The Red dress chapter twenty four.

For the second time in less than a week, Alan slept with Lisa in his arms. After they got back to the flat she had told him what had happened at Liam's studio, and he was amazed that she could have been so naïve. He was convinced that if he hadn't knocked the door down when he had, she would have been raped--  and he would have felt responsible for not seeing it coming. Everything her brother had said seemed to be coming true.
 
     As she lay sleeping in his arms, her head resting against his chest, he tried to work out what the hell they were going to do. The chance of Lisa getting a modelling job was now totally out of the question, and the chance that he might be arrested for assault very possible. Alan tried to imagine his parents' reaction if he was in trouble with the police for the second week running. They would be sure to think that Lisa was nothing but trouble, and they would never speak to her again. Alan just had to hope that Liam wouldn't report him to the police. After all, he was the one who’d attacked Lisa, and he wouldn't want to be charged himself. The whole thing was a total nightmare. For hours Alan lay thinking, trying to come up with a solution until at last, as the sun came filtering through the wooden blinds, he fell asleep.
 
     When he woke up the next morning it was after eleven and Lisa wasn't there. He jumped out of bed in a total panic and ran through to the bathroom where he was relieved to find her in the bath. Her eyes were shut but she opened them as he walked towards her and he noticed that she'd been crying. Just as he had stayed awake late into the night trying to work out a solution, so she had woken early, and done the same thing. It hadn't helped.
 
     It was obvious to her that not only was she incapable of looking after herself, but the responsibility of being her protector was too much for him. Having lain in the bath for over an hour, she realised that there was only one solution. She looked up at him feeling wretched. 
 
     “My brother was right, I'm just a bloody liability…” she whispered, before she started sobbing again.
 
    Alan pulled her out of the lukewarm bath and cradled her wet body in his arms. He knew what she was thinking, and he couldn't bear it. He needed to think of a way of keeping them together. If she went to the school then he might lose her and that was the last thing he wanted. Lisa felt exactly the same way, but what had happened the day before had made her face up to reality properly for the first time. She looked up at him, the slow tears still rolling down her cheeks.
 
     “Do we have a choice?” she asked quietly, knowing full well they didn't.
 
Alan looked up at the ceiling wishing he could say something that would make everything okay, but he couldn't. He knew she was right.
      “No—“he answered wearily, feeling his world fall apart.
 
     They both felt trapped in a situation totally beyond their control. They had tried, but failed, to go against the obvious route. Both of them hoped they loved each other enough to cope with the separation, but the doubts they both had--him in Lisa's ability to attract men, her in her fear of Alan still wanting Carla, haunted them both. It didn't matter how much they discussed Alan visiting her, and her spending holidays with him, the doubt that their relationship would not survive wouldn’t go away.
 
      They didn't even know where the school was, apart from the fact it was in Surrey, because Lisa had refused to take the brochure.
 
      The worst part was phoning her brother and agreeing to it all. He was delighted of course, and rang back with the details of the hotel where her mother would meet her in London. In the meantime they only had two full days left together before Lisa had to go. They watched as the minutes flew by, bringing them closer to their dreaded separation.
 
     Lisa and Alan went to his parents on Wednesday night so she could say goodbye to his family and return the ball gown, jewellery and handbag. She wished she didn't have to give it back, and felt like Cinderella after the ball. All she had left from her time in Chelmsford was the shoes, the outfit she'd bought to go for her interview at the modelling agency, and a few of Karen’s old cast off clothes.
    
     At least Kathy and Jack Turner were pleased at Lisa's decision to go to the school, genuinely believing it was the best thing for her. She deserved a break after all she had been through, and they were concerned about Carla coming back and Lisa feeling left out.
 
      Lisa and Alan sat looking sad at opposite ends of the sofa, and the only one that didn't notice was Karen. She hadn't seen them together as much as her parents and she assumed Lisa was really excited about going to the school.
 
     “Wait until I tell Vikki, she'll be well impressed!” she announced, thinking it was cool that Lisa was going to such a great school (even though she didn't seem to know quite where it was.)  The fifteen thousand pound price tag Lisa had mentioned was quite enough to impress her.
 
     Lisa felt that the whole family had given her so much. Alan’s parents for their compassion. Karen for her friendship and generosity, and Alan for his love. She vowed to herself that if she and Alan didn't make it, they would hold a special place in her heart forever.
 
     Just before they were leaving Lisa remembered that the clothes Karen had lent her for the party were still in the back of the car, and she asked Alan to bring them in. Karen looked inside the handbag as she was taking everything upstairs and found the bottle of Jean Paul Gautier perfume still inside.
 
     She ran back into the lounge and gave it to Lisa, who was mortified at forgetting Alan's special gift and looked over at him for forgiveness. He smiled at her understandingly. Perfume had been the last thing on their minds.
 
     He didn't look quite so understanding however, when Karen also pulled out Richard's business card from the bag, and reading out the name, held it up triumphantly. Lisa's heart sank as Karen jumped to the obvious conclusion.
 
     “Oh, Lisa, I knew you’d hit it off with Richard,” she cried. “Are you going to see him again?” she asked excitedly.
 
     Lisa took the card and shoved it in her pocket along with the perfume, muttering something about him insisting on her taking it, but she could tell from Alan's expression that the damage had been done. Even though she had proved that she wasn't interested in the attractive lawyer from London at the party, taking his card suggested otherwise, and Alan looked over at her remembering her brother's words. He had watched Lisa and Richard when they were together, and they had seemed to get on far too well.
 
     With his kind of money there was no doubt that Richard was able to offer Lisa the kind of lifestyle she was used to. As all his insecurities rose to the surface, Alan couldn’t help thinking Lisa might choose to forget him, as she had Nick-- and move on to her next man.
 
     When they left, Lisa hugged them all and thanked them for their help. She just hoped they would feel as warmly towards her when they found out about her and Alan. The thought of their rejection was playing on her mind, and she hoped against hope they would understand.
 
     Driving home Alan was very quiet, and Lisa was worried that finding the card had caused a problem. He told her it hadn't, but Lisa wasn't totally convinced. She reckoned he wasn’t as cool about it as he was making out. She couldn't help but notice his reaction earlier on. She remembered the jealousy he had shown at his parents’ house the first time Richard Clarks name was mentioned, and the effect it had on Alan afterwards. She tried to put it to the back of her mind, realising that under the circumstances, she was probably blowing everything out of proportion. Alan must know how much she loved him.
 
     When they got home she felt as though they were marking time, going through the motions, caught in the time warp which they were allowed, before she had to leave him.
 
     As they lay in bed that night neither of them wanted to make love, they just wanted to hold each other. They both felt so scared, and the dawn of their second last day together found them holding hands like they had on their first night. Several times Lisa picked up Alan's mobile, tempted to phone Scott and say that she'd changed her mind, but one look at Alan reminded her that she had no choice, and she'd put it down.
 
      They spent Thursday bolstering each other up by making plans. Carla was due back on the Monday; Lisa was due at the school on the Saturday before, having spent Friday afternoon and evening with her mother. Lisa would phone Alan on his mobile as soon as she had a number for the school, and he would drive down and visit her there the following weekend.
 
      They agreed that Alan should meet Carla at the Airport on Monday as arranged, and tell her as soon as possible so that he could tell his parents about them with a clear conscience. They hoped that by the time the following summer came around, and Alan was qualified, Lisa would be able to go to a university nearby, and he would be able to support them both. Her brother had been right. It was a perfect solution, although he had only been thinking of Lisa at the time.
 
     By the time they had finished, they could plan no more, and they spent the rest of the day reaffirming their love for each other as their parting drew closer. They went out for dinner on the Thursday night, but neither of them had much of an appetite, so they left as soon as they could. All they wanted to do was talk and reassure each other that everything would be okay.
 
As Friday dawned, Lisa woke up feeling as though she was going off to war, unsure of her return, trying to pack in as much feeling as possible in the few short hours they had left. She watched Alan sleeping and ached at the amount of love she felt for him. It wasn't just sex, although they had experienced much more in their short time together than many did in a lifetime, but he had become her soul mate, her friend, and her lover- and she needed all three to survive.
 
     On their last morning together they touched, they held, they loved, and they promised. They did everything they could  in the little time that they had left, feeling cheated that circumstances were forcing them apart. There was no doubt in either of their minds that the future was uncertain.
 
     When Alan took Lisa to the station on the Friday morning they were both wretched at the thought of being separated, and Lisa decided she couldn't leave him. Alan knew that she must. Her brother’s words echoed in his ears, “If you really love her, you would make her go,” and much though he hated him for being right, he reluctantly talked Lisa round.
 
     “I'll see you in eight days-- surely we can hang on that long?” he said, trying to make it sound easy.
 
He half hoped she would say she couldn't, but she nodded, knowing that they had no choice. Their time was up for now.
 
      As they stood on the platform at the station they clung on to each other, kissing, touching and making promises, until their time ran out and Lisa had to get onto the train.
 
     “I'll phone you on Saturday when I get there-- don't leave your phone in the car!” she called to him through the window, as the train started to pull out of the station. He walked beside the train as it gathered speed, reluctantly letting go of her hand.
     “I won't… you know I only forget my phone when I want to...” he shouted, his voice trailing away as he watched the train gather speed.
 
A moment later, and she was gone...