Delicious Rose

48

Rose

The car journey home is long, far too long. I need to get home and figure out what I'm going to do next, I need to figure out how I'm going to break the news to Jacob. What can I tell him? That I can't be with him because I still love Luca? That I saw him in New York and I changed my mind so suddenly. He's going to think I cheated, that I betrayed him. I wouldn't do that, I've been on the other end of the stick to know first-hand how heartbreaking it is.

How is he going to take it? I have to be honest, I have to be selfish. I don't want to hurt him, but being with him when I my heart isn't there is cruel. The girls are quiet, Lee can obviously tell somethings wrong. He has hardly spoken a word since he picked us up.

"Do you want to call him?" Darcy turns around in the passenger side holding her phone out for me. I shake my head, not yet. I have to end things with Jacob before I do anything. That's only fair.
By the time Lee parks up outside my house it's nearly nine am, the bedroom light is on and that's when my heart goes crazy.
This is it, I need to just pull the plaster off, get it over and done with. Everyone turns to look at me as I take off my seatbelt, I feel sick, seriously close to throwing up at this point. I've never had to do this before, I really don't want to, but I have to.
"Goodluck." Chloe squeezes my hand, her smile sympathetic. I smile at everyone, nodding my head at Darcy. I told her when it's done, I will call her, that we can get in contact with Luca. I don't know what I'm going to say to him when I actually call him, but I have to let him know that I want him, I need him to be mine.

"Thank you for picking us up Lee." I say as I open the car door.

"No problem Rose, if you need me to pick you up later if things get a bit overwhelming just give one of us a call." He smiles warmly at me.

"I knew there was a reason why I stayed friends with you." I joke, before shutting the car door and rushing over to the boot, pulling out my suitcase.

When Lee drives off, I'm left standing at the front door, not even close to ready. I'm excited to see my baby Simon, petrified how Jacob is going to react though. I pull my keys from my handbag, my nerves getting stronger by the second as I turn them in the lock.

The hallways dim, no lights on downstairs. No sound of Jacob, maybe he's in the shower? I walk through the hallway and into the living room. The beautiful sound of my boy meowing at me, he comes walking in almost majestically. His fur like silk as I bend down picking him up, his eyes bright, reminding me of the blue in Luca's eyes.

"Hello baby boy." I cuddle into him, trying to hold back the tears. His soft purrs calm me down, before I hear a thud from upstairs. I place him down gently before walking back into the hallway, slowly up the stairs. On the upstairs landing I approach the bedroom door, the light shining through from underneath. Reaching the door, I pull down on the handle, with this uneasy feeling settling in my stomach.

This is it, you've got to do it Rose, rip it off. You can't hold this in, the longer you hold it in and the harder it will be for both of us. The room bright as the chandelier sparkles, but that's not what surprises me. It's the beautiful girl sitting on my bed, a blue towel wrapped around her naked body, her dark skin dripping wet, her hair long and black as the night sky. Her face in shock, deep brown eyes boring into mine as she watches me, the sound of the shower tells me Jacobs unaware of my arrival.

"Who are you?" I ask her calmly. Trying so hard not to make a scene. Maybe I should? Maybe I should react how I did when I caught Theo and Lauren at it. I'm hurt, caught off guard once again. It doesn't sting though, it doesn't hurt like it should and that says it all right?

"I'm Tia, I didn't know, I'm so sorry I should go." She sits up quickly, rushing over to her bag on the armchair by the window.

"No, you can stay, I just need to talk to Jacob before I go." I stand in the doorway, refusing to move until I hear what he has to say, he can hear what I have to say. She sits back down on the bed, picking at the skin around her nails. I keep my eyes on her, picking out every detail of her.