Living in London

Truth

PREVIOUSLY ON LIVING IN LONDON

"You," I choked out, my glare shifting between the two of them.

Christian clicked his tongue in a condescending way. "Now, now. Is that really how you greet your boyfriend?"

I was suddenly hit by a surge of rage and bravery. "Boyfriend? Didn't I make it clear that we were over when you slept with her and I left the country?"

Christian smiled and put his hands in the pocket of his jacket. "Sweetheart- it's not over until I say it's over."

I growled at him and Emma laughed, almost seeming like herself again. "Still the same Ariadne, I see. Despite the newfound fame and fortune."

"Why did you do it?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. "I at least deserve to know."

"I suppose you're right," Emma sighed, picking at her nails as though she were bored. "You tell her, I can't be bothered."

Christian complied straight away. "So my life had been perfect. I had a beautiful, caring, faithful girlfriend. I also had this one as a bit extra on the side," Cristian said, pinching Emma's waist and making me want to vomit. "Now imagine how I felt when you come home and catch us, then you storm out, taking away half my life."

"You didn't care about me," I said, trying to convince myself just as much.

"Actually, I did. Not very much, of course, but enough for it to sting when you left. So I had to find you. I had make your life enough of a hell over here that you would come crawling back to us, begging us to let you back into the group. To be my girlfriend again."

My hair swayed gently in the breeze as my gaze flicked between the two of them before finally settling on Emma. "And what do you have to do with any of this?"

She shrugged and grinned at me. "I needed my best friend back. And it looked like fun."

"What made you even think that I would come back to you after everything you two did?" I asked quietly.

Christian shrugged. "Honestly, we weren't sure if it would work. And it didn't. You didn't run away from the creepy messages or the mean stalker, yet you ran away from your only family because of nothing."

I shrugged and shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Christian sighed. "We thought you might be difficult so we came prepared." Emma pulled a semi-thick rope from her large handbag. "Tie her up now."

Just as Emma stepped towards me with the rope, police cars skidded into the alleyway from each end, blocking all the exits. To officers got out of the car, hands on their holsters. Emma backed away and I ran towards them, unashamed in cowering behind the guys in uniform.

...

We pulled up to the back entrance of the Grand Arena, as the front was blocked by herds of teenage girls. The officer led me inside and into the hallway, which was filled with people frantically rushing around. Suddenly the stage manager caught my eye and froze.

"She's here!" he called into his mouthpiece, his voice echoing loudly over the P.A. system. "She's okay."

I flinched as hands gripped my shoulders and turned me around roughly. I was about half a foot away from Harry, his face a mixture of fury and worry. "Where the hell has you been? We've been worried sick and-"

I yanked myself out of his grip and the stage manager appeared next to me. "Care to explain yourself?" he asked, anger evident in his voice.

...