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Chapter Fifty-Four

Adjusting back into life without Noah was hard. Especially as he respected my parting wish dutifully by not attempting to contact me. Not even once. Guess he'd gotten over it all pretty quickly.

Over the Easter break, I went back to stay with my mum to try and take my mind off things. One night, as we shared a bottle of wine and some homemade tapas, I told her the story of Noah long into the early hours. I didn't reveal how far things had gone physically between us, but having someone to talk to other than Charlotte or Kris made a nice change.

She was shocked at first to find out I'd had a new boyfriend - and somehow managed to already break up with him - without her knowing about any of it. But she'd had her suspicions there was someone new on the scene, ever since she'd found out about the valiant hero who threw George up against a wall.

"I was young once, too. I know how easy it is to fall head over heels," she'd laughed kindly, as I told her I'd thought he was going to be the love of my life, but I was obviously wrong and just plain stupid.

"When I first met your dad, he was a struggling musician without a penny to his name. But I loved him, and we made it work," she said softly, holding my hand in hers. "Whatever it is that's made you think you can't be together, if you really do love him, you can get through it."

Her words hit me hard. Her and dad had been so in love, right up until the day he decided he didn't want to live with his illness anymore. If Noah and me stood even half a chance of being as made for each other as they were, maybe I could one day find a way to forgive him for his sordid past?

Or maybe not. He sold his body to other women. His body that I had learnt to love every single inch of didn't belong to me after all. It was public property.

The thought played on my mind every day until it was time to leave and head back to London to face the summer term without him around.

As the train propelled me back to the capital with silent urgency, I watched the world sweep by the window in a blur. The English countryside was at its most glorious best in early May. The colours of the trees and flowers bursting from wild hedgerows as I rushed by began to fill me with hope. Whether it was hope that Noah and me might still stand a chance, I didn't know, but I felt better than I had when I first left for mum's house two weeks before.

When I arrived back at the flat, I was surprised to find it empty. Charlotte had text earlier that day to say she'd be home when I got back.

Maybe she's just popped out, I thought, as I flopped onto the sofa and switched on the TV.

About an hour or so later, she arrived back carrying a pile of cardboard boxes in her arms.

"Hey, Abs, I thought you didn't get back until this evening?" she said, looking a little flustered.

"No, I said I'd be back around three," I called back, as she rushed into her room to drop the boxes.

Standing up, I followed her to her room, peeking my head around the door. "What's with the boxes?"

"Just doing some sorting," she said quietly, without turning around. "How was your trip home?"

"It was good, yeah. What are you sorting that means you need all these?" I pressed, walking over to join her where she had plonked herself onto the floor.

Suddenly, she blurted it out so fast I couldn't really digest what she was saying at first.

"Me and Alex have found a place, Abs. I didn't want to tell you over the phone but, we're married now and we need to think about the future..."

"But, I thought they'd gone on tour?" I replied, confused by the huge development I seemed to have missed in only a fortnight of being away.

"They have," she replied, looking up at me with flushed cheeks. "It's going really well so far, but they'll be back in a month and that's how much notice we'll need to give on this place if we're going to move out. Or... Kris has already asked whether he could move into my room..."