Black Sheep

I went to work the next morning, happy to wake up next to Harry but not wanting to leave him again after the night we had.
“someone got some last night,” Alison said when I got into the office that morning, “Was a certain PRINCE charming back last night.”
“You know he was back. Everyone but me did.” We both laughed.
“This morning’s copy my lovely ladies.” Eric placed two copied of the paper hot off the press, on my desk.
“Let’s see then.” Alison and I settled into the seats around my desk. It was the usual; politicians, money, some celebrity and me. WHAT?! Me?
“What the hell is this?” there was a two page spread of me and Steven, the headline; ‘Has the bad girl finally settled-down?’ It noted every single one of my failings in life; the drugs, the sex, the hangovers, the falling into taxis. Everything. Then said that the rumours about Harry and I weren’t true and that I’d been seeing Steven for just over a year. Then I read the by-line: Tony Fletcher.
“I think you need to speak to Harry.” Alison nodded and left the room. My hand flew to my mobile. I couldn’t trust the office phones with private matters; you don’t know who could be listening.
“Harry listen, we need to talk about something.” Harry was laughing.
“Sorry love, what was that?”
“We need to talk about something.”
“Brilliant, I’m all yours fire away.”
“Please, just don’t look at the papers before I can explain.”
“I never read the papers anyway.” His voice was still happy, which broke my heart.
“Can you meet me at my flat in about fifteen minutes, I think it would be easier to explain there.”
“Of course dearest. I’ll see you soon, love you.” And he hung up. I picked up my handbag and left.
“What about this article?” Alison shouted from her desk.
“It’ll have to wait!” I shouted back as I ran to catch the elevator.

*****
“So what do you want to tell me then?” He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested head on mine.
“Well, do you remember me talking to Steven who I used to go to school with?”
“Yeah ,” the smile on his face faltered. I pushed open the door to the flat fully intending to carry on my story, but what I saw stopped me in my tracks. The place was a mess; smashed glasses everywhere, spray paint all over the walls, everything gone.
“What happened here?”
“It was him, I’m sure it was. It couldn’t be anyone else.” I mused to myself
“Who’re you on about?”
“Steven.” I told him everything from the texts to the night out. “That’s where the photos are from.” I passed him the newspaper. He stood for a while, his eyes reading every word.
“Bullshit.”
“What?”
“All of this it’s just bullshit.
“What is?”
“This pretence. All of it. It’s just bullshit. You couldn’t wait till I was gone so you could jump on someone else.”
“What!? It’s nothing like that!”
“Was he your dealer as well? Was that what you were doing?”
“what do you mean!?” I was screaming now. “You know as well as I do that I haven’t touched drugs in a year. And why the hell would you think I would want somebody else?” He eventually looked at me; a look in his eyes that I wasn’t familiar with at all.
“So this all happened months ago, why am I only finding out now?”
“I tried to tell you. I tried! But something always got in the way.”
“So why were you living with Will and Kate? Was it so you could keep your lover here and carry on playing the innocent girlfriend so nobody suspected a thing?”
“Harry! Stop it! It was not like that at all. What do you want me to say?” He kept quiet, and didn’t even look at me. My eyes were filling with tears. “So this is it then? You don’t believe me?”
“Well why should I?”
“Because I’m your girlfriend for fucks sake! Why the hell would you believe him over me! Just forget it. There’s obviously no changing your mind, but just so you know I needed you. When you were gone I needed you more than I’ve needed anyone else before because I thought you would help. And now I’m telling you that I need you to care and you’re running away and not bothering with me. I need you to believe me.” There was a long silence and I stormed off through the bedroom to the terrace. I lit a cigarette and tried to calm myself down. I kept blinking to stop my tears from falling, but nothing helped. An age passed. I heard the door open, but I didn’t bother turning to see who it was.
“I was scared.” There was a silence again. All I could hear was the soft breeze through the fake potted plants and the hustle of the city below. “I was scared that I’d never see you again. I woke up every morning, thankful to be alive, hopeful to see you again. You never left my mind, not for a second.” He hovered by the door, anxious to be stood near me. “I wanted to wake up every morning and I wanted you to be there. All this is just fucked up.”
“You’re telling me.” I mumbled.
“We’re gonna sort this out. You’re moving house.”
“You can’t expect me to just run away from house to house.”
“You’re moving in with me.” I eventually looked up at him. “For the time being you can live with me and Will and Kate, just until we can find a place of our own.” I leapt up and ran at him, my tears falling down my face. Happy tears.