“Now things are different, I know.” He wipes my tears with his thumb from across the table. “That letter confirms you’re the most important person in my life. But I’m in the middle here. I can’t stand to see you so low, and my best mate is thousands of miles away from home, feeling exactly the same. It’s bloody stupid when this is making you both so unhappy.”
I chew my bottom lip, my focus squarely on the condiments in the middle of the table. I don’t know where to go from here.
“You know he wanted to come and see you, but I stopped him. Instead, we spent the night in a pub, getting pissed. Surely you can see past all this shit. He’s as devastated as you, Calla.”
I stop playing with the cutlery in front of me and focus directly into Scott’s grey eyes. “You’ve seen him? But he said he wouldn’t get back home before the tour started.”
“They had two days off between rehearsals. It was a flying visit to check on his mum and try to make things up with you. I didn’t think it was a good idea. You were still so mad.” There’s a silence, then Scott says, “He can’t understand why you won’t take his calls.”
“Because there’s nothing more to say.” I hold back the tears threatening to spill again.
Scott’s hand lays over mine. “Will you at least think about hearing him out? Please, Calla?”
I roll my eyes. “What’s the point. The damage is done.”
“It’s only done if you say so. Believe me, he’s in a bad way out there.”
I don’t get any pleasure out of knowing Ash is hurting too, in fact, I take a sharp breath inwards to curb the pain inmy chest. “Please, let’s just have a nice lunch together. We’re supposed to be celebrating our family ties here.” I force a tight-lipped smile.
Scott raises a brow. “Okay, but I’m going to say one last thing on the subject.”
“Okay.”
“You won’t like it.”
“Then don’t say it.”
“But I have to. I think you need to hear it.”
“Fine. Get it out of your system.”
“Alright, then. I think you’re overreacting. The way you’re treating Ash is way over the top. You need to pull yourself together and take this for what it is. A misunderstanding.”
I fall silent and look at the food placed in front of me.
“Sorry to be so harsh, but you need to face facts. You could solve this issue if you really wanted to.”
I carry on staring at my food until Scott says, “You’ve gone all quiet and odd. I didn’t mean to be nasty; I just want you to realise it’s easy to sit there and pass judgement when you could give Ash the benefit of the doubt.”
I sigh. “Why are you so sure he’s telling the truth?”
“Because Ash is my friend, he wouldn’t lie to me, just as he wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Look, Scott, I appreciate how much you care about him as well as me.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
“I know you are.” I don’t know what else to say. “I can’t help the way I feel.”
“Then there’s nothing more I can do. The only thing I can offer is help if you need me.”
“Thank you,” I say, squeezing his hand briefly from across the table.
I sigh out a breath just as the waitress stops to ask if everything is okay with our food. Although I haven’t started eating yet, I glance up to say, “Lovely, thank you,” to find her blatantly ogling Scott. She must realise I catch her because she turns a bright shade of red, smiles and leaves. I giggle but don’t mention it to Scott who clearly didn’t notice. “Anyway, enough of me, how about you? Anything major happening?”
Scott swallows his mouthful of salad so hard; I notice his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “Um...” he swallows again. “Actually, I do have some news.”
“Oh?” I say, idly chasing a tomato across my plate.
