Un-Break my Heart: Book 2 (The Heart Trilogy) (53 page)

Chapter 64

Climbing slowly onto his bike Mitchell had formulated a plan. He headed towards the college and waited to watch all the students heading home. He hoped that by sneaking a look at the two of them, if they were together, that he would know one way of the other. After a long wait they appeared, holding hands. Mitch held his breath as they reached the gate before he watched Charlie reach for her phone. A second later he felt his buzz in his pocket. Then instead of parting they headed into town. Mitchell looked at the message

              “Hi babe, just going for a quick coffee with Shelley then I’ll be home x”

He followed then at a distance as they wandered into town and headed inside the café. They chose a table by the window and from his vantage point he watched. Then Zack appeared down the street and noticing the girls he waved and sauntered into the café. Transfixed he watched as Zack grabbed a coffee and greeted both girls with a kiss on the cheek. It felt like the kiss fo
r
Charlott
e
took longer but Mitchell rubbed his eyes as the tears were clouding his vision. It looked like a heated discussion and he saw Charlie reach for a serviette to wipe her eyes. Shelley reached across the table and rubbed her hand.

Zack was not hanging around as he downed his coffee and left the two girls together. Shelley moved her chair closer to Charlie’s and placed an arm around her shoulder in comfort. Whatever Zack had said to them it had lef
t
Charlott
e
in tears and part of him still wanted to rush in there to wipe them away. Watching them leave they wandered to the bus stop and waited to catch their different buses. Shelley moved closer and hugged Charlie closely then lifted her chin with a finger. Their eyes locked and they kissed. He watched as Charlie ran her fingers through Shelley’s hair, a full participant in the experience.

Feeling sick to the core he turned away and jammed his helmet on. He couldn’t deny what he had seen with his very own eyes, this was the end for them. The bike flew down the road and he skidded into the driveway at speed. Inside he grabbed the disc and then walked upstairs to the bedroom, placing it into his laptop he had it ready as he sat on the bed and waited fo
r
Charlotte.

His anger had burned away the tears that had hung onto his eyelashes. The room around him was filled with memories, they smothered him with the happiness that was about to shatter.

He heard the door open and close followed by footsteps making quick work of the treads. Charlie bounded into the room and then stopped short at the sight of Mitchell sitting on their bed.

“Hey baby, what’s up” she cooed, dropping her bag and starting to close the gap between them. Mitchell turned and pressed the button on the computer and the image struck her full force. Charlie trembled at the sight of her and Shelley dancing in the club.

“I can explain” she whispered, as the music faded. Mitch shook his head as the darkness was replaced again with video footage.

Quaking inside Charlie crumpled to the floor at the film that she thought Shelley had dealt with. Everything was ruined now, how could she deny it? Somehow Mitchell had the proof.

“So” he demanded

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it to happen but I was lonely without you and Shelley kind of told me that it was just some fun”

“Fun….FUN….TO CHEAT ON ME” Mitch spat “How many offers do you think I turned down i
n
America? I could have cheated on you every night we were apart”

“I know and I was worried that you would, but it doesn’t excuse what I did”

“No it doesn’t and what about all the lies?” Mitch said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“Yes, I know I should have told you what sort of dance it was but I was worried that you would tell me not to do it. I wanted the money so that I could buy your birthday present” she whimpered. Afraid to meet his gaze she looked instead at the watch on his wrist.

Spotting this Mitchell unclasped it and flung it across the room, narrowly missing her as it landed by the wardrobe door.

“So tell me Charlotte, how did you manage to land the job at the club?”

He paused “Did you sleep with Zack too! Or did he have the two of you?? I could tell he wanted you from the first time that we met him. I bet he enjoyed watching that video, probably got off on it a few times”

“No, not Zack it was just Shelley. I told her over coffee today that it was over between us”

“Didn’t look like that from where I was watching” Mitchell snapped.

“You were spying on me” Charlie demanded, her anger rising to the surface now.

“Yes, because how can I ever trust you again?”

Silence filled the space between them as they both glared at each other.

“I’m sorr
y
Charlott
e
but it’s over, we’re finished”

He watched as the tears ran down her cheeks, her sobs hid the cracking sound in her chest. Charlie felt it keenly but she had nowhere to go now, she was too proud to beg and too ashamed of her behaviour. Lying on the floor she listened to him pull clothes out of the wardrobe stuffing them into a soft bag.

“Where are you going?” her voice cracked over the words.

“Somewhere that I am wanted” he said “Goodbye Charlotte”

His last words echoed in her head as she sobbed.

She listened as he walked down the stairs and then the front door slammed shut. She quickly ran after him and yanked the door open

“I love you Mitchell, I’m sorry” she shouted, but she wasn’t sure he heard her over the roar from the bike. She watched as he sped off down the road and out of her life. Closing the door she slumped down against the hallway wall. Jester appeared from the kitchen and started to lick the tears from her face. Charlie pushed him away but he wouldn’t go and instead curled up next to her on the rug.

After a hectic day at work I headed home, knowing that I would have an hour before James returned from his shift to start tea. Pulling into the driveway I noticed that Mitchell’s bike was out and as I pushed open the door I was greeted by a happy dog and a wretched looking daughter.

“Mum” she whispered; her throat dry from the sobs.

“Charlotte, what’s happened? Has Mitchell had an accident?”

“No, he’s left me” she managed, before another stream of tears splashed down her face.

“What” I asked.

“It’s true and I don’t know where he’s gone. It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault” she repeated.

Reaching down I pulled her up and led her into the lounge. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest and the memory of the pain I had felt when James had left me. History was repeating itself and all I could think was that somehow Felicity had something to do with it all. I sat and listened in silence and felt her pain and anguish at what her reckless actions had provoked.

“I have to say, I can’t really blame him Charlotte” I said, softly “But I know that doesn’t really help at the moment”

Charlie nodded her bowed head “I know Mum. I was stupid and threw away the one perfect thing in my life. I need to get him back”

Just then the front door opened again and I heard James greeting Jester in the hallway. Charlie shrank back into the padding of the sofa.

“He’s going to kill me”

“I’ll tell him” I said, hurrying to intercept James before he reached my tear stained daughter. “Why don’t you go and run a bath I’ll shout you when tea’s ready”

Charlie nodded and as James and I headed into the kitchen she crept quietly up the stairs. Entering their room she saw the watch and carefully picked it up, turning it over the words sprang out at her. Like a poisoned arrow it stung and pierced her heart. She carefully placed it on his bedside table and shrugged her clothes off. His dressing gown still hung on the door so she reached for it and breathed in the scent of him as she wrapped it around her broken shell.

I heard the water start running upstairs as I handed James a glass of wine.

“Mitchell has broken up wit
h
Charlott
e
this afternoon over an indiscretion of Charlie’s. She’s heartbroken and upstairs desperately worried as she doesn’t know where he’s gone. She only told me that he said he had gone somewhere that he was wanted” I imparted.

“Fuck, after yesterday’s revelations I thought we were through the worst but his comment can only mean one place”

I nodded; he didn’t even have to say her name. I watched as he pulled out his mobile and called before leaving a message.

“No answer” I asked. James shook his head; he looked almost as broken a
s
Charlotte.

James disappeared into his office so I put the pie in the oven with some potatoes and vegetables. I heard him on the phone again but this time when he headed through he wore a small smile.

“He’s not with Felicity, I just called her to check and she said she hadn’t seen him”

“And you believe her?”

“Yes because I just got a text from Mitchell saying he is over at Simon’s”

“I’ll tel
l
Charlott
e
when she comes down”

“He asked that you didn’t for the moment. He says he needs time to think everything through and make the right decision”

“Yes, I guess we have to step back from all of this and let the two of them sort it out”

Winding me into his body I felt the heat radiating between us as his lips sought out mine. The kisses soothed and comforted me as I worried about what was coming. I watched Charlie listlessly push the vegetables around, she managed only three or fours mouthfuls before she left the table in silence. Her haunted expression was bringing back memories of another dark day in my own life. I didn’t manage much more and neither did James as Jester hungrily devoured the remains of the pie that we deposited in his bowl. The Christmas tree decorations jarred as we sat together in the lounge, remembering the happy scene from less than twenty four hours ago.

I could faintly make out music from above; it was the same tracks playing over and over again. Charlie tortured herself with their two favourite songs from Dirty Dancing, she couldn’t bear to even think about listening to “I’ve had the time of my life” but in “Hungry Eyes” and “She’s like the wind” the memories returned. They were happy ones of their days and nights together. How could she have been so stupid and given in to her base desires? It had been a terrible day all round. Zack had told her that until she reached eighteen he was unable to employ her at the club. Then she had told Shelley it was over, the kiss at the bus stop was their final goodbye. At least that had not been a lie.

Buried beneath the bed covers the scent of him permeated her skin, she breathed in between the sobs and wondered where he was tonight. She had sent him text after text but had received no reply until she tried to call him and discovered that his phone was switched off.

At Simon’s place Mitchell tossed and turned in the spare room, his mind would not stop replaying the scene from the club. If Charlie had been with a guy he could have gone and punched him, tried to transfer the blame to a guy’s urges but this was different. Did this make Charlie a lesbian? He really didn’t know how he felt about this other than that he had never in his life been attracted to a guy. Through the hours of the night his head kept returning to the one big curved ball, the offer of £5 million and his chance to turn his dream into reality.

Wandering into her suite Felicity could hardly stop smiling, her plan had worked and Mitchell had finally split up wit
h
Charlotte. It was only a matter of time before the money offer would be too much to deny. Daniel appeared in the doorway, his dressing gown open to reveal his taut stomach.

“You wanted me” he asked.

“Oh yes, I think so. I’m in the mood for a little playtime”

Felicity slipped her gown from her shoulders and stood there in her favourite corset, stockings and heels.

“Do you want the whip or the paddle then” she enquired. Playing her dutiful slave Daniel moved towards the drawer and pulled out the paddle. Handing it to her he stripped and lay on his front on the bed.

Licking her lips Felicity ran her hands down his smooth back, his ass and then down his legs. He squirmed under her touch as his erection started to press against the mattress beneath him.

“Do you desire me?”

“Yes, Mistress”

“Louder”

“Yes, Mistress” he replied, as she started to turn his pale skin pink.

“Do you want me?”

“Yes, Mistress”

“I can’t hear you”