Famously Yours - Sequel to A Famous Affair

Famously Yours chapter 13

We return to Chelsea late into the evening. The journey back is a far cry from our journey there; the anti-climax of Griffin Denley still hangs in the air—heavy and oppressively stagnant.

Once inside the apartment, Lissy and Lottie solemnly climb the curved stairs, not wanting to engage in conversation with each other or me. "Are you going to bed?" I ask, worried about them both.

"We're just going to watch a film, I think." Lissy's exhausted face looks down at me standing in the shadowed stairwell.

My tight lips curl into a strained smile. "I'll be up in a bit, then," I reply, wishing that tonight had never happened. I know we need to talk about what has happened. A decision needs to be made, but I can't make one without Lissy. She just looks so tired and troubled; I don't want to make things worse than they already are. "Lissy, darling?" I call out after her.

She stops, slowly looking back over her shoulder. "Yes?" she mumbles.

I manage to pull a smile from somewhere, a smile that hopefully conveys to her that everything is going to be okay. "You know that we need to talk about what has happened, don't you?" She nods at my question, never breaking our stare. "We need to talk things over and then decide what is to be done, okay?" I add, giving her another smile to assure her.

"Okay," Lissy despondently answers, following Lottie up the stairs.

I watch them both disappear into the dimly lit, upstairs corridor. I turn around, catching a glimpse of Jonny, who has just entered the small reception room. Feeling apprehensive, I decide to join him.

The warm glow of the fire illuminates out into the whole room. Flickering flames do a captivating and hypnotic dance that appears to have Jonny mesmerised. He grips onto the surrounding fireplace as his absorbed mind wallows in tonight's traumatic events. He stares at the fire. Such are his deep thoughts; he doesn't even acknowledge my presence.

I walk to where he stands, caressing his back with my loving hand. He instinctively wraps his free arm tightly around my waist, urgently needing me beside him. "What's wrong, Jonny?" I look into his lost suede eyes, needing him to open up to me.

Jonny tenses, looking back at the fire. "I'm angry with myself," he confesses, squeezing my waist.

"Why?" I ask gently, twisting slightly, so I'm able to stand in front of him.

Looking utterly conflicted, Jonny answers, wrapping both his arms around me first. "Because I let that bastard get to me. I acted like a fucking animal. I became someone I didn't even recognise." He hangs his head down onto my shoulder, completely exhausted by the inner anger that eats away at him.

Stroking his back, I want to make him feel better. I hate the fact that he believes himself to be a lesser man because he lost it with Denley. "You reacted, that's all," I whisper against his ear.

"Yes, I did, but I did so, with my fists. What if the girls had been watching?" He now rests his head against mine, intent on torturing himself some more.

"But they didn't, did they?" I answer, holding his face in my hands.

Jonny pulls back with an exasperated sigh. "They could have been though, Jessica."

Feeling frustrated, I grip his face tighter. "But they didn't! What happened with Griffin Denley hasn't made me think ill of you, far from it. You stood up for me and my girls, I love you for that," I tell him, staring hard into his dull, burdened eyes.

"You do?" Jonny asks, looking so very vulnerable.

I smile, kissing him gently. "I love you, yes."