Rekindled

Chapter Two

"This place feels bigger than I remember," Hannah sighed next to me.

"You didn't tell me the penthouse was this big."

"Well, we will both want our privacy. You never know, we might meet Mr Right."

"You might," I mumbled. "I already had." I walked off and into the kitchen.

"You'll make good use of this," she smiled.

"Is cooking now on my list of things to do?"

"If you want it to be, but I'll need your cooking skills when entertaining."

"You can have them, I learned from the best," I replied with a sad smile.

"Your parents will come around, give them time."

"They'll have to because I'm staying."

"Glad to hear it. Go look at your room. The entire upper floor is yours; I'm taking the lower floor."

I climbed up the spiral staircase and out onto the open floor. The bedroom was massive and had already got a four-poster bed at the far end of the room. I had my own en-suite and a walk-in wardrobe. I walked into the en-suite, the bathtub and shower covered most of the room, with the toilet under the window and the sink next to it. It was beautifully decorated and exactly to my taste.

"Does it meet your approval?" Hannah asked. "I took inspiration from this." She showed me the folder we made when we were teenagers.

"You kept that? I thought it was thrown away years ago."

"Found it when I was cleaning my stuff out of the loft."

"Those were happy days," I smiled, taking the folder out of her hand and flicking through it.

"These will be happy days too, just wait."

She left me alone. I left the en-suite and sat down on the edge of the bed and properly looked through the folder. Everything in this room was in exact detail, even down to the Nottingham lace curtains around the bed.

I sighed heavily I had hoped to share this dream room with someone. I dragged my ass off the soft mattress and walked back down-stairs.

"Hey Tabs remember this?" Hannah asked holding up an old school exercise book.

"Elizabeth-Ann," I replied shocked. "Our baby names. Mine was for my two favourite Queens Of England. Elizabeth 1 and her mother Ann."

"Samantha-Louise, after my dead twin sister and she maybe closer than we both think."

"Why? Are you dating?"

"Not yet, but he's the one I can feel it."

"What's his name?"

"I'm not going to say, but he's famous. It would do wonders for the company profile."

I looked at her suspiciously. I never had Hannah down as shallow.

"Shall we order pizza? I'm starving," she said, without waiting for my reply.

We sat in silence eating our way through an extra large pepperoni and garlic bread.

Something was bugging me about Hannah's coyness and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

My last few weeks in the Midlands mainly consisted of work and London. In the week I was packing up not just at home, but at work too. Sorting out work files and making sure the clients were familiar with their new representative. On weekends I was in London, unpacking the boxes I had brought with me and getting to grips with the new office block.

My old workplace threw me a massive leaving party on the Thursday afternoon, giving everybody a chance to leave work early and my friends back home threw a huge party too, sadly my parents didn't attend but my sisters did. The dread of leaving filled me the next morning. I placed the last of my bags into the boot of my car and slammed the door shut.

"We're going to miss you," Ruth cried.

"Hey, now come on, you can come and visit me anytime you want," I replied, hugging her tight.

"Mom won't let me."

"Then I'll have to come and get you," I smiled, kissing her hair. "Susannah will look after you."

Susannah stepped forward and hugged me. "I'll take good care of everyone, as long as you take good care of yourself."

"I will," I answered, kissing her cheek.

Father stood on the doorstep and saluted me. I grinned and saluted back as I got into the car.

I placed my hands on the steering wheel and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I opened them again and started the engine. Waving one last time, I pulled out onto the road. Silent tears continued to fall as I hit the M5.

my handsfree buzzed into life and I answered through Suri.

"Hey Tabby, have you left yet?"

"Yeah, just got onto the M5, only another one hundred miles to go."

"Take your time, it's all here waiting for you."

"I just want to get there. I'll see you soon."

I hung up and popped a boil sweet into my mouth, trying hard to focus on the road and not on what might happen while I was in London. I turned on the radio and selected my travelling soundtrack. Lost in the music and the road I found myself in London and pulling up outside the penthouse.

"Let me guess, you spent the whole journey eating sweets and singing at the top of your lungs."

"You know me so well or was it because you did exactly the same thing."

We both laughed as we opened the boot of my car and began to remove my bags.

"I have a surprise for you," Hannah grinned.

"What is it?"

"We're holding a house-warming party tomorrow night. It will be mostly our new clients and a few of the neighbours."

"Brilliant," I beamed. "Still love a party."

We both laughed again and carried the bags into the building.

"Did you bring enough clothes?" Hannah asked, as she watched me unpack a few hours later.

"I brought all of them with me. I can't afford new ones yet," I replied hanging a dress onto a hanger.

"That one will be perfect for tomorrow night and you can borrow my open toed sandals."

"Don't you think it's a bit much? I mean I brought that for an awards presentation at work."

"Oh, my sweet Tabatha, you've got to get in touch with your inner glamour queen. You'll have to get used to dressing up to the nines."

"And late nights I suppose."

"Exactly," she grinned. "And we will start with that tomorrow night. It's all black tie."

"You'll have to show me how to behave."

"Just be yourself."

'Be myself,' I thought as she left me alone. 'How can I be myself when I am not myself,' Alice in Wonderland filled my head. Right in that moment I felt like Alice. Lost in a place bigger than I and yet not quite alone.