The Complete Perfect Series

by Lindsey Powell

  “Yeah, it’s not a bad one.” I put my fork down as I can’t eat another bite. I have managed about half of the amount that Jake has put me. He clears away our plates and cutlery. I ask Jake if I can have a cold drink and he goes about pouring me a diet coke. He obviously knows me well enough not to have to ask what I want. I thank him and take a sip.

  “I need to ask you, Stace, are you pissed at me that I have been speaking to the police for you?” He leans against the worktop, bracing himself with his hands, and I see his muscles ripple underneath his T-shirt. He must really look after himself to have a physique like that, and that’s from me seeing him with clothes on.

  “I was pissed when you told me, yes. But in hindsight, there isn’t anything I could have done if they had spoken to me. I didn’t remember anything until today, so I guess I can forgive you.” I see his shoulders slump with relief. “I will need to speak to them though, especially now that I can remember what happened.”

  “Uh, I wouldn’t do anything just yet.”

  “Why not?” I ask, feeling puzzled.

  “Until your memory completely comes back, the defence will say that your recollection is impaired. They are going to do and say anything that they can to get Caitlin off of whatever charges she may be facing.”

  “Fucking brilliant.” Disappointment wades in, dampening my good mood.

  “I know it’s frustrating, but we are going to see that bitch put behind bars. Don’t think that she will get away with it. Today you have made loads of progress. Maybe I am your lucky charm?” he says, raising one eyebrow at me. I laugh and think how true his words might be.

  “You just might be, Jake Waters.”

  Jake

  I took Stacey back to Lydia’s just after nine. She looked tired still and I didn’t want to keep her up any longer. I would have been more than happy for her to have stayed with me the night, but I didn’t want to push my luck. The kiss we shared earlier plays in my mind. She is starting to give into her desire for me, and I am so fucking thankful. The way her body reacted to me makes my cock swell. Her tight body pressed against mine, her lips devouring mine, her hands reaching into my hair.

  Jeez, Waters, calm the fuck down.

  I am on my way to meet Paul for a drink, so I need to distract my thoughts. I park the car and walk across the road to The Den. Paul is already here, waiting for me, and is sat at a table just to the right of the bar area. I order myself a bottle of beer and then I go and join him.

  “Hey, man,” Paul says as I take a seat next to him. “How did it go?” Paul knew that I was seeing Stacey tonight.

  “It went fucking brilliantly, all being said.”

  “Yeah?” He knows how much I have missed her. Apart from Eric, he is the one person that I can confide in.

  “Yeah. She remembered stuff today.”

  “I’m guessing that by stuff, you actually mean that she remembered something about you.”

  “Yes and no. The first thing she remembered was the stabbing. That wasn’t so good.” I don’t go into the finer details. He doesn’t need a blow-by-blow account.

  “Shit. Bet that was brutal.”

  “It wasn’t great. But then, at my house, she remembered about the night that I saw her again, at the Bowden Hall.” I grin like the cat that got the fucking cream. “She stayed for some food and then I took her back to Lydia’s. Oh, speaking of which, have you heard from her yet?” I know that Paul has been pining after Lydia since his stupid meltdown over some guy who was trying to hit on her.

  “Nope. I don’t know what her problem is. She hasn’t spoken to me for two weeks.” He takes a long swig of his beer before putting the bottle back on the table.

  “Give her a break, man. She has been looking after her best friend who was stabbed not long ago.” I make an excuse for Lydia, but I do find it strange that she has ceased all contact with him. It was only the other week that they were inseparable.

  “I guess. I thought she may have wanted some support herself, but clearly she doesn’t.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think she would have the same sort of support in mind as you do.” I raise one eyebrow at him as he catches onto my drift.

  “Everyone seeks that type of support from time to time,” Paul retorts. He puts on such a front, but I know that he feels differently towards Lydia. I’ve seen him with plenty of women to know when one affects him more than another. I think he has definitely got his work cut out for him if he decides to pursue her.

  “Another beer? And a shot?” I ask him as I drain the last of my drink.

  “Now you’re talking.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Stacey

  The last few days have passed by in a blur. I have experienced more flashbacks and I’m slowly starting to piece my life back together.

  Apart from the flashback of Caitlin, all the other things that I have remembered have been good memories. There are some of me and Lydia at The Den, some of me and Martin, but the most dominating ones are the ones of me and Jake. The more that I remember, the more I can feel myself falling for him.

  I haven’t seen him since the day that I went to his house, but we have kept in contact via text messages and a couple of phone calls. I think that by not seeing him, it has helped me to realise that he is an important part of my life.

  He is picking me up later so that we can have dinner together. Before that though, I have a doctor’s appointment which Lydia is taking me to. I confessed to her that I had been to The Den and that I had taken her keys. She wasn’t very happy with me, which I expected, but I think she is just relieved that things are coming back to me. She seems to be thrilled with the way that things are progressing between me and Jake.

  Lydia pops her head around my bedroom door. “You ready to go, gorgeous?” she asks, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Be out in a minute.” I have decided to wear my boyfriend jeans because they are loose, and a white pullover. I’m only going to the hospital, so there is no need to dress up. I have left my hair in loose waves and I have decided against any make-up. Au naturel is the vibe of the day. I put my phone in my jean pocket and then I am ready to go.

  Lydia is waiting by the front door as I put on my shoes. It’s not often that Lydia is waiting for me to be ready.

  “All set?” she says. I pick up my handbag and nod at her.

  She opens the front door and I follow her out, locking it behind me, and we go to my car, which I am still unable to drive. As we set off, I think about how today will be the first time that I will be able to see what type of scarring that I will be left with. Apart from a couple of twinges in the last two days, I have felt much better. I hope that it is all healing as it should be.

  “Want to go and get some lunch after your appointment?” Lydia asks me.

  “Let’s just see how it goes first.” I still feel uneasy being out and about with Caitlin still out there somewhere.

  “Oh come on, Stace. It might do you some good to be out of the flat for a bit.”

  “I said I’ll see.” I’m not going to be forced to go out for lunch if I don’t feel like going. Lydia lets out an exasperated sigh.

  “I will be with you, Stace. Caitlin won’t have a chance to get near you. Plus, in a public place, I highly doubt that she would try anything.”

  “If you want to go out then that’s fine. I can survive in the flat on my own.” With the door locked and bolted, I think to myself.

  “I know that, but I want to go out for lunch with you. Is that so terrible?” Lydia sticks out her bottom lip at me, and I break into a smile at her ridiculous expression. Maybe I do need to relax a little? Lydia is right, in a public place it is highly unlikely that anything is going to happen.

  “Okay, fine. But I want Italian food.”

  “Deal.” She smiles, and I know that she is pleased with her persuasion.

  I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket as we pull into the hospital car park and I pull it out to see that I have a message from Jake. My heart
does a little leap. I have been feeling more and more excited every time he texts me.

  Lydia goes to get a car parking ticket, and I read the message.

  Morning, beautiful. I just wanted to say good

  luck at the hospital today. Will be thinking

  of you. Still on for later?

  Jake x

  He called me beautiful. A ridiculous grin breaks out across my face, and I type back a reply.

  Yes, definitely. Looking forward to it.

  Stace x

  I get out of the car as Lydia returns with the ticket and I put my phone back in my pocket.

  “What’s putting that great big smile on your face?” Lydia asks me.

  “Jake.” I don’t hesitate to answer, and Lydia does a little squeal of delight. I know that she is pleased that things are getting back to normal. She links her arm through mine as we make our way to the relevant department in the hospital. As soon as I have sat down, I am called in to see Doctor Reynolds. Lydia comes with me and we both enter his office.

  “Ah, Miss Paris, please, come in and take a seat.” Doctor Reynolds gestures to the chair in front of his desk. I sit in the one directly opposite him, and Lydia takes a seat that is placed just to the left. “So, how have you been feeling?” he asks me.

  “Apart from the odd twinge, I’ve been feeling good.”

  “Okay. That’s promising news that everything is progressing as it should be. The odd twinge is perfectly normal. Any sharp shooting pains at all?”

  “Just one, a couple of days ago.”

  “How long did the pain last?”

  “Not long. I took some painkillers and then I went to sleep. When I woke up the pain had gone.” I picture myself being led in Jake’s bed, but I quickly push it to the back of my mind. I certainly don’t need to be getting all hot and bothered at thoughts of Jake whilst I am talking to my doctor.

  “Okay. Let’s take a look at the wound, shall we?” Doctor Reynolds stands up and walks over to a curtain in the corner of his office. He pulls it back to reveal a hospital bed behind it. “If you come behind this curtain and strip down to the waist, I will then take the dressing off and see how it’s doing.” I oblige and go behind the curtain. I perch on the edge of the bed and Doctor Reynolds asks if I am ready. I reply that I am, and he draws the curtain back slightly. He closes the curtain again and talks me through everything that he is doing as he undresses the wound.

  I notice the curtain twitch as the dressing is pulled away, and Lydia’s face pops into view.

  “Lydia!” I exclaim, making the poor doctor jump.

  “Oh come on, Stace, we have no secrets. I just want a peek to make sure it looks how it should.”

  “And how would you know what it should look like?” I ask, raising one eyebrow at her.

  “I just want to see.”

  “I’m not some sort of side-show, you know?”

  “I know that.” Lydia makes no effort to move away. The doctor looks to me as if waiting for approval for Lydia to be seeing this. I nod at him.

  “Fine. But you’re not taking any photos of it.”

  “I won’t.” She smiles. “Scouts honour.”

  “Scouts honour? Lydia, you never were, or ever would be a scout considering that you are a female.”

  “I know, but it sounds good though, right?” I burst out laughing as the doctor looks at Lydia with a look of surprise on his face. I would have thought that he had gotten used to her flamboyant nature whilst I was staying in the hospital, but obviously not.

  I signal for the doctor to continue with his examination. As I look down to where the dressing has been removed, I see that I have a fairly large scar which looks to be about four inches long. Even Lydia looks a little shocked. Neither of us say anything as the doctor goes about what he needs to do.

  So, this is my everlasting reminder of Caitlin. Fan-fucking-tastic. I swear, I will regain all of my memory and make that bitch pay for what she has done.

  Doctor Reynolds finishes up and then re-dresses my wound. When that is done, Doctor Reynolds and Lydia leave me to put my clothes back on. After getting dressed, I go and sit opposite Doctor Reynolds, and wait to see what he says.

  “Well, it all appears to be healing exactly as it should be. I am very pleased. There has been minimal weeping, which seems to have completely stopped now. Seeing as you have only had a few twinges in the last few days, you can probably start to dwindle down how many painkillers you are taking, if any at all. Obviously, if you get severe or abnormal pain, then I want you to come straight to the hospital.” I nod at him to acknowledge what he is telling me.

  “You will need to come back in a week’s time and a nurse will take a look at the wound again, and if all is well then we should be able to discharge you completely. I will give you some spare dressings to take with you as you will be able to change them yourself every couple of days.”

  “Thank you,” I say. At least I won’t have to keep coming to the hospital to have it done.

  “Now, I need to ask you how your memory loss has been. Has anything come back to you at all?”

  “Yes. I remember what happened on the night of the attack, and how I ended up in here. I also now know that Jake was a part of my life before this happened. Not everything has come back to me yet, but I am hoping that it will do sooner rather than later.”

  “That’s fantastic news. I think that you are showing brilliant progress, it’s just a case of being patient and allowing it to come back naturally.” The doctor seems extremely pleased with what I have told him, but something is bugging me.

  “Doctor Reynolds?”

  “Yes?”

  “Is there nothing that I can do in order to quicken things up? It’s just that, the police need me to regain my full memory before they can actually convict Caitlin.” Saying her name makes me shiver.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Paris,” Doctor Reynolds says with a sympathetic stare. “There really is no quick fix here. I understand how frustrating it must be for you, but your mind will only fix itself when it is ready to.”

  I can’t help but let out a sigh. “Okay. Just thought that I would ask.” I try to brush off my disappointment, but I’m pretty sure that I don’t hide it well.

  I look to Lydia, who looks just as disappointed as I probably do.

  “Don’t worry, babes, she will get her comeuppance,” Lydia says, giving me a sad smile.

  I am determined to see Caitlin go down for what she has done.

  I will remember everything.

  I have to.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Stacey

  Hey, Jake. I just thought that I would let you know that

  the doctor is pleased with my progress. I will tell

  you properly later what he said. Hope your

  day is going okay.

  Stacey xx

  Lydia and I have just got back to the flat after going out for lunch. It was nice to get out and do something normal, even if I was approaching everything with more caution than I would have done previously.

  We looked around a couple of shops afterwards, but I soon started to feel tired, so we came back home. I lie on my bed and stare at my phone, waiting to see if Jake will reply. He does so a few minutes later and I feel a jolt of excitement go through me.

  That’s good. My day hasn’t been too bad.

  I am aiming to finish at about four-ish.

  I should be with you by half past four.

  Is that okay?

  Jake x

  I text back to tell him that that is fine. I have about two hours to kill whilst I wait for Jake. I wish that I felt confident enough to go to Danish by myself and just order a coffee and a croissant. I crave being able to go and sit in my favourite seat, taking my laptop with me so that I can do some writing. Determination starts to course through me at the thought of overcoming my anxiety at Caitlin not being behind bars.

  Why the hell should I stay in all the time?

  I should be able to go anyw
here that I want.

  Why should I let what happened affect the rest of my life?

  It has already affected enough of it as it is!

  With this in mind, I write Lydia a note. She is in the bath, and I know that if I tell her that I am going out, then she will stop me from going. I write in the note where I have gone and that I have my phone with me if she needs to get hold of me. I leave the note on the coffee table in the lounge, and before I can lose my nerve, I pick up my laptop and head for the front door. I grab my handbag on the way to the front door and put my shoes back on.

  Fuck Caitlin.

  She will not dictate my life anymore.

  I open the front door and leave the flat, closing and locking it behind me. My heartbeat races slightly as I get outside and do a quick scan of the area. Satisfied that there is no sign of her, I begin to walk to Danish, but I remain alert the whole way there. If she was to come at me this time, then I sure as hell would be more prepared.

  I get to Danish and feel ridiculously pleased with myself that I am out on my own. I walk into the coffee shop and decide to treat myself to a caramel latte and a cream cake, rather than my usual choice of a croissant. I sit near the back, avoiding my preferred seat by the window. Being by the window would make me feel a little too open, even if it is my favourite seat.

  I get settled, open my laptop and turn it on. An older lady brings my order over a few minutes later. I thank her and then I start to read the last few chapters of what I have written. I take a bite of my cream cake and I smile to myself.

  See? This is good, Stacey. Out, by yourself, being able to do something that you love.

  I put the cake down and start to edit some mistakes that I have noticed in the chapter that I am reading. Midway through editing the chapter, I notice that the door to the coffee shop has opened, and Lydia comes storming in. I roll my eyes and prepare myself for the rant that I am about to receive.