Second Girl (Reece Bibby)

Epilogue 2

One month later

It had been a whole month since Reece had found out that James was stealing kisses from me behind his back. He'd caught me outside the apartments kissing James. He had gone mad, accusing me of not loving him. James had tried to stick up for me but that had only made it worse. I'd tirelessly told Reece that I loved him with tears falling down my cheeks. Of course, I couldn't tell him why I'd been kissing James. It would tear the band apart. But I'm afraid it wouldn't have made a difference because James left. Reece had been so cold with me and told me that I'd broken his heart.

That was the last time I saw him. Since then I'd move in with Claire. I couldn't go back to Surrey because even that was too far away from Reece. Even though we'd broken up, I couldn't bear to be far away from him. Barclay often came over to see Claire and I tirelessly begged him to bring Reece the next time he visited. But he never did. He told me he was sorry but I needed to let Reece move on.

"Have you heard back from any of the jobs you've applied for?" Claire asked me, sitting down next to me on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn. She put her feet up on the coffee table and looked at me expectantly. "I have an interview for an apprenticeship opportunity on this year's X Factor," I answered. "That's amazing! Oh my God, I hope you get it," Claire replied with a big smile on her face. I didn't smile back though. I couldn't physically bring myself to do it. Claire's phone buzzed and I immediately wondered if it was Reece. No. Why would Reece text Claire?

"It's Barclay," Claire told me, looking down at her phone, "He's coming round." Claire turned to look at me with an overexcited expression on her face. "What?" I asked, wondering why she was looking at me like that. "He's bringing Reece," she told me. My eyes widened and she grinned. "They've just been shopping and Barclay told him that he's just dropping in," she said. I stood up and rushed into my bedroom. "Charlotte!" Claire called after me.

"I look awful. I need to sort myself out. How long have I got?" I yelled back. "About ten minutes," she replied. I frantically searched for an outfit to wear. I was currently wearing one of Reece's t-shirts and leggings. Call me obsessive and pathetic, but I missed him more than anything.

Just as I finished getting ready and sat down on the sofa, there was a knock at the door. I suddenly became ridiculously nervous. "Chill out," Claire told me as she went to answer the door. "Hello," she sang when she'd opened the door.

She came into the living room with Barclay and Reece following. As soon as I saw Reece, my heart skipped a beat. "Do you want a drink?" Claire asked the two of them. "Cup of tea please," Barclay replied. "Me too please," Reece replied. Oh God, how I'd missed his voice.

"Do you want one?" Claire asked me and I nodded. Barclay followed Claire into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Reece. There was a silence between the two of us. Reece stayed in the doorway of the living room and the distance between us felt like a mile.

"Reece," I barely whispered. I was surprised that he heard me. "Charlotte," he mocked me, making me smile. "I'm so sorry," I told him. At this, he stepped forward, getting closer to me. "You broke my heart, Char. Why did you do it?" he asked me. I shook my head, looking down at the floor. "Charlotte, just tell me why you did it. I don't understand," he told me. "I can't," I replied. Claire appeared in the doorway. "Oh for goodness sake, Charlotte, just tell him. James is gone. You have no reason to hide it from him anymore," she said to me.

I looked at Reece then back at Claire. "Do you want sugar in your tea?" she asked, making me smile. "Please," I replied before she disappeared.

Reece sat down on the sofa beside me and nudged my knee with his. "Just tell me, Char," he spoke quietly. I glanced at him before looking back at the floor. "James was going to leave the band. And the only way I could stop him was by kissing him. I couldn't let the band fall apart," I told Reece. "So you didn't love him?" he asked me, a hint of happiness in his tone. I looked up at him, making eye contact. "No, Reece, I never did. I love you, only you," I replied. Reece kept eye contact with me and whispered, "I love you too."

Reece touched my cheek and pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back and it was as if the hole in my heart was filled up. He smiled as he pulled away from me. "Come back to the apartments," he whispered. I hesitated and looked down at the floor again. "The boys will hate me. I'm the reason James left the band," I replied. "But it wasn't your fault. I'll explain that to them," he told me. I stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "Okay. I'd love to."

Reece smiled and kissed me again. I'd missed him so much. But I still felt horribly guilty about James leaving. Maybe he'd come back soon when he realised that he'd walked away from the best thing he'd ever had; the band. But I was finally able to say that Reece Bibby was all mine and I was all his.