Saviour

Someone Who Cares

Ally was just crawling in to bed after a long hot shower when her phone began to ring. Looking at it Jeffrey's name was flashing across her screen and she found that it made her smile a little.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ally. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I turned in for the night" came Jeff's voice.

"I'm okay, I promise. I just climbed in to bed and Snoopy is keeping me company".

"That's good. Please don't hesitate to call or message me if you need to talk okay?"

"Of course"

"Look after yourself. Talk soon. Sweet dreams, I hope you sleep well".

"Thank you Jeff. Goodnight".

"Night".

For the first time in a long time, Ally felt like she wasn't so alone. It was nice to have someone who cared about her well-being. Someone who wanted to help ease her pain, and understood why she was hurting in the first place. She knew she still had a long way to go, but tonight was certainly progress.

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When Ally woke in the morning she had a quick shower and got herself ready for work. Before heading out the door she checked her phone to see there was a message.

J: Good Morning Ally. I hope you're feeling better today. If things get rough, just remember you're not alone. I'm here for you.

A: Morning Jeff. I'm doing okay today, thanks for checking in. I hope you have a good day.

J: Can I see you later?

Ally was a little shocked at his reply. He wanted to see her again already? Either she made quite the impression on him, or he was worried she might try to end her life again. Either way she liked that he cared and wanted to spend time with her.

A: Sure. I'd like that.

J: Great. Meet me at the diner? Say around 8?

A: Perfect. See you then.

J: Have a good day Sweetheart.

Ally couldn't help but smile at his term of endearment. She headed off to work with a slight spring in her step, feeling better than she had in a while. The day dragged on a little as Ally found herself getting more nervous and excited about meeting up with Jeff later. Her insecurities were getting the better of her and she wondered if she should bail. Why did he want to see her anyway? Was it out of pity? Did he feel sorry for her because of how they met?

It was 7.45pm and Ally had just finished getting herself ready. She opted for a casual look, nothing too flashy, just a nice slim fitting pair of jeans, a Guns N Roses tee and a jacket. After all its not like it was a date, it was just... dinner with a friend.

She strolled into the diner bang on eight to find Jeffrey already waiting for her in the same spot from the night before. As she walked towards the booth he stood up and gave her a quick hug. "How was your day?" he asked with a smile as he gestured for her to sit, and he sat back down across from her.

"Pretty uneventful" she smiled. "How about yours?"

"Busy" he smiled. "Had a lot of scenes to get through. Did you have your little toddler's group today?"

"No, it's tomorrow" she smiled. She always loved working with kids, they were such happy and excitable little creatures.

A waitress came and took their orders, and returned a short while later with their food. "So tell me Ally, how did you become a Librarian?"

"Uhh... it was kinda my back up job I guess. A temporary thing while I was studying".

"Oh? What are you studying?"

"Early childhood Education. I wanted to be a preschool teacher" she smiled. 

"Wanted to be? You mean you don't any more?"

"I still do, I just... when everything happened I kinda fell apart and I took a break from my studies. I was supposed to go back but it all seemed too daunting and I couldn't face it. Now I guess I'm too embarrassed to go back, that was almost two years ago".

"You shouldn't be embarrassed. You were grieving, you needed time. That's a completely understandable thing" he said with a small smile. "How many papers do you have left to do?"

"One" she said with a small laugh. When she said it out loud it made the whole thing sound even more ridiculous.

"I think you should go for it" he smiled. "Follow your dreams. you'd make a great teacher".

"You think so?"

"Most definitely" he smiled.

They talked for over two hours getting to know one another more before Ally realised what the time was.

"It's getting pretty late, I should probably be getting home" Ally smiled.

"Thank you for coming out tonight" Jeffrey smiled as he waved down the waitress and asked for the cheque. Ever the gentleman he insisted on paying for dinner, even though Ally protested.

"How've you been feeling today?" Jeff asked as  he walked her out to her car.

"Not as bad as yesterday. My head is in a better place. My heart is still hurting, but the pain doesn't seem as... blinding today" Ally replied with a small smile.

"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling a little better".

"Thanks to you".

"Don't mention it Sweetheart" he said, flashing that charming smile her way. "Keep in touch okay" he said as he pulled her in for a hug.

"I will".

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It had been two weeks since Ally had last seen Jeffrey. His filming schedule was crazy with a lot of night shooting so the man had been really busy. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss his company. Despite his hectic schedule he still found the time to call or message her every day to see how she was doing. Ally loved that he cared enough to check on her.

It was Saturday which meant Ally had the day off. To any normal person that would be a good thing, but to Ally it just mean that she was alone with her thoughts, and that was something she didn't like.

Her phone buzzed with a message, she hoped it would be Jeff but when she looked at the screen she saw it was Max and her heart sunk.

M: I'm coming by today to get the rest of my stuff.

A: Okay.

It was a simple reply. She had no desire to make small talk with him. She didn't even want to see him, but at least him collecting his things meant he was out of her life completely and that was something that she welcomed. The thought of seeing him had her feeling really low, knowing that it was only going to cause her more pain having to face him after what he did.

Then her phone buzzed again. This time it was Jeff.

J: Hey Ally. How are you doing today?

Ally wanted to reply, but something inside of her was holding her back. She hated feeling the way she did, and she didn't want Jeff to see her like that. Even though the man had literally seen her at her worst, she felt weak to be slipping backwards after she had been making such good progress. An hour went by and she sat staring at her phone, willing herself to reply but she just couldn't do it. She wanted to shut herself away from the world, it was all just too much to face. Then her phone began to ring... and she let it go to voicemail. A few minutes later it began to ring again and she let it ring and ring until it stopped.

She hated herself for it. He must have been worried about her. 'God your a selfish bitch' she thought to herself. Wrapping herself up in her favourite blanket she curled up on the couch with Snoopy, tears falling from her eyes as she waited for that douchebag Max to turn up.