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"Leah you literally just told me not to get you anything from McDonalds because you feel like you're putting on weight...WHY ARE YOU HOLDING MY BURGER?" I hear Alex yell from behind me as he runs up and takes the burger from my hand...he is right, I am putting on a lot of weight, I need to start watching my food intake now to get it back off but I didn't actually want the burger.

"No Al I want the gherkin...like realll bad, I have this strong need for gherkin and you don't even eat gherkin so I thought I'd take it from your burger...I REALLY don't feel like walking up to the shops right now." I whine like a child, trying to take the burger back from Alex.

"Alright alright you strange girl," Alex laughs, taking his two slices of gherkin from his burger and placing them onto my tongue.

My body is filled with satisfaction as I eat the slices...I never used to like these but suddenly they just seem to be my guilty pleasure, "Ugh I can't get enough of these," I say, looking at Alex grinning as he looks back at me with an expression I cannot place.

"What?"

"Nothing.' Alex laughs, shaking his head as he bites into his burger.

"So I was thinking...the wedding, are we setting a date yet?" Alex says to me, he sits on the kitchen counter as I sit on the stool.

"Well," I begin to speak but am interrupted by my common iPhone ringtone.

"Hold that thought" I laugh and look down at my phone.

No Caller ID
Ugh. Probably PPI or something to waste my time.

"Hello?" I answer the phone impatiently, "Hello, can I speak to Leah Murs please?" I hear a familiar sounding woman say on the other end of the phone.

"Speaking."

"Hi Leah, this is Officer Pendal, I know it has been a while since we have spoken...gosh. Ten years is it?"

My heart feels like it is slowing down...I swear it will stop any minute.

I can feel Alex looking directly at me, obviously sensing something is wrong but I immediately look away and out of the window.

Why is Officer Pendal calling me? I don't even think I want to know. My mind races through all of the reasons there could be for her to call me.

Officer Pendal was the officer who dealt with my case when Nathan had kidnapped me way back 10 years ago...wow it feels so much longer than that...so much has happened since then.

'Oh hi, is everything okay?" I say, my worry sounding desperate in my voice.

"I need to phone you as a matter of urgency, normally I'd be able to treat this in a professional manner and would call you in to the station for a chat about this situation but I'm actually on a six month holiday and I am one of the only officers still in business that dealt with your case so I thought it would make more sense for me to tell you."

The speed of my heart increases at every word she says and I feel I might explode.

I stay quiet as Officer Pendal carries on.

"I know that Nathan Matthews was given a minimum of thirty years prison sentence...Leah are you still with me?"

"Yeah..." I mumble quietly, biting on my nails as I feel the stare of Alex, I carry on looking out of the window.

My head starts to feel light headed.

"Well due to good behaviour, his sentence has been shortened and Nathan Matthews will be let out on bail in ten days. If -" I don't hear the rest of Officer Pandal's words as I drop my phone to the floor.

"LEAH!"

Or was it me that dropped to the floor?

Looking forward, not back (OMIMB SEQUEL.)Where stories live. Discover now