Out of the Shadows ✔️ [Completed] [Book One]

Chapter 56

I feel like someone is using a pneumatic drill in my head. I slowly open one eye and then the other. I groan in agony when I try to lift my head off the pillow. Damn you Charlie, I think to myself as I look down and notice that I'm still in yesterday's outfit. I press my palms to my temples and squeeze inwards, hoping to suppress the pounding inside my skull.

Through the haze of the worst hangover imaginable, I know I need to move. I need to take some paracetamol and drink some water. However, I'm sure I can smell coffee. I lie still so my head doesn't feel like it will implode and sniff the air. Yeah, I can definitely smell coffee.

I very tentatively sit up and the room spins a little. I think about lying back down, but the pull of potential coffee is enough for me to drag myself out of bed.

When I reach the kitchen I notice a very shirtless Charlie standing over the kettle. What the hell? Did something happen? I'm sure it didn't. I look down again at my crumpled outfit and remember that I'm fully dressed. Relief pulses through me that even though I can't remember much after entering Daleys, I have not been that stupid.

Charlie turns round with a huge smile on his face. "Morning gorgeous." He says sarcastically as raises his eyebrows and looks at me from head to toe. "Hope you didn't mind me crashing on your sofa."

Charlie looks like a Greek God; all tanned, toned and not dying from a hangover. I, on the other hand must look like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards and left for dead.

"This is all your fault." I grunt at him. "Pass me some coffee please." He hands me a black coffee. "Two sugars?" I ask before I lift the cup to my lips. When he nods I take a huge drink.

"I was thinking..." Charlie immediately stops talking when I abruptly raise my hand and cut him off.

"Not yet..." I mutter and point at my cup of coffee. He smirks smugly back at me and I want to punch him.

I sit quietly on the sofa and finish my coffee. Slowly, I begin to feel like I haven't died and gone to hangover hell. Charlie walks over to me with a pint of ice cold water and two paracetamol, which I gratefully take. "Thank you, but you're not forgiven. The shots were your idea, that much I remember." I gulp down the water and take the tablets while Charlie bellows with laughter.

I take a shower and manage some toast. Finally, I feel human again. "What were you going to say earlier? I'm able to talk to you now without thinking I'm going to be sick."

"You're such a lightweight.... OW!" Charlie yells as I launch a pillow off his head. "You're a lightweight and you're mean. Anyway, I was going to ask if you had plans today?"

"Erm, nothing major. Just a run first and then was going to do a bit of window shopping. I want to decorate the flat. I haven't had chance to do much with it yet and after the whole Daniel thing... I want to make it mine."

"Do you fancy dinner later?" Charlie looks up at me and I see that same hopeful look in his eyes. I thought we had moved past this.

"Not tonight thanks Charlie. When are you going back to L.A? I will have to come over and meet your girlfriend." I choose my words carefully because I don't want him to think that there is any chance of me changing my mind.

"I go back Wednesday, so I've got another three days."

"OK, so how about we all go out for dinner before you go back."

"Sounds good. I'll speak to Caroline and Sarah and let you know. I better get going." He jumps up and reaches for his shirt. He buttons it up quickly and then grabs his shoes.

"There is no rush, honestly." I don't want this to be awkward again.

"No, I better shoot as I'm meeting my parents for lunch in a bit." He smiles, but I can't work out if it's genuine or not.

I slump back on the sofa once Charlie has gone. I hope we have cleared the air and I'm grateful to have my friend back. I feel like I have made some progress without Daniel and it feels as though I have a little bit of me back.

But then I think about what my dad and Helen have said to me. I know I can't hide from Daniel forever. I pick up my phone with trembling fingers and unblock his number while I still have the nerve. I'm not sure what I expect to happen, but nothing comes through. I still feel liberated though, like I'm ready to get some closure on what happened.

Once I've been for my run I spend a couple of hours window shopping on my own. I'm dressed casually in my converse with my warmest coat done up to my chin because the weather is bitterly cold.

I see lots of ideas and I can't wait to redecorate, so I can remove all of the visual reminders of Daniel. I just wish it was that simple to remove him from my heart.

As it begins to get dark all of the Christmas lights come to life. Suddenly in the glow of multicoloured lights, everywhere around me looks enchanted, like you could be in a fairytale. I watch couples hand in hand doing their Christmas shopping, looking deliriously happy.

I can practically feel my mood plummeting with the temperature and I decide to head home. The tube is full of Christmas shoppers or people heading to Christmas parties. I just can't wait to get back home and close my front door. I want to shut the world out for a little while.

Once I am out of the tube station I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. A little buzz of electricity flows through my body. Could it be him? I look at the name on the screen and see that it is Caroline. My treacherous heart sinks.

"Hi Caroline." I try to sound upbeat.

"Hey. Just wanted to see how it went with Charlie."

"Don't act coy Caroline. I know you both. I know Charlie would have confided in you first before he spoke to me. Am I right?"

"Well... yes, but I told him that you had to hear it straight from him, not from me. It took a lot of guts for Charlie to say it all to you."

"I know it did and I'm not going to lie, it was hard to hear. I felt like I had no idea how he felt because my head was stuck up my arse."

Caroline bursts out laughing. "I didn't help the situation though and I realise that now. I just thought... at the time, not now of course... that you two would have been perfect together." I hear her sigh.

"Well, hopefully I have set him straight now and I can have him back in my life. We should go over to L.A. to see him when..." The line has gone dead. I look at my phone and the screen has frozen.

I turn my phone off and then wait for it to come back on again. I continue to walk through the underpass while I wait and turn into my street. As I am typing in my password, I hear him.

"Hello Elizabeth." Ed steps out from the shadows and begins to casually walk towards me.

I shudder uncontrollably and find that I have lost he ability to speak. I think about turning back, but I don't want to head back into the underpass when I am currently out in the open.

My phone vibrates in my hand and I don't look at the phone when I answer it. I presume it can only be Caroline. My eyes remain firmly fixed on Ed. He stands perfectly still about five paces ahead of me.

"Caroline, I'm outside my flat and Ed is here..." I try to sound as calm as I can.

Daniel's deep voice responds immediately, startling me. "Lizzie... I'm on my way. Stay where you are, I won't be long. Don't turn the phone off so I can hear what is going on."

- Hey guys! So what do you think of this chapter?

So... finally Daniel is back! Sorry it has took so long. But then so is Ed!

What do you think is going to happen now?

Please tick the little star, thank you -