Competition

Fourteen

'I feel sick and disgusting,' I complained standing in front of the long mirror, dressed in a black RM by Roland Mouret stretch cotton-blend dress. 'I look sick and disgusting.'

'You look fine,' David reassured. He had accompanied me to a press conference that was being held at the Savoy hotel. 'You should see the doctor afterwards though.'

I nodded.

'Is Howard coming?'

'I don't think so,' I replied. 'We've had to keep our meetings to the later hours.'

'That's understandable,' David nodded.

'I just want this whole thing to be over,' I said annoyed. 'I never thought I'd say this, but I want to get out of these Louboutin's and dress so much.'

When the conference was over I was out of the Mouret dress and Louboutin heels faster than anything, and in a white and beige Alexander Wang jersey drawstring playsuit, and a pair of red Toms.

'It's funny how I literally only live about ten minutes away, and yet they have me holed up in a hotel,' I said readjusting my camel suede Alexander Wang Diego bucket bag on my shoulder.

'It's to show you that they care,' David replied. 'And who doesn't like having room service every now and then?'

'True,' I chuckled. 'But I miss Wiley.'

'You'll be checking out in a few hours anyway,' David comforted. 'You won't have to wait very long.'

I linked arms with David and we walked out of the hotel and onto the busy streets of London as we made our way to Covent Garden.

We walked through the cobbled streets and into a small boutique before stopping at a small cafe for some lunch.

'What do you feel like?' David asked. 'Something big or small?'

I wasn't listening. My eyes were focused on something that was happening across the street. For the first time in almost a year, I felt the cold stab of jealousy penetrate me like Howard once had. I felt it drive its way through me and through my heart. A lump was pushing itself up my throat.

'Cilla?' David said looking at me. He turned to see what I was staring at. 'Do you want to leave?'

I nodded.

Like a child, David took me home and made sure I was okay before he left for the Savoy hotel to check me out and to get my things.

I lay in bed with Wiley in my arms as my tears rolled down my face and landed on his fur. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was crying over a man for Christ's sake. I was on the point of bawling, before Wiley jumped up and got under the covers with me. He purred and meowed comfortingly as my tears stopped in their own time.

'You were right to call on a girls' night,' Ava said as we did our makeup in my bathroom mirror. 'You need to be surrounded by your girlfriends.'

'I don't want to talk about Howard for the rest of the night,' I said. 'But I just want to say one thing.'

'Go on.'

'I thought that his wife had competition, but it looks like I got things the wrong way round,' I said. 'I'm the one whose got competition. I thought that because he was doing stuff with me that he wasn't doing with her, meant that maybe he cared about me a little bit more than he cared about her. He was buying me jewellery, taking me out to events and to meals. He even held my hand when we went out.'