Just Rose

34

Rose carried on with her shopping and meandering in town, making the most of the long drive here and not really wanting to go back to the cottage to stare at the clock and obsess over Rob's absence.

He called late afternoon, her heart lurching and fingers pressed into her palm, willing him to make her feel better as his name flashed on the screen, but he didn't. He was cool and distant on the phone, informing her they needed to rain check their trip. That the French meeting had been delayed and it was for the best, seeing as he had to collect Morag on the day they would have been leaving; tomorrow. He still had some things up in the air with the construction and told her he would probably be late and to not expect him, he would stay at the manor, collect Morag in the morning and be flying out early afternoon for Glasgow. He would call to let her know how it went with Morag and be back late Saturday, or early Sunday and would come by the cottage on Sunday when he got back.

She felt the anger rising as he spoke. He was not going to come near her for at least three whole days. No affection in his tone; No, 'I love you' or 'sorry'. Just all business. Cool calm and unreadable, pushing her out still and not even realising how much of an asshole he was being.

Sensing her tone change and her cool response to him, he got irritated; a crack in the mask, but instead of remorse it only seemed to make him push her further away.

'Sure, whatever. I'll patiently wait at the cottage like a good little puppy.' She snapped angrily, her mood completely nose diving.

'You know it's not like that. I have to work, I have shit that I have to deal with.' He snapped right back, bruising her already fragile heart.

'Really? What overnight too, as it pretty much feels like you're avoiding me right now.'

'I wasn't aware we had to be glued together. You're being needy and ridiculous Rose. I need to go, I have a client waiting.'

His words stung, Rose lifted her chin defiantly and snapped.

'You know what... Fucking go. Do whatever the hell you need to do.' She wasn't normally one to swear but then normally Rob wasn't like this and making her feel slightly hysterical. She hung up on him dramatically and threw her phone in her open bag aggressively.

Rose fought back the tears, aware she was sitting in public at a coffee shop table. People around her glancing her way, obviously catching snippets of the one-sided conversation. She did not care how wild-eyed and upset she looked. She did not care that people were staring.

She composed an angry text and failed to send, losing courage and instead stalking to her car to cry. She knew from his brief conversation he was home at the manor to get changed and collect some papers. She was almost home, she had only stopped in to kill time and get a coffee. She could be there in ten minutes or less; confront him face to face and fix this. Face this. Have it out!

He couldn't just leave it like this and go out of town.

How could he go from obsessively wanting her every second to not seeing her in days?

She drove manically, her eyes blurry with tears and panic, wanting to get there before he left. She had no idea what she would say but she was drowning and clutching on for dear life. A huge sense of injustice building inside of her at his behaviour.