Bloom for me

Chapter 35

Silas

"...so I love you and I'll see you in a bit" I say before I hang up abruptly with a smug grin on my face.

I am one lucky man. Never have I felt so safe and loved by a partner before, whilst I've been a single man for basically a decade now, I have dated around when I was in my late 20s but there was just never another person that I wanted to have in my life long term. Until Alette.

I've never been one to believe in love at first sight or soulmates or anything like that.

I'm a logical man who follows facts, but what I feel for that woman is impossible to put into words. It's like I lost a part of myself a long time ago and found it within Alette.

My phone vibrates in my hand and I look down to see Theo is calling me.

"Theo" I answer somewhat tense knowing what the topic of conversation is going to be.

"Silas" his tone matching mine, "I just wanted to update you on what we were speaking about yesterday"

"We spoke about many things yesterday Theodore" I press him for more information even though I know exactly what he's talking about, my pulse already picking up.

"You know what I mean, Blackwood. Look, as I was saying last night away from the ears of your apparent wife, way out of your league by the way" he tries to tease me to ease the tension.

I've known Theodore Benjamin Beaumont basically my whole life, and whilst he is a complicated man one thing that I know for sure is that he is a good man. Even though he likes to have this mysterious, grumpy mask he puts on that a certain tiny, bubbly brunette seems to effortlessly rip away. He is a man that I would trust with my life, and my darkest secrets, and he always seems to know the best way to handle things.

"Oh trust me, I know" I see the bakery at the end of the street, a queue already going to the doorway.

"Anyway as I said last night I heard she was back in London, well that's just been confirmed. My tech analysts says she's tried to log back into her account with the museum, now I don't know what for but they tracked down her IP address and it came from her parents house"

My stomach gets tight with every word he says.

"Okay thanks for keeping me updated" I try to keep my voice steady but of course Theo sees right through it.

"Call me if you need anything" I can sense the underlying seriousness of his tone.

"Thanks" I hang up the phone quickly and steady my breathing.

London has never particularly been a comforting place to me, there's too many bad memories and people I don't want to cross paths with embedded in different corners of the city, but I've never felt this on edge.

There's a constant nagging feeling and sickness in the pits of my stomach that I've struggled to wrap my head around until last night.

Watching Alette twirl around without a care in the world under the soft lighting of the museum's great hall made me realise that it's because of her.

There's a warm glow of happiness and love surrounding her and it makes me feel down right murderous to anyone that tries to dim that light, her mother being one of them.

But the ghosts of my past are something I can control and if my actions put her in any danger or under any duress I would never forgive myself.

My rational side knows there's no point in worrying and that it's just my overprotectiveness rearing its ugly head.

I know Alette is safe, the apartment is safe and secure, I've made sure of that over the years. I won't let this ruin our christmas.

Upon reaching the bakery's door I step into line and quickly open up my emails on my phone. I know I promised Alette I wouldn't work over the Christmas period but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.