All The Mixed Feelings (Van McCann)

Part 45

Abby

When Eve arrived home later that day she'd been beside herself on seeing my bruises and hearing about Chris attacking me.

"Oh my god Abby, why didn't you call me?" She shrieked, flinging her arms around me so tight it left me gasping.

"It was okay, I went to see Michelle..."

"You went all the way to Manchester? Bloody hell, what were you thinking?"

Eve looked stricken, eyes wild. She started pacing, muttering expletives about Chris, taking out her phone and angrily jabbing at it. "We've gotta call the police..."

"No!" I cried, lunging forward and grabbing the phone out of her hands.

"Abby, this isn't up for discussion!" She stood with her hand out-stretched, waiting for me to pass the phone back but I didn't.

Tears pricked my eyes. "Please Eve... I don't wanna go through it all again. I just wanna forget it now, put it behind me."

"He hit you! Imagine if he'd not been dragged away? Would he have stopped? He's a fucking animal and he deserves to be locked up!"

I sat down at the kitchen table, feeling my body crumple. I wasn't strong enough for this. "It's over, you don't have to worry now. Today he said..."

"You've spoken to him today?" Eve's voice was so harsh it made me flinch.

"He showed up when I got back earlier."

Now her eyes were practically bulging. "He came here? When you were here on your own?"

She grabbed the phone off me forcefully.

"Eve no!" I shouted, so loud I even stunned myself. She froze then, turning to face me.

"Look, I've been living with this for months now, trying to pretend everything's ok. It's been killing me. Now it's out in the open it's like I can finally breathe again. I just want it to be over. I don't wanna go over it, I don't even wanna think about it. Chris says he's moving away. I just want to move on... please."

Eve was silent for a moment, worry etched into her features. When she finally spoke her voice was soft. "Abby you mean the world to me. You're all I've got left. I can't lose you. Can you really trust what Chris says?"

"I don't know, I hope so, but you've got to trust ME on this one."

Eve pulled me on to my feet, hugging me again. "Okay, but if he so much as calls you again we're going straight to the police. Yeah?"

"Yeah..." I hugged her back.

* * * * *

Eve fussed around me for the rest of the day and the best part of the following day, and no amount of me telling her I was fine would cut it. The truth was the aura of sadness that she could sense around me mostly came down to me missing Van rather than any sense of regret of how things had ended with Chris.

When Michelle came over to see me that evening I was glad to make the excuse to get away and we headed straight for my room when she arrived.

"How are you doing Abs?" She said, kicking off her shoes and sitting cross-legged on my bed. "And I mean how are you REALLY doing?"

I sat opposite her. "God Eve is so protective of me. She was desperate to call the police on Chris but I just couldn't face it. I'm sure she thinks I'm gonna crumble any moment and do something stupid like take him back!"

Michelle looked worried. "He's not been in touch again has he? Please don't tell me he's actually trying to get you back?"

"No!" I assured her. "I've not heard a thing from him since he turned up yesterday. I'm just hoping he's going to do what he said and go down to London to stay with his sister."