Incomplete Strangers

Chapter Twenty-One

December 2014, Canterbury, Kent, England

Molly paced the floor of her living room. Mark knows, she thought to herself. He obviously knows. She’d spoken to him after Chris’s party and told him she wanted to meet up when he got back. He’d been sent to Oslo after Copenhagen, but now, a week later, he was coming to Canterbury to see her.

She’d been surprised when he said he would come to Canterbury, but he said it was important and she was sure he either knew she was going to break up with him, or he was going to break up with her.

She’d had a few sleepless nights, but after an expletive laden pep talk from Saskia, she was ready. She could do this. The doorbell rang and Molly nearly jumped out of her skin. She flew to answer it.

‘Mark. Hi.’ She gulped nervously. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m fine.’ He kissed her on the cheek. ‘Can I come in?’

She stepped back to let him in. ‘Sure, sorry.’

He took his shoes off and frowned as his eyes raked over her. ‘I’ve booked us a table at Riad. Did you want to get changed?’

‘No,’ she replied. In her black jeans and cashmere jumper she was ready for the death of her relationship. ‘What’s wrong with my outfit?’

He followed her in and sat down next to her, stretching his long, chino clad legs out. ‘Oh, nothing, I guess.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s just a bit…dark.’

‘I like it,’ she said, defiantly. ‘Did you say you’d booked Riad? It’s so good in there.’

‘You’ve been already?’ he asked, his voice heavy with disappointment. ‘It’s only been open a few months.’

‘I know,’ she said, wanting to avoid questions about who she’d been there with. ‘What time did you book the table for? Do you want a drink first?’

‘The table’s booked for seven,’ he said. ‘So we should actually get going now.’

She studied him closely. His jaw was tight, and he had beads of sweat forming on his brow. He was going to break up with her. At least she knew the food would be good, and if they were in a public place there wouldn’t be an argument. They could just amicably go their separate ways. He had never raised his voice in all the time she’d known him. He would probably be relieved. It would mean he could get together with Beth.

Mark was quiet as the taxi drove them into the city, but as they walked to the restaurant, he complained about the cobbled streets. Molly smiled to herself. After tonight, she wouldn’t have to listen to him talking about how Canterbury wasn’t half the city that London was.

Inside Riad, the lights were dim, and the waiter showed them to a table at the back of the restaurant, before taking their drinks order. Molly’s eyes lit up as she opened the menu.

‘Mark, the food here is so good, it’s just like your auntie’s.’

‘I doubt it,’ he said dismissively.

She opened her mouth to reply, but the waiter returned with her mint tea, and Mark’s beer, took their food orders, and disappeared again.

As he left, Molly felt awkward. She wondered when Mark was planning to break up with her. Would it be in the middle of the meal? In the car on the way home?

‘How was Copenhagen?’ she asked, plastering a smile onto her face.

‘Cold,’ he replied. ‘But the deal was successful, we impressed the client, and we had a laugh in Tivoli Gardens. The rides were a bit tame, but Beth was still scared.’ He chuckled. ‘I also secured a second client in Oslo, so it was worth it. There’s a promotion on the cards for me.’

‘Right,’ she said. ‘What does it involve?’

‘Ah, it’s a step up and a move to a different team,’ he replied, waving his hand. ‘It’s complicated.’

She plastered on a smile. His condescending tone would no longer be her problem after tonight.

‘Oh. I probably wouldn’t understand anyway.’

She continued eating, as he continued talking about his job.

He wiped his forehead with a napkin after they’d eaten.

‘I underestimated how spicy that harissa was,’ he said and took a gulp of his beer.

She studied his face. He was nervous. His eyes kept wandering around the room, and his cheeks were flushed. He swallowed another mouthful of beer as the waiter took their plates away.

‘Did you, uh, want a dessert?’ she asked.

She was baffled. Why hadn’t he broken up with her yet? Maybe he was building up to it. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, and she could see the fear in his eyes. Come on, just do it, she thought to herself. Rip the plaster off. Get it over with.

‘I called ahead and arranged something special,’ he replied.

She frowned, puzzled, just as the waiter returned with two plates.

‘Homemade baklava, with honey and yoghurt,’ he said, setting them down on the table.

‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling politely at Mark. ‘This is really thoughtful.’

She picked up her fork, noticing for the first time what was on her plate. Written in swirly chocolate writing, were the words Will You Marry Me?

She gasped. ‘Are you serious? Is this for real?’

‘Well, yes,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think that would be the first thing you’d say.’

‘It’s just so unexpected.’ She breathed out heavily.

‘We’ve been together for four years and you said that you wanted to get married.’ He frowned. ‘What’s going on?’

She lowered her voice. ‘I said that I love weddings. I…’ she paused. ‘I can’t marry you.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘Excuse me? Would you care to elaborate?’

‘I thought you were bringing me here tonight to break up with me,’ she replied.

He shook his head. ‘Care to explain exactly why you can’t marry me?’

‘We’re just too different,’ she said. ‘I need someone who will be there for me; not just physically, but emotionally.’

‘You’re a bit needy at the moment because of what happened to you,’ he replied. ‘Once you’ve had some more counselling, you’ll be fine. You were like this after your mum died.’

She sucked in a breath. ‘When my mum died, I needed you, and you weren’t there for me. I got on with it then, but I can’t do it any longer. I ask you for nothing. And the things I do ask you to do, like walking me to the station, you don’t even do.’

‘I didn’t know that walking you to the station was such a big deal,’ he replied.

‘I was still scared, Mark, and stupidly, I thought you might want to be there for me. You just don’t get it. You won’t ever get it,’ she said, glaring at him.

He rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t know what you want from me,’ he said. ‘You were the one that wanted to get married, not me. And now I’ve proposed, you’re breaking up with me? You obviously don’t get it either.’

She felt a hot flash of anger course through her body. ‘You don’t even want to marry me?’ There had been no ring, and he hadn’t got down on bended knee. He clearly didn’t want this either.

‘That’s not what I meant,’ he said quickly. ‘I just thought it was time. All the guys in my office are getting married.’

She shook her head. ‘That is the least romantic thing I’ve ever heard. How could you possibly expect me to marry you?’ She paused, narrowing her eyes. ‘Does this have anything to do with your promotion?’

He paused, studying his napkin intently.

She stood up, her body shaking with rage. ‘I wanted to do this amicably, but I can’t. I’m too angry. You proposed to me just to impress your boss?’

She grabbed her coat and bag and walked to the front door, flinging it open and walking out into the street. She leant against the brick wall outside, nausea swirling in her stomach. Taking a lungful of the cold night air helped calm her burning cheeks. The door flew open, and Mark came out, rounding on her.

‘How could you do that to me?’ His eyes burnt into hers. ‘You really embarrassed me.’

‘Is that all you care about?’ She backed away from him. ‘Being embarrassed is more of an issue to you than the end of our four-year relationship?’

He glared at her, then at the bar on the other side of the road. ‘You need to calm down. People are staring.’

‘Calm down?’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve spent our whole relationship biting my lip and not saying what was on my mind.’

He moved closer to her. ‘Molly, listen, I think you’re overreacting. Can’t we talk about this?’

Her heart started beating faster and she suddenly felt unsafe. She didn’t like the way his eyes had darkened, his brows almost touching.

‘No, I don’t think so.’

‘What? You mean I’ve spent two hours on the train tonight for nothing?’ He frowned at her. ‘You’re not even prepared to talk about this?’

‘What is there to talk about?’ she asked, her voice cracking.

‘This is about him, isn’t it?’ he said, his eyes narrowing. ‘You’ve been led astray by that nerdy gym freak, haven’t you? Have you been sleeping with him?’

‘No,’ she said indignantly.

‘So you’re telling me there is nothing going on between you?’ He raised an eyebrow.

She wrestled with her conscience before she responded. ‘I kissed him. We’d been out drinking, and I kissed him, but he stopped it and we both agreed that it couldn’t happen again.’

‘Bullshit,’ he said, folding his arms. ‘I don’t believe you for a minute.’

‘I don’t care,’ she responded, feeling empowered. ‘That’s the truth.’ There was no way she was going to tell him that she was in love with Chris. ‘Maybe you’ve got a guilty conscience yourself. Are you going to tell me that the only thing Beth rode while you were in Copenhagen together was a rollercoaster?’

‘You’re disgusting.’ He looked away from her.

‘Am I wrong?’ she asked. ‘Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn’t sleep with her in Copenhagen.’

‘I didn’t,’ he snapped. ‘I slept with her in Belgium. It was a mistake. One I’m still paying for. She won’t leave me alone.’

She sucked in a breath, before narrowing her eyes. ‘You mean the trip where you presented me with a ridiculously expensive bag when you got back. Was that a guilt present?’

He sighed. ‘Yes.’

‘That stupid bag that I was assaulted for was a gift because you had slept with someone else?’ she shouted.

‘Keep your voice down,’ he hissed. ‘I’m not discussing this here. Let’s go back to your place and we can talk about this rationally.’

‘I don’t think so,’ she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her heart was pounding so furiously she could almost hear it. ‘I’m not going anywhere with you.’

‘You’re being stupid, Molly,’ he spat. ‘Come with me.’ He grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her towards him.

‘Let me go!’ she shouted, gasping as she heard the seam of her coat rip. As she stepped backwards, she tripped, sending her stumbling onto the pavement and right into a muddy puddle.

‘Oi, what’s going on here?’ The man who had been standing outside the bar was now in front of Mark, and he had an angry expression on his face.

‘This is none of your business,’ Mark said, folding his arms.

Molly pulled herself to her feet. The city was full of people coming out of the bars and restaurants. Running away would mean running towards these people, but she didn’t want to stay with Mark either. Leaving Mark and the man arguing, she turned and ran as fast as her heels would carry her, her tears falling onto the cobbled street.

Mimosa’s neon sign appeared in front of her. Pushing open the door, she almost fell in, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She scanned the bar, but Scott wasn’t there. Her body shaking, she walked unsteadily to the counter and sat down on one of the stools, her heart pounding. She scanned the room again, hoping he was here somewhere.

Jo, the barmaid, came over. ‘Oh love, do you need some help?’

Molly nodded. ‘Is Scott in tonight?’

‘Yes, darling, he’s in the back. I’ll call him for you.’ Her brow furrowed as she ran her eyes over Molly. ‘Are you alright here for a minute while I get him?’

‘Yes,’ Molly said. ‘Thank you.’ She pulled a tissue out of her bag and wiped her eyes.

‘Molly?’ Scott came around to her side of the bar, his eyes widening. ‘What’s going on?’ He sat down next to her.

‘Mark…’ Molly tried to swallow the lump in her throat. ‘I ran.’ The tears flooded down her cheeks again.

‘Shall we go somewhere quieter?’ he asked.

She nodded and followed him out of the back of the bar, into a tiny office. The desk was cluttered with papers and a laptop.

‘Sorry about the mess,’ he said and pulled out the chair from the desk. ‘Have a seat.’

She gestured to her wet, muddy coat and jeans. ‘Uh, I fell; I’m really dirty.’

‘Don’t worry about the chair,’ he said. ‘You must be cold.’

‘I’m fine,’ she replied, pulling her coat tighter around her, feeling a cold draught in the ripped shoulder seam. She sat down on the chair, trying not to get any mud on it.

He leant against the desk. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

‘I don’t want to drag you into my mess,’ she said.

‘Hey, don’t worry about that. We’re friends, right?’ He raised his eyebrow.

‘We are,’ she replied slowly. ‘I don’t know how much you know about me and Mark. I don’t know what Chris has told you.’

He folded his arms. ‘He’s told me enough that I’m not surprised you’re sitting here right now.’

She nodded. ‘Then I’ll fill you in on the rest.’

He listened intently, saying nothing, his brow furrow deepening as she spoke.

When she finished, he gripped the edge of the desk tightly. ‘I get it, Molly. I know why you stayed with him. You thought he would change; you thought things would be better, right?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘How did you know?’

‘You’re not the only one who’s been there,’ he replied. ‘Only for me, it was my dad. It took Chris and his mum a while to convince me that I would be better off without him, and do you know what? I was.’

‘I know I’m better off without Mark,’ she said quietly. ‘I knew it wasn’t right, but I stayed because I had this idea of what I thought it could be. I didn’t want it to end like this with him. I thought we could be friends.’

‘He’s not someone you want as a friend.’ He gritted his teeth. ‘He’s a complete arsehole.’

‘You’re right,’ she said, meeting his eyes. ‘I… I’m sorry to barge in here. I’m scared to go back home in case he’s there.’

‘So don’t,’ he replied. ‘Where would you feel safe?’

She sighed. ‘I don’t know where to go.’ Her heart was still racing as she thought about it. ‘If I go to Liz’s I’ll wake Martha up, and Jess will be doing her radio show.’

‘I know someone who would definitely want to know about this, and who would make you feel safe,’ he said. ‘Shall I take you back to my place? You can stay there tonight, and we’ll come with you back to your place tomorrow.’

‘Are you sure?’ she asked, feeling yet again that she was a burden. ‘I don’t want to make you leave work. This isn’t your problem.’

The thought of seeing Chris calmed her anxious mind.

‘It’s fine,’ he replied. ‘I don’t want to put you into a taxi right now, and Jo will understand. I’ll drop you back there and come right back to work.’ He bent down so that his eyes were level with hers. ‘We’re friends, and friends help each other sort out their problems, alright?’

She nodded. ‘Thank you.’

He stood up. ‘Come on. Let’s get you out of here.’ He led her back into the bar, where he sidled up to Jo. ‘Can I borrow your car keys?’ He nodded to Molly. ‘I need to get my friend somewhere safe.’

Jo pulled her keys out of her pocket, handing them to Scott. ‘For her, sure. Do not damage my car. Got it?’

‘Thank you. I will not damage your car. Again. I’ll be back in half an hour.’ Scott walked back over to Molly. ‘Let’s roll.’

‘What did you do to Jo’s car?’ Molly asked as Scott drove them back to his flat.

‘I might have hit a kerb and scratched her brand-new alloy wheels when I borrowed it to collect a delivery.’ Scott winced. ‘I paid to have them repaired, but she hasn’t forgiven me.’

‘Oh no,’ Molly said. ‘I bet she felt like she couldn’t say no to you. I’m so sorry.’

Why did everything she did cause hassle for everyone else around her?

‘You don’t need to apologise, Molly,’ he said. ‘You’re not to blame here.’

‘I feel bad for dragging you both into this,’ she said. ‘I just didn’t know where else to go.’ She bit her lip.

‘Listen, you came to the bar, because you knew me or Chris, or both of us would be there and you knew we would help you get through this. And we will.’ Scott smiled at her. ‘Don’t think that you’re being a burden on anyone. You aren’t.’

She wondered how he knew exactly what was on her mind.

‘I know how it feels, Molly.’ He gripped the steering wheel tightly. ‘I know what it’s like when your world falls apart and you have to put your trust in someone else. I put my trust in Chris and his family and they’ve never let me down. Chris and I, we’ll never let you down. I promise you that.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, and the fear started to dissipate. Her heart skipped a beat as Scott parked outside their apartment building.

‘You’re welcome. Look, we’re here. Let’s hope Chris isn’t asleep, or naked.’ He let out a wild laugh as he got out of the car.

Molly followed Scott to the door of his flat and he unlocked it, pushing it open. She walked inside, her heart rate and her breathing slowing as the door clicked shut behind them. She was safe. She took off her heels, her bare feet cold on the wooden floor, and followed Scott into the living room.

‘Evening, mate,’ Scott said, walking into the living room, where Chris was sprawled out on the sofa.

Chris frowned at Scott. ‘I thought you were working.’

Scott nodded to Molly. ‘We have a guest.’

‘Oh shit, what’s happened to you?’ Chris jumped off the sofa and walked over to Molly, running his eyes over her tear-streaked face.

‘Long story,’ she said, her voice cracking. ‘Can I stay here for a bit?’

‘Of course you can,’ Chris replied.

‘I need to get back to work,’ Scott said. ‘I’ll see you later, guys.’

‘Thank you, Scott,’ Molly said, putting her arms around him. ‘You’re awesome.’

‘It’s nothing,’ Scott said. ‘I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll see you later.’ He nodded to Chris and walked out of the room.

Molly burst into tears as the front door shut behind Scott.

Chris put his arms around Molly, holding her tightly. ‘You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just tell me what you need from me.’

This, she thought to herself. Just hold me and don’t ever let go of me. She pulled away from him and gave him a weak smile.

‘Thank you, I needed that.’

‘Let me take your jacket,’ he said, helping her out of it.

As he peeled it off, she shivered. The cold had seeped right through to her skin.

‘I think you could do with a shower to warm up, and some dry clothes,’ he said, still clutching her ripped, soaked jacket. ‘How does that sound?’

‘That might be a good idea.’ She followed him into his bathroom, where he got a fluffy towel out of his linen cupboard and handed it to her, before showing her to adjust the heat and power on the shower.

‘My bedroom’s the next on the left,’ he said. ‘I’ll leave some clothes out for you. They’ll be massive, but they’ll keep you warm.’

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m so sorry to gatecrash your Friday night.’

‘It’s not a problem,’ he replied. ‘I’ll make us some tea while you shower. I got some of that rooibos tea.’

‘Thank you,’ she replied. ‘I’ll be right out.’

‘If you leave your wet clothes in there, I’ll put them in the washing machine once you’re done,’ he said, then closed the door behind him.

She took a deep breath and peeled off her damp, muddy jeans. The back of her top was damp too, thanks to the stupid thin jacket she’d grabbed to go out in tonight. The thin, ripped jacket. She slid off her top and underwear and stepped into the shower.

Once she was clean, she stepped out of the shower and rubbed herself dry with the towel, then cracked the door open and tiptoed down the hall to Chris’s room. Laid out on the bed was a T-shirt, a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie, and some long black woolly socks. She picked them up and breathed in the familiar smell of Chris. She burst out laughing as she pulled the sweatpants on. They were about a foot too long and the waist was at least four inches too big. She pulled the drawstrings tighter and did them up in a bow, then slid on the T-shirt and hoodie before sitting on the bed to put on her socks.

She flicked her eyes around the room, noticing the pile of books on his bedside table, the neatly ironed bedsheets. She wasn’t going to rummage in his wardrobe, but she was fairly sure it was all full of immaculately pressed clothes as well as good quality sportswear, judging by the sweatpants he’d given her. Her socks slipping across the floor, she walked into the kitchen.

‘Oh wow,’ Chris said, running his eyes over her. ‘I thought they’d be a little big, but…’

She flapped the long arms of the hoodie like a penguin. ‘Is it ridiculous?’ She laughed. ‘I feel ridiculous.’

Yet, she didn’t feel self-conscious. He was familiar, someone she could trust. Her heart rate had slowed, and her body had relaxed as soon as his front door had shut behind her. Here, she was safe.

‘No, not at all.’ He handed her a cup of tea. ‘Let’s go and sit down.’ He picked up his own cup and led her into the living room.

She sat down on the sofa and took a sip of her tea. ‘Mmm, this is good, thank you.’

‘No problem.’ He picked up the TV remote. ‘If you want to talk, I’ll switch this off.’ He gestured to the Star Wars film which was paused. ‘If you need to switch off, we can watch this, or whatever you want.’

She nodded and picked up her phone, wincing as she unlocked it. There were ten missed calls. She sighed and opened her messages.

Mark: Where are you? I”m at your house. We need to talk.

Her stomach lurched. How long had he been there? Would he stay there? Before she could think about it, she replied.

Molly: I have nothing to say to you. Go home and don”t contact me again.

She stuffed her phone back into her bag and took a sip of her tea. All the while she was here, she was safe. He had no idea where Chris lived.

‘I broke up with Mark tonight,’ she said. ‘It didn’t exactly go to plan.’

His jaw dropped, and she continued.

‘He…he doesn’t love me,’ she said. ‘Not in the way I want someone to love me. To care about me. To be vulnerable with me, to let me care about them.’

‘And you told him you wanted more?’ he asked.

‘No. I knew he could never be that person for me. I met him for dinner, to break up with him, and he proposed to me. It turned out that he only did it to get a promotion, and because all of his friends were getting married. ‘ She rolled her eyes.

He shook his head. ‘What happened after he proposed?’

She took a deep breath. ‘It went south very fast.’

‘What did he do to you?’ His eyes darkened. ‘Did he hurt you?’

‘Sort of,’ she said. ‘I stormed out of the restaurant and he came after me. We argued. He admitted he’d slept with someone else.’ She bit her lip. ‘I told him that you and I had kissed. I wanted to be honest with him. He wanted to go back to my place so we could “talk,” then he grabbed me, tore my coat, and I fell over. Some guy came over from the bar over the road to see what was going on. I just got up and ran until I got to Mimosa. Jo and Scott were there…’ Her eyes filled with tears and she wiped them away.

‘I hate that he did this to you,’ he said, through gritted teeth. ‘How could he? After everything you’ve been through? Where is he now?’

She nodded to her bag. ‘He’s just messaged me telling that he”s waiting for me at my house. I”ve told him to go home. I have no interest in hearing what he has to say.’

His jaw tightened and he picked up his phone. ‘I can ask Scott to send some of his mates round there and make sure he leaves.’

Her phone buzzed with another message and she picked it up, holding her breath as she opened it.

Mark: Thanks for nothing Molly. Have a nice life

She showed it to Chris. ‘I don”t think he”ll be hanging around for long. I don”t know if I want to go back there tonight though.’

‘You can stay here as long as you need to. I won’t let anyone hurt you,’ he said, his jaw tight.

‘Thank you,’ she replied, and his kindness prompted another flood of tears. Yet again she’d dragged him into her chaos.

‘Hey, it’s OK,’ he said. ‘You’re safe. Listen, Molly, you deserve someone who proposes to you because they want to spend the rest of their life with you, because they can’t imagine being without you, not to get a job.’

Her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met. She wanted to tell him that she had known she felt that way about him since she found out that Kate and Alex were engaged, but now was not the time.

‘You’re such a romantic… I like that.’

He nodded. ‘I can’t deny it. I love happy endings.’

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. He made her feel safer than anyone else ever could, and she so desperately wanted him to be her happy ending. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell him that.

‘Me too,’ she said, then looked at the TV. ‘What are you watching? Is this the one with the Ewoks?’

‘Yes, this is Return of the Jedi.’ He picked up the remote. ‘I’ll start it from the beginning.’ He smiled at her and stood up, pulling a blanket off the armchair next to the sofa and handing it to her. ‘Let’s see who’s still awake at the end.’