The Help // Ed Sheeran

Chapter 5 : I've Got To Go

The past month has been really good. Work at home has been going smoothly and work at Ed's has been going great. Cherry doesn't seen to eat breakfast ever, I make her a lunch to take to work with her and then make dinner for two and keep it on the warmer after I go to pick up the children and they can have it when she gets home. Every single week Ed and I go over a meal plan and order the groceries that we don't currently have. In the mornings when I am finishing up making his breakfast he sits and chats about any and every thing between bites of his omlet, I think its really funny how he gets so excited about different things and tries to talk with a mouthful but ends up apologizing with his hands covering his mouth. I spend most of my time cooking giggling at stupid things he says. I remember one of the first days he really opened up, I was finishing his lunch when he just says from the bar "Have you been skiing? We should really go skiing one day, once my mates and I had gone and I was trying to look as if I knew what I was doing and flew right off of a drop off into a bunch of trees. I nearly broke something!" I stopped what I was doing, turned to look at him, covered my mouth and began giggling. He laughed and smiled "I'm glad that you laughed at me, most people would try to be polite and say 'oh Ed I'm so sorry you should really be careful love.' But you're just like 'Ya idiot!' I like that." I laughed and shook my head "I don't think you're an idiot but that was really funny, at least you can admit it most people wouldn't tell a sole. Oh and no I've never been skiing!" He smiled "We will have to change that one day!" I nodded and went about fixing his lunch. Things with the children have been really great, they are making a lot of friends and participating in every after school activity they can and are really enjoying it. I haven't told them who I'm working for and I haven't mentioned to Ed that I have children either. I think its better not to tell the kids so that they don't always want to see or talk to him and I'm not really sure why I haven't told Ed I just haven't had the opportunity I guess. Its nearly lunch and I'm fixing Ed a canzone, he really likes these especially when I put extra meat inside, I'm standing waiting for the oven timer to go off when he can't keep it in any longer. "I love my cats you know?" I nod at him and smile "Yes Ed I know this silly." He gives a small smell then shifts in his seat before he says, "I feel like we're friends and I can tell you this because its been weighing on me." I turn my head to the side looking at him and nod "Yes, go on Eddie." He thinks for a second before looking at me and takes a deep breath "I love my cats but I want children, I want children now and I'm so sick of waiting I have everything else but that." I nodded at him with a sympathetic smile "I understand Eddie don't feel bad for saying that." He nods "I knew you would understand, can I ask you a personal question?" I braced myself taking a deep breath knowing exactly what was coming next and nodded for him to go on. "Ok sorry this is going to deep but do you want children?" I pursed my lips and looked straight into his eyes, "Ok Eddie I haven't exactly told you everything about myself." He furrowed his brows and me and gasped "Nicole, I can't believe you've been hiding things from me I thought we were besties!" I laughed and shook my head "Sorry Eddie I didn't feel like burdening you with my personal life, you're still my boss and you don't need a sob story. But um I do want children yea like that's a little hard to not want ha ha." He looked at me sideways and then smiled "Yea kids are great they're the ultimate goal in life." I nodded and smiled "Well um I actually um I uh I have children." He leaned back looking at me completely puzzled, "You, you have childREN?" I laughed shaking my head "Yes Eddie, I have three, I'm a single mom and I love it, I love them, I don't know what I would do without them." He smiled shaking his head "You're amazing, you surprise me, I'm glad you interviewed for this job." I laughed and finished his calzone setting it in front of him to cool. We continued talking about the children for a while as I washed the dishes and were laughing about the children's play habits as we heard the door open, Cherry walked in and Ed looked a little awkward, he stood up to greet her and he smiled "What are you doing home so early love?" She went to put her things away and answered "I got off early, why? Am I interrupting something?" He chuckled shaking his head "Just chatting over lunch." She nodded and proceeded up stairs with Ed trailing behind her. I finished the dishes and put them away before heading to the garden for a break. I sat in the lounge flipping through my emails and answering any work files. I laughed when I got a text from my daughter of a picture of her pretending to crush one of her teammates in practice. Then I heard someone come up behind me and laugh "Is that your daughter? Wow she looks like you." I locked my phone and nodded "Oh uh yea thanks everyone says that." He stood next to the lounge and sighed "Sorry if I invaded your space, um Cherry wants to go to dinner so I guess you can go home. Sorry again." I shrugged and nodded getting up "No worries, see ya Monday Ed-O!" I went to my car and left as fast as possible. That was so awkward, what the hell. I enjoyed a nice quiet weekend playing with the children and baking with them. Monday came and Ed wasn't quite as chatty during breakfast, he didn't really say anything at all. Lunch came around and he didn't come downstairs until lunch was ready. I gave his food to him and sighed "Are you alright Eddie? Sorry if I did anything." He shook his head sighing "You didn't do anything I'm just trying to figure out how to tell you this now that we're good mates." I looked at him curiously "Tell me what Eddie?" He sighed again and looked at me "I'm about to leave for promo so its just going to be Cherry for a while, I'm sorry." I shrugged and half smiled "Not like I thought you would never go on tour again silly!" He nodded and ate his lunch but I couldn't help but feel sad that he was leaving. I thought about what it was going to be like having to deal with her all the time without Ed there to chat with, I got distracted and fidgety and by the time I finished dinner and went to leave, I didn't even say goodbye to Ed. I went through the motions the rest of the day contemplating whether I should even attempt working with just her or quit now before it got bad. I figured I should at least see how long I had until Ed was actually leaving. I went to bed that night after finishing work, cleaning, and putting the kids to bed and all I could feel was an uneasiness in my stomach eating away at me. The next day I went through my morning routine and went on to make Ed's breakfast, he acted as if nothing was different. While we were chatting over his lunch I finally blurted out, "So when exactly are you leaving? I'm curious sorry." "Its ok, I've sort of been avoiding it but it will be a week from now." I nodded and went about cleaning the kitchen before I went out for my break. I sat there thumbing through my phone absentmindedly, I wasn't even actually paying attention to what was on the screen. I put my phone away deciding that I shouldnt be looking at work stuff if I wasn't going to give it my full attention, I was worried, and anxious, and I decided even though I shouldn't I needed a smoke. I reached into my coat pocket pulling out a cigarette and began to have a smoke when I heard something behind me. I don't know why I felt like a child but I hid the cigarette next to my chair and looked behind me to find Ed standing there. "Oh I'm sorry I don't know if you're quitting so I usually don't smoke but I really needed one." He chuckled walking over and took out his own "You're alright I won't tell if you don't." I nodded bringing my cigarette back up and finished my smoke in silence with Ed sat in the chair next to me. As I was getting ready to get up and go finish off the lunch dishes Ed spoke up "Don't go, I feel like its awkward and we haven't had a proper chat and I'd like to." I nodded and sat back in my seat. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked and he sighed, "Anything but leaving. Let's talk about the children. How are they liking school here?" "They like it very much, they get to do a lot of extra activities here and they really like football here." He smiled and nodded, "I'm going to sound full of myself but I'm really not. Do they like my music?" I laughed and shook my head "Mostly yes." He looked at me sideways and half smiled. "Mostly you're full of yourself, yes." I clarified and he rolled his eyes at me. "I am not full of myself Nic." I laughed putting my hands up "If you say so Eddie. Really though they love most of music some of it is slow for their taste." He nods and smiles "I get that, so do they think its cool you work here?" I swallowed looking at him "Um well uh they um don't know about you....." He looked at me with brows furrowed and his lips pursed together "So you were hiding us from each other huh?" I nodded "Sorry I just know that if I tell them they'll always want to meet you and come to work with me and I don't feel like I should ask you for anything because, well because I'm sure plenty of people already do and you're too nice." Like your girlfriend I think to myself. This time when I looked up at Ed he looked different, he looked defeated and vulnerable. "I'm sorry Eddie I shouldn't have said that." He cut me off "Don't apologize you're right I get a lot of it and I understand why you wouldn't tell them but that wouldn't be you asking me for something. I love children and you're great so I'm sure they are too. I would love to meet them some time." I smiled and nodded. "Maybe sometime after tour if I still have a job when you get back." I laughed even though it wasn't really a joke. He shook his head at me and chuckled "Don't think I could get rid of you now." I laughed and went back inside to finish cleaning up. Ed and I chatted until it was time to make dinner and then he even helped me out a bit with it. I really felt like we were both hanging onto this time we had before he left but that was just silly of me to assume. The next week flew by and the day before Ed left was hard, I was leaving after lunch because he was going to dinner with friends for his last night. As I was getting ready to leave he gave me the tightest, longest hug I've ever had in my life maybe it should have been awkward but I just stood there holding on right back to him. We said see you later and I went home. That night I went to bed thinking about how shitty work would be the next couple of months. Or maybe I would lucky and Cherry would want to go out to dinner every night. Who knows? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

A/N This chapter is dedicated to GingerNineIncher who keeps pushing me to write and giving me a word count goal for every chapter. You're the best.