Page 25 of Only You

Her parent’s home had been functional. The house had been large, with sprawling grounds, a sweeping driveway, and imposing gates. Her father had liked to advertise his success to everyone and anyone. The inside had been like a show home. Not a thing could be out of place. Like his daughter, everything had to be perfect. Even Ana’s room had, had little character. It was a neutral colour, and everything had its place. He removed anything that didn’t fit. Ana’s love for textiles and design had come from spending hours drawing pictures of how she would decorate and stage her bedroom. At nine, she had made the mistake of showing him one of her mood boards and room design. She had never seen him so mad; he had thrown himself into a frenzy, telling her she had wasted valuable time when she could have been working. He had grounded her for a month and destroyed the pictures she had made. That was what had hurt Ana the most. Being grounded made no difference. It was not like she had any friends to go out with, anyway. She could never have birthday parties or go on play dates, so it hadn’t taken long for the other children to exclude her. The lack of Internet privilege had hurt. It was her only contact with the outside world and she spent hours scanning fashions, magazines and celebrity websites to see their clothes but also their homes. Ana, however, carefully locked up and hid her passion so she would never make the same mistake again. It had been six months after that they had shipped her off to boarding school. It didn’t matter what her room looked like after that; she wasn’t home long enough to worry.

Ana pulled herself back into the present. The question now was, what was she going to do? Andrew had been kind enough to come to her rescue, but she hadn’t given him much choice and she didn’t want to become an unwanted guest. The flat she rented might not be a palace, but it was cheap and convenient for the university. She knew after last night there was no way she could go back. She had not wanted to face James on a good day. Having thrown scolding hot coffee all over him, whether or not he deserved it, it was going to make their living together implausible. The additional fact he was over-friendly and handsy added weight to the argument. Next time, she might not be lucky enough to be holding a hot cup of coffee.

Ana opened her eyes, she stared at the beautiful room she was occupying. It had high ceilings and the curtains that covered the windows were thick and satiny. She was lying on a king-sized bed.

Throwing back the covers, Ana climbed out. Although she couldn’t help running her hands over the sheets before she left. She had never slept on cotton that felt as smooth as silk before; the thread counts higher than her daily step count. Andrew had given her an old t-shirt to sleep in before he had left her. Pulling it down, she made her way into the connecting bathroom. Even the en-suite was beautiful, with its large walk-in shower and his and her sinks. Ana stared at herself in the mirror before sweeping her tangled mass of dark brown hair away from her face. She thanked her lucky stars that her hair was poker straight, which meant after a few sweeps of her fingers, it was back under control. Returning it to its tie, she splashed cold water on her face and headed for the shower. She needed to get freshened up and get out of Andrew’s house, so she could think straight and get some perspective. It was too easy to dream about living there. She knew she’d have to find somewhere else to stay, even if that meant a hostel for a few nights. She’d could scan on-line ads in her free periods today and see what was available on the market. Luckily Andrew had given her until the weekend to sort herself out.

After a long, hot, andpeacefulshower, Ana got dressed in yesterday’s clothes and made her way downstairs. Andrew had left her a note on the kitchen island.

Good morning, Ana.

I hope you slept well. Help yourself to anything in the fridge and cupboards.

I’ve left you a set of keys and some cash. I know you left your purse last night and so you will need money for the Tube.

I’m picking Olivia up at six from after-school club. We will be home shortly after and can have some dinner.

See you later.

Andrew

Ana’s heart stuttered as she read and reread Andrew’s note. He said he looked forward to seeing her again that evening and that Olivia would be with him, so she would get the chance to meet her niece. Ana looked at the money, and her heart swelled at his thoughtfulness. She wouldn’t be too proud to accept his help, but she would repay him as soon as she had retrieved her purse. Ana realised Andrew was a kind human-being. It was not every day a virtual stranger rocked up on your doorstep and begged for help. Yes, she might be his sister-in-law, but he barely knew her. He could be trusting the wrong person. She could empty his house, and he gave her the keys to do it. Not that she would, but trust was not something that came easily to Ana. She had never had the chance to build that kind of relationship with others. She knew she kept others at arm’s length. It had always been easier that way. Less of a chance someone could hurt her if she didn’t let them in.

Ana grabbed the keys and left the house. She’d grab something to eat when she reached university rather than take more than she already had. She was meeting George and Millie in the textiles’ room as they were going to start the practical part of their project. It was still early, and although it would take her longer to get to the university today, she knew she would still have plenty of time. For this, Ana was grateful. Apart from chatting, they’d spent a fair bit of their time over the past week in the canteen, planning their project, so for all intents and purposes, they were ahead.

Chapter Fifteen

Ana

“Wow!”

Ana jumped at the sound of Millie’s voice as she entered the empty room. “Someone got lucky last night.” George patted Millie’s arm, and Ana felt herself blush to the roots of her hair.

Millie’s eyes got wider. “You did?” she asked her expression one of shock and awe.

“Leave the poor girl alone,” George chipped in, but Ana could see she was as intrigued as Millie.

“Why do you say that?” Ana asked, feigning innocence as she approached their table. She had no bag with her, so she felt vulnerable.

“Well, you are wearing yesterday’s clothes,” Millie pointed out, her hand motioning to Ana’s clothing. “You are also missing your bag... you are never without your bag!” This is where Ana realised you would pull nothing over on a fashion and textiles student. They were, by default, observant creatures.

Ana dropped herself onto the stool opposite her new friends. Millie lent forward on the table and rested her chin on her hands in anticipation.

Ana shook her head. “It’s not what it looks like. I had a bit of a run-in with James, my landlord.” Millie was beside Ana in a heartbeat, her arm around her shoulder.

“Me and my big mouth,” she said, her teasing tone gone. George had sat upright, her face a mask of concern.

“Are you Okay, Ana?” George asked, leaning forward. Ana had told them about James the Creep during one of their many chats over the past week. They had all laughed together but understood the seriousness of Ana’s situation.

“I’m fine, honestly.” Ana drew a deep breath. “I’m not sure he is. I ended up pouring boiling hot coffee all over him as I made my escape.”

Ana then told them both about running out of the flat and into a taxi.

George sat back, and Millie squeezed her harder. “You go, girl, serves the perv right! Are you going to report him?” Millie asked.

Ana had thought about this late into the night. It would be his word against hers. “There’s nothing to report,” Ana said. “He made me feel uncomfortable. I knew what he was insinuating, but the coffee incident happened before anything else could.”

Millie returned to her seat, and George nodded. It was a difficult one, and Ana was sure she wasn’t the only tenant James had tried it on with. She wouldn’t be the last, but without evidence, she knew the police would have their hands tied. His word against hers. It would have been a misunderstanding; Ana had given him the wrong signals; she knew how these things played out.

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