Many Miles Apart

38. Alfie

I spent the whole next day and a half frantically messaging all of my friends and then waiting around, trying to get some answer as to what was going on with Zoe. She had to still feel something, or else she would have hung up on me straight away. I wasn't sure why it came as so much of a shock to know that she cared, considering that we weren't just dating, we were in love. We lived together, and when it came to my future, the only person I could ever imagine spending the rest of my life with was her. I guess I was just afraid that she was just waiting for an excuse to end it all.
Yet the fact that I knew she still cared didn't come as a relief at all. Because I knew that it would mean that she was really hurting right now. I'd broken her heart. And the thought of upsetting her that much made me sick with guilt.
After calling and texting Marcus, Jim, Tanya, Joe, Caspar and Louise, I started to give up. Not one of them had replied.
Sinking down into the sheets of the hotel room bed, I felt defeated.
After eventually falling asleep on the sofa the other night, I spent the whole night tossing and turning, constantly awoken by the sounds of the family.
I'd forgotten what it felt like to live in a house with more than one person. I was lucky with Zoe, as she never snored or wriggled, just slept quietly, her breathing soft and the constant rhythm quite therapeutic.
It wasn't like that in Eric's house.
I'd just drifted off, when, into early hours of the morning, one of Eric's brothers came home, clearly having been out drinking. He seemed about 20, only a bit older than Eric himself. His hair was jet black, and he wore a ragged shirt and a pair of cut-off shorts, every part of him was dripping wet from the storm outside. After a very abrupt awakening, and an intense few minutes of establishing that I wasn't an intruder, just a friend of his brother's, he headed off to his room, in which he proceeded to shout in his sleep about who knows what.
Eric's mothers sleeping habits matched her personality. Loud and proud. Throughout the whole night, not once was there a break in her ferocious snoring that gave even the thunder a run for its money.
And despite his quietness and lack of movement by day, Freddie was the noisiest baby I'd ever heard. Numerous times he'd start crying and then one of the others in the house would come out and calm him down.
Finally, when dawn had come and we'd hunted for my hotel room keys, finding them strangely enough in Freddie's cot, Eric dropped me back to the hotel, tired and grumpy.
Ding
My phone buzzed, and within seconds I'd grabbed it and unlocked the device opening the message.
It was from Tanya.
Since the incident, Tanya was the only one that would actually talk to me. I mean I knew I didn't deserve my friends support after what I'd done but it was quite frustrating to feel so stranded and out of the loop.
She hasn't said much, but she told me that she'd keep me up to date on what's going on at home, because no matter what I'd done, I still had the right to know what was happening and what I could do to help. She had made it clear though she wasn't happy with me, and she wasn't giving me a second chance until Zoe had gotten over all of this and was ok with it. That was fine by me, as long as I could get her to understand.
Zoe's staying with me and Jim, has been for a few days and will be until you've come back and sorted somewhere to stay. She's not in a good state. Have a safe flight.
I frowned, worry flooding my system as I once again thought about the impact I'd had on her. Then, amongst the concern, I smiled. That was what I loved about Tanya. No matter how mad she may be, she still couldn't help but care.
Thanks Tan, tell her I'm sorry x
I knew that she wouldn't, but it was worth a try.
Placing the phone down on my bed next to me, I glanced at my watch, before climbing out of the sheets into the mess that was my hotel room. Rebecca was picking me up for the meet and greet in half an hour.
A feeling of sickness hit my stomach as I rifled through my suitcase, trying to find something to wear. I wished that I hadn't left most of my clothes back on Florida. I was dreading being anywhere near her.
Finally I found a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt, which I threw on just as the hotel room phone rang.
"Hello?", I asked breathlessly, pulling on my shoes.
"Excuse me sir, there's a car waiting for you outside", a man said, his accent strong.
"Ok thanks", I replied, trying and failing to tie my laces with one hand.
"The woman in the vehicle said to hurry up", he put. "Have a nice day"
The line went dead.
Slamming the phone down, I brushed my hand though my hair, and, feeling the mess, threw on a hat before grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. I needed to send Zoe a message, personally without any alterations.
Scribbling the words down on the page, I wrote her number at the end, adding please send a message to this number, thank you, to it. I picked up my phone and the room key and running to the lift, paper in hand ready to give to the reception, the door clicking shut behind me.