‹ Prequel: I See You Lying Next To Me
This Time, I Mean It
It Still Hurts
Bob’s parents were fantastic, so friendly and welcoming and Liz loved them immediately.
But something was bothering her after that first night. She was so tired she’d gone to bed early but had crept down for a glass of water and overhead a conversation between Bob and his parents.
“She’s lovely Bob, don’t mess it up.” She heard his mother say.
“I won’t Mom, course I won’t,” she heard Bob’s voice and then his familiar chuckle.
But what came next, she wasn’t really expecting.
“So…do you hear from Sarah at all?” Said his mother.
Who the fuck was Sarah?
“No. I’ve not heard from her since it happened. Look, I don’t want to talk about Sarah, it…it still hurts.”
What hurts?
Liz felt sick, who was this Sarah? It sounded possibly like she could have been an ex girlfriend and something about this Sarah and talking about her still hurt Bob. What the fuck had happened and was she ever going to find out?
Slipping back upstairs without her water, all sorts of things ran through her mind and the main thing was, if Sarah happened to come back into Bob’s life would Bob still want this Sarah and where would it leave her?
Liz didn’t mention overhearing the conversation with his parents, she decided that this Sarah wasn’t going to spoil her time with his parents so she blocked it out of her mind, that is until she went to bed and tried to sleep, that’s when it came back to her and she couldn’t help but worry about it, wondering who this Sarah was. It was eating away at her.
They’d decided to call in to see her parents in New York so that was the flight they’d booked but just before they boarded Liz tried to call up Kitty to see how she’d got on at the anniversary party. Liz was desperate to know if Kitty had managed to get to talk to Gerard and she also wondered if Kitty had got to meet her idol, Billie Joe Armstrong but she couldn’t get hold of Kitty, just got her voicemail.
She decided not to leave a message, she’d speak to her soon enough she thought as she turned off her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She glanced over at Bob who was on his cell phone to someone; he was frowning as he walked towards her after being to the men’s room.
It was the last call for their flights so she waved him to hurry up but he looked far away, concentrating on whoever was on the phone to him.
Was it Sarah? Liz suddenly thought, her mind playing games with her again.
But as Bob approached she heard him say, “Yeah, OK Ray, I’ll let Liz know. See you soon man, let me know if you get hold of Gerard.”
“Everything OK?” Said Liz as they picked up their hand luggage and headed quickly off to the plane.
“Not really.” Said Bob glancing at her. “Its…Kitty.”
“What about Kitty?” Said Liz, turning to look at him.
“Well…she ran out of the anniversary party, she…listen, lets get on the plane and I’ll explain there, you may need a drink.”
After settling themselves down into their seats Liz was desperate to find out what the fuck was going on.
“Come on, tell me,” she said turning to him.
So he told her. He told her that Eliza had tricked Gerard into thinking Kitty didn’t want him by stealing half her letter and the fact that by doing this it made Kitty think that Gerard didn’t want her either. Ray had let it slip that Eliza was pregnant and after that Kitty had ran out and they couldn’t find her.
"Gerard now nows what had happened and is trying to get a flight to New York to see if she’s gone home.” He said.
“Shit.” Said Liz, not knowing what else to say.
“I know, we’ll have to try and speak to them when we land,” said Bob. “But there’s nothing we can do for now so I suggest we get some sleep.” He said leaning over to kiss Liz then laying back into the chair and closing his eyes.
“I can’t sleep,” said Liz worrying about her friend. She hoped Kitty didn’t do anything silly. What the fuck was Gerard doing sleeping with Eliza? “I might just do the crossword,” she said picking up a newspaper that she’d bought at the newsstand. “Have you a pen Bob?”
“Yeah, in my bag, down there, side pocket,” he said indicating his bag at his feet.
Liz reached down and unzipped one of the front pockets and rooted around for a pen. But instead she found a photograph.
A photograph of a beautiful blonde girl, smiling widely.
She turned it over and read what was written on the back.
Dear Bob
Happy 1st Anniversary
Love you always
Sarah x
But something was bothering her after that first night. She was so tired she’d gone to bed early but had crept down for a glass of water and overhead a conversation between Bob and his parents.
“She’s lovely Bob, don’t mess it up.” She heard his mother say.
“I won’t Mom, course I won’t,” she heard Bob’s voice and then his familiar chuckle.
But what came next, she wasn’t really expecting.
“So…do you hear from Sarah at all?” Said his mother.
Who the fuck was Sarah?
“No. I’ve not heard from her since it happened. Look, I don’t want to talk about Sarah, it…it still hurts.”
What hurts?
Liz felt sick, who was this Sarah? It sounded possibly like she could have been an ex girlfriend and something about this Sarah and talking about her still hurt Bob. What the fuck had happened and was she ever going to find out?
Slipping back upstairs without her water, all sorts of things ran through her mind and the main thing was, if Sarah happened to come back into Bob’s life would Bob still want this Sarah and where would it leave her?
Liz didn’t mention overhearing the conversation with his parents, she decided that this Sarah wasn’t going to spoil her time with his parents so she blocked it out of her mind, that is until she went to bed and tried to sleep, that’s when it came back to her and she couldn’t help but worry about it, wondering who this Sarah was. It was eating away at her.
They’d decided to call in to see her parents in New York so that was the flight they’d booked but just before they boarded Liz tried to call up Kitty to see how she’d got on at the anniversary party. Liz was desperate to know if Kitty had managed to get to talk to Gerard and she also wondered if Kitty had got to meet her idol, Billie Joe Armstrong but she couldn’t get hold of Kitty, just got her voicemail.
She decided not to leave a message, she’d speak to her soon enough she thought as she turned off her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She glanced over at Bob who was on his cell phone to someone; he was frowning as he walked towards her after being to the men’s room.
It was the last call for their flights so she waved him to hurry up but he looked far away, concentrating on whoever was on the phone to him.
Was it Sarah? Liz suddenly thought, her mind playing games with her again.
But as Bob approached she heard him say, “Yeah, OK Ray, I’ll let Liz know. See you soon man, let me know if you get hold of Gerard.”
“Everything OK?” Said Liz as they picked up their hand luggage and headed quickly off to the plane.
“Not really.” Said Bob glancing at her. “Its…Kitty.”
“What about Kitty?” Said Liz, turning to look at him.
“Well…she ran out of the anniversary party, she…listen, lets get on the plane and I’ll explain there, you may need a drink.”
After settling themselves down into their seats Liz was desperate to find out what the fuck was going on.
“Come on, tell me,” she said turning to him.
So he told her. He told her that Eliza had tricked Gerard into thinking Kitty didn’t want him by stealing half her letter and the fact that by doing this it made Kitty think that Gerard didn’t want her either. Ray had let it slip that Eliza was pregnant and after that Kitty had ran out and they couldn’t find her.
"Gerard now nows what had happened and is trying to get a flight to New York to see if she’s gone home.” He said.
“Shit.” Said Liz, not knowing what else to say.
“I know, we’ll have to try and speak to them when we land,” said Bob. “But there’s nothing we can do for now so I suggest we get some sleep.” He said leaning over to kiss Liz then laying back into the chair and closing his eyes.
“I can’t sleep,” said Liz worrying about her friend. She hoped Kitty didn’t do anything silly. What the fuck was Gerard doing sleeping with Eliza? “I might just do the crossword,” she said picking up a newspaper that she’d bought at the newsstand. “Have you a pen Bob?”
“Yeah, in my bag, down there, side pocket,” he said indicating his bag at his feet.
Liz reached down and unzipped one of the front pockets and rooted around for a pen. But instead she found a photograph.
A photograph of a beautiful blonde girl, smiling widely.
She turned it over and read what was written on the back.
Dear Bob
Happy 1st Anniversary
Love you always
Sarah x