Chapter 8 #2
Ellie didn’t know what it meant. She hadn’t given herself the opportunity to explore that question properly yet. The idea of analysing the sudden shift in her feelings felt almost overwhelming, like opening a door she wasn’t entirely ready to step through.
But she knew one thing for certain. She felt something for Alba.
And sitting here tonight, sharing food and conversation while Colin snored beside them, reminded Ellie of everything she had been missing outside the walls of Park Haven.
People didn’t call anymore. Not the way they used to.
If they did, it was usually a brief check-in or a cautious text message asking if she was okay.
Sometimes they would send a message saying they were thinking of her, which was kind in its own way, but it always felt like they were standing at a distance, unsure whether stepping closer would break something fragile.
Rarely did anyone invite her out for drinks.
Never did anyone invite her over for a casual evening like this.
For so long, Ellie had felt like the world had slowly placed her behind glass.
Yes, she’d been broken once, devastated and lost in grief so deep she hadn’t recognised herself, but that wasn’t all she was anymore.
Ellie wanted to enjoy life again. And with Alba around, she was discovering that she wanted it far more than she’d realised.
“Tell me about your family,” Ellie said, gently patting Colin where he lay stretched out beside her.
“Not much to say, really. Dad lives in Gibraltar with his wife.” Alba reached for her glass of water and sipped.
“Mum died when I was fifteen. I spent most of that time looking after Casey, my sister, who is five years younger than me. She has a high-flying job in fashion now, so I don’t see her as often as I’d like. We used to be really close.”
Ellie pictured a younger version of Alba instantly. Fifteen years old and already carrying responsibilities that a lot of teenagers would never have to face. “That’s exciting. For your sister, I mean.”
“Yeah, it is. I think she’s in New York, but she could have moved on. It’s hard to keep up with her a lot of the time.”
Ellie had always wanted a sister. Instead, she had grown up with a brother who had slowly drifted further and further away from her life until they barely spoke at all.
The distance between them had widened over the years, filled with misunderstandings and things neither of them had ever bothered to repair. “Do you still see your dad?”
“Oh, yeah. He visits with Gina all the time. They come over at least three times a year. He has family here, and so does she.” Alba stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken. “I’m always jealous of their tan when they visit. You know, since we all spend most of the year borderline transparent.”
Ellie laughed at that. “It must be nice having the option to visit them, though?”
“Sometimes. Gina isn’t as welcoming as Dad is.
Casey doesn’t speak to her, so I think she’s wary of me too, but Casey still thinks that Dad is cheating on our mum, you know?
” Alba rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“I’m really happy he found someone else after Mum died, but it does get very lonely when you’re the only one left here in England. ”
Ellie nodded slowly. Even though the circumstances were different, she understood that feeling completely. Being left behind was being left behind, regardless of the situation that caused it. “You’ve never wanted to travel or find a job outside of the UK?”
“No. The UK is my home. My friends are here. I love my job at the school.”
A warmth bloomed in Ellie’s chest at that. Part of her hadn’t realised how much she disliked the idea of Alba leaving until the possibility had been spoken out loud. “So, I don’t have to worry about you handing in your resignation?”
“Nope. That would never happen. I feel as though I connect with the kids at Park Haven. I’m from here.
Not the immediate area, but still from this part of town.
” Alba waved a hand. “That’s not to say I’ve never left the country.
When I turned eighteen, I took a break from studying and travelled for nearly two years.
That’s why I fell in love with the idea of being a geography teacher. ”
“I’m glad you fell in love with it. The students and other staff speak very highly of you.”
Alba’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “They do?”
“Mmhmm.”
Ellie had heard more than a few compliments about Alba in the short time she’d been at Park Haven.
Students seemed to gravitate towards her naturally, and the other teachers had already started to rely on her in a way colleagues only did when someone had proven themselves quickly.
Ellie had known she would fit in. Park Haven was the kind of school that welcomed people like Alba.
“Well, that’s nice to hear.” Alba smiled shyly as she stared down at the remnants of food left on her plate. “Could I ask you something personal?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know how to word this without it potentially coming across as insensitive,” Alba said as she cleared her throat. “But…did you only ever have Eloise?”
Ellie nodded as she leaned back against the couch and crossed her legs at the ankles. “Yes. Just Eloise.”
“Was there a reason for that? I mean, did you not want any more kids?”
“I was thirty-five when I fell pregnant with her. Colin and I had spent so long working that we never really stopped to have a family. Eloise just…happened. She wasn’t a mistake, not in a million years, but she wasn’t something we’d sat down and planned for.”
“Sometimes the surprises are the best.”
Ellie smiled. “Oh, she was the greatest surprise of my life.” Her eyes drifted to the framed photograph she’d placed back on the living room wall just this week.
For a long time, she hadn’t been able to look at it, so she’d removed it from sight, but tonight it felt different.
“She didn’t even cry when she was born. She was the most placid baby I’ve ever come across.
I was expecting all hell to break loose as she turned into a toddler, but again, she was just perfect. She was never any bother at all.”
“Not many people can say that.” Alba smiled. “Casey was a pain in the arse from the moment she was born. She’s still a pain in the arse now.”
“But you wouldn’t have her any other way, would you?”
“No. Certainly not when she arrives back in England and turns up at my door with all sorts of labels that she’s picked up for me on her travels.”
“Well, if you ever need some of those labels taken off your hands, you know where to find me.” Ellie winked, then looked down at Colin when he rested his head in her lap. “What do you think? Shouldn’t Mummy give me her hand-me-downs?”
Colin huffed.
“Is that a yes?” She glanced up at Alba, who nodded. “Must be terrible knowing your dog loves me more than he loves you.”
Alba laughed. “You may joke, but I think you’re actually right. He always has been a good judge of character, though. He’s reminded me to follow my gut on several occasions now.”
“Oh?” Ellie raised a brow. “Care to elaborate?”
“Well, for a start…his reaction to you coming over to my place for the first time told me that you were a good person and that I should get to know you. That’s not something I do very often. You know, expand my circle of friends and that.”
“I’m the same. Danielle has been my best friend for over thirty years, and she’s the only one I really trust with my feelings, and my life.”
“Lois is that for me, too.” Alba lowered her plate to the coffee table and crawled around it before settling on the floor beside Ellie.
When she reached out and took Ellie’s hand, the gesture felt so natural that Ellie barely questioned it in her mind.
“I hope you know that I really enjoy doing this after work. I’m so used to going home and doing the same routine every night, and this is just… it’s lovely.”
Ellie turned her head and met Alba’s eyes. “Me, too.”
“I won’t be around this weekend, though.” Alba seemed almost disappointed as she put that out there. “I forgot I have plans with Lois, but if you’d like to do this again before or after, give me a shout.”
“You’ll be the first one I consider on my speed dial.”
Alba leaned back, her gaze drifting to the television playing quietly in the background. Colin had already started to snore next to Ellie, his breathing steady and peaceful.
For the first time in a long while, Ellie felt completely content.
“I like the picture you’ve put up of Eloise.” Alba tilted her head, smiling at the photograph. “It shows her character, and she has a smile as beautiful as her mum’s.”
Ellie rested her head against Alba’s shoulder. She didn’t even think about doing it. It simply felt right. “She would have been setting out on her GCSE journey now.”
“What do you think her options would have been?” Alba turned her head, and Ellie felt the faintest shift as she inhaled.
“I think you would have been one of her teachers. She was always fascinated by places and European architecture. I probably would have lost her to sunny city breaks. Physical Education, too. She was a runner, and she’d always wanted to be a police officer, so fitness was important to her.
” Ellie swallowed, keeping her voice steady.
“And maybe English Language or English Lit.”
“Well, it would have been an honour to have her in my class.” Alba lifted her arm and draped it gently around Ellie’s shoulders. The warmth of the gesture settled over Ellie like a quiet reassurance. “Just as it’s an honour to have you in my life.”