Way Back When (Elizabeth. O)

【１４】

Elizabeth's POV:

Hotel Room

I wake up to the smell of the salty rain from last night and the soft chirping of birds outside my bedroom window. But it wasn't my bedroom window. I roll over to my other side, expecting to see Mia lying there, peacefully sleeping, but I don't. She's not there.

The curtains are drawn and the morning sun bolts down through the slit, casting a golden line across the duvet, like an angel is descending from heaven. It's a great sight to wake up to, but the one thing I want to be here, isn't.

I throw off the cover and plod out of the room, this is the first time I've looked at the place that I impulsively rented yesterday. It's quite spacious, and I'm sure my credit card has a sizeable sum missing from it. I walk over to the kitchen counter to fix myself some coffee and inspect my phone, but I see a note, propped up against the fruit bowl; I go over to inspect it.

I need some space.
Also, your phone was going crazy. You should speak to whoever it is.

ML

My heart was, once again, being pulled around. I get that she doesn't like me right now, but the fact that she's not speaking to me about it sucks. I get that I ruined our relationship in the past, and that I did tell her date that she was ill so she wouldn't go, but it she can't deny that she still has feelings about me. I know she does, but if she won't speak to me, we're not going to get anywhere.

I didn't know what came over me when I saw that woman in the car, and that she was looking for my Mia. I guess it was just pure jealousy. Maybe Mia is right, maybe I am a selfish bitch.

I'd love nothing more in the entire world than to see Mia happy. Because that's what she deserves, and the fact that I want to be with her is clearly making her unhappy. And my mind tells me to give her distance and allow her to be happy, but at the same time my heart wants me to chase her and kiss her like I did last night.

I went over to my handbag and pulled out the phone, to see 14 missed calls from Robbie. And that's when it hit me. "I cheated." I mumbled and cover my mouth in horror. A good man who loves me and cares about me, has probably been worried that something bad had happened to me, when in reality I was cheating on him with a woman.

I feel like I've just gotten out of an ice bath, my limbs are numb and the cat seems to have got my tongue because I've been completely disconnected from reality. If the guilt of compromising Mia isn't enough, I've now got the guilt of a man that I love weighing on my conscience.

The phone vibrates in my hand as I look out of the window catatonically, I look down and see that he's calling me right this moment. Really? I quickly think of an excuse before I hit the answer button.

"Oh my god, Lizzie are you okay? Are you hurt? Where were you?" He bombards me with questions that I'm not quite ready for. I take a deep breath and think this all through.

"Im sorry Robbie, I was out with the cast and we got really drunk. I must have fallen asleep because I've just woken up." I say, trying my best to sound convincing, even if I can tell that I'm not doing that great a job.

"Okay, what matters is that you're okay. In future, just drop me a text before so I know okay. I know you're busy." He says, curtly. He's one of the nicest people I've ever met, and that was one of the many reasons that I initially fell in love with him.