Page 84 of Straight to Me

“Can I sit?”

“Yes, of course.” He pulls out a free chair and I clear space on the table suddenly feeling a little nervous.

“This your little one?” Alex looks at Axl sleeping peacefully.

“Oh, no. This is my nephew, Axl.”

“Cool name.”

“Yeah, my sister is pretty badass,” I chuckle, looking down to the sleeping monster. “So, how do I arrange meetings with Lauren and the boys?”

“Did Vivian not get in touch?”

“Not since I emailed her to say I was flying to Australia before I start.”

“Well, the boys aren’t joining us now. So, you’ll just have Lauren. I think considering you’re new, this is the perfect outcome for you.”

“Okay. From what you and Vivian have said, it sounds as if she’ll need all of my attention.”

“She will. You’ll be great, she’ll warm to you better than she would me.” He holds my gaze, his temple twitching for a fraction of a second.

His short brown hair sits slightly styled on top of his head. He’s tall with sharp features and his deep brown eyes are admittedly quite mesmerising.

I’m keen to start this new job and want to get as much information before I start as I can, so running into Alex is actually perfect luck.

The next half an hour we spend talking about work and the dynamics that I can expect in the office. From what I gather, most of my time will be spent with Lauren to start, ensuring she goes to class and mentoring her as best I can. I’ll have to be creative and figure out how I can get her to like me; I wonder whether taking her for days out might help.

Eventually, Alex leaves, asking me to pencil-in Thursday to come to the office. I’ll collect my work items then and finally get to meet Lauren face-to-face. I feel a wave of nerves and excitement take over. This is exactly what I needed after everything that happened with Chris. A fresh start, a new flat, new job and a new love. Things were falling into place better than I could have ever imagined.

When Jess gets home she offers to help me move, but Axl is grouchy and in need of more sleep after his lunch. I’m worried he might be feeling ill so I tell her to stay home, knowing that VP would soon be at the flat to help me.

As I pull up outside the flat, a solemn feeling washes over me. Despite being excited that I’m getting on with my life and I’ve got so much to look forward to now, I can’t help feel a bit lonely. This is the first time I’ll live alone in a long time. No Chris, no Bex and no Jess and her family.

Stepping out of the car, I find the keys I picked up from the letting agency on my way here and grab what I can, before letting myself in to number eight.

I open the door and am greeted by bare walls. All of the pictures, the decorations,everythinghas been removed. My heart sinks as I drop the boxes and walk to the living area.

The scene in here is the same.

One measly sofa sits facing a blank wall. There’s no telly or anything like there was when I viewed it. The kitchen fairs better, with an oven, a microwave and a washing machine, but that’s it. Fortunately, the bedroom does have a bed and a mattress. There aren’t any sheets, but at least I can grab some when I go shopping later.

I leave the door ajar and venture downstairs to grab the remaining boxes. As I reach the ground level I feel the thundering of a motorbike under my feet. By the time I get to my car, VP arrives at the small parking area.

I watch him dock and dismount like he’s moving in slow motion. I can smell his leather before he even reaches me to place a warm kiss on my lips. It’s only been a day, but it’s good to see him. “Did you miss me?” I ask, knowing full well he did.

“A ridiculous amount, babe.” He grabs a box. “Sorry I’m late, had a few things to sort out.”

“Everything okay, was it Red?”

“I booked the flights. We depart five-thirty on Friday. I’ll pick you up at lunch, but we’ll have to swing by the clubhouse, leave my bike there whilst we’re away.”

“Okay, that’s fine.” I notice how he avoids the mention of Red, but don’t say anything. I’ll have to cancel my doctor's appointment Friday too. I guess there’s no point in going right now anyway given I’m clearly not pregnant.

“I’ll sort my visa tonight. Anything I’ll need specifically?”

“No, we won’t have much time to venture too far from the clubhouse. It wouldn’t be safe. Just pack warm weather clothes.”

Wouldn’t be safe?

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