Me. Her. Him - Chapter 55

Background: Angela is shocked when William, an old friend from her past, who she hoped never to see again, comes back into her life, after he applies for a role at her work and successfully secures the job. William’s sudden reappearance puts Angela on edge. She’s terrified he’s discovered her secret, which she needs to protect her family from. William’s convinced Angela knows what happened to his former girlfriend, Caz, who hasn't been seen for twenty years, and that something terrible happened to her. The only person, who can help Angela, is her once best friend, Michelle, but Angela hasn’t seen Michelle for more than a decade. Faced with the threat of William’s return, they know they’ll need to work together to save their future, even if this does mean reopening old wounds, and revisiting a past they'd rather keep buried.

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As I leave work I dial Michelle’s number. There’s no way I’m hanging around to chat to anyone. I just about managed to get through lunch with Kirsty earlier. Even though I bought her lunch, there was still awkwardness between us. I’d thought about asking her about her and William, the questions kept churning around inside my head and before I could stop myself, I came out with it.

‘I saw you and William together on Saturday night,’ I’d said, keeping my eyes fixed on hers.

She’d stared at me for what seemed like a long moment. ‘You came to my gig?’

I’d nodded. ‘I was going to come up to you, but then I saw you chatting to him. Did you already know then he’d handed in his resignation?’

She’d shifted in her seat and glanced out of the window before focusing her attention back on me.

‘Look, Angela, before all of this kicked off between him and you, I mentioned to him that I was singing at the weekend and he said he wouldn’t mind coming along. I didn’t think it was a big deal then. Actually on Saturday, I didn’t think there was even a chance of you coming, as you hadn’t responded to my messages.’

‘So, are you and he an item now?’ I’d asked.

She’d shaken her head. ‘No, I wouldn’t jump in with anyone that quick. You know I find him attractive, I told you that the day he came for his interview, but I don’t think he fancies me at all.’

‘Well, it didn’t seem quite like that, when I saw the two of you chatting.’

‘Look, what’s going on between the two of you, Angela? You’ve been acting really strange recently and it’s not looking good for your position at work. I’m worried about you, I really am.’

I’d shaken my head. ‘Just promise me you won’t see William again. You have no idea what he’s like.’

‘So the two of you do know each other then?’ she’d said, raising her eyebrow. ‘Why should I not see him? Has he hurt you in anyway?’

‘No. He . . . look, I’m only going to warn you once, Kirsty, but he’s dangerous. Please, please, do not see him again.’

I knew after that moment that Kirsty would be looking at me in a different way to before. She agreed that she wouldn’t contact him again, but I’m not sure if whether or not she was just saying that for my sake.

My call to Michelle continues to dial as I sit in Paul’s car. I fiddle with the seat as I wait for Michelle to answer, to try and get it into a more comfortable position. Come on, pick up please pick up. Perhaps she’s already seen my name flashing on the screen and decided to ignore.

‘Angela,’ Michelle says. ‘What’s up?’

Her voice sounds tired. I want to yell at her. This affects her as much as it affects me. If the truth gets out there, it’ll destroy the life she’s built as much as it’ll destroy mine. Surely she wants to protect what she’s achieved.

‘William’s left . . . I mean, he resigned, after what happened between us on Thursday,’ I say, my words tumbling out of my mouth.

I glance at the office as I wait for Michelle to reply. I watch as one of my colleagues leaves the building. She’s talking on her phone, and it looks, from her facial expressions, as though she’s having a row with someone.

‘Right . . . okay. Did he give a reason why he resigned?’ she says.

I laugh, my chest is aching. I tell her what Olivia told me.

‘Okay, calm down, Angela. There’s nothing much we can do at the moment other than wait and see what happens next. I’m still trying to process this thing with the photo. What else did your boss say to you? I take it William wasn’t there today when you turned up at work?’

‘Well, I’ve not been sacked, and no he wasn’t there,’ I say. ‘There won’t be an option now of me trying to follow him.’

Tears well in my eyes and my vision blurs as I clench the steering wheel tight. Do I tell her about what happened on Saturday?

‘Well that’s one good thing then, I mean that you weren’t sacked,’ Michelle says.

‘Have you . . . have you had any more thoughts on what we’re going to do about this?’ I ask.

It’s been three days since we met. She told me she was going to speak to someone.

I listen to the sound of Michelle breathing, which actually has a calming effect on me. In my head we’re back in our apartment in London and sprawled out next to each other on the sofa, each of us with a book open in our hands.

‘I’m talking to someone, yes. She . . . she owes me a favour and she’s going to get some stuff ready for me.’

‘What sort of stuff?’ I ask.

‘Don’t worry about that just yet, but it’s going to assist us. I’m going to chase her up today. William’s not tried to contact you at all since, has he, since the photograph was sent?’

I wonder if this person is a friend of Michelle’s, or perhaps someone who she’s worked with. Why does she owe Michelle a favour?

‘No. But . . . I decided to go to the pub on Saturday to see Kirsty, someone who I work with. She was singing there, and he was there, right at the front . . . I mean right by the stage.’

‘Did he see you?’ Michelle asks.

‘I don’t think so. I left pretty sharpish.’

There’s no need to tell her about the incident with the car. She’ll only be interested in William.

‘This Kirsty, how long have you known her?’ Michelle says.

My stomach sinks. I can almost hear a spike of jealousy in her voice, or is it my imagination?

‘For five years, since I joined here. She probably just mentioned to him she was singing and he decided to go along.’

‘Perhaps. It’s odd that he went to see her and then handed in his notice. I’m sure he would’ve already been planning to do that. Look, just get yourself home, are you at work now?’

‘Yes, just leaving.’ I pull my seat belt round and plug it in.

‘Good, I promise I will be in touch in the next day or so, Angela. Just give me a little bit more time. Don’t forget, we need his address. I know that following him isn’t an option now, but try and get a copy of his CV, if you can.’

‘Fine, fine,’ I say.

‘I will speak to you soon,’ Michelle says, before ending the call.

I grip the steering wheel tight. I look towards where Kirsty’s still sitting behind her computer. She’ll be finishing soon. There’s no way I’m going to be able to gain access to her computer until tomorrow, and there’s no way I can ask her for his CV.

I switch on the car engine and manoeuvre Paul’s car out of the car park, my body hunched forward over the steering wheel.

I’m certain that somewhere nearby, William’s watching me, making plans. We just need to beat him at his own game. If that’s even possible.

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Character List:

Angela Watkins - Protagonist 

Paul Watkins - Angela's husband

Rebecca Watkins - Angela's daughter 

Michelle Blake - Angela's former best friend 

Kirsty - Receptionist (Angela's friend) 

Olivia - Angela's boss

William Harris - Angela's former friend 

Caroline (Caz) - Angela's friend 

Hayley - Angela's former friend

Lauren - Angela's former friend