Out Of The Blue (Sebastian Vettel)

3. The End of the Beginning

January 2018, Banbury, UK

Joel knocked on Melissa's front door for what felt like the hundredth time . There was still no reply. He knew she was in there, her car was on the drive. Maybe any other time he'd have thought she'd gone out for a walk, but the twitching curtain when he'd pulled up outside in his battered old Fiesta had told him otherwise. She was there, she just didn't want to see him.

She wasn't answering her phone either, and hadn't replied to his numerous texts. He was really getting worried now. She may not want to see him but he needed to see her. He had to know she was ok.

"Melissa! Open the goddamn door now, please babe. I need to know you're ok. Come on for fuck's sake!" His phone vibrated in his pocket, he took it out, unlocked it and saw it was a reply from Melissa. Finally!

Melissa: Joel, I just want to be alone right now. Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything stupid. Please just go. X

He quickly tapped back a reply before recommencing his assault on the front door.

Joel: I just need to see you Melissa. I've been frantic, Matt and Sophie too x

Her reply came almost instantly.

Melissa: Tell them I'm ok. Honestly Joel, I just feel like such an idiot. I should have seen the signs. I just need some time alone. X

Joel put his phone back into his jacket pocket.

"Melissa, I'm not going anywhere. If you're not going to let me in I'll just sit out here until you do," he shouted. No reply.

He saw the old biddy next door peering out from behind her curtain but he didn't give a shit. Melissa was all he cared about at that precise moment in time, not what some nosey old cow thought.

He sat down and rested his back against the door. Maybe it was time to rethink his strategy.

"It's cold out here," he called, trying to get her to open the door through sympathy. "Freezing in fact." No reply. "Looks like it may even snow."  He wasn't actually lying. The grey clouds above looked full of snow. He pulled his ski jacket tighter around him. Several minutes passed and sure enough, snowflakes began to fall. "It's snowing!" he called out.

He heard movement in the hallway behind the door. A key turned in the lock. He grinned to himself in triumph as the door opened. The grin soon disappeared as he realised his whole weight was against the door.  He fell backwards into Melissa's hallway, his legs in the air.

"For fuck's sake Melissa, you could have warned me." Melissa started laughing, despite her low mood. Her best friend looked ridiculous laid on her hallway floor wearing an orange bobble hat and neon purple ski jacket.

"How was I to know you were leaning on the door you doofus?" she retorted.

Joel jumped up and put his hands on her forearms. He stooped down, he was a foot taller than her 5 ft 3, to look her in the eye. He could see she had been crying. Her eyes were all bloodshot and puffy. She looked exhausted. He was pretty certain she'd had next to no sleep.

"Sweetheart, you had us so worried when you didn't answer our calls and messages," he asked, his tone soft and gentle.

"I'm sorry Joel. I just didn't know what to say. I feel like an idiot. I know you all had your reservations about Adam but I thought I knew better. All this time he was shagging around behind my back. I feel so fucking stupid. I should have known he was too good to be true."

"You trusted him because you loved him. There's nothing stupid about that." She wiped away another tear that had begun  rolling silently down her face.