“Well, we’re in a ballroom. We could dance.” He spun me, catching me off guard. Alfie had been catching me off guard since the moment we met. He moved us in a gentle waltz.
“Are you trying to take my mind off everything again?”
“How’s it working?”
“Not bad. How’s your mind?”
“Murderous. You don’t need to worry about that.” His phone rang, interrupting us. He practically growled in frustration. “What?” He snapped at whoever was on the phone. I could hear Elliot's voice and in his garbled message I heard one word. Adam.
Alfie closed his eyes, his jaw clenched together.
He hung up the phone. “A story will be leaked tonight about you and Adam. His harassment of you and the question mark over his death.”
I buried my face in his chest. “It just keeps coming. One wave after another. Maia thinks it’s Julia, or your mother.”
“If it is, I’m not going near them until I have proof. Elliot wants to wait another twenty four hours to see if they’ll make demands.”
“If they don’t?” I asked. What did that mean for us?
“If they don’t, then there isn’t much reason for me to hold back.”
Thirty-One
Istirred in bed, reaching out for Alfie. As usual these days, he was gone already. Between this drama and whatever he had going on at work that he wasn’t telling me about, I didn’t know how he found time to sleep.
I reached for my phone, then thought better of it. I didn’t need to read whatever bullshit articles had been posted overnight. It was best if I just stayed in my own little bubble today.
I climbed out of bed and stretched. I smiled when I noticed a gift on the small tea table by the window. It was a Calathea. An Eternal Flame. With dark, almost purple, leaves and bright orange flowers almost the colour of my hair.
Alfie.
As I stroked the delicate foliage of this beautiful plant, I drew in a deep breath.
We would get through this. I looked up, staring at the decorated ceiling. The feeling of ‘home’ that I’d felt the night before on the roof top came back to me. I didn’t want to leave Harrington. There was a safety about this place. As if I was untouchable here. This felt like Alfie’s home. A place he’d boughtthat went against his fathers cold aesthetic. There was history here, life here. Stories. Every window showed me green beauty.
Speaking of green beauty, I had a project to finish.
Twenty minutes later, my hair was up in a pony tail. I gave my most comfortable jeans a sniff and decided they could make it another day. I stepped out into the glorious sunshine and headed across the grounds.
I found Sid in our work tent, reviewing the plans for our final structure; the fairytale tower. I didn’t know if it was the thrill of knowing I’d almost completed a challenge I’d been worrying about for months, or if I was just trying to distract myself from everything happening in my personal life, but either way, Sid seemed extra impressed with my work ethic today. Over the course of the day we erected the ten foot tall structure and got the wiring into place for our plants to attach onto. By the end of the day, we had a skeletal view of what our final sculpture was going to be.
Tuesday passed, Wednesday too and Thursday night I allowed Keira to persuade me to have a facetime dinner date with her, though for her it was more like lunch. My dinner dates were usually with Alfie but tonight he was busy, just like the night before. I told myself it was work, it was the stress of figuring out who was harassing us.
I had avoided social media like a plague, not wanting to see the lies being written about Adam and I, about Angie. I didn’t need that noise and there was nothing I could do about it. So, for an hour, I was going to hang out with my best friend. Well, virtually anyway.
Keira’s bright face filled the screen of my laptop, the backdrop of fabrics and a mannequin taking up the space behind her in her tiny office. I sat on the floor, my plate and laptop propped up on the coffee table. She ate sushi like a pro while I tucked into bangers and mash.
I sat there, soaking in every word out of my best friend's mouth. The excitement of theatre production, the drama from the actors, her love of the city.
“I’m beginning to think New York might be your permanent home, hun,” I said around a mouthful of mashed potato.
“I do love it. Everything is so fast-paced, there’s something new everyday all the time. It’s impossible to get bored here.” She was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. “When will you come visit? I miss you.”
“I’ll steal Alfie’s jet and come after Natalie’s wedding.”
“Promise? Really?”
I’d meant it as a joke but she had such hope in her face that I couldn’t tell her that. Besides, why couldn’t I go and visit her? I’d have a break from work and Alfie had said I could use his plane.Ourplane. I had to stop thinking of everything as his.
