Pictures of You

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I didn't know where to go or what to do next. I re-emerged from the underground and walked back to the pub. Someone was calling my name, but I was so far away in my own thoughts that I didn't hear at first.

'Ash!'

I turned around to see Gladys walking towards me.

'Oh hey Gladys,' I said. It was great to see friendly face.

'Where have you been this time in the morning?' she asked. 'Or have you not been home yet from last night?'

'Oh, I've been home. Long story actually.'

'I've got time. You want to get a coffee somewhere?'

'Sure.'

Gladys had a heavy looking shopping bag in each hand. I offered to carry them, and she handed me one. 'There are other places we can go but Oscar's?' I said.

'Plenty. I know I great little place we can go.'

So she took me to a cute little cafe just a couple of minute walk away. We found a table in the corner and ordered coffee.

'How was your night last night?' she asked me.

I told her everything that had happened with Ben, both last night and this morning and how Alex had now disappeared from my life. She listened to every word I said, before giving me her thoughts.

'Well it sounds like you can now see clearly on a couple of things. If Alex is willing to treat you like this, then he clearly wasn't the one. And if what happened with Ben made you realise that you are just meant to be friends then it's good that it happened now. That way you've got it out the way with and you can concentrate on being friends.'

'How did you get so wise?' I asked.

'Me? Wise?' She laughed. 'Don't you see what I'm doing? I'm just taking your lead.'

'Taking my lead? In what way?'

'Because you're taking chances. Okay, so it maybe didn't work out the way you planned it, but you're learning lessons as you go along. Life is just too damn short to wait around for things that may or may not happen. It's because of your bravery that I did what I did yesterday.'

'What did you do?' I asked.

'You remember Michael?'

'From the cafe?'

'Yeah. You asked me if he could have been the one and did I regret not trying harder with him. Well the truth is, no matter how I tried to cover it up, I did regret it. I was just too scared to open up to him and give it another try. So yesterday I went over there and I talked to him. Turns out he felt the same way that I did and wanted to give it another shot. So last night when you were out with Ben, we went out for drinks.'

'That's great,' I said. 'How did it go?'

'Look in the bag.'

She gestured towards the shopping bag I had at my feet that I'd just carried there. So I opened it up to take a look; eggs, bacon, juice and fresh croissants.

'Oh,' I said, 'that good?'

She gave me a coy little smile.

'Well what are you doing sitting here talking to me? He'll be wondering where you are.'

'Don't worry he's not going anywhere. I've got him tied to the bed.'

'Gladys!'

She smirked. 'I'm just kidding. He was still asleep when I left. Plenty of time for a coffee. He'll be worn out.'

We both laughed.

We finished our drinks and slowly walked back to the pub. In the distance I saw someone I thought I recognised. Then it clicked who it was. It was the man who had been standing outside my window.

He got closer and closer and I knew that any moment we would cross paths. I has two choices. Should I lay into him in the middle of the busy street and ask for an explanation, or should I bow my head and let him pass? I decided on the second option. I wouldn't be here much longer, so it seemed pointless. If he was Alex, or knew anything about it, then I was past caring. I wanted to get on with my life and never think of him again. I had wasted too much time on him already. But as we got closer, Gladys stopped walking, and so did he. I moved my position so I was hiding behind her.

'Karen, how have you been?' Gladys said. She was talking to a woman in her mid to late forties. She was holding on to his hand.