can rekindle this relationship, but as I watch him with disdain, I realise that this ship has most certainly sailed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I make my excuses and leave everyone on the beach so that I can call Elias. The sound of his voice almost makes me want to cry when I finally get the chance to speak to him. The kind tone he has and the way he says my name has me melting from the moment he picks up. We chat about his trip home and what he is planning to do now he is back in Manchester. He is waiting for the insurance payout on the yacht to arrive and then he is thinking of going away again.
‘How do you fancy coming with me?’ he asks.
‘That sounds like a fabulous plan. I just need to…’ I realise I was going to say that I need to run it past my family, but that would go down like a lead balloon. I remind myself that Michael let me down in the most awful way and that my life is now mine to do whatever I choose. Somehow, though, I know the girls won’t accept that right now and will take some convincing. I don’t want to hurt them.
I refrain from telling Elias that Michael stayed over when he asks me what I did last night, and it feels stupidly unfaithful. I feel as though I am going behind Elias’s back, and that is the last thing I want to do. I want us to have a relationship that is out in the open. Free of any baggage as it should be, but now Michael and the girls have decided to play happy families as I finally take steps to create a new life.
A naughty thought crosses my mind of creating some kind of catfish account to trick Michael into messaging another woman. He has never been one to keep his concentration on anything for too long. It can be a sports car or a woman; if it gets his attention, then he will gladly turn his head. Just like a cat, he will go to whoever gives him the most, whether that’s food or attention.
‘Has everything been okay for you since you got back?’ asks Elias. I fear he can sense how distracted I am with everything going on here.
‘Yeah, yeah. Just miserable being back and remembering what a great time we had. Apart from that, it’s all hunky dory.’Hunky dory?
‘Great, so… I was thinking.Carpe diemand all that, how about I come and visit you this weekend? I checked the trains, and there’s a fast one around lunchtime. I could drive, I suppose, but there’s something about relaxing on a train. Getting a KitKat and a coffee and sitting back with a good book. Better than being stuck on the M5 on a Friday afternoon anyway.’
‘Oh, yes. Indeed.’
‘So, does that work for you if I get in around five-ish on Friday?’ asks Elias.
I think of the girls. Since it’s a study week, they will probably be here for the weekend, which means they’ll want me to pick them up wherever they go on Saturday night. It is far too soon to introduce them to Elias, especially now that they have it in their heads there is a chance that Michael and I could reunite. I will need to handle this carefully.
‘Umm, I’ll have to check,’ I say with a hint of regret, when all I want to say is how wonderful it would be to see him.
‘Yes, of course. I didn’t mean to spring it on you.’
‘Oh, it’s not that. It’s just…’
‘Have you changed your mind about us?’ asks Elias.
‘Oh, heavens. No, not at all. It’s just that… Things aren’t so easy since I’ve come back home.’
‘What do you mean? Are you busy with the book? I totally understand, you know.’
‘Yeah, the book… Look, how about you come next week instead. I’ll work all weekend and take time off next week. You could come on Monday for a few days?’
‘It means waiting a bit longer to see you, but as long as I can see you, that’s all I care about.’
‘Great. We’ll do Monday then.’
‘Monday it is. I’ll look forward to it.’
I manage a few thousand words on the book before the girls return. I hear them chatting outside the door before they put the key in, and I can already detect Michael’s voice among the chatter. I thought he would have at least dropped them off downstairs and finally gone home. I slam the lid of my laptop shut in despair.
