I’d gotten myself together pretty well considering I was still a little shaken inside at the shock of Tea’s actions and then her apology that just reeked with regret. I had no hesitations at passing this off as a phase, and the fact that now I knew why she behaved in such a manor and especially towards me, a man who like’s to think he treats her right and loves her more. Zac had avoided me like the plague since he shut the door to his office and I didn’t see him in the kitchen this morning as I helped myself to a coffee before washing and dressing and leaving the sofa and blankets as neat as I always do. No matter what an outsider thinks of the relationship, he can never say he understands. Especially my brother, as much as I love him he’s bound to be biased to my side, telling me that I didn’t have to take it-it was just the natural thing to do in such circumstances. But I fell asleep last night with a smile in my heart as I realized that I’d been right, I knew she still loved me it was just stress and even though I can’t say I enjoyed the side effects of her stress-I knew in part I deserved them and in part it was just her way of coping.

I arrived back at our apartment around midday, quickly jumping in the shower and throwing on clean clothes before Tea arrived back from her casting for the morning. It felt a little weird to walk back into the kitchen and still see the odd piece of china wedged under the table, a shard she’d obviously missed when cleaning up the debris. Whilst in the bathroom I examined the gash on my head, noting it was starting to heal over as I bathed it well and sorted out a fresh dressing for it. The pain had subsided, but not by painkillers, by knowing it was going to be okay in the long run, that it was nothing more than a phase. I did however check the medicine cabinet for any sign she still had some tablets tucked away, and instantly felt ashamed for doing such a thing when I know I should trust her when she said she’d thrown them out. I settled back at my computer, typing up some lyric ideas I had to e-mail to Taylor, as I really didn’t want him getting his royal panties in a twist if he saw the cut on my head right now. I’d gotten away with the fight lie once with him, I don’t think I would again.

I was working away like a madman, finding things to keep me occupied as I waited for Tea to return. It must have been a couple of hours later when I heard the distinct click of the front door and the familiar thud of a bad in the hallway. Deciding it best to let her come to me, instead of bombarding her the second she came in, I carried on with my work until I felt her presence behind me. ‘So you forgave me then?’ she lulled as I turned round to look at her, pulling my glasses off as I felt a smile grace my lips. ‘There’s nothing to forgive, I knew it was just a phase whatever it was,’ I exclaimed as she walked over too me and knelt down by the side of the chair I was sitting in and looked up at me. ‘I hurt you,’ her eyes looked heavy and sad as she rested a hand on my knee steadily. ‘And I can heal,’ I replied as I ran a hand through her loose raven curls, my hands grazing her cheek softly as it fell away. ‘I’m going to see someone, about the tablets, I knew I didn’t need them to start with but, well everyone raved about them and I guess I just fell into the trap, it was a moment of weakness and for that I’m so very sorry,’ her voice was tender and soft as if all the shouting and all the arguing had stripped her vocal chords down. ‘We all get those,’ I felt her hand lightly touch the side of my face where the bruises had faded and the scratch of her nail had flaked away to nothing more than a faint scar that no one could see without a microscope. ‘Zac said there were two times before, two times before I…I did that to you,’ she stammered, pointing to the dressing over my cut, looking a way a little as her hand dropped to her lap. Tilting her chin up to look at me I looked her in the eye and knew that I should either tell her now about the bruises on my face, or I should let the opportunity pass me by and never tell her. ‘You didn’t fall at Taylor’s, it was me, please just tell me if it was Isaac I don’t need protecting from myself,’ it seems I only had to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ now but seeing as how it seems she was on a truthful keel, realizing her errors I thought that perhaps it was best to tell her. ‘No I didn’t fall at Taylor’s, but just like my shoulder it didn’t matter baby, I probably deserved it for not understanding you as well as I should at that time, ’ I explained as she sighed and rubbed her head in her hands as I leaned down a little to try and pull her hands away, try and re-assure her that it didn’t matter. Whatever thoughts had been swilling round in my head at the time about her, about us and weather I deserved it for my ignorance, or weather it was just her way of coping with the pressures of transferring careers, dispersed as I let my lips capture hers in a brief kiss in which I realized that I could be the bigger man here and give her a silent second chance.

’I didn’t even realize I was doing it, the force of it just didn’t occur to me,’ she mumbled after she rested against me as I stroked her hair gently. ‘I’m a big boy, I could handle it,’ I laughed lightly as she looked up at me with a faint smile. ‘Hey now come on, why don’t you tell me about the casting today?’ I coaxed as I stood up and encouraged her to come and sit with me on the sofa. She flopped down next to me as I pulled her close, letting her rest against my chest gently her hands resting under her cheek as I kissed the top of her head lightly. ‘I got a call back for the morning, it seemed really positive but I felt the pressure sitting waiting to be called, it was like being outside the head teachers office again for sneaking out of afternoon class,’ she sighed as she looked up at me with a positive smile. I know she was trying to tell me it was hard to wade through the pressure and stress without reaching for a tablet, but as much as it saddened me to think it would be a while before she got used to coping with her career move, she’s going to have times when the temptation will be hard to resist. ‘See, you coped fine baby, they called you back didn’t they? And anyway, now you can have a break from your hectic modelling schedule and concentrate fully on acting and if it doesn’t pan out or you think it’s not for you, you can go back to it anytime you want too, and you got me-no big comfort I know but it’ll all pan out, trust me,’ It still felt a little unsure inside to wave the supporting boyfriend flag and I wasn’t quite sure weather to make my support known, or to simply show it too her when it got a little bit hard, but as with everything-I took my chances. ‘I hate modelling, you know I hate it-it’s nothing to me, it’s not my dream and it won’t EVER be my top priority, it’s served me well but if this doesn’t take of Isaac I’ll be damned if I know where to go next,’ she sat up immediately, her hand pressing against my chest as she looked at me, her voice rambling in confused patter here eyes wide and her tone stern. She stared at me a little as I took in her words and her frightened expression as she covered her face with her hands an sunk down in the sofa away from me.

‘This is going to be so hard,’ she mumbled from behind her hands as I sighed, looking at the hunched up figure of the 5ft 10ins wonder that is my girlfriend and the holder of my heart. I didn’t know what to say to her, weather to tell it was okay, that I’d be by her side, say nothing and just hold her or what, someone please write me a manual. ‘Come on, I’m going to take you out,’ It was the easiest option out and as much as I wanted to stay in with her, snuggle, cuddle and all things bright and boyfriend like, I felt maybe if we were around others she might feel a little stronger than she does right now. ‘Isaac, if we go out aren’t people going to say something about the band-aid?’ she hushed letting her hands fall away from her face as I stood up and looked back at her. ‘How about that place we went the first time we moved here? LeTavia? I’ll call and book us a table,’ I didn’t know what to do, or how to comfort her right now, not really. I had the perfect picture of how I wanted it too be, I wanted to cradle her in my arms and not let go until she was sure enough of herself to deal with the world un-aided again. But she’s in a very passionate, very confusing and very demeaning place right now, the cover up of the pills were wearing off, flushing from inside and it was causing her to feel very down and depressed, as I gathered it would be.

I grabbed the phone and noticed her smile slightly in defeat as I scanned through the numbers on the kitchen board looking for the restaurants number. Glancing back through the joining archway, I saw Tea doing exactly what I did the other night before things came to their ugly head. She was kneeling on the arm of the sofa, perching on the edge, reaching over for the photo of us, grinning wildly like Cheshire cats, hand in hand in our fancy dress, openly letting the world into our relationship and the media into our lives. I watched her finger trace over the protective glass encasing the picture safely from any harm as I watched a smile form on her lips before she lightly pressed them too the picture. It was enough to make the memory of the past few weeks be permanently forgotten-it showed me she finally realized that this relationship was as stable as a rock and she had all the drug she needed in me, the non-harmful kind that would never stop it’s supply. I felt my smile widen and my hearts cage loose a couple of it’s bars as the friendly voice of the booker at LaTavia picked up the phone.

‘A table for two at 9 please,’