Chim - I'll Always Be There

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I wake up in the spare bedroom the next morning after deciding against disturbing Kimberley again. I reach for my phone and see it is 11:30. Groaning, I pull myself out of bed and make my way downstairs. I never usually sleep this late, though to be fair, I was never allowed to.

I walk into the living room after checking the kitchen and finding it empty.

I stop, momentarily, in my tracks when I see Justin sat next to Kimberley on one of the sofas.

'Oh... hey Justin' I say as I casually sit down on the sofa I usually sit on.

'Hey Cheryl' he smiles warmly at me, making me remember how easy it is to get on with him, like there has been no 18 month gap between us speaking.

I used to get on well with Justin, before I fell out with Kimberley that is. The last time I talked to him was on a night out, the one when Ashley found out who it was I wanted to leave him for. I won't be forgetting that night any time soon.

Kimberley soon gets up, going to make me breakfast, talking about how I have to eat and she won't let me go hungry. I always find myself smiling when she shows that she cares.

'You okay?' I turn towards Justin to see him smirking at me with a knowing look. I just nod and ask him the same.

'You?'

'Oh yeah I'm great. I just haven't seen that look in a long time' he smiles widely and winks at me. Sh!t am I really that obvious? I smile sheepishly, avoiding his eyes, feeling myself blush. I look back up at him, a worried expression replacing my embarrassed one.

'Justin I'm sorry about what happened.'

'Hey you don't need to apologise to m-'

'Yes I do' I butt in, knowing he'll come up with some excuse for my actions and assumptions, 'even if I didn't do anything directly to you, I know you didn't do anything wrong and according to Nicola, Kimberley was pretty upset, I know you would have found it hard to see her like that.'

'Pretty upset? Cheryl she was heartbroken.' He raises his eyebrows, I feel guilt flood through me again, 'She really cares about you. I text her to come out with me and Richie tonight and she told me that you were staying and she doesn't want to leave you. I knew what had happened with Ashley... well I knew that he was arrested for doing something to you, but you never know what you can believe when you read the paper' I wince as he says this, nice sly dig, 'Oh no, chez I didn't mean that as a gibe or anything, I was just saying I don't know the full story'

I look at the floor, still avoiding his eyes as a single tear leaves my eye. I hear him sigh and move off the couch.

'Get up' he is standing in front of me now. I do as he says looking at him cautiously. He opens his arms and I immediately fall into them, he holds me in a tight hug, letting me know that he is only concerned for us and really didn't mean anything by it. After a while, when I had calmed down, we sat back down on the same sofa.

'I've ruined everything Jay.' I sniffed, 'she doesn't love me anymore but I still love her'

'Chez...' he sighs and leans forward, looking down the hallway, making sure that Kimberley isn't coming back yet, before moving in closer to me and whispering, 'Don't tell her I told you, but she does still love you. Why do you think she broke up with Jamie? She was telling me before about how upset you've been and how much she missed you 'as a friend'. But I can tell she wants things back the way they used to be, even if she doesn't realise yet.' He smiles reassuringly at me while patting my knee.

'What did she tell Jamie?' I'm not sure if I want to hear the answer, what if she has told him everything? Nobody knows that we were together, apart from our families and Justin and the girls.