Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 160782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 804(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 804(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
I sit in my office staring out the window, lost in my own regret.
It’s 7 am. I have been working ridiculous hours to escape the small-talk of the girls in my apartment. Max is across the road in the park, Ben has asked him to stay with me until the media circus dies down. Except now there are three other guards as well, and I don’t have a minute of privacy. I should just issue a statement saying we are not or never have been married, but I just can’t do it. It’s the final nail in my coffin that I don’t have the strength to hammer in. How did it get to this? I have been back at work for a week and my mind is far from being on the job. I still haven’t gotten a new phone, I’m too scared. Scared he will call, scared that he won’t. I can’t have him in my life, I know that. But the thought that he could move on with her tears my heart wide open.
I am dreading the weekend like the plague. I can’t even
pretend not to be sad and I feel bad for the girls who are constantly trying to cheer me up and pull me out of this funk.
Now I have to call Adrian as Nicholas Anastas is on my case. He has come into work twice this week. He’s keen, I will give him that. My little hard to get act was very effective. Abbie is right, this shit actually works.
I feel sick knowing I have to make this call, I slowly dial his number. It rings.
He picks up. “Adrian Murphy.”
I panic and hang up as tears rush to my eyes. Who am I kidding? I can’t talk to Adrian, he’s Joshua’s best friend. I need to distance myself from everybody in his circle. Too bad, I’m making an executive decision. Nicholas can have Adrian’s number. I text it to him immediately from my work phone before I can second guess myself, the way I feel at the moment the bloody grim reaper can have his number.
Adrian
I sit on my deck chair beside Cameron as I feel the warmth of the sun dance on my skin. We both watch him glide through the water in silence. It’s 1 pm and Cam and I are on our second beer as we ponder how in the hell to keep him occupied for the weekend.
“How many laps can he actually do?” Cameron asks. I shrug.
“A lot, it seems. More than us anyway.” Cameron smirks. “That wouldn’t be hard.”
It has been eight days since we lost Natasha and she consequently returned to Australia. Joshua has been a fucking nightmare. He’s training like a man possessed, his way of burning that extra energy, extra anger. He still can’t fly for another six days.
“What do you want to do tonight?” I ask.
Cameron shrugs. “Has Ben finished the security tapes yet?”
“No, still no idea of what hospital that guy got his cast on at.”
“At least when we find the hospital, we will have a name to track.” Cameron sighs as he lays back and closes his eyes as his face tilts to the sun.
“Didn’t you say you had to go into work today?” I frown.
He nods as he takes a sip of his beer. “I was just going into pathology to get some blood tests, but now that I’ve been drinking that’s not going to happen.”
“What are the blood tests for?”
Cameron shrugs. “Just routine stuff. Tell me, Murph. What happens if this trip to Australia doesn’t go well? What then?”
I shrug. “The thought has crossed my mind. Tash will understand, she loves him. They were broken up; she can’t hold it against him… surely.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking and the fact that Natasha has never slept with anyone else is going to work against him.” Cameron sighs.
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“You knew that, right?”
“Knew what?” I ask.
“Natasha has never slept with anyone else. She waited for Josh for seven years.” His eyes hold mine as he takes another sip of his beer.
“What the fuck! What never? Not one person?” I frown. Cameron shakes his head.
I close my eyes and put my head back against my chair in regret. “This is all my fault, Cam. I knew Amelie couldn’t be trusted and yet I never warned him. And now he’s lost the girl that actually really loves him.”
“You didn’t know the stupid prick was going to sleep with her.”
“How did that even happen?” I shake my head.
Joshua silences our conversation by swimming to the edge and taking the stairs of the pool. He dries himself and wraps the towel around his waist.
“Anyone want a protein shake?” he asks as he heads to the pool bar.
Cameron frowns at me. “As if. You freak.”
“What’s wrong with protein?” Joshua replies.