“Kate, talk to me,” Finn pleaded, his pace picking up, trying to keep up with Kate. “I know you are upset…”
“I am way beyond upset,” she spat back over her shoulder. “I’m mad as hell.” She suddenly stopped, spun around and marched back towards Finn.
“Who the hell do you think you are, Finn Morgan?” She demanded, poking him in the chest. “What gives you the right to give my husband permission to dance with me, huh? Like I don’t even have a say.”
“I’m sorry,” Finn replied, unsure of what else he should say. “I just thought, he would dance with you, then leave, and we would be able to get back to our date.”
“You had no right,” Kate replied angrily. “That wasn’t your call to make, Finn. He cheated on me.”
Much to Kate’s horror, tears broke free and trickled down her cheeks. She abruptly brushed them away with the back of her hand.
“He cheated on me,” she sobbed, as she tried hard to keep control of her breathing, but she could feel herself falling apart. “He… he cheated on me. My heart was broken and I blamed …my…myself…and he cheated on me.”
“Kate, I know,” he said, stepping towards her and reaching out to her.
“NO!” She shouted, taking a step back. “Don’t touch me, just… just leave me alone.”
She turned and hurried back towards her house, wobbling in her heels a few times but she didn’t let that slow her down.
“Kate,” Finn called as he followed her closely. She didn’t answer. “Kate, please.”
“Go home, Finn,” she replied, without slowing down.
She reached the house and hurried up the front steps to her door. She fished her keys out of her bag and fumbled with them, her vision blurred by the tears pooled in her eyes. She blinked, forcing the tears free, trying to focus on opening the door.
“Damn it,” she cried, unable to get the key into the lock. Suddenly, she could sense Finn standing behind her, and she froze. Without saying a word, he reached around her and took the keys from her hand.
She could feel his breath on her neck and it sent a shiver down her spine.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her ear. Kate closed her eyes and cried softly. Finn turned her around slowly, until she was facing him. He looked down at her, taking her by the chin, he tilted up her face to his. “Kate, look at me.”
Kate blinked her eyes open and slowly allowed her eyes to meet his.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, giving her a smile as he softly brushed the tears from her face. “Please, don’t cry.”
He leaned down, and tenderly pressed his lips to hers.
Then, slipping his arms around her, he pulled her into him and held her closely as she sobbed, sadly against his chest.
Finally, she pulled back slowly and looked at Finn, giving him a sad smile.
“I’m sorry our night was ruined,” Kate whispered, her eyes locked with Finn’s.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Kate,” Finn replied, as his smile widened before he claimed her mouth again.
This time his kiss was deeper and hungrier. He ran his tongue along her lip, before slipping it inside her mouth, teasing her tongue with his.
He pressed her against the door, as he kissed her harder. Reaching behind her, he slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. Before Kate knew it, they were in her hallway. Finn kicked the door closed with his foot, and began to move them toward Kate’s bedroom.
When they reached the door, Kate broke away from Finn breathlessly. Her head was spinning and things were moving too fast, she needed a moment to think.
“Finn,” she gasped, as he quickly dropped his mouth to her neck, working his way down to her collar bone. Kate’s heart was racing and she could barely breathe, but it wasn’t a feeling of excitement or anticipation, it was a feeling of panic. Like a knot in the pit of her stomach.
Before she knew it, they were on her bed. Finn was lying next to her, kissing her softly along her jaw line, as his hand slid slowly up her thigh, bringing her dress with it, as he went.
“Finn,” Kate said breathlessly.
“Hmmm,” he moaned against her neck, still kissing and sucking softly along her neck.
“Finn, stop,” Kate said, in a small voice, as panic filtered out from the pit of her stomach, like a wave, through her entire body.
“Hmmm,” he said again, as he continued on his journey back towards her mouth.
“STOP!” She shouted, this time a lot more forceful, as she pushed against his chest firmly. Finn shot up straight, looking down at Kate in concern.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, looking at her, a look of complete confusion on his face.
“I’m sorry, Finn,” Kate said sitting up in the bed and pushing her dress back down her legs. “I can’t do this.”
She quickly climbed up off the bed and hurried to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Kate leaned on the edge of the vanity unit and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognised herself anymore. She closed her eyes and Callum’s face came crashing into her head.
Why did he have to show up tonight? She asked herself in her mind. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone, it’s over?
As she hadn’t heard from him in four days, Kate thought Callum had finally got the message. When all the phone calls and texts, stopped, she thought he had finally realised it was over. They were over.
Letting go of Callum was the hardest thing Kate had ever tried to do, but she honestly felt, in her heart, that it was something that was for the best for them both.
Still, the last four weeks had been the hardest of her life. She missed him, she missed him so much it was killing her, but it didn’t change the fact, they were wrong for each other. They needed a fresh start, without each other there to remind them of what they had lost. She thought she was finally letting him go, and that, what happened early that day with Finn, was her moving forward, but she realised she was wrong. Now, she just felt confused and like her heart was torn in two.
There was a soft tap on the bathroom door.
“Kate,” Finn’s voice came through the door. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” Kate said, as she sat down on the edge of the bath. She held her breath and waited, as the door opened slowly.
“Are you okay?” Finn asked, as he peered around the door. The look on his face was a mixture of worry, hurt and confusion.
“Yeah,” She replied, releasing her breath with a deep shudder.
“Have I done something wrong?” he asked unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. He walked slowly across the bathroom, and sat down on the bath next to Kate.
“No,” she replied and looked down at the floor. She felt awful, like she was in a bad dream and just wanted to wake up. She couldn’t look at Finn. If he asked her what she was feeling right at that moment, he wouldn’t have liked the answer. “It was nothing you have done, I promise you.”
She liked him, she really did, but she felt she made a huge mistake. She knew, she and Callum were over, but still she felt like she had cheated on him.
Kate tried to push that thought out of her head, but Callum came crashing into her mind once again. She could see him standing there, outside the bar, pleading with her to give him a chance. Kate wished she could have just said no, and closed her heart to him. She wished she could be that strong, but seeing him, standing before her, made her realise just how much she still loved him.
“Kate, what is it?” Finn asked taking her by the hand. “Let me in.”
“Finn, I think you should leave,” Kate said, still unable to look up at him. She pulled her hand from his grasp.
“Kate, please,” Finn said as he pushed his hands through his hair in despair. “Please, let me stay. I know you are upset, I get it, but you don’t have to do this alone.”
“Finn,” she said, finally turning to look at him. “I’m sorry, I really like you. I think you are one of the kindest, sweetest guys I have ever met, but
this is wrong.”
“No, please,” Finn said, as the panic in his voice became clearer. “Please don’t do this.”
“Finn, I am sorry if I have hurt you,” Kate said her stomach knotting inside her. She felt like the biggest bitch there ever was. She reached up and softly caressed his cheek. “I swear, that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. But my heart is so battered and broken right now, I shouldn’t be with anyone.”
“Kate, you’re upset,” Finn tried to reason with her. “Seeing Callum tonight, it just confused you…”
“No!” She exclaimed, as she jumped up from the edge of the bath and began pacing. She spun around to face Finn, and her heart sank into her stomach when she saw the look on his face, it was almost heart breaking. She knew, if nothing else, he deserved the truth. “Finn, the truth is, seeing Callum tonight, well, it made me realise, I am not over him. I thought I was, but, if I am honest, I still love him.”
“Do you want to go back to him?” Finn asked, holding her eyes with his. Searching for, what, he didn’t know.
“No,” Kate replied honestly. “Cal and I, we were killing each other. Both of us were miserable. Too much has happened for me to go back.”
“Then, give us a chance,” Finn said standing up and walking towards Kate. He took hold of her hands. “Give me a chance to make you happy.”
“It’s too soon, Finn,” Kate replied, wishing she could have given him the answer he wanted.
“Then I will wait,” he replied, giving her a sad smile. “I am not giving up yet, Kate. I have the time.”
He leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek. Then, without saying another word, he left. Kate heard the front door close as she just stood there in the bathroom, alone. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bath once again and let go of the tears she had been fighting so hard to hold back.
How had she ended up here, her life was such a mess. She felt more alone than she had ever felt in her whole life, and it was all her own doing.
She knew what she needed to do, she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and headed out into the bedroom. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she picked her bag up off the floor, where she had dropped it when she got back to the house with Finn.
Pulling her phone from her bag, she brought up phone book and scrolled down to the number she was looking for.
She pressed call and waited, unsure of what she was even going to say. She listened as it rang and rang. Finally, it was answered.
“Hello,” a sleepy voice came through the phone.
“Olly,” Kate began nervously. “It’s me. Olly, I have messed up big time. I need your help.”
Chapter 22
Callum sat staring out the car window. He had barely said two words since he and James left the bar, the night before. When he reached the hotel room, he grabbed his bag and immediately started packing his belongings.
James tried to talk him out of leaving, but his mind was made up. He had done enough damage, he had hurt her yet again, by coming here, and it just showed him how much he had broken her. He needed to let her go and be happy. Even if it meant she was happy with Finn and not him
James insisted that he was returning to New York with Callum, despite Callum’s protests. They booked a flight for first thing the next morning.
However, now, sitting in the car on the way to the airport, Callum wasn’t so sure he was doing the right thing. He wished he had gone after Kate the night before, just to make sure she was okay and tell her he was sorry.
“You don’t have to do this,” James said, as if reading Callum’s mind, when they climbed out of the car at the airport. “I can change the flights and get us a new room in no time. You just need to give me the word.”
Callum thought for a moment, as he stood and stared at his bag in the boot of the car. Was he doing the right thing?
Yes he thought to himself. I’m doing the right thing.
As he reached into the boot and grabbed his bag, his phone rang for what must have been the hundredth time that morning.
“Are you going to answer that damn thing?” James asked, tired of listening to it ring. Callum sighed and pulled it from his pocket. He saw Olly’s name flash on the screen again and he groaned. “Is it still that Olly girl?”
“Yes,” Callum nodded, as he hit the reject button once again and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
“She is persistent,” James laughed, as he pulled his bag out of the boot also. “You should just answer the girl. She is probably worried about Kate.”
As if on cue, Callum’s phone started to ring once more. He pulled it out of his pocket and sighed, it was Olly again.
He took a deep breath, before he hit the accept button and brought the phone to his ear.
“Hello,” he said and waited for the volley of abuse he knew he was about to receive from Olly.
“WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING?” Olly yelled down the phone, nearly deafening Callum. “Turning up like that, when she was on a date, and who the fuck is this Finn guy. Callum, why didn’t you call me when you found her?”
“Hello to you too, Olly,” Callum replied and rolled his eyes at James, who was dealing with the car rental guy at the time. James nodded for Callum to follow him, when he was finished returning the car.
“Callum, I’m in Dublin Airport,” Olly announced, knowing he was going to freak out.
“Olly that is the last thing…” Callum began to protest but Olly cut him off.
“Kate called me,” Olly cut in, knowing this would get Callum’s attention.
“When?” Callum asked, as he stopped just as they reached to lift to take them out of the car park to catch the shuttle to bring them to the airport terminal. It just hit him, of course she must have been talking to Kate, how else would she have known about Finn and the fact he had just turned up in the bar the night before.
James stopped when he realised Callum was no longer following him. He turned back to his brother and gave him a curious look.
“She called me early this morning,” Olly explained. “It was still late last night, your time. She was so upset. She was talking about how she had fucked up everything. Of how everything that had happened was her fault. Callum, she was in a bad way. She asked me to come to see her. She said she needed my help, but she really didn’t say any more than that.”
Callum didn’t reply. He didn’t know how to put in words what he was feeling.
“Cal, she still loves you,” Olly said, sensing Callum was struggling.
“Did she say that?” he asked hopefully.
“She didn’t have to,” Olly replied. “I have known Katherine Kelly since we were four years old, I know what she is thinking most of the time, before she does. Callum, she is stubborn and thinks she knows what’s best for everyone. She thinks she is doing what’s right for you both. But she is miserable without you.”
“You don’t know that,” Callum argued, but Olly shot straight back.
“Yes I do and I know in your heart, you know too. Where are you staying?”
“I am not staying anywhere,” Callum said as he leaned up against the wall outside the lift. I am at SEA-TAC. James and I are flying back to New York this morning.”
“WHAT THE FUCK, CALLUM?” Olly screamed down the phone, almost deafening him. He quickly pulled his phone from his ear, giving her a moment to calm down before he continued the conversation. “Callum, you can’t leave. You need to turn your ass around and head straight back there. She needs you. Callum, she is falling apart.”
“Olly,” Callum sighed, searching for the right words. “Kate has already fallen apart, then I took a sledge hammer and broke the tiny pieces of what was left of her. She was everything pure and simple, that was good in this world, everything I wasn’t and I destroyed that. Trust me, the best thing I can do is get on this plane and give her the space she needs to get on with her life.”
“That is such crap,” Olly shot back. “You know what I think. I think you
are a coward. For the last ten months you let her wallow in her grief, because it was easier than facing up to the one thing, neither of you could face. Losing Emily was a terrible, terrible thing, but she is gone. Callum, she is gone and she is not coming back. But Kate is still here. She is still alive, but she is hurting.”
Callum closed his eyes and didn’t speak. He knew Olly was right, but he also knew he was right too.
“Callum, please,” Olly begged. “Don’t walk away from her. Be the man she married.”
“Call me when you get to Kate’s, Olly,” Callum replied, sounding suddenly cold and distant. “Let me know how she is doing.”
“You son of a bitch,” Olly replied, stunned that the Callum she knew could be so cold and hard.
“Take care of yourself.” Without saying another word, he hit end on the call and looked at James.
“What now?” James asked, watching his brother closely.
“Now, I get on with my life,” Callum said to a shocked James. “This was all a huge mistake.”
“Callum,” James said taking a step closer to his brother. “I know you don’t mean that. She is your Katie, your girl. She is the only thing you ever wanted in this world. How can that be a mistake?”
Callum turned and pressed the call button for the lift. The doors opened with a ping, a few moments later. He stepped inside and turned to James, waiting for him to follow him into the lift, but James didn’t move. He just stood, rooted to the spot, staring at his brother in sheer disbelief.
Finally, he sighed and stepped on to the lift behind Callum, as the door slowly closed behind him. He looked at Callum expectantly, waiting for him to press the button. For a few moments, Callum didn’t move. He just stood, staring at the inside of the lift doors, his mind racing.
James watched him for a moment, then reached over and pressed the button. The lift jumped to life and began to rise. Callum let out a deep sigh and turned and walked to the back of the lift.
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