I knew why he was here. I wished he wasn’t.
“To bring you home. I know you don’t want to be doing this. You need the money for your mum – I can help with that, Wren. You don’t need to be doing this.” His expression softened and I felt a twinge of guilt. His intentions were never bad; he just didn’t see the path to take.
“Did you see the video of me operating on the rhino?”
“What?”
“Did you see it?”
“Yes, one of my colleagues showed it me. It was a bit embarrassing really…”
“I thought it was amazing.”
I snapped my head round as soon as Callum started speaking and shook my head, hoping he would take the hint and leave me to deal with this.
“How many people do you know who can operate like that in the wild? Save a life?” Callum thankfully kept his voice quiet. No one else was paying us any attention.
I looked to the ceiling and prayed to whatever deity might be around to intervene. Hell, I’d take a bolt of lightning right now.
“Matt, I’m getting on a plane to Botswana in about two hours and I need to check in.” Please let him not get into any more detail, please. Although given the guy had just had at least a fifteen hour journey getting here I doubted it was going to happen.
He looked almost sad. “Wren, I really want you to come home. I can give you whatever you want.” The sad changed to lost.
My heart twinged. “You remember when I said we were over?”
He nodded.
“That was what I meant. I don’t want us to be in a relationship any more. I’m sorry, you’re a good guy, but we aren’t going to work.”
“Because of him?” He pointed at Callum.
I looked to the ceiling again. This was not helpful. Callum was unpredictable. He would possibly just step away and leave me to it – he’d never been possessive or jealous of anyone I’d seen him with, but I hadn’t expected him to get involved with this.
“No. Because I didn’t want to be in a relationship with you anymore and I was too much of a coward to call it off to your face before I left. I’m sorry. What we had wasn’t working for me.”
“Let me try again.”
I shook my head. “No, Matt. Once I’ve made my mind up, that’s it. I don’t want to be with you.”
He looked at his feet, then at me, then away.
I felt like a shit.
“What can I do to make you change your mind?”
“You can’t. And I really need to check in my luggage.” I wanted to ask where he’d stayed; why on earth he’d spent all this money to come out here; why he was so arrogant he couldn’t accept what I’d told him on the phone.
“I just want another chance. Can you delay your flight so we can talk?” He wasn’t for letting this drop.
I shook my head. “No. We have a schedule to stick to. First thing in the morning we’re heading out to an elephant sanctuary.” It was one of the highlights for me in the upcoming week, to work with the elephants under the African sun. “Matt, I don’t understand why you’ve come out all this way; taken the time out of work. You knew it was over.”
“Please, Wren.”
I don’t think he’d ever said please about anything.
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at Callum. “Are you seeing him?”
