Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 56

Ella moved away. Pretending not to hear Amelia's quiet statement. 

But Amelia was ready to give up on Ella. " Thank goodness, whatever the reason, Seth and Evie got married. Albeit without us!" Amelia beamed. "Now to get you sorted." They'd reached the end of the short verandah.

Ella chuckled. "Yeah, good luck with that!" And in her mind she swat away that image of her and David. This was ridiculous. Why bother to pair her with him in her brain, given he didn't like her. Liar, her heart said: remember those kisses. Why can't she shift him from her thoughts? Easy, her mind said:  Remember your future plans. The problem was how to tell Amelia.

They were quiet for a second. Amelia looked over at Ella. She had phoned Ella during the days to this wedding, talking through minor blips in the arrangements, getting her opinion on various things, calming her worries. In essence Ella was Amelia's maid of honour in the background while Evie was the public face of the maid of honour at the wedding.

"Thanks." Amelia said with sincerity. "You know, Evie knew that I wanted you as maid of honour."

"You told her?" Ella frowned.

"No. When I asked her, she said, she expected me to ask Ella, as we were best friends! And I kind squirmed and she said, 'ahah, Ella said no! I am second choice!' and she realised that I was about to cry, so she accepted! You know her, anything to avoid emotion-glitches. But she said, she would do the best for me, but if I wanted advice, real advice, ask you! Because you knew me best and she was rubbish at this type of things!" Amelia smiled. Ella smiled in return.  "Thank you. Without you, I would be a wreck!" Amelia sighed. "Do you know, weddings are so full of stresses and anxieties? I thought it would be happy and joyful and ..."

"It is joyful and happy, it is just preparing for it, that's all." Ella said with a smile. "And look at this wedding. It is gorgeous. The ceremony. All the food, the venue, the couple. You and Jack and of course Evie and David did a good job with this. Organising this. Look at you. Radiant. Jack can't stop smiling. Your guests are happy. Fab vibe. People will remember this wedding for all the right reasons. Love."

Amelia gave Ella a big hug. "You always know how to sort out my problems!"

"Not true!" Ella laughed. "But thank you. In any case, you have Jack. He has big shoulders!"

"I know."

"Things will change." Ella said with a soft smile.

Amelia released Ella. "I know." She agreed, "But I like having you around! You say all the right things at the right time! Thank you for putting up with my calls! I bet you had heaps to sort out for your sister, but I am so grateful for your help, albeit by distant. You really helped me. Every time I got anxious, over trivial stuff, I phoned you! And you put up with it. Come on, best-friend," Amelia smiled, with her arm around Ella's waist, she continued, "we should get back to the ...".

Knowing that her next statement was going to shock Amelia. "I'm moving." Ella announced softly. Ella wanted Amelia to know about her plans.

Amelia spun around to look at her friend. "Moving?" She paused for the longest second and just stared at her friend, as if she couldn't believe it, then she blurted, "What?" Ella licked her lower lip and bit her lips while Amelia frowned. "You are moving?"

"By the time you get back from your honeymoon, yes." She could see that her words were not going down well. Ella had thought long and hard about when to tell her friend. Looked like now wasn't the right time. But when? She knew she had to leave. She couldn't cross the street to avoid David. She couldn't avoid him social events, because she would be invited to the same events, now. She couldn't ignore him. With his new girlfriend. She would have to speak to him. More often now.

"Why?" Tears appeared in Amelia's eyes.

"It's time to move."

 Amelia pressed her fingers on the bridge of her nose, in an attempt to stall her tears. "What?" Puzzled Amelia frowned at her friend's statement, as she couldn't take it in.

Ella's index finger wiped at the corner of her eye as tears appeared in her eyes, "It's a shock. I know, Ames." Ella bit her lips again. 

"A shock?  This is wrong."

"I just think it is time to move on."

"Now? Really?"

" And you don't have to worry, I am fine. You will be fine.  You have Jack."

"That is not the same. I have Jack, I agree, but that doesn't take away our friendship."

"Leaving doesn't take away our friendship, Ames. We just have a bit of a distant issue. And we will keep in touch. I know that. You are my best friend, Ames." Ella smiled even though her eyes smarted with tears,  "I wasn't sure whether to tell you now, or write to you when you get back." Ella shrugged apologetically. "But leaving without tell you, well it seemed to be a cowardly thing, so..."

Amelia was ready to capitulated. "You can't move. You really can't! You love your home. You like living here." Shaking her head did not lessen her argument in the slightest "You just can't. You have friends here. Good friends. You can't move." Amelia shook her head, as if negating it with words would stop Ella. "

"Have to." Ella smiled wanly, her eyes understanding, as she tried to explain her reasoning, and tried to keep her own emotions at bay. "When you think about it, you'll see it's the right thing to do." If she stayed, she knew she would be leaving herself open to the equivalent of receiving a hundred lashes a day. 

David and Jack were close, and being that close, that would mean that she would meet David regularly. Amelia and Ella were close, and that closeness would bring her into contact with David and his girlfriends, on a regular basis. She knew she didn't have the strength to manage that. Ella took a breath, then exhaled, her bottom lip thrust forward as she blew out a long breath. Tiny wisps of hair, danced as her breath fanned over her face and forehead. When that didn't work at reining in her emotions, she closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed at the junction between her eyebrows. "I have to go."

"No you don't." Amelia caught her arm, tried to remain calm.

"It is. You know it is." Ella caught her bottom lip between her teeth. "I can't stay."

"What about us?" Amelia knew she sounded desperate and deluged Ella with questions. "Are you going north? Where? To whom?"

"I don't know." Truth was she hadn't really decided where she was going to live. She'd just realised that she couldn't keep living in a town where she would keep bumping into David more often than not, now that he was related to Amelia. And maintaining her barriers would be hard work. "Probably will go to our bach for a few weeks. Then I'll see. I've got a few jobs to finish down here, but I need to decide what to do with my life. You have a life with a soul mate now, you don't need some lame duck hanging on." Ella told her friend with her usual brand of bluntness.

"You've never been a lame duck." Amelia's stubbornness kicked in. "I want you around." What was she supposed to do without Ella's brand of support?

Ella shook her head and challenged Amelia, "You don't need me around. Come on, Ames! You can phone me. We can whatapps, Jack and you will be just fine. And Ben is still here, and Evie, and..."

Amelia jammed her hands on her hips, and wished she could do something about David and Ella. Bang their heads together would be a good start. "This is to do with David, isn't it?"

"No." Ella replied curtly.

"Bullshit!" Snapped Amelia. The temptation to lash out built, but then she remembered how she felt when she thought her love was unrequited and she remembered what Ella thought about her relationship with David.  

Ella chuckled despite herself. "You see that's why I have to go!" She tried to lighten the mood. 

"You are running away!" Amelia said bluntly.

"Maybe." Ella nodded and said quietly,  "Flight or fight. I have chosen flight. And it is the right thing for me."