Love me or hate me it's still an obsession

Chapter 34

"Are you really sure you are ready to go back to work? It has only been a a couple of weeks Effie..." Hayley said worriedly as she watched Effie put on her shoes by the front door of her flat.

Effie nodded, expressionless, "I don't have a choice. The world doesn't just stop because I'm miserable. I can't sit around here all day with you, I'm sorry Hayley but it's making me worse."

Hayley nodded, feeling exhausted. She had spent nearly every night with Effie as she craved Ace's presence. She had walked in on Effie crying on the bathroom floor at 3am for the first week as well as waking up to Effie making pancakes at midnight. Effie just wanted Ace near, not even to talk to, but to just sit in his presence in silence. She explained to Hayley how sometimes it felt like she was an earthquake, the first hit had made her fall apart and now, even when she felt like she was starting to put herself back together the aftershock would come and knock her again... but the worst part was, was that she never knew when it was coming.

Effie walked up to Hayley and gave a big hug, "I need to learn to live with the new me. I will never be the same because he took a part of me that I will never get back...", she stuttered as her eyes became watery.

Hayley nodded, pulling away from her hold, "you're strong Effie. I am proud of you... Living proof that a shattered soul can still glow."

Effie felt her eyes begin to water and she turned around quickly, picking up her bag and slamming the door behind her. As Hayley heard Effie's heels walk down the stairs she heard a buzzing noise coming from the kitchen. Hayley walked in, looking around her as she pushed boxes and empty juice cartons out the way until she found the source of the noise. She picked the phone up and put her hand to her mouth in shock as she focused on the name. "No fucking way..."

*

"Effie, you don't have to be here..." Suzie murmured. She had spotted Effie as soon as she had walked out the lift and had scuttled over, passing everyone who had seen her arrive and couldn't stop staring in shock as they watched Effie walk over to her desk.

Effie glared at her, "I know", she replied bluntly, shoving her bag down on the floor. She sat down and looked back up at Suzie who hadn't moved. "Why are you just standing there? Do you want something?" Effie snapped.

Suzie looked behind her at Sasha who looked quizzically back at her, not knowing how to react either. "Why don't we get a coffee from the café and have a look through your work for today. I can catch you up with what has been happening over the last couple of weeks..." Suzie suggested, wanting to get her away from all the prying eyes around.

Effie shrugged, grabbing her pen and paper from her desk, "fine", she replied bluntly.

She followed Suzie past the other offices, ignoring the gawping faces as she walked past, everyone having heard what had happened and how Effie had been there to witness it all. Suzie pushed the door open and shook her head at her colleagues who were also in there taking a break. It was 10.30am which meant the café was busy with people taking their mid-morning break before they went back to their desks to hammer out their workload before lunch. Suzie found a small table with two chairs and sat down, ordering their coffees from her app on her phone. "So, how have you been? Really?" Suzie asked Effie calmy, reaching out her hand to touch Effie's sensitively.

Effie shook her head, "look, I didn't come back to work for people to feel sorry for me. I just want to move on. Ace isn't coming back. Everything has changed and I need to accept that."

Suzie looked at her in awe, not expecting her to be so collected about it all. What she didn't know was that Effie was dying inside, her heart ripped in two. She felt paralysed and didn't know what else she could do to stop herself from feeling so numb and vulnerable.

Suzie took Effie's hand and squeezed it as their coffee's arrived. "I'm just going to get some sugar", Effie said, looking at the empty table in front of her.

Suzie nodded, picking her coffee up as Effie walked over to the condiments trolley at the side, her back facing the door. Suzie noticed some commotion on the office floor and nearly choked as she spotted someone walking towards them through the office causing quite a stir. Effie was too busy finding the sugar and looking for the cinnamon to notice anything that was happening around her. Suzie kept her eyes focused on the door of the café as it was pushed open with intent. She watched, almost like the whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion as he looked around him. Suzie watched his casual demeanour walk towards Effie as he spotted her. His hair moved as he did, his muscles bulging through his white polo top which showed off his tanned arms grabbing the attention of the entire café.

He tapped Effie's shoulder making her turn around. She moved back, placing her hands on the trolley in shock. Her eyes bulged as she tried to focus on who was in front of her. She felt like she was struggling to breathe as his eyes kept their focus on hers. "Hi... I'm looking for a beautiful young woman called Miss Reynolds. You don't know her by any chance, do you?" he asked, smirking.

Effie could feel everyone's eyes burning onto her skin. "Sorry, I can't help you...", she muttered, thinking it was some sick joke and she was delirious, suddenly seeing things that weren't real.

She moved round him, leaving her drink on the side, and started to walk out the café as he grabbed her arm, making her turn around to face him. Her heart hammered in her chest as she felt a release of emotion sweep through her. 

"Are you done?" he asked, grinning.

Effie gulped, feeling his grip tighten on her skin. "I don't know, am I?"

Ace's lips curled up as he gently brushed the hair away from her face, "don't mess with me Effie, I'm not that patient."

She breathed in his cologne and smiled weakly, worried that any minute she would wake up and realise it was a dream.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the pain in her eyes.

Effie felt the eternity symbol on her back start to burn and her mother's necklace around her neck draw her to him. "I don't get it. I was told to say goodbye to you... I am used to having to say goodbye to people, but not you. Never you... How are you here?"

Ace leant into her, feeling her sweet breath on his face, "you are the most powerful being to ever walk this planet, Effie. Remember what was passed down to you; what your tears can do..."

Effie looked at him in shock, the realisation of what she had forgotten.

He grabbed her face and kissed her, not caring who was around to see. He could hear her heart pumping through her shirt. They had taken the long way round, but they had done full circle and found their way back to each other. There was no turning back, there was no more before, there was only after – after the unexpected, after the inevitable, after what was and had always been unavoidable... him and her.

She felt her most deepest desires bound to him.

Yearnings she didn't know she even had.

When he looked at her...

...she felt like he could hear every thought that ran through her mind.

And when he touched her... she knew she couldn't help but surrender everything to him.