Back For You

Chapter 20

“That’s all I ask.”

I watch him as he turns and walks away from me. What the hell did I just do?

NEXT DAY

I wake up with a sore head and check the time on my phone. 10:35am. I groan before dropping my phone on to the floor and turning round to fall asleep again. I just get comfy when there's a loud knock on the room door.

“Go away,” I whisper to myself.

The knocks became louder and I get out of bed. I unlock the room door and open it.

“Well, don’t you look like shit!” Joe comments, looking down at me.

I look at him. “Wha-”

“Did you forget that we were spending the day together?” He asks as I move away from the door.

“What do you think?” I counter ask as I walk over to my suitcase and start to look through my clothes.

“See what happens when you drink too much?” He says, closing the room door over.

“Whatever,” I mutter, standing up with my clean clothes in my hands.

I walk past him and into the bathroom, firmly closing the door over behind me. I have a quick shower and get changed into my clean clothes before walking out the bathroom and sitting down at the dressing table to dry my hair.

I look at Joe in the mirror as he sits on my bed watching me. I turn the hairdryer off and pull my hair into the ponytail. I put on some mascara and stand up.

“Right, let’s go.” I sigh, slipping my sandals on and picking up my bag.

He stands up and follows me out the room.

I know for a fact that today was going to be such a long day!

 ----

We spend most of the day talking and just being in each others company again.

It's pushing 7pm when Joe decides that we should take a walk on the beach. I take my sandals off and carry them as we come to the beach.

“I want to know something,” he says, breaking the silence between us as we walk along the beach.

“What?”

“If you knew you were pregnant after the crash, why did you walk away from me?”

“First of all, I didn’t know straight after the crash that I was pregnant. I found out three weeks after I left you. And second of all, I didn’t walk away from you. You’re ex made me walk away from you.”

“But why did you just let her push you away from me?”

“Joe, you’re a footballer. She clearly wanted to have the whole WAG life and title. I simply didn’t and I don't.”

“So to get out of it, you decided that you didn’t want me anymore?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

He stands in front of me and I look up at him.

“That’s basically what you’re saying to me though! You didn’t want to be a WAG, so you split up with me as you knew that getting together with me, would make you classified as one.”

“Joe, it wasn’t like that!”

“Then tell me what it was like because I’m finding it hard to know the truth!”

“I didn’t want to ruin your career!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You cheated and I’m the girl you cheated with. If we got together, everyone will think the worst of me and don’t you think I’ve been through enough in my life?”

“What happened-”

“Yeah, what’s happened, happened. You just haven’t gotten over it.”

I move away from him and continue walking.

“Did you love me?”

I stop and turn to him. “What?”

“Did you love me when you left?”

“I’ve always loved you.”

“Do you still love me?”

“Joe…”

“Do you?”

I take a deep breath. “…Yes.”

I watch him closely as he begins walking towards me.