In Omnia Paratus (AU) - Book 2

Road to recovery

"Well I'm glad to see these clearing up finally." Victoria said holding my arm, wrist facing up. "Scars will fade eventually don't look too scared, you didn't go very deep luckily." She spoke about the scars I had created many many months ago.

"Mm hm."

"Drinking like you are now is doing exactly the same damage though, just on the inside. It's going to have repercussions. It's not healthy." Victoria lectured and then she realised she wasn't helping much. "You know this already right?"

"Yep." I smirked. "Look I'm not trying to kill myself so I think everyone should back off and leave me to heal by myself."

"Everyone huh?"

"You, Kate, Lily, Matt, Richard... do I have to continue?" I sighed.

"That's All the people that care about you..." Victoria hummed. "Look sit back down let me finish my examination and then you can go. I thought we were friends, come on."

"Alright." I sat back down on the bed.

- - - - -

"Why do we amuse her?" Lily sighed sitting with Matt and Richard.

"Because we love her." Matt smiled. "We are her best friends and that's our job."

"Well I'm her boyfriend and when she's close to sleeping with some random guy I tend to freak out." Richard sighed.

"Why do we try anymore? She's sick we said that before and she hasn't changed." Lily murmured. "She blames me as well."

"Well no she's blaming herself." Matt laughed. "Just using you."

"Hi." I said walking in to the common room. "You alright?" I could sense they were talking about me, or something they didn't want me to hear anyway.

"Hey." They all murmured back a response.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Richard said standing up suddenly and moving me out of the room basically.

"Oh sure," I said walking back out the door into the hallway. "What did you wanna talk about?"

"How's things going with Kate?" He asked.

"Alright, I've seen her 3 times a week so far." I nodded.

"Have you talked at all about what happened with uh.. at the pub." Richard said but he couldn't even bring himself to say Alex's name.

"I don't really wanna talk about it." I hummed. "Is that all?" I asked trying to squeeze past him back into the kitchen.

"No wait. Look look look I didn't mean to freeze like that. When I saw you in there with him I guess I was just shocked, my whole body froze and I couldn't even speak." Richard tried to explain.

"That's nice now can I--"

"--just wait. I would never want you to get hurt you know that right?" He asked.

"Of course." I smiled up at him. "Now may I please get through..."

"Sure go on." He smiled but I could sense he wasn't happy.

- - - - -

Im not even sure what Richard is doing in the flat to be honest. Other than stopping that idiot Alex coming near me but what can he do? Our rooms are like 3 dorms apart.

Alex apologised to me the morning after it blew up and I kindly accepted. Don't get me wrong the kid is not my friend but i understood how much he drank and he was going through tough times so... I kind of forgave him.

"So I know you're doing better now and all but I was wondering if you were up to meeting Harry and his wife Alicia one day this week. For dinner maybe." Richard suggested.

"The guy who took over his fathers company like you will?" I asked sighing as I put down my book and he stopped studying for a minute.

"Yes I've been meeting with him a lot and I think we are going to be some very good business and he suggested our other halves met. What do you think? You feel... up to it?" Richard asked.

"Dinner?"

"Yeah it wouldn't be really long. I'd just like them to meet you and vice versa." Richard explained.

"Alright then. Thursday?"

"Really you'll go?" He asked excitedly.

"Of course. If you'll let me."

- - - - -

"Okay so I warn you they have a daughter I think so try not to freak out too much about it." Richard said rubbing my arm as we walked up to this fancy looking house. I had spotted the pink toddlers bike out the front so I knew.

He knew I would freak either way but I was pretty good at keeping my cool now a days.

"Why would I freak out?" I rolled my eyes.

"Because Maisie." Richard shrugged.

"That's totally different. She was wonderful and beautiful but she's gone and I've had to accept that I know." I smiled trying not to think too much about it as it was quite a depressing subject.

"Well as long as you're okay--" Richard rung the doorbell. The door opened immediately and a maid took our jackets and suddenly this tall man was stood in front of us.

"Sorry about that, none of us could get to the door quick enough." This guy Harry, I assumed, said. "I don't want you to get the wrong impression. We can answer the door ourselves." He joked.

"Oh well don't worry about that." I smiled politely.

"You must be Jenna, nice to meet you." He extended his hand and we shook hands for a moment.

"And you. I've heard really nice things about you." I laughed.

"Us too about you." Harry said as we walked through to his lounge and his wife was there.

"Alicia." She nodded at me and then hugged me.

"Jenna, nice to meet you." I said to her.

I started to think about it. These people got married last year, and they're child is a toddler, let's say 4 and so they must of had this kid when she was still at university and got married after.

We had dinner with the two of them and they were really lovely people. I wanted to be 24 and graduated, with a family and a bundle of money.

They were genuinely nice as well, not snotty or fake in any way.