44. Very Important
VERY IMPORTANT
WILL
Flying has never been one of my favourite things to do.
Although Kylie had booked me a business class ticket, the two straight days of flying has still left me feeling like absolute crap.
While I’d initially protested, I’m grateful now that everyone had talked me into going straight to the hotel, rather than trying to face Annie with blood shot eyes and my emotions all over the place.
I’ve spent the time in the air trying to work out what to say to Annie to convince her to give us another chance, without sounding desperate or pathetic. On the first stop over in Singapore, I’d almost called the whole thing off and even got in line to book a flight back to Brisbane.
But something urged me to keep going.
Maybe it’s the voice screaming in my head that our story isn’t done yet. That our feelings for each other are worth so much more than a simple fling after seven years apart.
I don’t know what it is. But what I do know is that I can’t go home until I see her. Even if it’s to have the goodbye we never got to have the last time .
That thought sticks in my mind as I try to navigate my way to Notting Hill on the Tube. My sense of direction is usually pretty good, but when I’m dealing with jetlag and easily distracted… Let’s just say I’m lucky that I only got on the wrong train once.
It’s after nine by the time I get to the boutique hotel that the girls booked for me.
Between them, they’ve covered everything I needed to work out in order to make this last-minute trip possible.
Kylie had immediately swung into action, getting our brother-in-law, Jon, to take over running the work sites I have booked this week, and offered to help out with any admin tasks I’d normally deal with as they come up.
As much as I’ve been grumbling about not having enough of a challenge with the business these days, it’s worked in my favour now.
I know I’ve left everything in capable hands while I run after the woman I’ve been following around in one way or another since we were sixteen.
God, I really am pathetic.
The self-doubt has been growing louder with every step closer I get.
I don’t like this feeling. I was always confident in my actions. But now I’m questioning everything.
What if the girls are wrong and what I really should be doing is walking away? Should I just be getting on with my life now that I have the answers to why she left in the first place?
Finally arriving at the hotel that Tara sent me the details for, I’m ready for a hot shower and at least ten hours of sleep. England is hotter in summer than I was expecting, and all I want to do right now is peel off my sweaty jeans and stand under a cold stream of water.
“Hi. Will Anderson, checking in for two nights,” I say, handing over my credit card and passport at the reception desk.
“Ah, Mr Anderson. We were wondering when you’d be arriving. Let’s get you sorted. The room is already paid for, so we’ll just use the card as security for the booking,” Mary, the woman on the other side of the desk, says, a bright smile on her face .
I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting such a friendly greeting at this fancy hotel. Kylie had obviously had some input in the location, given the rather expensive looking furnishings in the foyer, and I guess she decided that she’d foot the bill as well.
Once Mary has finished getting me checked in, she hands me back my passport along with a room key.
“Breakfast will be available in the dining room between seven and ten each morning, and there is an information booklet in your room of things to do around the area, if you’re here to do some sightseeing. ”
I smile and nod back, resisting the urge to unload on her and tell her there’s no sightseeing for me on this trip. Just desperately chasing after the one who got away.
Heading in the direction of the elevators she pointed out, I pause to take in the rather impressive artworks on the wall.
I shake my head, marvelling at the fact that my sister thinks this sort of place is somewhere I’d pick to stay.
She might have kept some of her more uniquely middle class Australian (or sometimes, just downright bogan) ways, but there’s no denying she’s become accustomed to a more luxurious sort of life than I’d ever imagined for myself.
Once I’m on my floor, I make my way down the long hall to my room.
When I let myself in, I could almost cry from relief when I see the comfortable looking king size bed.
I let my backpack slide to the floor beside my suitcase and move towards the bed, preparing to face plant straight onto it.
But there’s something in the middle of the bed. A folder of some kind.
It doesn’t appear to be anything official from the hotel, as it’s a simple manilla folder with no company branding on the front.
Sighing, I pick it up without looking inside and head back downstairs with it.
“Hi, Mary. Sorry, this was on my bed. Wasn’t sure if it was important so thought I’d bring it back down,” I say, trying to hand it over to the smiling concierge .
“Oh, no. That was left with us earlier today to give to you. The cleaning staff left it out for you to see.”
I raise an eyebrow, pulling the folder back towards me. “Someone left it for me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did they leave a name?”
She shakes her head. “No, just said it was very important you got that tonight when you arrived.”
Puzzled, I thank her before heading back to the elevator. Once inside, I open the file, flipping to the first page of the stack of papers inside.
I recognise Annie’s neat handwriting immediately as I run my eyes over the page, on which she has written a few lines.
Pieces of Us
I raise my eyebrow while I continue reading the note beneath it.
For Will
This is how our story should have gone.
She’s written her next novel… And based it on us.