Love At First Text ✔️

Her

Half an Hour Earlier

Eden was thoroughly exhausted. She may have drunk slightly too much on Monday evening. After winning the Highly Commended award, it seemed fitting to celebrate, and she had ended up doing so with Lorna, Hallie and Oliver. The couple, it turns out – shocker, right? – were in fact wonderous company. They drank and laughed, getting to know one another with tremendous detail. Considering what she knew about Charlotte, it hardly surprised her to find out that Oliver, her brother, had gotten drunk in Vegas, married the girl beside him, played a fake dating ploy to the entire nation, got divorced, and then started dating. It seemed like crazy love stories were very much an Osborne trait. She was rather excited to bring that up to Charlotte when she next saw her. This weekend, when they all went out for drinks to celebrate. Even though, again, she had sworn off of ever drinking again, she was very much looking forward to raising a glass with all of her friends.

With the raging hangover, the drive home was hardly comfortable. She was sure Lorna's head was sore too. They made several stops on the way home. The first for a fast food fix. The second, to throw it up. The third for water. The fourth for the toilet after Eden drank more than her bladder could hold. The fifth was now, as Lorna rolled the car up outside Caleb's.

She would have much preferred to go straight home, but the reasons for not were threefold. Firstly, he car was here, and she would need that tomorrow for work. The second, she had to speak to Caleb sooner rather than later, about everything. And third, well, she desperately needed the toilet again, and Caleb's was closer than her own flat.

She'd texted when they were five minutes away, and when the car stopped completely, he was already outside to greet her. He gave her a quick hug, but stopped when she started hopping.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

"Literally going to wet myself." He laughed at her candour.

"Go, I'll grab your bags." He insisted, and she nodded without much argument.

"Thank you." She told him, and then began sprinting to his door. "Thank you, Lorna! See you tomorrow!"

She was up the stairs and sat on the toilet about a second before she actually pissed herself, and the relief was so blissful, she actually sighed. With the first matter dealt with, she took a moment to wash her hands, splash water on her face, and take some time to psyche herself up in the mirror.

"You have to do this, Eden. It isn't fair to him, and it isn't fair to you. Just sit him down, lay it all out, and try and part ways as friends." She took a heavy breath and went to move away. In additional thought, she spun round to the mirror and pointed at her reflection. "And don't you dare cry." She commanded.

Her reflection wore the same stern expression she did, which she relaxed before returning downstairs. Her hand came to her necklace for support as she moved into the entrance way. Her travel back was on the floor, her handbag on the table. Behind it, Caleb, and he looked positively enraged. Not an angry enraged, but a calm version, where the fire was only in his eyes. It turned Eden to stone. It terrified her stupid. She'd never seen him look at her that way before.

*trigger warning - mild violence and abuse*

"Good trip?" The words were low. Eden tried to swallow, but she couldn't. It felt like her tongue was too big for her mouth. Like there was too much air in her lungs.

"Yeah. What –"

"Anything to tell me?" He didn't give her time to answer, flinging something on the tabletop. She flinched at the noise. The object bounced before she realised what it was. A phone. Her phone. Unlocked.