Chapter 34
“You’re the sweetest guy I know,” Mel smiled at Mark as he passed her a giant triple decker sandwich and sat next to her on the couch.
“Why? Cos I make the best three tier sandwiches ever?”
Mel laughed at him and picking up the sandwich tried to open her mouth wide enough to take a bite out of it.
“That’s so not going to happen Mel,” he commented, watching her in amusement.
“They’re not very girl friendly these sandwiches are they?”
“You saying I’m sexist in my sandwich making?” Mark asked in mock horror, “it took me hours to make that sandwich young lady.”
“Well, it is appreciated,” Mel said, “everything is, you’ve been so nice to me.”
Mark blushed slightly and started to twiddle with his ring.
“Why have you done all this for me?” she asked in curiosity.
He shrugged in response, “just trying to help you out.”
“But Mark this goes far beyond the call of duty.”
Mel looked around her, waving her arm around to show him what she meant. She had left a1’s apartment three days ago, and Mark had immediately insisted that he find her some more accommodation and pay for it all himself out of his own pocket. And so now here she was in her very own luxury apartment.
“You needed helping out,” Mark said gently.
“I could’ve slept in the station.”
“You can’t go around sleeping in stations Mel, why didn’t you want to go home like I suggested.”
“Don’t you want me here?” she asked defensively, “if I’m annoying you just say and I’ll go.”
“Would you go home if you left?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Why?”
“Cos there’s things I need to sort out,” she said determinedly.
“Things like?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Mel muttered, taking a bite of the sandwich so her mouth became too full to talk.
“Do you have problems at home?”
She shook her head, as she continued to chew.
“Then why don’t you want to go back there?”
“I just need to stay here,” she spoke thickly through her mouth of food.
Realising he was getting nowhere, Mark turned and looked her straight in the eye.
“Are you staying here because of Christian?”
Suddenly the sandwich seemed to turn to rock in her mouth, tangling its way down the wrong pipe until she was choking ferociously.
“Pardon?” she spluttered.
“This is all because of Christian isn’t it?”
Not wanting to confirm or deny anything, Mel eyed him suspiciously, she wasn’t going to say anything until she had determined exactly what it was that Mark knew.
“I know what happened,” he admitted, “Christian told me a few nights ago.”
Mel looked at him open mouthed.
“I didn’t mean it to,” she said timidly, “it just all happened so fast, he was being so nice and before I knew it he was just taking my clothes off.”
Mark took her hand and squeezed it gently, “shhh, it’s OK, you don’t need to get upset.”
“You think I’m a slut don’t you?” she asked.
“No, course I don’t,” he insisted, “I know you, we all know you and you are not a slut, you’re a lovely person.”
She smiled at him, why couldn’t she be in love with Mark instead, things would be so much easier then.
“I can’t help thinking this is all my fault.” She sniffed sharply.
“Its not your fault, these things just happen.”
“I think the situation is slightly worse than that.” Mel said sadly.
“How do you mean?”
“I love him,” she confided, sliding along the sofa and resting her head on his shoulder, “I love him so much and he doesn’t want me.”
“Hunny, I don’t think it’s love,” he spoke to her softly.
“But it is,” she insisted, “when we slept together I felt something, it was special.”
“Bloody Christian, he’s such a bastard,” Mark thought out loud, “look what he’s done to you.”
“I don’t want to feel like this,” Mel admitted, more tears rolling down her face, “I wish it would all just go away.”
He put both his arms tightly around her, holding her tightly until eventually she stopped sobbing.
“Will you help me?” she asked suddenly, rubbing the remaining tears from her eyes and fixing him with a little smile.
“In whatever way I can,” he replied.
“Will you help me get Christian?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, get him to understand that I love him and that we should be together,” she confirmed.
“I can’t do that, he loves Ella,” Mark replied, “and you’re much better off without him anyway.”
Mel nodded.
“You just need to forget about him.”
“You’re not going to force me to leave are you?” she asked in alarm.
“Course I’m not, just promise me you’ll stay out of his way.”
“I promise,” she replied, looking him straight in the eye as she said it.
“OK, then I don’t have a problem with you staying, you can just hang out with me instead OK?”
She smiled at him, “that’d be cool.”
“Ooooh you can be my date for the end of tour party.”
When Mark left an hour or so later Mel felt happier than she had done in a long time. It was almost as if she had forgotten that Christian existed. They had spent ages just sitting around chatting and laughing, it felt so good to get things out in the open at last, even if she had only told him part of the truth.
Almost wasn’t quite good enough though.
In the time it took her to have a shower the dull ache had started in her tummy again, and for the fourth time in as many days she was sick.
May be it was time to stop ignoring the thing that had been playing in the back of her mind.
Feeling brave she walked quickly into her room and plunging her hand into the drawer by the bed she felt her fingers come into contact with what she was looking for.
Locking herself in the bathroom she followed the instructions carefully and then sat down against the toilet to wait for the results. Her bare skin was pressed against the hard floor, the coldness touching her and running up her leg until it had engulfed her whole body. She wrapped her arms around herself, each hand resting either side of her tummy.
It was time.
With a shaking hand she lifted the test up and took a deep breath.
And just like that her fate was determined.
Throwing it down on the floor she sunk her head into her knees and cried.