Chapter 26 #2
Jo placed a hand to her chest and sighed. Amelia and an overnight bag had never gone together before today. Then she smirked, aware of just what this woman was capable of.
You planning to make me forget my own name? x
That was exactly what Jo needed. A night of sheer bliss with the woman she loved.
Only if you ask nicely x
Jo slipped off into her bedroom, smiling when she caught Amelia’s scent still lingering in the air. She wasn’t getting anything else done today, and honestly, the idea of seeing Amelia tonight already made everything else seem optional.
She flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, the faint echo of last night still tingling along her skin. That was when Jo realised something.
She was happy, truly happy, and for the first time since all of this started, it didn’t scare her.
Jo lay back on the couch, her phone balanced on her stomach while she waited for her call to connect with Ada.
She’d spent the last couple of hours bored to tears, but she had yet to hear from Amelia.
The call rang twice before Ada picked up, and Jo could already feel the suspicion seeping down the line.
“You’re alive then?”
Jo grinned. “Good morning to you, too.”
“No text, no update, no nothing for three whole days, and now you decide to call me like it’s a normal Tuesday? You better have a good story.”
Jo sat up, unable to keep the joy at bay any longer. “I do, actually.”
“Go on…”
“I’ve been with Amelia,” Jo said. “Like…actually been with her.”
Ada let out a sharp breath. “Oh, shit.”
Jo laughed. “And before you ask, it’s exactly what you think it is.”
“Jo—”
“No, listen. I asked her to come over the other night. We talked properly about everything, and I get it now. I completely understand why she did what she did and why she hid behind Lia. I’m not saying it was right, but I understand.”
Jo wouldn’t go into detail about Amelia’s personal life, it wasn’t her story to tell, but Ada wouldn’t hold that against her.
There was another pause, but this one felt different. Softer. Then… “And?”
“And I told her I didn’t want to lose her. That I want to be with her.”
“Jesus,” Ada whispered. “You’re serious.”
“Yeah,” Jo murmured. “I’m so fucking serious that I’m grinning like an idiot while staring at the mug she used this morning.”
Ada blew out a breath. “Okay, well…I mean, obviously, I have concerns. Given everything that’s happened recently, but I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing.”
Jo appreciated that. Ada had never been one to linger on something for too long.
She was a firm believer in them both being old enough to make their own mistakes.
“Everything isn’t as it seems with her, Ada.
She’s had a terrible time since… Well, I won’t go into it.
It’s not my business to share, you know? ”
“No, I get that,” Ada said. “So, what about Callum?”
“He doesn’t know about us, not yet, but he’s furious with us both.
Me because I won’t go back to him…and her because she told him what she thinks of him.
” That was all Jo would offer when it came to the Callum saga.
She couldn’t go into detail without discussing Amelia’s horrific past with her ex-husband.
“He said some dreadful things to her, accused her of sleeping with me, and now he’s spat his dummy out. ”
“Sounds like typical Callum, sadly.”
Yeah, Ada knew all too well the kind of person Callum was. Still, the way he’d treated Amelia was far worse than anything he’d done to Jo. Cheating on her seemed like very little when she reminded herself of his appalling attitude towards his own mother.
“As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t exist in my world anymore.” Jo ran a hand through her hair and smiled. “Amelia is my priority, and I’m hers.”
“Fucking finally! You chose you for once.”
“I chose her,” Jo corrected gently. “But yeah. That, too.”
A long silence stretched, and then Jo heard Ada sniffle. “God, you deserve this, Jo. You deserve to be loved. Really loved. Not halfway, not hidden away, and not in a dark room. Just…loved.”
Jo blinked against the sudden sting in her eyes. “She makes me feel like I’m allowed to want that.”
“You’ve been through it, babe. I’m just proud of you for finally letting something good in. I hated seeing you so down. That’s not the Jo I know.”
Jo wouldn’t be where she was today without Ada and Amelia combined.
They’d both picked her up and helped her along in different ways.
“You didn’t let me down once, though. Even when I was crying on the couch, claiming I didn’t want you to be there…
you stayed. You never once walked away or turned your back. ”
“You’re my best friend. I could never walk away.”
“We’re having dinner tonight. I’m going over. She’s moved a meeting, and some work around that was meant to be tomorrow, so we can spend the day together.” Jo smiled up at the ceiling. “God, I’m so in love with her, Ada.”
“I know. And I think I’ve known it for a while…even if I did make out like it was a huge shock when you first mentioned her going to Satin.”
Jo frowned. “Why did you act surprised if you knew?”
“Because you were obsessing over Lia, and I didn’t want to say anything that would make everything feel worse for you. I just…I wish I’d known she was Lia so I could have put a stop to all of that dark room stuff sooner.”
Jo had wondered if Ada was certain Amelia and Lia were the same person earlier this week, but she knew her best friend, and she knew Ada would never withhold something so devastating from her. “You honestly didn’t know they were the same person while we were visiting the club?”
“Absolutely not.” Ada sighed. “Other than the fleeting idea of it at first, which I told you about, I didn’t think about it again. I didn’t think Amelia had it in her to be two people.”
“Well, maybe one day you’ll hear her story, but until then, I just ask that you trust me on this. She had her reasons, and I do understand.”
“Of course, babe. You’re not stupid.” Ada laughed. “Right, you go and get yourself ready for your night with Amelia. Call me at the weekend and if you’re not busy…which I suspect you will be, I’ll come over. You can give me all the juicy details.”
“I’ll call you. I promise.”
“And Jo?”
She lifted her brows. “Mm?”
“I’m proud of you.”
Jo exhaled slowly as the weight she’d carried for so long started to fade away. “Thanks. That means everything.”