When An Accident Prone No One Marries A Celebrity There Will Be Chaos...

Chapter 8

I can’t last weeks of this. I left Ollie at the airport five minutes ago and I have already transformed into a weeping mess drowning in my own pool of sorrow. I’m trying to stop sniffling because the poor driver doesn’t know what to do. I see him eyeing me warily in the mirror debating whether or not to say something. “I’m fine, sorry about this,” I mumble while hunting for a tissue. Oh for god’s sake why did it not occur to me to pack some tissues? I give up on the search and instead dab my eyes with the edge of my sleeve. The driver mumbles something inaudibly just to show his understanding without having to get fully involved. I blink my eyes trying to stop the tears and then turn my head to the window trying to distract myself. Just don’t think about Ollie… simple. Okay there’s a tree… and a dog… and just down that road is the street corner where I first met Ollie… so much for not thinking about Ollie. This is impossible everything I look at my brain immediately manages to find a way to link it to Ollie. I just can’t get him out of my head. I miss him so much it is driving me crazy and he has only been gone five minutes. This is insane.

I arrive home and go to hang my coat up then sink into sobs of despair when I see the empty space which his shoes used to fill. I’m now crying over a bit of empty floor just because it’s not going to be occupied for a few weeks. I really need to pull myself together. I dash to the bathroom and reel of a wad of toilet paper and begin cleaning myself up again. I clean up the panda eyes and then stare at my reflection in the mirror. I have to pull myself together. “I am a strong, independent woman and I will not fall apart without him,” I chant determinedly at my reflection staring myself straight in the eye. “I am a strong, independent woman and I will not fall apart without him,” I repeat. “I can survive a few weeks without him,” I conclude. I give my reflection an affirming nod and then march out of the bathroom with a new rule. I am not going to cry anymore. In fact why don’t I look at this positively? I have the house to myself for a while. I can scatter my pages of notes and drafts across the bedroom without being told to pick them up. I can read in bed before I fall asleep without a voice constantly moaning at me to put the light out. I can sing in the shower loudly. I can do whatever I want. I am going to have a bubble bath and take as long as I want because there is nobody telling me to hurry up. “Izzie, you have a visitor,” Rosie suddenly informs me. Okay so the bubble bath idea just went out the window. Maybe later. “Who is it?” I ask her.

“Cora Silverson. She arrived about five minutes before you. She has been waiting in the living room,” Rosie answers.

“Right thank you,” I reply. “Oh wait you couldn’t possibly get someone to make me a cup of tea?” I ask.

“There’s already one waiting for you. I figured you’d probably want one,” she explains.

“Am I really that predictable?” I laugh.

“You always say tea solves everything,” she replies with a smile.

“Well thank you for being so organised,” I say before realising Cora has been waiting for ages. I thank Rosie again and then dash off towards the living room.

The second I walk through the living room door Cora jumps to her feet throwing down her cup of tea with a clatter. I would have asked her to be a little more careful but this house which once looked unlived in now bears quite a few scars from me moving in so I can’t really complain. She charges towards me wearing a grin akin to that of a five year old on a sugar rush. Needless to say I am ever so slightly taken aback. Today Cora is sporting a luminous yellow blouse, matching high heels, tight black skinny jeans and her trademark ridiculously bright bubble gum pink lipstick. Eccentric as always. “Come and sit down,” Cora says while ushering me onto the couch. Wait this is my house surely I should be the one telling her to sit down? She plonks me down hands me a cup of tea and then grins. “I’m so excited!” she declares suddenly.