Getting him Back

by Anna Pescardot

  James interrupted my thoughts. ‘You’ll have to jog my memory, Terri. I can’t quite place you.’

  I laughed. ‘It’s ok. I think there have been some crossed wires somewhere. I got you mixed up with somebody else.’

  Monica narrowed her eyes. I glanced at Mark, who was looking as confused as I felt. Fortunately his mum had perfect timing, bumbling through the door with a tray full of the most gorgeous smelling cakes ever. She placed them on the walnut coffee table which was almost the size of our dining table, at home. I chose a flapjack and Mark took a blueberry muffin. It tasted divine. I wanted to take one for Doreen. She would just love them. ‘These are absolutely delicious,’ I said to Mark’s mum.

  ‘I’m so glad you like them. I’ve only recently started baking again. I do so much at the school it feels like work when you do it at home!’

  I laughed. ‘Well, I’m glad you’ve made these, they’re lovely.’

  ‘I’m glad you’re not watching your figure like most of the girls these days,’ she said.

  ‘Mum!’ Monica shouted.

  Her mum looked surprised. ‘What?’

  ‘That’s a bit rude, isn’t it?’

  Her mum turned to face me. ‘I didn’t mean to be rude, Terri. You’ve got a great figure. I didn’t mean you were fat or anything.’

  Monica grinned again and leaned against James, crossing her leg so that it was almost on top of his thigh.

  ‘That’s ok. I knew you didn’t mean that.’

  Mark tapped me on the shoulder. ‘Shall we go for a walk?’

  ‘I’d like that, if that’s all right with you Mrs Wyatt?’

  ‘Of course it is. You can go too if you like Monica. Don’t feel you have to stand on ceremony.’

  Monica grabbed James’ arm. ‘Come on. Let’s go upstairs,’ she said, practically dragging the poor guy off the settee.

  ***

  I rarely went for walks, which was a shame considering we lived next to a nature reserve. Mark took hold of my hand and I felt all warm inside. I knew this feeling. It was the start of falling in love. I tried to pull it away but he just clasped hold more tightly. I could hear his breath quickening and I knew he was feeling the same as I was. I turned to look at him. He brushed my hair from my face and leant forward. As he kissed me I was torn between enjoying the way he made me feel to wanting to push him away. I didn’t want to get hurt again and I didn’t want to hurt him either. How could I give him a proper relationship when all I kept thinking about was my ex. He started to pull me closer now and I could feel he wanted more. I pulled away. ‘I thought I heard somebody coming,’ I said, wiping my mouth.

  He pulled me toward him again. ‘It’s ok. You never get many people walking by this time of day.’ He took hold of my hand again and led me into the woods. He pushed me gently against a tree and started to kiss me again, this time harder. I was powerless to push him away this time as I was enjoying it too much. He started to moan and his breathing got faster. I felt his hands as they moved from my hair down to my breasts; next, his hands were teasing my nipples; I wanted him there and then but I just couldn’t do it. I managed to get the willpower to push him away. He looked hurt. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ he said.

  ‘I’m sorry. It’s just too soon. I can’t do this. Not here.’

  ‘Let’s go somewhere else then. You can come around mine when my parents are out. I want you, Terri. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re driving me crazy.’

  His hands were caressing my hair again and then he was pulling me closer again and I almost gave in but I had to be strong. ‘I like you a lot, but I don’t want to get serious just yet.’

  He shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s been over a month now. How long do you expect me to wait?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Well in that case I may as well walk you home,’ he said, obviously disappointed.

  When we got to my house he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  ‘When will I see you again?’ I asked.

  ‘I’ll call you,’ he said, before walking away, not bothering to turn back to wave.

  I knew he probably wouldn’t call me. I was a little upset but I knew it wasn’t anything like when my Mark dumped me. I was so looking forward to seeing him again and hopefully getting back with him. Then everything would be all right.

  Chapter Eleven

  The secret is out

  Funnily enough, freckly Mark did phone me. He actually apologized and said that he hadn’t meant to come on so strong but that Monica had been giving him a hard time because all we’d done was kiss. I wasn’t happy about him discussing our relationship with her, but they were close and it was what brothers and sisters did. I discussed things like that with Catherine so it was only to be expected, I guess. We arranged to meet up and he promised he wouldn’t try anything again until I was ready. It wasn’t him that was on my mind, though, it was my ex. It was getting near to our meeting and I was becoming so nervous.

  I told Doreen about my plans to meet my ex, during our morning break. Like my mum, she was also sceptical. ‘You don’t want to go raking up the past, love. Stick with your new man. He makes you laugh, right?’

  ‘Yeah, but that’s because we’re not serious. We’re just having fun.’

  ‘Having fun sounds good to me,’ she said biting into her flapjack.

  ‘I was with Mark for nine years, Dor. I can’t just switch off my feelings. I was going to marry him.’

  ‘I know, love. I don’t want to sound harsh but he dumped you – two weeks before your wedding.’

  ‘I know that but maybe he’s realized he made a mistake.’

  She sipped her tea then turned to face me, her green eyes fixed on mine. ‘I think you are making a big mistake meeting up with him. If he does want you back, who’s to say that he won’t do it again.’

  I took a gulp of my tea and tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. My head knew Doreen was right but my heart chose to ignore the hard facts. I liked freckly Mark a lot but, right now, I wasn’t in love with him – I knew I could love him, the early signs were there, but I still loved my Mark and I probably always would.

  Once break time had finished, Mia called me into her office. I sighed as I knocked on the door. Once I was seated she took out a folder and started to read some papers. She then shuffled them, placed them back into the folder and folded her arms. ‘So, Terri. I’ve been thinking…How did you like doing my job last week?’

  I didn’t know where this was going but I told the truth. ‘I loved it.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘Good. That’s what I was hoping you’d say. The thing is, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately and I’ve come to realize that there are more important things than work.’ Wow. I never thought I’d hear her say that. She stood up and started to pace back and to. ‘I’m about to turn thirty-five and I feel that I’m ready for a new chapter in my life. I’m resigning, Terri. I’ve already spoken to Steve and we both feel that if you want my job then you are more than qualified. It will save on advertising for new staff and I could train you up during my notice period. What do you say?’

  This was a total shock. I didn’t know what to say. Since Mia had been back she’d seemed happy and I hadn’t expected this at all. Mia loved her job. Maybe she’d found something to love more.

  ‘So what are you going to do?’ I asked.

  She smiled and it suited her. She seemed carefree and relaxed and much younger. ‘Can you keep a secret?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m emigrating! I’ve found a new job in New York. Can you believe it?’

  Before I realized how intrusive I was being I asked a personal question. ‘So what does your husband have to say about it?’

  She stopped still, her eyes wide. At first I thought she was going to shout but she sat back down, rested her arms on the desk and leant towards me. ‘It doesn’t matter to me what he thinks. I’m leaving him. It’s time for me to go it alone.’

  ‘S
o you’re splitting up?’

  She laughed. ‘If you had to put up with what I’ve had to put up with from him the past few months you’d be going it alone too, I imagine. So, how are you anyway? You seem much happier lately.’

  I couldn’t believe that Mia Cowell was actually interested in somebody other than herself! ‘Yeah, I’m fine actually. I’m meeting Mark on Friday. I think he might want to get back together.’

  She attempted to say something and then closed her mouth, obviously thinking better of it. She picked up the folder she’d been reading and stood up. ‘Well, I think that concludes our meeting. I will have a contract drawn up and we’ll start you’re training tomorrow.’

  I almost fainted with shock when I got back to my desk. Doreen had to get emergency donuts to help restore my sugar levels! I felt good, though. Maybe things were going to get better after all. I had the job of my dreams- Marketing Assistant- which came with a huge pay rise, and there was a chance I would be getting back with the man of my dreams.

  ***

  I wasn’t looking forward to seeing freckly Mark. He’d arranged to pick me up and take me out for tea. He told me to dress casually as were only going to a local pub but I’d never felt so nervous getting ready. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend but I knew I would if I mentioned my Mark. I decided not to mention anything and to try and act normal. I pulled my curls into a ponytail and stepped into my tight jeans and trainers. I wore a Kings of Leon t-shirt and leather jacket to finish my casual look. I’d still not managed to perfect the make-up and hair that Catherine had done to me when I’d first met freckly Mark. I sometimes felt he was disappointed when he saw me come out of my house in jeans, wild curls and no make-up, but he never said anything. He was too nice. That was the reason I couldn’t afford to get serious with him; that’s when things would go wrong. Doreen was right. We were having fun and I wanted to do that for as long as I could.

  He kissed me on the cheek when I got into the passenger seat. He looked gorgeous in his black t-shirt and black jeans. ‘I hope you’re hungry,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah. I’m starving,’ I replied, but I was so nervous I didn’t think I could eat anything. I felt like such a bitch. He’d told me he’d been cheated on before and I felt like I was cheating now that I’d arranged to meet my ex.

  We arrived at the pub and a waiter showed us to some seats overlooking the river. I watched as some swans swam by. Mark shifted in his seat. ‘You seem distracted,’ he said.

  I turned to face him. ‘Oh, not really. I’m just a bit shocked after what happened in work today.’

  ‘Oh? What happened?’

  I told him what Mia had said and he seemed really pleased for me. I noticed he seemed a little weird too, though. ‘Are you ok?’ I asked.

  ‘Not really,’ he said, turning away from me to glance at the river.

  ‘What’s happened?’ I started to worry. I hoped he wasn’t going to break up with me and then I realized that I did have feelings for him, otherwise I wouldn’t be bothered, would I?

  ‘It’s just something Moni said that’s all.’

  ‘What did she say?’

  ‘She was looking at one of her boyfriends’ Facebook pages and there was a photo of you on it.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Well, when she asked him who you were he said you were his ex fiancé.’

  I shuffled in my seat and pretended to be shocked. ‘Wow! Small world, eh? So one of her boyfriends is my ex fiancé! Talk about keeping it in the family!’ I laughed, hoping he would see the funny side but he remained glum.

  ‘I’m starting to piece it all together now. That night at Zanzibar, you weren’t interested in me, were you? Not until you found out I was Monica’s brother.’

  I felt like a naughty school girl who’d been caught cheating in an exam. ‘That’s not true,’ I argued.

  ‘I can’t believe I was starting to like you.’ He gulped some of his lager and continued to stare out of the window. A long boat was going past and the man driving it was waving at us. We both ignored him.

  ‘I’m sorry. It’s not what you think, honest,’ I said.

  ‘What do I think?’

  ‘I don’t know, but you’re not happy, are you?’

  ‘No. It seems like you were only with me so you can find out stuff about your ex.’

  I took hold of my bread roll and started to break it into pieces. ‘You said yourself you’ve been cheated on so you know how it feels! He cheated on me with your sister! I just wanted to see what she was like, that’s all.’

  He shrugged his shoulders. ‘So why were you taking a photo then? Why were you trying to split them up?’

  ‘Because I was jealous, ok? I thought he should know that the girl he left me for was a cheater!’

  ‘Yeah well he cheated on you so you should be glad it’s happening to him now.’

  The waiter brought us our food and seeing it made me feel sick. I pulled out my chair and went into the toilets. I sat down in the cubicle and took some deep breaths. Why was I feeling like this? I was upset, but not about my ex. I was upset because it was obviously the end of my relationship with freckly Mark. I should have been honest with him from the start. He wouldn’t trust me now – and he shouldn’t trust me, not when I was meeting my ex on Friday. What if he found out about that from his sister? She tells him everything and she still keeps in contact with my ex because I’ve seen her messages on his Facebook wall. Maybe I should tell him about my ex.

  . Once I’d sorted myself out I went back to the table. Mark was tearing apart his steak with such force I’d swear he was imagining it was me.

  ‘I’m sorry, I just needed to get some air,’ I said when I noticed him glaring at me.

  ‘What’s going on here, Terri?’ he asked. I could see the pain and mistrust in his eyes. I couldn’t hurt him any more.

  ‘I suppose I never should have gone out with you. That’s why I walked off when you came over in Zanzibar. It was too soon after my ex. I was on the rebound.’

  ‘So I am right – you were only with me because of Monica.’

  ‘At first, yeah, but then I really liked being with you. I like you a lot.’

  He laughed sarcastically. ‘Well whoop de doo! I should feel flattered should I?’

  I never thought I’d hear him speak so nastily. I was glad it was happening now, though, before I got too close to him. Relationships always went wrong. Maybe I should join a nunnery. ‘Like I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out.’

  ‘Yeah, I bet you didn’t!’

  ‘So, I guess that’s it then?’

  He looked right at me and instead of seeing warmth in his eyes I sensed a cold, hard, almost evil presence. ‘Yeah, I can’t trust you now, can I?’

  I pushed my plate away, having touched none of it and waited while Mark scraped the last of his chips from his plate and put them in his mouth. He washed them down with a large gulp of his lager. I felt my eyes welling up and I hoped he wouldn’t notice. This was painful. It was almost as painful as that Thursday night.

  Without looking at me he took his coat from his chair and said, ‘I’ll drive you home, then.’

  It was total silence in the car. I turned my head away and looked out of the passenger window through teary eyes. I didn’t want him to see I was upset. If he saw how vulnerable I was he would only hurt me more. When I saw my street sign I felt tingles in my stomach, pure pain as I stepped out of the car without looking at him. I heard the engine rev loudly and the screech of his wheels as he pulled away. I rushed upstairs before my mum could see I was upset and threw myself on my bed. I couldn’t believe how upset I was. It was only a bit of fun. I wasn’t in love with him, I loved my old Mark. I was just crying because he was a friend and I felt guilty, that was it. That had to be it. At least I wouldn’t feel guilty now when I met my Mark on Friday.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rumours

  I’d decided to go into town on my lunch break to find something new to wear
for Friday. I’d just stepped into my local boutique when my mobile started ringing. It was Claire. What could she want? She hardly ever phoned during lunch- she was usually too busy. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Terri, babes, I’m so glad I caught you. Have you accidently bumped into Mark yet?’

  ‘Didn’t you get my text? I’m meeting him on Friday. He phoned me when I was at yours the other night.’

  ‘What text? I didn’t get any text? You can’t meet him, that’s why I’m phoning.’

  ‘What are you on about?’

  ‘Well, you know those rumours about your boss getting back with her husband and everything, ‘cause he missed her?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Well Fiona got it wrong the stupid cow – it was the other way round! Mia cheated on her husband and he threw her out. They’re not back together at all!’

  ‘I know that! She’s emigrating.’ Oops, I realized that was supposed to be a secret. ‘Don’t say anything though, it’s a secret.’

  ‘That’s no secret. I knew that. She’s going to New York with her boyfriend.’

  My heart sunk. ‘So she’s going abroad with the man she cheated on her husband with?’

  ‘Yeah. Look, I’m sorry. It doesn’t mean Mark doesn’t want you back, though.’

  ‘He must do, otherwise why did he arrange to meet me?’

  ‘I don’t know. All I’m saying is not to expect too much, that’s all.’

  ‘Well, thanks for the call. I’ll phone you on Friday to let you know what’s happened.’

  ‘You do that. Don’t forget I’ll be in London though. My sister’s getting married this weekend, remember?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. Give her my best.’

  ‘Will do, Chou.’

  I continued to look around the shop and I chose a pair of silk palazzo pants, which looked so great on Claire; I’d been after a silk pair for weeks. They were black with small white hearts on them, so I knew they’d be slimming. I scanned the rails for a matching top and I was lucky to set eyes on a fitted satin Basque-style top with tiny jewels for buttons. There was no time to try them on so I took them to the counter and paid using my credit card. Now that I was a marketing assistant I could pay my credit card bill off on time, so a little spending spree wouldn’t hurt. Mark was worth it. I’d already arranged for Catherine to come round on Friday to do my hair and make-up again, even though she was against the idea of me getting back with Mark; but, like me she was intrigued as to why he wanted to meet me.