All at Once

Chapter Thirteen

I didn't leave the flat for the rest of the week. I didn't get dressed, didn't shower, and didn't eat. Everything inside me hurt, my heart the most.

Charlotte came by on Friday afternoon with Erin. Forcing me to eat the Big Mac meal that had gone cold in the bag by the time she got to my place, she listened patiently for hours while I picked apart every detail of where it had all gone wrong. Without knowing the whole truth about Noah's past, though, I think she struggled to fully understand.

Still, like any good friend, she let me ramble on until my voice was hoarse and my eyes were sore from crying. After she had practically carried me into the shower, I emerged to find she'd tidied the flat and had made a fresh pot of tea.

"I need to get Erin home for bed soon, will you be okay? She asked, starting to pack up the nappy bag as Erin gurgled and cooed quietly on her rollout mat.

"I'll be fine," I replied, looking down at the adorable pink blob that was giving me a gummy grin while kicking her legs in the air with wild abandon. Probably wind.

The smile that crossed my lips felt good. It was nice to smile at something again. I didn't imagine it would last for long after they both left but, for that split second, it felt good.

On Saturday, I woke up late to a missed call from Kris. Returning his call with a couple of taps, he was out of breath as he answered.

"Abs, I'm jogging. Potentially dying, I'm not sure yet."

His melodramatic opener caused me to let out a laugh. A smile and a laugh in less than twenty-four hours? Maybe all I really needed was my friends to bring me back to life.

After a quick catch up, he promised to pop round before the weekend was over. He'd obviously been given the full lowdown from Charlotte, as Kris had only stepped foot in my flat a handful of times since I'd moved in. If he was coming over voluntarily, he must have been worried.

Stretching out in my bed, my phone was still in my hand as I reached my arms high above my head and let out a long groan. As it began to vibrate again, I didn't even bother looking at the screen before tapping my thumb against it and bringing the handset to my ear.

"What's up, did you die?" I said, smiling to myself at the thought of Kris attempting to keep up with the smug jogger brigade, swarming the city's parks on a Saturday morning in their best running gear.

"Uh, hello? Is that Abi?"

I shot up quick as a flash, swinging my feet onto the floor and standing up to peer suspiciously out of the window for no apparent reason.

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's Will. From the other night, at the club. Hope you don't mind me calling?"

I let out a small sigh of relief as I returned to sit back on my bed. "Of course not," I began. "How's it going?"

After the initial pleasantries were out of the way, Will stammered his way through the whole point of why he was calling. As we confirmed plans for a final time and hung up, I only had two hours to get washed, dressed, and be in Central London for lunch.

If friends were all I needed to get through this shitty part of my life, there was nothing wrong with that including new friends. Friends who didn't know the story of me and Noah, me and George, me and my dad.

Friends who wouldn't unintentionally bring up old wounds, but simply get to know me for who I was.