Page 21 of A Summer of New Beginnings
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Tears streamed down her face as she turned and walked back in the direction of the Tube station. Thankfully the heavy downpour went some way to disguising her heartbreak.
‘Zara! Stop!’ a familiar voice called from behind her. ‘Please! Let me explain!’ She ignored Josh’s pleas and kept walking, head down against the torrent. There was nothing to explain. He was a cheating, lying bastard. Endof. He’d lied about having a son – or, rather, he’d lied by omission about that – and he’d lied about wanting a future with her. How the hell could she trust him now regardless of whatever stupid excuse he chose to present?
Eventually he caught up with her, grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. ‘Zara, please—’
‘Please what, Josh? Please forgive you for kissing your ex? Or for not tellingme about your son? Or for forgetting to tell me you’re still in love with his mother?’
Josh swiped his wet hair from his forehead. ‘I didn’t mean for this to happen. Honestly… I…’
With a trembling lip Zara asked, ‘Was what I just witnessed theonlything that’s happened between you since she’s been back?’
He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. ‘Zara, please—’
‘I’ll take that as a nothen, shall I?’
‘Please just come back to the flat. Let me explain. It’s all so damned complicated. There’s history and then there’s Caleb.’
Her heart squeezed in her chest at what was happening. They only had a year of history but it had been the best year of her life and all she wanted was more of it. More of him – especially his heart, seeing as he had hers. But, like the rain, her dreamsof a future with the man she loved were also falling to the ground round her feet, only to be stepped on and washed away.
‘There’s nothing to explain, Josh. I get it. I loved you with all my heart. But you never felt the same. If you had this wouldn’t have happened. But do you know what hurts the most? It’s that you could have just been honest and told me we were over. Yes, it would’ve stillhurt like hell, but it would have saved me this humiliation.’
He stepped towards her and cupped her cheek in his palm. ‘Don’t leave like this, Zara, please. Let’s just talk.’
She shook her head. ‘No. You had a chance to talk and chose not to take it. Please don’t try to contact me again, Josh. Goodbye.’ And with her final words she turned and walked towards the station. The fight was gone fromher. The rain couldn’t soak her any more than it already had and she was past caring about how she looked. She just wanted to go home and be with people who actually cared for her. At least she had that chance.
