Luckily, I’m feeling so rough right now that my libido has well and truly deserted me. I couldn’t feel less horny. But I could feel less… attached. I know. It’s not great. But the memory of being wrapped up in his body this morning, of waking up with him, and of the profound sense of wellbeing it gave me? Well, that’s not something I can brush off easily.
We get back to mine. My cramping has grown steadily worse, and I clutch my stomach as Mara and I walk up the steps to my front door. I can feel a hint of dampness in my knickers. Thankfully, there are no paps loitering this evening. Not that I can see, anyway.
‘Is Nora home?’ Mara asks.
The lights are on. ‘Looks like it.’
‘I’ll come in with you. I want to make sure she keeps an eye on you.’
I wave her away. ‘I’ll be fine.’
She tuts. ‘Nice try, missy, but no way.’
Nora’s on the sofa, reading with Olive on her lap, but Olive hurls herself off and throws herself at me, leaping and twisting her little body in a frenzy of love and excitement. I grimace as I bend over to pick her up and kiss her little face, her tiny tongue darting all over me.
‘Hi girls,’ I say weakly.
‘Keep an eye on this one for me?’ Mara gestures my way.
Nora takes one look at me and bounds off the sofa. ‘Crap. You okay? You look like shit.’
‘I rubbed my eye makeup off. My eyes are giving me grief.’ I move slowly through the hallway. ‘I’m going to spend some quality time on the loo. Night, Mara. Thanks and sorry for fucking up.’
‘It’s nothing I’m not used to,’ Mara says gruffly as she hugs me goodbye and heads back out.
Nora pads down the hall after me.
‘Do you need help? What can I do?’
She’s well versed in my flare-ups.
‘A hydration drink would be great. And a heat pad? Thanks, Nor.’
I shut the bathroom door between us and pull down my pants. Sure enough, there are already some spots of blood. Holy fuck, that was a close call. I peel them off completely and sink down onto the loo, my head in my hands, as my angry, inflamed bowels begin their purge.
CHAPTER 40
Josh
‘Why aren’t we shooting the dinner scene today?’
I consult the side in my hand. Elle and I were supposed to be shooting together today, but according to the side, I’m doing a short scene with Nick. Which I have not run my lines for.
Alyssa rubs her head distractedly and hesitates. ‘Elle’s ill. She won’t be back for a few days.’
What the fuck? ‘A fewdays? Is she okay? What’s up with her?’
I haven’t heard from her since she kicked me out of her room yesterday morning. I’ve sent her a few WhatsApps andnada. I know she was pissed at me, but I was hoping she’d cool off in London and be more amenable to me by last night.
‘She had a bad flare-up.’ Alyssa puts her hand on my arm as if in sympathy. ‘She’s in hospital, from what I understand. They admitted her in the early hours.’
Hospital?Hospital?Oh my fucking… ‘A flare-up? What kind of flare-up? What the fucking hell is wrong with her?’
She stares at me. ‘You don’t know? About her…’ She makes a circular motion around her stomach area with her finger.
‘No. About herwhat?’
‘My mistake. I just assumed—I can’t divulge any medical information. I’m sorry Josh.’
