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Authors: Nicola Claire
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she was when we first met.
She lifted her head, I watched as whatever had clouded her vision disappeared. With a smile she shrugged her shoulders and slipped her arm in mine.
"You need the bathroom, mum-to-be? Let's get on that."
Why was she brushing me off? Why was she pretending nothing was wrong, when it obviously was?
But I let her guide me to the bathroom and then lead me inside. I did my business, all the while fighting the dread and tears, while she chatted away about nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing.
Then we returned to the party, Kelly purposely avoiding the query in my eyes, as though everything was perfect, just as it should be.
But it wasn't. Kelly Quayle's demons had come back to haunt her. Unlike last time, over fifteen years ago now, she wasn't prepared to accept my help.
We sat in the corner together, watching the others chat and laugh and celebrate life. I felt a darkness shadow us, creeping in from the sides. For so long I've been used to Kelly behaving one way. Knowing it was her armour, what she used to make it through the next day.
Knowing it was false.
Kelly comes across as a fun-loving, free-spirit. Bohemian, Katie had called it. She flits from man to man, never choosing to settle down. Always thinking of the next bit of pleasure, the next thrill. Her next hit.
She thinks I don't know her. But I do.
She's my best friend, she's like a sister to me. I would do anything to help her keep the darkness at bay.
But whatever Kelly was doing right now, she didn't want my help. Maybe because of the baby and the wedding and everything that was going on in my life. Maybe because she was trying to protect me.
But someone needed to help her.
Who?
I bit my bottom lip, blinked back tears as I glanced around the room searching for an answer. No one here knew Kelly like I did. No one could see the fractured woman beneath the shiny shell. If she didn't let me help, who would?
I wanted to bawl. I wanted to curl up in bed and cry my eyes out.
I wanted Dominic to make it all better.
Kelly got up and walked over to the others, helping Wayne out of a feather boa he'd gotten himself tangled up in with a diamanté tiara hanging precariously off the top of his head. Everyone was laughing and cackling and offering useless, but amusing advice.
I slipped my hand in my pocket and pulled my cellphone out, running my thumb over Dom's name.
He was having a day away from all the palaver. Soaking up the sun with some of his best mates. I glanced up at the mayhem, no one was watching me, so slipped out the side door, as best as my new baulk could let me.
The phone rang once before he answered.
"Everything all right, sweetheart?"
I sagged against the bench in the kitchen and sucked in a sobbed breath of air.
"Genevieve," he said, even over the phone he used that tone I loved when saying my name. "What's the matter, darling. Is it all too much? Shall I come home and boot them out of the house?"
"No," I managed, shaking my head. "It's silly. I shouldn't have phoned at all."
"Nothing you do is silly to me," he murmured, as though he was hiding his soft words from whoever was nearby. "You can tell me."
What good would it do telling Dominic right now? He couldn't offer a solution from on the golf course.
"Genevieve," he pushed, this time his ice-lawyer voice crept into the edges. "Tell me."
"It's Kelly," I whispered.
"Kelly? What's wrong with Kelly?"
There was suddenly noise in the background, and Dom, obviously covering his phone with a hand because it became muffled, said something harsh to whoever was trying to distract him.
"Gen," he said. "Sorry, about that. Drew was getting in the way. I've clubbed him, go on."
I sucked in a fortifying breath and voiced my worst fear, "I think she's in trouble."
"Trouble?" A pause. Then quite clearly, "Would you knock it off, Drew! What the hell?"
I pulled the phone away and stared at the device. Shrugging, I returned it to my ear in time to hear Dominic again.
"What
She lifted her head, I watched as whatever had clouded her vision disappeared. With a smile she shrugged her shoulders and slipped her arm in mine.
"You need the bathroom, mum-to-be? Let's get on that."
Why was she brushing me off? Why was she pretending nothing was wrong, when it obviously was?
But I let her guide me to the bathroom and then lead me inside. I did my business, all the while fighting the dread and tears, while she chatted away about nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing.
Then we returned to the party, Kelly purposely avoiding the query in my eyes, as though everything was perfect, just as it should be.
But it wasn't. Kelly Quayle's demons had come back to haunt her. Unlike last time, over fifteen years ago now, she wasn't prepared to accept my help.
We sat in the corner together, watching the others chat and laugh and celebrate life. I felt a darkness shadow us, creeping in from the sides. For so long I've been used to Kelly behaving one way. Knowing it was her armour, what she used to make it through the next day.
Knowing it was false.
Kelly comes across as a fun-loving, free-spirit. Bohemian, Katie had called it. She flits from man to man, never choosing to settle down. Always thinking of the next bit of pleasure, the next thrill. Her next hit.
She thinks I don't know her. But I do.
She's my best friend, she's like a sister to me. I would do anything to help her keep the darkness at bay.
But whatever Kelly was doing right now, she didn't want my help. Maybe because of the baby and the wedding and everything that was going on in my life. Maybe because she was trying to protect me.
But someone needed to help her.
Who?
I bit my bottom lip, blinked back tears as I glanced around the room searching for an answer. No one here knew Kelly like I did. No one could see the fractured woman beneath the shiny shell. If she didn't let me help, who would?
I wanted to bawl. I wanted to curl up in bed and cry my eyes out.
I wanted Dominic to make it all better.
Kelly got up and walked over to the others, helping Wayne out of a feather boa he'd gotten himself tangled up in with a diamanté tiara hanging precariously off the top of his head. Everyone was laughing and cackling and offering useless, but amusing advice.
I slipped my hand in my pocket and pulled my cellphone out, running my thumb over Dom's name.
He was having a day away from all the palaver. Soaking up the sun with some of his best mates. I glanced up at the mayhem, no one was watching me, so slipped out the side door, as best as my new baulk could let me.
The phone rang once before he answered.
"Everything all right, sweetheart?"
I sagged against the bench in the kitchen and sucked in a sobbed breath of air.
"Genevieve," he said, even over the phone he used that tone I loved when saying my name. "What's the matter, darling. Is it all too much? Shall I come home and boot them out of the house?"
"No," I managed, shaking my head. "It's silly. I shouldn't have phoned at all."
"Nothing you do is silly to me," he murmured, as though he was hiding his soft words from whoever was nearby. "You can tell me."
What good would it do telling Dominic right now? He couldn't offer a solution from on the golf course.
"Genevieve," he pushed, this time his ice-lawyer voice crept into the edges. "Tell me."
"It's Kelly," I whispered.
"Kelly? What's wrong with Kelly?"
There was suddenly noise in the background, and Dom, obviously covering his phone with a hand because it became muffled, said something harsh to whoever was trying to distract him.
"Gen," he said. "Sorry, about that. Drew was getting in the way. I've clubbed him, go on."
I sucked in a fortifying breath and voiced my worst fear, "I think she's in trouble."
"Trouble?" A pause. Then quite clearly, "Would you knock it off, Drew! What the hell?"
I pulled the phone away and stared at the device. Shrugging, I returned it to my ear in time to hear Dominic again.
"What
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