A new day had emerged and it was back to reality. No more waking up to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. No more waking up to the glistening hues of the sun, seeping through the balcony.
Instead, it was the sound of the depressed birds chirping away, mixed with the pitter and patter of rain hitting against the window. My brain had finally come to terms; that we were back in the lovely UK, where the weather was unpredictable.
Last night after Alexander dropped the bombshell of moving in. We both crashed out on the bed straightaway. Overall, we did twenty-nine hours' worth of travelling. Our plane travelled from Australia to Abu Dhabi, where we able to stop have a rest, before travelling again to London.
Although waking up in England didn't compare to walking up in Australia, my body was awakened feeling rejuvenated. We both needed a good night's sleep.
After getting ready, we both sat in the car which took us to the office. With my hand entwined with Alexander's, my eyes followed the moving trees and buildings that zoomed past. I pondered back to last night's conversation.
Was I right to agree moving in with him, even though we weren't technically boyfriend or girlfriend. Will he ask me?
The questions constantly consumed my every thought, to the point where I was not able to think about anything else. I was taken away from my thoughts when Alexander motioned for me to get out the car. Realising that we had arrived at the office, I followed closely behind getting out the car.
Hand in hand, we made our way to the top floor. When we both saw everyone on the top floor, we got a few comments welcoming us back and asking how our holiday was. There were a few darting glares shot our way. When Alexander and I came back from the first time we jetted off to Australia, I had few remarks calling me a gold digger. But I knew to rise above the hate, deep down I knew that I was far from a gold digger.
"It's good to be back," Alexander exclaimed as he stretched himself sitting down in his office chair.
I hummed agreeing with him, I sat myself beside him in my own chair. Since helping Alexander with his business and Lily being hired as the new assistant, we made the decision to share the office.
In terms of business, I gladly moved in with Alexander into his office. It was a no-brainer, anything connected with my career I was happy to make big decisions. When it came to home life, that's where I hesitated. The damn thoughts came creeping back in my mind. Before I could dwell on it for longer, a knock at the door captured our attention.
I called out for the person to come in. When the door opened, a bright and cheery Lily walked in.
"Good morning. I brought you guys coffee. Here is your caramel latte, Louisa. Here is your Americano, Alexander." Lily chirped as she handed our drinks.
"Lily, how many times do we have to tell you, you do not need to bring us coffee" I remarked, sheepishly taking a sip of the hot coffee. The sweetness of the caramel mixed with the sharpness of the coffee, made its way down my throat and into my stomach.
"Oh please, I want to. Anyway, I need to talk to you about something." Lily hinted with a worried look on her face.
I remembered her trying to tell me something last night.
"Well, I did say you could tell me today. What is it?" I asked, setting myself back into my chair.
"Your lawyer Rebecca called; she's been trying to call you for a while now." Lily started off.
A sinking feeling weighed down on my chest. A slight dread was creeping upon me as I had a feeling what Lily was about to say. It became clear to me that the number who was trying to call me throughout my holiday, was my lawyer Rebecca. I nodded at Lily to continue.
"She wants to know if you've come to a decision on whether you will speak and give evidence at Charles' trial."
Hearing that name again enabled me to feel like I was crumbling. My posture went from powerful to stooped. A forced smile appeared towards Lily, while she waited for me to say something.
She lifted her brows, showcasing a concerned look with my sudden change in stance. A Soft touch connected to my hand, with Alexander holding it trying to comfort me.
"When does she need to know." I said in a low voice.
"By the end of the week. The trial is next month. If you agree to give evidence, you need to prepare." Lily replied in a soothing tone.
"Tell her I need to think about it. I'll ring her sometime this week." I nervously bit my lip and started twitching my leg. I was in a predicament. I didn't know what to do.
Lily consoled me with her soft smile and took her leave, closing the door behind her. All I could do was stare into an empty space, and think about the good things and bad things about giving evidence at the trial.
"Are you okay?" Alexanders low soft tone snapped me out of my stare.
All I could was shrug my shoulders. I didn't know if I was okay, all I knew is that I had to go clear my head.
Alexander took both my hands and held them close to him. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you."
A genuine smile was awoken upon my lips. Taking my hands away from Alexander's hold, I elegantly placed them on his cheeks. The warmth of his cheeks, made me feel like I was glowing on the inside. I planted a soft kiss on his lips.
"I love you." I soothingly whispered.
Alexander returned the kiss. "I love you too."
"Is it okay if I clear my head. I want to go see Sarah." I asked.
"Of course. You go, when you're ready, come back, I'll be here waiting for you." Alexander stated as his brown orbs captured my gaze. A few pecks landed on his cheek, and then I jumped from my seat to make my way to Sarah.
For now, I wanted to forget Charles and his trial. This was the type of dread I didn't want hovering over my head.
When I got to where Sarah worked, I was fumbled as she wasn't at her desk. I had to second guess whether she took the day off.
"Is Sarah off today?" I asked one of the girls at the neighbouring desk.
"No, she took a quick break, she's gone to Jo's cafe." The girl at the other desk stated as she typed away on her computer.
Acknowledging this information, I nodded and made my way to Jo's cafe, hoping I would see Sarah. As I stepped towards the outside, the sharp wind latched on to my skin. A Steep shudder ran down my spine. Crossing my arms tightly, I tried to keep some type of warmth within my arms.
The walk from the office to Jo's cafe, was fairly short but it felt like I had been walking for miles and miles. My mind drifted back to making a decision of giving evidence at the trial.
Charles had caused a high amount of fright within me. Often, I would still have nightmares about the day he captured me, when he tried to take me and how he held a knife so close to my throat. Even now when handling food, my hands trembled when touching a knife.
Alexander didn't know this and he didn't need to know. Worry was the last thing I want to burden him with. Deep down in the back of my mind, I had the thought that if I gave evidence there would be a higher chance of him getting sent down. I had hoped that if I did this, the nightmares would stop.
I was cut from my deep thoughts as I finally reached Jo's cafe, I noticed something that caused me to narrow my eyes, ensuring that what I was seeing was correct.
From afar I could see Sarah deep in conversation with Calum, just outside Jo's. I pondered at the thought about what they could be talking about.
Maintaining my distance, I kept a close eye and waited to see when they would part ways. It was only moments after, they parted ways and Sarah turned around facing my way.
At first, she didn't notice me but as she got closer and turned her face upwards, she abruptly stopped and stared at me.
"Was that Calum you were talking to?" I asked approaching her.
"Yeah, I had just bumped into him and we got talking. Came here for a coffee." She waved her drink.
Something was off. I couldn't quite wrap my head around what it was, but there was a strange ambience in the air, surrounding her.
"You seem to be always bumping into him?" I questioned recalling last night, when Sarah told me she bumped into Calum the other day.
"It's a weird coincidence." Sarah bluntly replied shrugging her shoulders.
As I was about to open my mouth to respond, Sarah marched closer to me and hooked her arm into mine, forcing me to walk alongside her.
For some strange reason I felt like Sarah was hiding something from me. I didn't know what it was, but I was damn sure I would find out what it was. This gave me some sort of satisfaction as it was an attempt to distract myself from the dismay of Charles Moore.
A/N
So the calls Louisa has been getting is from her lawyer... Charles trial is coming up, should she give evidence?
It seems Sarah is always 'bumping' into Calum. Is something going on?
Share your thoughts, don't forget to vote!
Love _xxAMxx