Page 92 of When The Night Falls

In June? He planned to avoid me until June? My heart shrieked at the idea.

‘June?’ I echoed stupidly.

He didn’t respond. He merely opened the door and walked out.

‘William, I’m sorry,’ I said just before he shut door between us. He met my eyes through the gap, and the view burned into my memory as one of the more painful things I had experienced. Then he closed it.

I stood perfectly still, staring at the door with tears coursing down my face. But they were silent tears. Not so much as a sob escaped me.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, but eventually I found the strength to lock the door and return to my bedroom. For all I knew, Jason could have woken up and heard us. If he had, I would have a lot of explaining to do, and I dreaded it. But when I entered my room, I found him comatose in my bed, dead to the world.

I lay down beside him and stared up at the ceiling, trepidatious about what the future might hold. Would William truly avoid me until June or was it just something he had said because he was drunk and emotional? I hoped with all my heart that he hadn’t meant it. If he was that cross with me, I couldn’t imagine that my placement at Day & Night would be a good experience.

My face contorted and I stifled a sob. This was exactly what I had feared; this was exactly why getting romantically involved with him was a terrible idea. If things ended on a bad note between us, like they had now, it would undoubtedly create a hostile work environment for me. I would be miserable and demotivated, working under the leadership of a man who couldn’t stand me.

To make it worse, it could also affect my friendship with Jason. What if William, out of spite, decided to tell him about our past? And that I had wounded him badly? Would Jason cut me off for William’s sake? Was our friendship that fragile?

I turned my head and saw only the vague silhouette of Jason’s figure beside me. I didn’t think our friendship could break so easily, but then I had also witnessed first-hand how close he was with his brother.

I wiped my cheeks and tried to tell myself that it was useless to worry about things that might not happen, that I should cross that bridge when I came to it, but it was easier said than done. I hoped desperately that William would move on and forgive me, that when I finally started work, we would treat each other professionally, our past forgotten.

Strangling another sob, I turned onto my side and stared into the darkness, shaking. Had I known things would turn out like this, I would never have gone with Olivia to that bar. I would never have succumbed to those spellbinding blue eyes or that enchanting, crooked smile. I would have been blissfully unaware instead, as I missed out on the most captivating man I had ever met. Then June would have come and I would only have fantasised about knowing him so intimately, not actually experienced it.

If only I hadn’t gone with Olivia to that bar . . .

PART II

10 June 2019

15 | codes

It was odd how having a degree to my name suddenly made me feel much older than I was. Wherever had my teens gone? I missed them. They had been such carefree days. All I thought about now was my career and how to advance it. At the moment, the way to do that was by showing up for my first day at one of the top City law firms, being Day & Night LLP, for my work experience placement.

I had woken up at six to prepare for it. I knew I would be shadowing none other than William for the span of the next three months, so I had been trepidatious while I completed my morning rituals and cooked breakfast for Jason and myself.

I hadn’t encountered William since he had brought Jason home after poker night, and he hadn’t sent me any messages either. I had frequently questioned if I had made the right choice, but upon receiving my exam scores back, I had been reassured. The exam that had suffered the most was Commercial Law, which was when my trouble with William had been at its peak.

To be as ready as possible for my first day, I had decided what to wear last night – a pastel blue pencil skirt with a white silk blouse to go with it. Low, white heels completed the outfit as I made my way through the revolving entrance door of the huge Day & Night building on Cannon Street.

At the reception sat a lady, brown hair tied into a bun atop her head. I halted before her pale marble desk, which was decorated with beautiful flower arrangements, and met her eyes. There wasn’t a trace of a wrinkle on her face, though I suspected she was in her early forties from the experienced gleam in her eye.

‘Hello, Miss,’ she greeted. ‘How can I help you?’ She smiled up at me, baring white teeth behind rosy lips.

I swallowed nervously. ‘I’m Cara Jane Darby, a new trainee.’

Nodding, she typed on her desktop Mac. Then she pressed the hands-free device attached to her small ear. A silver earring flattered the lobe of it. She had an excellent taste in jewellery. She presented herself as positively elegant.

‘Hello, Ellie, it’s Debbie. Miss Cara Jane Darby just arrived.’ She paused, listening, and then nodded. ‘I’ll let her know. Thank you.’ Hanging up, she smiled at me again.

‘Elisabeth will be down in a moment, Miss Darby. Would you like any refreshments while you wait? A cup of tea, or perhaps some coffee?’

My eyes widened. Did I look like I needed refreshments? At once, I stifled my self-conscious thoughts. What was I thinking? She was only being accommodating, which I was certain was part of her job. Hold it together, I told myself, but I was extremely nervous about seeing William again.

‘I’m all right, thank you.’ I indicated with my hand a group of contemporary white armchairs at the far end of the lobby. ‘I’ll wait over there.’ I went over to them.

I had just sat down when Ellie’s round figure exited the lift and approached the security gates. While scanning her card, she gave me that enchanting smile of hers, and I was amused I still remembered the beauty of it.

‘Hi, Cara,’ she greeted excitedly. ‘How are you?’

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