Charlotte Delaney has sworn off men. After one relationship disaster after another- including turning a guy gay!- Charlotte is so over the male species.
Isaac Fletcher had his heart cruelly broken. Yes, it was years ago. No, he never got over it. I...
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Since returning from Scotland, I've noticed a shift in Isaac. He's become more distant, taking time out from spending time together, and even when we are together, his mind is far away. Our stay in Scotland was supposed to come to an end today but after the events of Thursday night's party, the trip was cut short and we were all booked for a return flight on Friday morning.
It was the tensest flight I've ever been on and the awkwardness was overwhelming. No one spoke, not even Martha, who usually always had something to say. I'd tried to reassure Isaac that I was there for him, trying to hold his hand while we were sat next to each other on the flight, but nothing I did worked. He shied away from me and kept his stern glare firmly on the view outside his window, blocking me out.
I can't say that I understood why Isaac was pushing me away but I did respect his need for space. That's why I hadn't pushed him to see me, as much as I wanted to be with him. Martha, of course, was a permanent fixture in my life and she kept me up to date with what was going on with Isaac, and more importantly, what was going on with his sister, May.
"She's been arrested for domestic abuse," Martha announced this morning as she arrived at my flat, breakfast and coffee in hand. I ushered her inside and followed as she made her way to my kitchen. "Of course, she's furious with everyone for phoning the police on her but Isaac read her the riot act and now they've arrested her."
I shook my head as I tried to comprehend what was happening. "How did it come to this?" I asked myself quietly. I shook my head and rubbed a hand down my face. "How's Xavier, is he alright?"
"Well, he's going to have this massive scar on the side of his head," Martha said, taking a bite out of her pastry breakfast. "He's got a concussion, too. Dad is calling in some contacts so that Xavier can go see a therapist because he's still in denial. He's refusing to cooperate with the police so May is likely going to be released without charge which has made Dad and everyone else furious. It's a mess, Charlotte. Anyway, how are you and Nugget?"
"We're ok," I say, shrugging my shoulders. Dipping into the bag that housed the pastries that Martha had bought, I take out a Danish Pastry and chew off the corner. When the silence between Martha and I became stifling, I cleared my throat and asked the question that I'd been dying to ask since we parted ways at the airport on Friday. "Uh, how's Isaac doing?"
Martha stops chewing and stares at me. Gulping, she picks up her coffee and sips on it before she sets it down and smiles sadly. "He's trying to put on a brave face but he's doing a really shitty job of it," she reveals. "You should come over tonight. Maybe seeing you and Nugget will put a smile on his face."
"I'd love to," I say a wide smile stretching across my face. I didn't want to go so far as to admit that I was having withdrawal symptoms from Isaac's company, but I missed seeing his face, hearing his laugh and feeling his arms around me while talking to the baby. With him and Martha, it was beginning to feel as if we were a family and being away from them, missing the intimacy where it would be the three of us and the baby, I was starting to feel at a loss. "So, I was going to go and see my family today because they're still going on and on about nurseries and colour schemes. Fancy coming with me?"
