The One That Got Away

by S J Crabb

  Chapter 31

  I don’t mention Nathan’s visit to anyone and over the next few weeks I just keep busy with work and Phoebe’s wedding. I am also planning to move in with Ben after the wedding and so have much to organise. Ben is busy as usual but we still manage to find time together and soon I put what happened with Nathan to the back of my mind. I come across his new girlfriend Sophie several times. We smile and exchange pleasantries but mainly keep our distance from each other. I often catch her looking at me with curiosity and I wonder what she has heard.

  It is the end of the day and I am packing up to go home. April is off sick so I walk out of the store on my own for a change. As I head towards the station I suddenly bump into a familiar face. I look at her in surprise.

  “Tina, what are you doing here?” and then smile at my once friend. I say once because we lost touch when Nathan and I split up and I only saw her the one time at the store. She hugs me warmly. “Oh my God, Bella. It’s good to see you, you’re looking well.” “Thanks, so do you.” Looking at her I am struck by how well she does look. Her hair has been coloured a rich shade of brown and I can tell that her clothes are expensive and her handbag is from one of the current must have designers. She is also sporting the biggest diamond engagement ring on her finger and her nails are obviously professionally manicured.

  She smiles happily at me and says, “Do you have time for a coffee and a catch up?” Returning her smile I say, “Great, I would love that. Shall we go to the coffee shop over the road?” She nods in agreement and we are soon safely ensconced at a table by the window with large mugs of steaming coffees.

  Looking carefully at her I smile. “You look fabulous Tina. Have you won the lottery?” She laughs happily. “Sometimes it feels like we have. No, Bradley is doing so well at his new company. He proposed and bought me this fantastic ring. We are getting married in a few months and there has been no expense spared.”

  I am taken aback. “Goodness, things have moved on for you both. I am happy for you.” She nods and then lowers her voice to a whisper. “What about you Bella, I heard that you had a new boyfriend?” She gives me a knowing look and I know that she knows who he is.

  “Yes, I have, I am very happy.” A shadow crosses her face and she says, “Poor Nathan. It all destroyed him. He hasn’t been happy ever since. I am quite worried about him really.” Looking surprised I say, “But he has a lovely new girlfriend. Surely he is happy in a relationship?” She shakes her head. “Bradley tells me that he can’t get over you. Even though he has a new girlfriend, she is just a distraction. He would do anything to get you back and life back to normal.” I don’t know what to say and just look into my coffee in confusion. Tina leans closer and whispers, “Bradley wants him to apply for a job at his company. He could earn really good money there and set himself up for life. He won’t leave the store though and Bradley thinks it’s because he still wants to see you and hopes that you will get back together one day.”

  I feel well and truly shocked.

  “I had no idea he felt that way.” I say to Tina sadly. I can feel her eyes burning into mine, watching for my reaction and I suddenly get the feeling that this was probably a well orchestrated meeting. She was probably sent to suss out the situation with Ben and my feelings. The job with Bradley was mentioned to show me that we could have a future together without relying on Ben. I smile weakly at her. “I’m sorry for him, really I am and I only wish him well. The trouble is I can’t give him what he wants. I love Ben and I am in fact moving in with him after Phoebe’s wedding. There really is no going back for me and I just wish that he would accept it.”

  Tina looks at me, her face devoid of any expression. She pushes back her chair and says, “Oh well, I’m sure that he will soon get over it. Anyway I must dash, it’s been great seeing you again.” Watching her go I think how superficial she has become. I would hope that I would have been a better friend to her if the shoe was on the other foot, however I can’t blame her, after all her boyfriend is Nathan’s best friend.

  As I leave the coffee shop my phone rings. I can see that it is Ben and am glad to hear his voice. “Hi Bella, where are you?” he says in his sexy voice. I smile hearing it and reply, “Oh, just leaving the coffee shop by the store. I met an old friend for coffee, unplanned but interesting.” “Well you can tell me all about it over dinner. I am starved of you and can’t wait another minute. I am coming to get you and won’t take no for an answer. Stay and have another coffee and I will pick you up.” He hangs up and I smile to myself. He always makes me feel so wanted and desired. Even from that short conversation I could pick up the need in his voice. A quiver of excitement runs through me as I think about what he has in store for us tonight.

  Soon I see his car and I race outside. Grinning at each other we pull away. “You’re taking a risk picking me up so close to the store,” I say in surprise. Reaching over he grabs hold of my knee and laughs. “I must be feeling desperate.” I place my hand over his and say, “I love it when you’re desperate.” Reluctantly he moves his hands back to the wheel and says, “Where to for dinner?” The thought of food is furthermost from my mind and I say, “Home.” Raising his eyes up he laughs sexily. “I thought so too. Good choice.”

  In no time at all we turn into his driveway and my anticipation grows. Once he opens the front door we race inside. We are both feeling desperate and laughing we start running to the stairs taking items of clothing off as we go. Soon we have left a trail of clothing behind us and burst into the bedroom. Ben grabs me and throws me on to the bed and rolls over on top of me to pin me down. “How was your day dear?” he says, a sexy smile on his face. I trace his face with my fingers and say huskily, “Better now I’m here.” He leans in and kisses me and then there is no stopping us.

  Much later we venture downstairs to the kitchen to make some food. Ben opens a bottle of wine and together we set about making our meal. I already feel so at home here and can’t wait to move in permanently. The thought of being with him every night fills me with excitement. He tells me all about his day and asks me about mine.

  Over dinner he asks about my coffee date. “So who was it that you met up with after work?” Feeling a little bit apprehensive I say, “Oh it was Tina, Nathan’s best friend Bradley’s girlfriend.”

  His eyes narrow and his face tenses up. “That was a coincidence. Did you just happen to run into each other?” he says, looking hard at me. I nod. “Yes we did, although…” I tail off as though unsure and he looks at me sharply. “Although what?” “Well it did seem rather pre-meditated if I’m honest. She asked me about you and told me that Nathan wants me back.” His expression is furious and I quickly carry on. “I also get the impression that she was fishing to see if I might go back, because she told me that he would get a job with Bradley, who is earning shed loads of money at the moment, and that the only reason he didn’t go was to stay close to me at the store.” I look at him suddenly feeling worried. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

  He looks at me silently for a minute and I can see his mind working. Then he says slowly, “And Nathan, has he contacted you recently?” I blush and lower my eyes. I know he will be furious that I never told him but I know that I had better come clean now. Looking him in the eye I say nervously, “Yes, a few weeks ago.” He looks at me questioningly and the mood is dark and tense all of a sudden. I say quietly, “The day after the Hen night he came to the flat.” Letting out an intake of breath he says, “And what happened?” “He came in and told me that he wanted me back and that you weren’t right for me and he wouldn’t give up on me until I was back with him.”

  You could cut the atmosphere with a knife and I almost can’t look at Ben. “What did you say?”

  With a deep breath I say, “I told him that I loved you and would never go back to him. I hoped that he would be happy but he had to leave me alone.” I look at Ben with trepidation and seeing my expression his face relaxes. “Come here Bella,” I get up and sit on his lap. “Why
are you so worried to tell me these things?” he says stroking my hair. I snuggle in further. “Because I don’t want you to be cross with me and I don’t want any more conflict with Nathan. You may go after him and it scares me.” He carries on stroking me and I feel safe with him again. He pulls me back to face him and his eyes are dark and seductive. “Don’t be afraid to tell me anything Bella. I need to know and I won’t do anything to hurt you, remember that. You can always trust me; I will never let you down.”

  I kiss him gently on the lips and hug him closer to me. “I need to know though, how did he seem to you? I mean, did he accept what you said to him and leave quietly?” “Yes, but I don’t think that it’s the end of it. Something tells me that he won’t give up.” Ben tenses again. “That is why you need to move in with me. I can protect you and then we can come out into the open about our relationship. You can move up to Head office away from him or I can move him if you prefer.”

  Moving away from him I return to my seat and look at him for a long time. “It’s a big step though. Do you think it’s a good thing to live and work together?” He smiles and says, “Possibly no, but if it gets too much you can move back to the other store. I have enough of them and won’t get in your way too much at work.” Raising my eyes to his I smile, “Ok then. Let’s try it and see how it goes. The wedding is next weekend anyway so we may as well start our new life at the same time as Phoebe and Boris.” He jumps up and lifts me up spinning me around. “You won’t regret this Bella. I love you and nothing will ever get in the way of that.”

  We decide to leave the washing up and grab the rest of the bottle of wine and take it to bed to celebrate.

  Chapter 32

  It is the day before the wedding and I am travelling with Phoebe up to Harden Hall. We are staying there with her mother and father and various other relatives and friends. Boris and his family ironically are staying at the local hotel, even though Harden Hall is his family home.

  I had forgotten how beautiful the place is and as we sweep up to the front door it takes my breath away. Looking at Phoebe I can see the excitement in her eyes and she turns to me her eyes shining.

  “Oh Bella, I can’t believe I am going to be Mrs. Boris Harden. It’s like a dream and I feel like a fairytale princess. Laughing I hug her. “I am so happy for you. Boris is your Prince Charming and I know that you are going to live happily ever after.”

  We run up to the door and a lady that I don’t know answers it. “Auntie Veronica.” Phoebe squeals and I remember that this is Boris’s Aunt who lives here. “Welcome darling and this must be your friend Bella, how lovely to meet you.” She hugs us both warmly and then offers the same warm greeting to the rest of Phoebe’s family. “Come on there are refreshments on the veranda. We can all catch up there.”

  As we wander on to the Veranda I can see how beautiful this place really is. When we came before it was winter and couldn’t see much, but now I am bowled over by the amazing gardens that stretch out as far as the eye can see. I remember that they are open to the public for much of the year and I can see why.

  We sit on some wicker chairs and enjoy a lovely afternoon tea. There are little sandwiches and various pastries. There are also scones and clotted cream with home made strawberry jam. I could sit here forever. I listen to the excited chatter around me and just relax enjoying the warm sunny day. I think of Ben and wish that he was here now. He is coming up tomorrow for the service and then we are staying here together after the wedding. I hope that he won’t feel too out of it as he doesn’t know that many people and I will be busy being the, Maid of Honour. At least I am sitting with him for the meal and my family are also invited so he will have some people to talk to.

  Ben has met my family a few times over the months but I know that it is not the easy relationship that they enjoyed with Nathan. He had become like a son to them and his family were involved in everything we did. It was strange not to see them anymore and Ben’s family live in Australia so I haven’t even met them, let alone my parents. I tell myself that it will take time. They will soon come to love him as I do; he is just not as open as Nathan. Thinking of Nathan I remember that this should be the day before my wedding. I wonder how I would be feeling in Phoebe’s place. It unnerves me thinking of it and I realise that I am just glad that it is not me. I am surprised but relieved at these thoughts as I feel that I made the right decision in leaving Nathan and going out with Ben.

  Phoebe interrupts my thoughts and says, “Hey Bella, come on lets go and find my room and we can unpack and get organised.” Snapping out of it I jump up and follow her inside.

  Phoebe’s room is beautiful. It has a stunning view of the gardens and is decorated in pretty pinks. There is a four poster bed and she jumps on it with excitement. “Bella you must stay in here with me tonight. It’s my last night as a single woman and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than with my best friend.” I laugh, “Of course I will, the trouble is though you need a good night’s sleep and I’m not sure if you will get that with me here, you do chatter a lot you know.” She laughs and comes and swings me around like we are children. “I don’t care, who can sleep anyway? Oh look at my mother!”

  She pulls me over to the window and we see her mother tearing across the garden chasing an errant balloon. It is a big gold heart and we laugh at the sight. “Look at her, her heart is running away from her again,” shrieks Phoebe. Laughing I say, “Phoebs don’t be so heartless, it’s not funny when you lose your heart.” We collapse on the floor in a heap and laugh loudly.

  There is a knock on the door and Camilla comes in. “Hey Gals,” she shrieks in her posh accent. “Listen mum’s the word to Henry about the hen do. I told him that we spent the night knitting and reciting poetry. The idiot believed me so don’t enlighten him.” This sets us off again and Camilla joins in.

  Soon Phoebe’s mother arrives clutching the balloon. “This bloody balloon,” she says panting. “I got it to tie to your bed. Luckily I caught it just in time. One minute more and it would have gone into the cow’s field and been lost forever.” Camilla pipes up, “Gosh, I hope it doesn’t go bang on your wedding night. What an anticlimax that would be.”

  We burst out laughing again and Phoebe says, “I am hoping for a different sort of climax tomorrow night.” Her mother pretends to hit her and says, “Phoebe, Victoria, Hermione Wilson. I will not have that sort of language used in the bedroom, in front of your mother.” We all fall about laughing and then her Auntie Doreen pokes her head around the door. “Room for one more, oh and I’ve brought a bottle.” We scream at her to come in and in no time she pops the cork of her champagne and pours us all a glass into some plastic glasses that she brought in with it. “To Phoebe and Boris Harden, may he always have one,” cheers Camilla and once again we laugh hysterically at the look on her mother’s face.

  We have organised a take away to be delivered this evening and we all spend a fabulous evening eating Chinese and telling jokes and reminiscing about the past. Its midnight before we go to bed and Phoebe and I are still chatting well past 1am. Finally we drift off to sleep and are woken up by Phoebe’s mother at about 9.30am. “Come on girls, no time to waste. Breakfast is served downstairs and your pamper team are due at 10.” I grin at Phoebe and we jump out of bed and follow her mother downstairs. Everyone is already there for breakfast and we help ourselves to cereal, yoghurts and juice. Boris’s Aunt has got the caterers in and they provide us all with a fantastic cooked breakfast and lots of toast and marmalade.

  Then it is all systems go as the pamper team swoop in and set to work on us all. We have our hair and make up done and there is lots of girly chatter accompanied by many glasses of champagne. I help Phoebe into her dress and she looks amazing. It brings tears to my eyes and I notice that her mother is sobbing away in the corner. Phoebe is starting to look emotional and I try to distract her with anything I can think of. The little flower girls come in and we all have photographs taken together. Soon it is time for us to leave her an
d take our places. Giving her a hug I say, “I love you Phoebs. You look beautiful and I know that you will be very happy, Boris is perfect for you.”

  She can’t speak in case she cries and just squeezes me hard. Leaving her with her parents I head off downstairs to wait for her. I see Ben chatting with my family and head over to see them. His eyes soften as he sees me and the look he gives me takes my breath away. He comes to meet me and takes me in his arms. Leaning down he whispers, “You look beautiful Bella, I love you and can’t wait until later.” I feel the familiar heat tearing through my body at his touch and would give anything to take him upstairs right here and now. My mother and father come over and we pull apart, his eyes teasing me, knowing what I am thinking. We all stand there chatting until they are told to take their seats for the ceremony. Watching them go I suddenly feel nervous. The little flower girls chatter excitedly and I distract myself by watching them with amusement. It feels quite surreal standing here as the bridesmaid when I should have been the bride. However seeing Ben looking so gorgeous reinforced the fact that had I made the right choice. Then I see Phoebe’s mother coming downstairs and then Phoebe appears on the arm of her proud father.

  I choke up at the sight of them and see how proud they are of their daughter. I can tell that she is barely holding it together and the photographer snaps madly away. We have a few more photos and then we are ready to go into the drawing room, that has been cleared and re arranged for the wedding. The room has been filled with flowers and the chairs have been arranged in rows beside a red carpet which Phoebe will walk down. Once again there is a huge flower arrangement by the window where Boris, the Registrar and the Best man are waiting.

  The music strikes up and I follow Phoebe down the aisle. Boris looks proud and emotional and I notice how smart he looks for a change. The room is packed with friends and family and I know that there are about another 200 people due this evening. I can see Ben watching me and I look at him lovingly. I can’t wait to be with him once my duties are over.