by Kaylie Kay
She took her phone and charger from her handbag and plugged it in next to the bed. Adrian had notified the company what had happened but she had declined his kind offer to phone her loved ones as she wanted to do that herself when she knew exactly what damage she had done. Only her phone had been out of charge when she was at the hospital, and now it was the early hours of the morning at home. After the way things had been left, she wasn’t sure that Tom would care anyway but she would call him, right after she had a quick nap, she thought, as she laid on the bed still in her uniform and closed her eyes.
It was her phone ringing that woke her, and when she reached out to find it on the bedside cabinet the weight of the cast and the pain in her arm reminded her of the recent events. She looked at the clock, it was 2pm; she had been asleep for hours.
No caller ID displayed on the screen and she debated whether to answer it, grateful that she did when it turned out to be her manager back in the UK. He apologised for waking her and asked how she was, if she needed anything, and she thanked him for his concern. What she really needed was an unbroken arm and a good night’s sleep, both of which were beyond his job description.
She hung up the phone and took a moment to think about what she was going to say before calling Tom. At least she had an icebreaker to take the conversation away from what had happened. The phone rang and rang but Tom didn’t pick up, which wasn’t unusual but surely on a Sunday he wasn’t busy?
Won’t be back tonight, had an accident on board and have broken my arm xxx, she texted, leaving enough information out to give him room for questions. She dialled the next number on her favourites list and her mum answered straight away. It was funny how talking to her mum made her feel like a little girl again, and tears trickled down her face as she told her about what had happened on the plane, suddenly feeling sorry for herself. She couldn’t bring herself to mention what had happened with Tom though, as that would have meant admitting what she had done, and she was quite sure even her mum would frown on her for her actions.
‘How long will you be off work for?’
Olivia hadn’t even thought about that and tried to recall if anything had been said by any of the doctors.
‘I’ve no idea Mum, I guess until this cast is off in a few weeks.’
‘Well you need to come and stay for a while if that’s the case.’
‘Yes I will Mum, that sounds lovely.’ It really did.
As she hung up the phone she opened the
Facebook app, more out of habit than any need to see what anyone had been up to. She scrolled down through the Saturday night photos and the pictures of children and dogs, and the occasional mindfulness post. Suddenly something caught her eye and she sat bolt upright as she tried to process what she was seeing.
Sarah was looking back at her from the screen, pouting. Her low-cut top, or dress perhaps as it didn’t show below her top half, showed off her long neck and cleavage, and her hair framed her face, falling perfectly either side. There was no one else tagged in the photo nor was there anyone else in it, but she could tell exactly where she was by the pool table that was clear in the distance and the jukebox which sat behind her, she was in HER den.
Olivia tried to calm herself, searching for an explanation. Of course she could have taken a selfie whilst she was there Friday night, but as much as she wanted that to be the case she knew that it wasn’t.
Olivia pictured Sarah when she had arrived that night and she was definitely not wearing that same top, she was certain of it. Ok, she thought, it could have been innocent, she had found another reason just to pop by, but why had she been in the den again? Olivia could make out the rim of a glass in the bottom of the picture so it looked like she had stayed long enough for a drink, perhaps she had stayed for a few.
Olivia tried to call Tom again but still no answer.
Chapter 38
It was probably a good thing that Tom didn’t call her back for two hours as it had given her time to calm down. She had finally managed to get out of the uniform and take a bath, conscious of not getting her cast wet. She hated that she was stuck here when she needed to be at home getting some control back in her life.
‘What happened, are you ok?’ Tom sounded concerned but distant at the same time, like he was only asking because it was the right thing to do. She wondered if he was still mad at her or if something else had happened?
Olivia told him about the turbulence and the fall, and all about the hospital. She needed to bring up the photo but didn’t know how.
‘Anyway, enough about me. How has your weekend been?’ There it was.
‘Just a quiet one, nothing much. Went to the office yesterday.’
Ok, she had two choices, she thought. She could carry on with this line of questioning, to which he would probably continue lying. Of course, he wasn’t going to offer the information about Sarah being there, but she hoped he wouldn’t lie blatantly when given the right question.
‘Did you do anything last night?’
‘No, just stayed in,’ he said, matter-of-factly.
‘Did anyone come round?’ She knew Tom wasn’t a great liar and she took his momentary silence as him trying to decide what to say.
‘Not really.’ He sounded under pressure, as if he sensed that Olivia already knew and she felt bad for making him squirm. There was no point in making him lie anymore, it wouldn’t help anything.
‘Sarah posted a picture of herself in the den so I presumed she had come over, again.’ She tried to sound calm, as if she didn’t have a problem with it.
‘Oh, yeah, she left her purse here Friday so she swung by for it,’ he stuttered, trying to sound as if he had just remembered. ‘She stopped and had a drink, that was all.’
She looked a bit dressed up for someone who was just ‘swinging by’, thought Olivia. Was Tom really so naive?
‘Did she stay long?’ Olivia asked. She was treading a fine line, she knew, between innocent questioning and inflammatory comments that would make Tom mad again.
‘No, no, not long. Anyway, when are you coming back?’ he asked, changing the subject.
When she hung up Olivia mulled over the conversation; something didn’t sit right with her. Based on the argument before she had left she had expected Tom to get mad, or defensive, when she questioned him about Sarah coming over, but he hadn’t, he had just played it down. Perhaps he was beginning to see how insecure she was about her and was trying to save her feelings, being nice about it after all. She hoped that was the case. Maybe if they carried on in this direction he would be open to her suggesting letting Sarah go one day soon? But no, why had he changed overnight? He had been so mad before, and why had he offered her a drink, again, when he knew how Olivia felt?
Tom I find it really hard to see pictures of Sarah in our home when I am stuck here. You will probably never understand as you are not me, but I find her threatening and whilst I trust you implicitly there is something about her I don’t trust. I am sorry, I know you won’t want to hear this, but I hope you can try to understand and consider my feelings, please don’t invite her in again when I am not there xxxxx
She pressed the send button and immediately regretted it, Tom would be furious. When her phone beeped she couldn’t bring herself to open his message for a moment, scared of what it might say.
It’s ok, I understand, sorry that she posted that, and that it made you feel bad, it won’t happen again. Love you xxxxx
Olivia exhaled and felt relief washing over her. Finally, he was listening to her, she could talk to him, she wouldn’t have to feel insecure anymore now that he understood.
As she came through the doors after customs two days later her face lit up when she saw Tom standing there behind the barrier with a huge bunch of flowers. Despite the sea of people they could have been the only two in the arrivals hall and she rushed to him, pulling her small suitcase with her good arm. Olivia breathed in deeply as he hugged her, so happy to be back in his arms, and she felt like everything w
as going to be ok now, they could get on with the rest of their lives. She had six weeks off now, and a plan, by the time she went back to work she wanted Sarah out of their lives and a ring on her finger. She was taking her life back and Sarah wasn’t in her future.
Chapter 39
Honkers Bonkers, missing you Olivia. the photo of her friends on their night out made Olivia sad; she had missed the trip because of this wretched arm. Olivia had never broken a bone before and had not anticipated how much of a pain it would be, getting in the way of so many things you take for granted. She scrolled through their pictures, all typical night-time shots of them in Lan Kwai Fong having a blast. She recognised some of the other crew and pilots wearing inane smiles, bodies contorted as they danced to the music. A pretty blonde woman stood in the background of a few of the shots, watching with a big smile on her face as the crew acted as crew always did. She was either new, or she wasn’t crew at all, thought Olivia. Either way she was obviously highly amused but not quite able to let her own hair down quite as much.
She had been home for two weeks now, and couldn’t drive so was unable to go out much, and just popping into the office was not possible unless she took a taxi. Tom had been so lovely though, and hadn’t mentioned Sarah to her once so she was in her happy little bubble where the Aussie minx didn’t even exist. Well most of the time anyway, there was always that niggling feeling at the back of her mind. She typed her name into the search bar of Facebook, not knowing what she expected to find, but her last post was the one in her den so there was nothing new to worry about.
She had four weeks left to execute her plan, so she had better start soon. She picked up the phone and rang their favourite restaurant, booking a table for that evening. It was Friday, after all. If Tom wasn’t intending to pop the question any time soon then maybe he needed a gentle push in that direction, a passing comment over dinner, a seed planted.
She called Tom’s phone to let him know, forgetting about his calls being diverted, and reeled when she heard Sarah’s voice.
Her days of being friendly and making small talk with this girl were over; she needed to know that Olivia had no time for her. Surely she would move on if she knew she wasn’t wanted? Perhaps Tom wasn’t giving off the same vibes though, being the nice guy as always, she thought resignedly.
‘Sarah could you tell Tom that I’ve booked a table at Puccini’s for 8pm please?’ she asked, politely, but that was all.
‘Sure, no problem, will do,’ Sarah replied rather more cheerfully, which just grated on Olivia.
‘Thank you.’ Olivia hung up the phone and headed for the shower. She longed to have one without the
rubber bag that covered her cast getting in the way. It was almost five o’clock, Tom was always home by seven, and she wanted to look a million dollars by then, albeit a million dollars with a plaster cast, she groaned inwardly.
Seven o’clock came and went, as did seven thirty, and Olivia topped up her wine glass as she looked in the mirror on the living room wall. Her earrings sparkled, the diamonds that Tom had given her on their first anniversary, and she hoped she would have more soon. She had chosen a flattering black dress that hugged her figure and showed off all of the curves that she knew Tom loved, finished off with her favourite designer heels. Where was he?
She called his number but it went straight to answerphone; the office would be closed now so even Sarah wasn’t picking up.
Where are you, the table is booked for 8! she texted.
A moment later Tom called back.
‘What table, babe? I didn’t know you’d booked anything.’ He sounded flustered, like he really had no idea.
‘I booked Puccini’s,’ Olivia said, deflated. ‘I left a message.’ With Sarah, she nearly added but it didn’t need to be said.
‘Oh babe, I’m so sorry.’
‘Where are you?’ she asked, hoping he could get home soon.
‘In Croydon. Someone left a message to say there was a problem at one of the sites and I just had to pop up. I was going to call you on my way back in a minute. Bloody waste of time though, there was no one here when I got here so it couldn’t have been that urgent,’ he complained.
Well that was that, he wouldn’t be home for at least an hour and by the time he showered it would be nine o’clock.
Funny, she thought, how he got that message and not the one from her. She fumed as she realised what Sarah had done, the bitch!!
By the time Tom got home all thoughts of a romantic evening were gone, Olivia consumed with anger at what she was almost sure Sarah had done. But she had no proof and she didn’t dare voice it. She wasn’t normally one to post anything on social media but she smiled at the camera with Tom for a selfie and put it up. Romantic night in with this one, she added as a caption, making sure she had cropped out the takeaway pizza boxes that were on the coffee table. She knew that Sarah would see it and she wanted her to see that her plan hadn’t worked, even if it had.
Chapter 40
Sarah looked at the photo of the two of them and smiled to herself. Obviously the romantic dinner hadn’t come off she congratulated herself. She sat in her car and watched as the lights in Tom’s house turned off, because that was whose it was – Tom’s. Olivia was just there for now, but she would be there herself soon enough, entertaining in the den and sleeping next to her gorgeous man at night.
It had been so easy, that night. Tom was so sweet he didn’t question why she would have left her purse there, and when she had suggested they have a whisky he was too polite to refuse. She had an inkling that something had happened between him and Olivia because he didn’t want to talk about her, which was fine by Sarah. It was probably just a minor row like couples have, but it had given her the opportunity she had hoped for, to reel him in when his guard was down.
The thing about men was that no matter how much they tried to be good, and faithful, ultimately they were still led by the animal part of their brain, and if you can lose the sensible bits they have no resistance to temptation. Sarah had perfected her skills with many men before, and although she had thought Tom might have been out of reach, or perhaps she had liked Olivia enough not to try, she couldn’t resist the challenge.
The right songs on the jukebox, the banter as she beat him at a game of pool, and the bottle of aged single malt had warmed things up nicely, and when she saw that her prey was weak she had pounced. Tom hadn’t been able to resist, he wasn’t in control of his mind, and he had wanted her, she knew it. He had made love to her passionately, almost aggressively, Olivia thousands of miles away from him both in body and mind.
It was like he woke up though, when they came up from the den. She had thought they would go to bed but suddenly he had changed his mind, and seemed to regret it. She had seen this behaviour before too, and knew just how to play it. She hugged him and told him it was ok, that it had been a moment of madness and that she wouldn’t tell anyone; she couldn’t let herself become the enemy. This was just the beginning and the game had yet to play out.
As the last light went out Sarah started her car and began the short drive home. It had been a pain having Olivia home all this time. Tom was too available to her, and when she was home like this she was too forefront in his mind for Sarah to find a road in. She had behaved herself for two weeks now; Tom had hardly been able to look at her for the first few days but now the awkwardness was subsiding and he had started to soften towards her again, trusting her to keep her promise of silence. It would soon be time for her to make her next move, she just had to be ready as soon as an opportunity arose, or she created one.
Chapter 41
The train pulled out of the station and Olivia waved to Tom who stood stiffly on the platform, waving back at her quickly lest he look too girly, she observed, amused. He pulled his coat around him and folded his arms in defence of the winds that were howling across the station. As he disappeared from her view she sank back into her seat, feeling contented as she began her journey to her mum’s.
/> They had finally managed to go for the meal at Puccini’s last night. The restaurant never failed to disappoint and the atmosphere had provided the romance and level of amour that she had hoped it would. As they had shared the dessert and the waiter had topped up their wine glasses again, the timing had been perfect for Olivia to broach the subject of their future together. The ambience hadn’t been wasted on Tom either, and he had been happy to talk about it, saying things were nearly in place, he just needed to fulfil this new contract successfully so that it would be renewed and then he would relax. Olivia doubted it,
she knew him too well, but she loved him for his drive and ambition. She had jokingly told him she wouldn’t wait forever, as she had had lots of other offers for consideration and he had laughed, promising that he would make a decent woman of her soon enough. For now she was happy with that, trying not to let her mind run away with wedding dresses and table plans, but she wasn’t sure how long she could stand waiting for. She couldn’t push it any more though, and all good things come to those who wait, she thought. Perhaps she wouldn’t have a ring by the time she went back to work in three weeks but at least he had all but promised she would have one soon enough, so part one of her plan was almost successful.