Vicky's Pov
I guess I must have dozed off at some point too because when I open my eyes we were almost home.
"Would you like some coffee or something?" I ask Jamie after he sets down my bags. I never had a problem with Jamie being in my flat, but now the room just felt a little too small.
"No, thank you. I gotta get back to the studio, apparently, there is some trouble with one of the pieces that need urgent attention." I nod and rub my arms as I walk Jamie to the door. I wrap my arms around Jamie's shoulders as his arms circle my waist.
"Thank you for a great weekend," I smile as I step back, feeling a new emptiness creeping inside of me. Jamie dazzles me with his smile.
"Thank you for getting my parents' marriage approval." He laughs and winks as he walks down the hallway. I close the door and face the empty apartment.
When I walk over to the window and watch as Jamie's car pulls onto the lazy Sunday road, there is a buzz, "Miss Graham, you have a delivery." I roll my eyes and consider pretending not to be here, who delivers on a Sunday anyway.
I quickly hurry down and when I get to reception, Henry hands me a large bouquet of lilies and my breath is stolen, I grab the flowers and walk back upstairs. Once I set the flowers down, I expect it to be from Luke or Stephanie, but my body goes cold as I read the card,
'Understated beauty with overpowering elegance, always reminds me of you, XOXO, E.' I drop the card and take a step back.
I start to freak out. I grab my phone and my car keys, I need to get out of here, but where would I go? I think carefully, I can't run to Jamie not after he had just left me here and I can't go to Steph. I rapidly text Mel and sit down in the corner of the couch, impatiently waiting for a response. I make sure the door is locked and Mel replies to say she's coming over with Tristan, I almost feel like I can breathe again. Being alone and panicky is never a good combination.
The next day I go to work and all thoughts of the flowers and Eric seem to be evaporating as work continues. Carl and I have been in meetings since I walked in this morning and my brain is buzzing with ideas.
By the time lunch comes around, I find my way to my office and Carl offers to join me. We sit at my desk and talk about my trip and his recent holiday with his wife and go over a few more projects. As lunch was about to end, a delivery of black and white roses are brought into my office.
"You are one lucky girl Vicky. These are gorgeous." I feel a slight panic gripping me.
I can barely ask Stacey, the girl who works at the front desk, "Who they are from?" I feel the blood drain from my face at her reply.
"There's no card, and the delivery driver just confirmed the name and address of delivery." She smiles as she places the flowers on the cabinet in the corner.
I guess Carl notices my change in mood and makes to stand. "Well, I better get back to my corner office, before they think I left the country or something." He laughs and just then Peter O'Malley walks in with a board and a folder.
"Hey Vicky and Mr Steinburg, I'm sorry to interrupt. Woah! Nice flowers. I was told you need these for the meeting later?" I take the board of the Leaderman account and I look over it with Carl next to me.
"This is well done. You guys are doing great." Carl praises Peter and I smile,
"I like it, I think we may need to work on some of the colour palates though." I set the board and folder down on my desk. "I'll forward feedback down shortly," I tell Peter and the two men walk out of my office.
The room is empty aside from the giant bouquet of flowers looming like a dark cloud and I feel like I'm suffocating.
I head downstairs for a walk and some fresh air, making my way down to the coffee shop on the corner to get a hazelnut latte with a cream filled doughnut. I'm about to pay when a voice that sends chills down my spine whispers my name in my ear.
"Victoria. You know, I feel very hurt that you're shutting me out like this Vicky, baby." Eric is standing right behind me and my body has kicked into fight or flight mode and it chose flight.
I look around the little shop and with my order in my hand, I walk out without saying a word. Eric grabs my arm as I make it out of the door.
"Is that any way to greet your husband baby?" I yank my arm free.
"Don't say that. You are not fit to use that word. Besides, you're not even supposed to be here."
I start to walk towards my office building, but I don't want him to cause a scene at work and turn down the road and head for the most public place I can find with security all around, the centre square. My panic must be evident because when he turns me on my heels, he smiles and it makes my stomach turn.
"It's okay baby, I won't hurt you. I'm here to make things right." I break out into a sweat and shake my head.
"No. No, Eric, there is nothing to make right since there is no us." My voice is smaller and shakier than I intended.
He straightens his midnight blue suit jacket, the one that I always loved. "You don't get to run away and then tell me there's nothing to make right. We both have a lot of making up to do." He smiles and leans in closer, "I'll be seeing you around Victoria." He plants a kiss on my cheek and straightens up before he winks, "Laters baby."
When I get back to my office, I can't stop shaking. I barely make it to my seat when my legs give out and I collapse. All the blood has drained from my body and I can feel my mind working overtime and my world comes crashing down. I didn't realise I was crying until a sob had escaped and deafened me in the echo of the silence.
When Carl walks into the office and finds me in a heap next to my desk I curse myself for being so weak especially at work. "Victoria, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." I take a deep breath and another sob escapes when I try and open my mouth.
I clamp my hands over the source of the sickening sound and I watch as Carl kicks into father mode. He lifts the receiver of my phone.
"Marketing please," He says and I immediately start shaking my head.
I manage to stand and slowly feel like I can keep myself together until I can get Carl out of here. "No, it's okay Carl." I brush my face with the back of my hands but the trembling hasn't stopped.
"Are you sure?" I nod and force a smile that I don't even believe. What the fuck is happening to me.
Carl sits me down on the couch and hands me a glass of water. We sit there for nearly half an hour in awkward silence. I manage to stop sobbing and I have control of most of my bodily functions.
"I'll postpone the Leaderman pitch. You should go home, Victoria. Who would you like me to call?" I shake my head at the thought of being alone.
"No Carl, I'll be fine. I'm okay now." He dismisses me and calls to his office and tells them to push all the meeting until Thursday and he informs them that he's stepping out for a while.
Carl takes me home and I drop onto the couch. I offer him a coffee which he gracefully declines, Carl drove me home in my car and had called a cab to go back to the office.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call anyone Victoria?" I offer a more sincere all be it a feeble smile.
"I'll be okay Carl, you've done more than enough. Thank you."
He hugs me before he walks out, "Get some rest Victoria."
I take a deep breath, "I'll see you tomorrow." I offer and Carl scrunches up his face.
"No, you won't. I'm insisting you take a personal day or two and I'll see you Thursday." He dismisses any further argument and walks away.
I lock the door and for a moment I feel so alone yet somehow safe. I head over to my bedroom and I lock the door as I collapse on the bed. The world's worst headache has spread throughout my body and there's not a single part of me does not hurt. I feel sleep drag me down into the mattress as I try to breathe through the endless stream of tears.
I'm woken up when there's a knock on my bedroom door. "Vic? Are you okay? I called your office to see if you want to go out for dinner and they told me that you had left." Melany's voice is calm and I feel groggy as I sit up in the dark, the light shining in under the door from where she stands.
After I unlock the door, I trudge back to my bed and Mel follows. "You okay bug?" The concern in her voice makes it obvious that I'm worse than I thought. I nod and the slightest movement seems to cause the most pain.
"Yeah, I wasn't feeling well," my voice is hoarse and scratchy. I hear the kitchen tap open and close and my body is instantly covered in sweat, my eyes big and wild stare in the direction of the sound and my body is tensed for a fight.
"Hey, hey, it's Tristan, he's dishing up supper, we brought Chinese today."
Mel words take a few moments to seep in and I smile as my body slowly starts to relax and I realise how hungry I am.
"Victoria, are you sure you're okay? I mean Steph told me that you're still not talking to her." I dismiss Mel as I walk into my bathroom before heading for the kitchen.
I hadn't spoken to Luke since I had left. I haven't answered any of his calls or from the band. Any calls from unknown numbers made me even more paranoid then they had before. I considered blocking everyone, but it seemed extreme, so I just left my phone on silent and lying around, unless I needed it for work or to speak to Natalie mostly about the upcoming wedding.
It was a Saturday and I had lunch planned with Melany. Just as we sat down and ordered, Stephanie showed up. "Hey Vicky, listen, I'm really sorry that I..." I abruptly stood up and grabbed my things.
"You shouldn't be sorry because you knew exactly what you were doing." Steph grabbed my arm as I was about to walk past her.
"We only did it to keep you safe, we care about you, Vix." I pulled my arm out of her grip and stood toe to toe with her, gritting my teeth.
"Funny because even though you guys bugged my apartment and all that other shit, it hasn't done a thing to stop Eric from showing up and cornering me,again and again." I looked over at Mel, "I thought I could trust you, you were all I had left in this damn town." I spit out before I turned and left the restaurant without looking back.
I felt so alone lately and I haven't seen Eric but I got the odd text or two in the last few days. I was grateful to have Tristan and Melany come over but that all came to an end when Mel invited Steph to lunch. I had to speak to security about taking out the new security system at home and I had to make security aware to never let Eric into the building at work.