Half the World Away

70

My heart skipped a beat as my phone rang, every time for the past few weeks it's been that way. They've been trying to get Tom and Ellie to give them more information but mostly, it doesn't work. Brad looked at my phone which was buzzing away on the counter.

"Baby are you going to get that?" He asked, hugging me from behind. I shook my head and he reached for the phone. "I will." His hands slid across the phone and he put it to his ear. "Hello, Detective Jones it's Bradley." He paused, "yeah Charlotte didn't want to answer." He paused again, nodding once in a while. "Yeah let me just ask." He looked at me. "Can I put it on speakerphone?" He asked.

"I guess," I rolled my eyes and Brad put the phone on the counter and pressed the speaker button.

"Hi Charlotte," the detective said on the other line.

"Hey." I closed my eyes, I never knew what he would tell me next.

"You haven't met up with Angel Louise Lee recently?"

Why? I thought to myself.

"No why would I?" I paused, "you told me not too." I remembered.

"Well, we've made a breakthrough." I turned around and buried my head into Brad's chest, please don't say what I think he's going to say. Please, Angel, don't say you're like that, please.

"What?" I closed my eyes. I'm going to have to hear it one way, or another. And I'd rather hear it from him.

"She was involved in everything." His voice spoke on the other line, "the kidnapping, the hit and run, the stalking."

"How?" I need to know.

"Ellie told us that the only reason she knew when and where to run you over because of Angel," it all makes sense now, Angel asked me where I was going. She was the only one who knew. She was so quick to become friends with me when the Brad and Ellie drama happened. I thought it was just because she was concerned, we'd been friends...

We'd been friends when me and Ellie were friends.

"She told the fake Uber driver, which shop you'd be at, they'd been waiting the whole time to get you, that's why she was so innocent on coming to Australia with you." I thought she was just being caring and wanted to make sure I was okay. I thought wrong.

"Did you tell Angel you were going to Brads after you went to the hospital?" He asked, bringing me out of my thought track.

I didn't.

But it was a week before her and Connor broke up.

"No, but Connor did because he didn't know." Brad said reading my mind.

"Well, that explains how she knew."

"Edward, what does she even have to do with that, I thought you said that it was one person?" I asked, Brad put his head on top of mine, he knew what he meant but I couldn't listen to what he was going to say.

"She was that one person Charlotte." He confirmed it.

"She's the stalker?" Brad said, letting go of me and put his scrunched up fists on the worktop.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, I've got to go to the toilet." I whispered and ran to the toilet, I didn't even close the door. I threw myself at the toilet and I started helplessly vomiting. Brad rushed to me and held my hair back.

"Hush baby." He repeated, whilst rubbing circles against my back.

"Brad I'm scared." I cried into his buttoned down top, sobbing between each word.

"Of what baby?" He asked, he played my long hair, trying to comfort me.

"Scared of them Brad." He nodded and kissed the top of my head.

"We will get through it together." He whispered, rocking me back and forth.

"But this has happened so many times, I'm so unlucky." I said. But I can't do anything about this and mopping around would not help me in anyway. Brad also had a point. So I pulled myself up out of his arms and walked back to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" He asked, getting up and running to me.

"Eating." I got out a brownie from a tub on the side and take a bite, "what? I just threw up so I need my bodily contents replaced."

"You never cease to amaze me babe." He laughed. I smiled at him, a half little grin.

"Brad I can't stand up in court against my best friend, fair enough I can do it against Ellie and Tom but not Angel."

"Why?"

"I've known her my whole life, I knew Tom when he was younger but that's different Angel was my best friend."

"Lottie."

"Brad?"

"We will speak to Edward about it, he can probably get someone to represent you in court." I nodded and went over and hugged him.

"I love you Brad." I smiled into his chest, he always had a plan to make things better and honestly he's so lovely. I'm so lucky!

"How about I put a film on and I make us dinner?" He asked.

"You can cook!" I laughed at him jokingly and he mocked offence.

"Ouch, you're rude!" He giggled, displaying a dimple on his left check.

"No I'm not!" I retorted.

"Well do you want me to make you dinner and watch a film?" He asked, picking up his laptop of the side, because we were in a hotel we didn't have a tv in the bedroom, so Brad takes his laptop around with him so on the days off we have something to do.

"Obviously, I do!" I laughed and kissed the side of his cheek.

"Well go and pick a film, I'll cook us spaghetti bolognese?" He grinned, going over to the fridge freezer and picking out some mince and to the cupboard to pick out the sauce for our meal.

"Hang on, any film I want?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah?" He replied, turning around, confusion etched onto his face.

"The notebook here we come!" I laughed, running off and cuddling the laptop into my chest.

Dear past me, I hate your past decisions and the people you brought into your life but you did the right thing by bringing the boys into your life. Thank you for replying to his comment on Instagram.