Page 36 of Stanton Unconditional

An hour and a half later, I leave the steamy bathroom to find the girls all lying on my lounge watching True Blood. The girls are filling Mum in on the storyline, which she doesn’t seem to be getting. Hmm. I walk past them in silence and into my kitchen to make a cup of tea. Shit, I don’t have any bloody milk. I open the fridge to find it stocked with groceries.

“Who went shopping?” I yell from the kitchen.

“I did,” yells Abbie.

“Thanks,” I reply flatly.

“Does that get me out of the bad books?” she yells again.

I narrow my eyes. “Just,” I snap. “Does anyone want coffee?” I ask.

“Yes, I do. Milky Milo actually,” calls Bridget.

“Can I have one of those Latte Sachet thingies?”

Abbie yells. “I want a chai latte, or do you have any lemon tea?”

I roll my eyes. “Fuck off, this isn’t a cafe. I’m serving coffee, plain fucking coffee! If you don’t like it leave.”

I hear them all giggle. Bitches.

Ten minutes later, I walk into the lounge room with a tray of coffees, they all take them in silence and smile.

The thing is, I know that they know that I’m a donkey on the edge. But what they don’t know is that I am so on the edge, I don’t even care anymore. Anyone who messes with me tonight is going down.

“Where’s Max?” I ask.

“We gave him the night off to go and see his girlfriend. We are going to stay with you for a couple of days.”

I roll my eyes. “Can you keep your Joshua sleazebag loving

mouths shut?”

They all stifle a smile and nod.

“Good, then fast forward it to the Alcide bits. Only Jo Manganiello can get me out of this funk. And nobody talk, I’m not in the mood to listen to your shit.”

The three of them exchange small smiles and lie back in comfortable silence.

I wake to the sound of the jug boiling and Mum talking to Max, toaster popping, and Bridget and Abbie talking about some boring subject on a way too high decibel. I blow out a breath. How is it that the rest of the world is just carrying on as normal when my world is literally crashing around my feet? I feel different today…I’m angry. So angry, at myself mostly. I am a psychologist, and I ignored every warning sign. Went against everything I preach in order to hold a man that was never actually mine to hold. I was totally delusional. Joshua Stanton is not my happy ending; he is not my soul- mate as I once previously thought. What a load of shit that term is…soulmate. I don’t even believe in that word anymore.

He has brought me nothing but heartbreak and you know

what? It’s time to grow up and get on with it. I need to pick myself up and dust myself off. My heart is safe as long as I am away from him… so that’s how I am going to keep it. I’m done. I get up and walk out into the lounge room.

“Hi love, how are you today?” asks Mum

I smile. “Better. Max, you don’t need to guard me anymore. Joshua and I are finished so I am not in danger of being stabbed or something equally ridiculous. I’m going to the gym. Go back to your girlfriend’s house,” I announce confidently.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Natasha, I am not leaving you unaccompanied until I get the go ahead, so you can forget the spoilt brat routine. I’m not copping it,” he snaps.

Abbie bites her lip to stifle a smile. “You should use that as a pickup line, Max. It sounded totally hot.”

He shakes his head in frustration. “I agree actually, Abbs.” Mum laughs.

“God…you girls are ridiculous,” he sighs.

Two hours later, we have been to the gym. Max worked out with me so that was…different. I want to call into work to pick up my laptop. I have some patient notes to go over before the court case I am going to next week.