Chapter 19 #2
Choosing to let Alba go—because what else could she do—Ellie held up her hands and stepped back, the space between them opening again. She had said all she could say. The decision was Alba’s and Alba’s alone. “I know. I’m sorry for interrupting your lunch hour.”
“I’ll see you around, okay?”
Ellie simply nodded and watched Alba’s beautiful form retreat into the staff room, emotion welling in her throat with every step Alba took away from her.
She wouldn’t push her, and she wouldn’t beg.
But God, she would certainly hope that Alba came back to her one day.
Because right now, hope was all she had left.
“She said she misses me.” Alba slowly strolled around the streets with Colin, appreciative of the fresh air this evening.
It was cooler than she would have liked, brushing against her skin, but it didn’t quite take her mind off the heaviness she felt in her shoulders.
She’d only been home for ten minutes before she’d realised she felt suffocated, the walls pressing in on her.
So for the last hour or so, they’d been walking and talking together.
“I wish she meant it how I want her to mean it.”
Colin was a great listener. Mostly because he couldn’t respond with anything Alba wouldn’t like. But if she knew him, he would probably be rolling his eyes at her for ever befriending Ellie Hamilton.
Just walk and clear your head.
“Right. Which way?” They stopped at the junction of the park and Ellie’s road, Alba’s pace slowing instinctively. “Park again?”
Colin tugged her the opposite way, and directly towards Ellie’s house.
Maybe he was hoping to bump into her, but Alba understood.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Alba would have been looking out for her too, scanning the street without even realising she was doing it, but lately, that wasn’t an option.
And if today in Ellie’s office was anything to go by, Alba wasn’t welcome in any aspect of her life anymore.
Work included. She may have apologised, and she may have asked that Alba forgive her, but Ellie hadn’t meant it.
In the months that Alba had known her, she’d never heard Ellie speak to anyone the way she’d spoken to Alba.
It had stung more than she cared to admit.
“Look, it’s not a good idea for us to be on this street.
” Colin started to pull on the lead. He’d never been a puller, and Alba didn’t appreciate her arm being almost dragged from its socket.
The sudden movement jolted her forward, her balance shifting.
“Hey, slow down!” She dug her feet into the pavement and stopped dead, her trainers gripping against the concrete. “Heel.”
Colin stopped, looking up at Alba as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
And he didn’t. Lucky him. But that didn’t mean she was going to accept being run ragged down an affluent street in her new area.
Everyone had video doorbells these days.
She’d been on the local neighbourhood watch group if it continued, and the last thing she needed was her name circulating for the wrong reasons again.
“How about we head back towards where we came from and go home for some treats?” His ears pricked as he sat like a good boy.
“You see! When you’re well-behaved, you get the good stuff. ”
Alba turned back to where she’d come from, keeping her head down as she crossed between two parked cars and ended up on the other side of the street.
Just a corner to turn, two more roads to cross, and then she would be home in the warmth of the house Alba was growing fond of.
It was hers; none of Audrey’s stuff lay around the place, and she was the only one with a key to get inside.
What more could she need when she wanted to hide away with Colin?
All I need now is for Audrey to find out my address.
That thought sent a shiver skittering down Alba’s spine.
She’d never been fearful of her ex-wife, and she never would be, but she was wary.
Audrey seemed very unpredictable lately, her presence always hovering even when she wasn’t physically there.
And with the knowledge that Susan had been fed bullshit lies, Alba wanted to hide under a blanket and never surface again.
She didn’t know too much about Susan yet, but she did get the impression that everyone at school would know about the things Audrey had been saying within the next couple of days. And then what? More looks, more whispers, and more distance from the people she called her colleagues.
As Alba and Colin turned the corner, they ran directly into Ellie, and the world stilled for a second.
Neither of them said anything to one another, but Alba was the first to break eye contact. She couldn’t look into those deep blue eyes without longing for something more…without remembering exactly how close they’d come. “Sorry. I didn’t realise you were out walking too.”
“This is what we’ve come to?” Ellie scoffed. “You’re apologising for walking down a street?”
Alba shifted her weight, the lead tightening in her hand. “Colin was in charge of the walk tonight.” Alba’s arm still ached from his earlier boundary pushing. “Almost dragged me off my feet at one point.”
Ellie crouched down and kissed the top of Colin’s head when he rested his chin on her shoulder, completely at ease with him in a way that made Alba want to sink to her knees and sob. “Hi, gorgeous boy.” She wrapped an arm around him and smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
Alba knew Colin had missed her, too. Of course he had. “He’s been off his food and stuff lately. Don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“Maybe he’s picked up a tummy bug on his walks. I’m sure he’ll be fine with a lot of love from you.”
When Ellie rose to her feet again, she shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat and smiled weakly.
Alba hated this. She hated the space between them and the uncertainty hanging in the air.
She never wanted Ellie to feel uncomfortable or unsure of what to say around her.
If Audrey hadn’t interfered, they wouldn’t be in this situation…
or maybe Audrey interfering was the best thing that could have happened to Alba.
It meant she had an excuse to avoid Ellie without coming clean about her genuine reasons for doing so.
“When I came to your office at lunch time…” Alba cast her gaze on the ground and chewed her lip.
She wasn’t sure why she was prolonging this meeting, it wouldn’t change anything, but she found herself wanting to be alone with Ellie for a while longer before she had to walk away again.
“I really hadn’t come there for anything other than to offer you a drink.
I…didn’t think you were struggling or anything, not like you assumed. ”
Ellie held up a hand. “I was way out of line. I never should have said what I did.”
“If that’s how you feel, then I’d rather know that. I just wanted to say that it wasn’t the reason I was there. I promised you I wouldn’t be like the rest of them, and I meant it.”
“I know you did.” Ellie took a step closer and took Alba’s hand. The contact sent a shiver down her spine, her throat tight as she watched Ellie. “And I meant it when I said I missed our evenings together.”
“Me too.” Alba enjoyed the sensation of her hand in Ellie’s far more than she should have, her thumb twitching against Ellie’s skin as if it had a mind of its own. “If things were different and she didn’t make my life so difficult, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“Maybe she’ll see sense one day and let you live your life in peace.
If she does, then I expect a knock at my door.
” Ellie leaned in and kissed Alba on the cheek, stealing every ounce of breath she possessed.
“But until then, just know that I’ll miss you terribly.
” Alba closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, her senses flooding with Ellie.
Her perfume, the warmth of her skin, the ghost of her lips remaining long enough to undo her.
If she could memorise that scent, life wouldn’t be so bad down the line.
“Goodnight, Alba. I’ll…see you around school. ”
Swallowing down the emotion lodged in her throat, Alba turned and looked over her shoulder, watching Ellie walk around the corner and out of sight.
The cold breeze carried her perfume through the air, but nothing could replace that scent as it had reached Alba’s nose while Ellie’s lips had rested gently against her skin.
She sighed as tears filled her eyes and continued towards her place. “Come on, Colly. We’ve had our fill of Ellie Hamilton for the rest of the week.”