An ordinary girl, an extraordinary boy.

Chapter 11: So now you know

I took another deep breathe and slowly let it out as I began to mentally replay the last five years of my life. Opening my mouth I began.

It all started when I left high school and started my college education. I was studying English Literature at A level but was falling behind in class due to missing a couple of months whilst my mother was in hospital battling cancer. My Eng Lit teacher was kind enough to offer me the assistance of a fellow classmate James Collins, saying if I was willing to put in the extra work being tutored then I could achieve a pass. Getting my A level in English Literature was all my mother wanted for me, her last dying wish as it were. And so I felt that I had a duty to her to put in that extra work even though I had never been terribly comfortable with meeting new people and having to spend time with then I'd get over it this one time for my mummy. I had informed Professor Waters of my decision and was told that the session needed to begin immediately. After the first five sessions James and I began to fall into a comfortable rhythm, we began to get to know each other better often spending the last half an hour of a session just talking about ourselves and our plans for the futures for example I found out his favourite colour is purple and when he grew up and finished university he wanted to be a lawyer. After a couple of months we started arranging to meet up outside of our study sessions, sometimes a day trip to the park with a picnic basket or a movie marathon at the cinema. Eventually without either of us saying anything about it to the other we just sort of accepted that we were now dating and for 2 blissful years it was wonderful, we finished college (I got my Eng Lit A level woo!!) and had even moved in together. I couldn't imagine how it could have gotten any better. And it didn't. It got worse. You see what James had never told me throughout our entire relationship was that he had been stalking and spying on me whenever I went out with my friends or even just for a run. Whenever he saw me chatting to some other guy, be it the Costa barista or the postman, he immediately got insanely jealous and I had never noticed the signs before. However the signs were definitely all there, looking back on it now I can see them all clear as day. He never actually laid a hand on me until our 2 year anniversary, I had decided to surprise him with a home cooked meal. He arrived home from work just as I was getting the carrots drained and into a bowl I shouted hello to him and carried on working. I heard his heavy footsteps coming down the hall towards where I was in the kitchen. "James honey could you grab me the oven mitt in your way past?" I asked him as I adjusted the temperature on the stove to start boiling the carrots. "Sure thing sweetie" was his reply. After we had finished the meal I noticed that he was being uncharacteristically silent so I asked "Is something the matter James?" And he replied that no there wasn't but I could tell there was something up with him, although I decided that if there was something going on he would eventually tell me about it. Over the next 6 or so months he started to get worse, he would snap at me a lot more and on more than one occasion I'd notice that he'd raise a hand as if to strike me. However for the first 6 months that's all it was, it wasn't until a week before our anniversary that he hit me for the first time because I had spilt some of his red wine on the table cloth when I reached for the salt. He'd jumped away from the table, backhanded me across the face and walked out of the door. I then cleared the table up as I began to realise the monster my boyfriend had become, that night he stumbled home drunk and apologised to me saying that he didn't know what came over him and me being stupid me believed him. Fir the next seven days the story was the same the slightest thing I did wrong he'd yell at me possibly hit me and then stay out till the early hours of the morning. So on the morning of our anniversary I decided that I had had enough, I would make him his favourite meal as a special treat and the minute he started to get angry at me for no reason I'd walk out. So that night I made him spaghetti bolognaise with an apple pie dessert, however I had misjudged him he started in on me the minute he walked in the door, I'd backed away from him and so he started yelling saying things like I'd only made him the meal because I was trying to butter him up and that I didn't love him anymore but I calmed him down and we ate the food. However after was when I made my fatal mistake, I assumed he had finished with his glass because it was empty and so as I was clearing the table I went to take the glass as well but that meant he could grab my wrist, he started telling me off for taking the glass before he was ready but all I could focus on was the pain in my wrist as he began to twist it, I could feel it snap when he twisted it that last inch I fought not to scream out as I frantically agreed to whatever he was saying. After he had gotten up to leave I decided enough was enough and slipped sleeping powder into his drink so I could make my escape.

I had to pause in my story then as the memories and the fear from that night washed over me once again before continuing "Anyway I'd rang Esk to pick me up and left my life in Yorkshire to live down here in London and thought that was the end of that for the past year I've lived here and been happy for the most part. I let myself believe I could move on and honestly thought that I could have that with Kier you know? But obviously that won't be possible because for some unknown reason he's decided to be a complete prick and then last night I received a series of texts from James telling me that he saw me with Kier and threatening me and I just can't deal with it Laurence I can't I know he'll kill me this time!" I finished my story and turned to look Laurence straight in the eye to gauge his reaction, he looked furious. He turned to me and said in a deadly serious voice "Anna you listen to me and you listen well, that fucker will not get anywhere near you I will make sure of that even if I have to stick with you 24/7 until we get rid of him then so be it I will not see you hurt ever again and that includes by my , mate leave Kier to me I'll sort him out, for now you yet yourself a cup of tea and watch some TV I have calls to make" and with that he walked into the study where I heard him pick up the desk phone and begin dialling.

(A/N So I suck. Oh my holy gosh I am so SO sorry I don't even know what happened there I haven't updated in 4 months?! That is an atrocity that I really do apologise for I got so caught up in my exams, I didn't think anyone really read this and I kinda lost my mojo for a bit there but seeing some of you comment asking me to update really made my day plus the fact that I saw Fearless Vampire Killers in Sheffield last week and actually touched Barrone and Kier might have had something to do with the sudden influx of ideas. I'm not going to be really good at updating again for the next couple of weeks as I am smack bang in the middle of GCSE exams but I have a whole three free months after that where I have nothing to do so hopefully then I can get back on track with this. Thank you so much anyone who reads this it means the world to me, I hope you've liked what you've read so far love you all Anna x)