Chapter 40. A voice
Lilly Bradley
My eyes were on my sister Leah, her cheeks were as red as they could be.
"What do you think?" she asked me suddenly. I was just coming to terms with the fact that she finally liked someone.
"Think? You know you can't control your heart. If you like this person, I'd say... Go for it!" She smiled excitedly. "But..." her smile faded. "...he's from your office. Won't that cause problems in the future?" She pressed her lips together, then let out a sigh.
"I know, it's not like he knows. I just like him, he doesn't know, and I don't think he's noticed. I've been super distant with him."
"Oh," I was impressed. "It's so exciting to see you finally like someone. You've never had a boyfriend all these years and..."
"But that doesn't mean I haven't had fun with someone." Hearing my sister say that made me gasp in surprise.
"Leah!" I exclaimed, stunned, and she burst into laughter.
"What's wrong with that? Just because you only had fun with that man for the first time doesn't mean everyone has to wait for the so-called 'right one' to... enjoy our sexuality."
"Hearing you talk like that makes me uneasy," I confessed with a smile on my lips.
"Well," she sighed again and got up from my bed. "I'm going to sleep," she frowned. "Are you having dinner?" I quickly shook my head.
"I'm still full from lunch." I put a hand on my stomach.
"From lunch?" Her face showed surprise. "Really? You always have room for dinner, even if you have a big lunch."
"Well, this time... it's the first time I don't." I got off the bed to gather my things and take a shower. "Besides, I've decided not to have dinner anymore starting today." I turned back to her to grab my towel from the chair next to her.
"What's going on, Lilly?" She still looked surprised.
"Nothing's wrong, but I want to lose a bit of weight. Since we got here, I feel like I've gained a few pounds."
"Impossible, you're too thin to say that."
"Well, I feel it. Maybe it doesn't show, but... do you remember the black leather pants you gave me for Christmas?" She nodded. "They don't fit anymore."
She covered her mouth with both hands to stifle a fake gasp of surprise.
"No!" I stuck my tongue out at her playfully.
"Silly," I said, and she smiled.
"Was my sarcasm that obvious?" Leah sounded amused.
"Very," I paused as we left my room. "We should go to the gym, tone those legs a bit more, it wouldn't hurt..." She gave me a playful punch on the arm before going into the bathroom.
I wiped my cheeks from the tears I was shedding. The word "End" appeared on my computer screen, another romantic movie, and I was finally ready to sleep. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand; it was ten o'clock. As I put everything on the desk and headed back to bed, my phone vibrated. The screen lit up and started flashing. When I went to answer, I paused for a moment. It was a call from my ex-sister-in-law, Michelle. I imagined it might be Oliver trying to reach me after I blocked him. I bit my lip and decided to put an end to this once and for all. Otherwise, I would never move on.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Sister-in-law!" A very drunk female voice came from the other end of the line.
"Michelle? Are you drunk?" I heard her laugh.
"We love you! Why did you leave us? We want you back! Let's go back to London tonight and start over! What do you say?" Her words were slurred.
"Where are you?" I asked, a bit puzzled by her previous words.
"In New York!" she shouted so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear. I was taken aback by her words. One hand went to my mouth.
"What? What do you mean, in New York?" Laughter and more laughter.
"Yes! We're at the Plaza Hotel! Come! Let's talk!"
"We?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
"Yes, Oliver is here! Carrying me to room 212! Surprise!" There was noise, then a thud.
"Lilly?" It was Oliver's voice. "Are you there? Michelle, I can't carry you, you'll have to walk." Another silence. "Are you there? Lilly?"
"Yes, how are you in the city?"
"I wanted to surprise you..." Oliver confessed.
"Well, you certainly surprised me," I was honest. "But you shouldn't have..."
"Let's talk. Please, if after talking you still stick to your decision, I'll accept it and we'll go back to London."
My heart raced. Talk? What could we talk about if everything had already been said?
"Fine, we can talk tomorrow. I'll be out for lunch at one, I only have an hour."
"An hour? I can't just have an hour of you. Let's have lunch together, and in the evening, I can come to your work, and we can have a quiet dinner to finish talking. Please..." I bit my lip.
"Okay. Just talk and lay everything out on the table, don't ask for more from me, Oliver."
"I accept, just let's talk." He used a pleading tone I had only heard that night when I caught him cheating. "Please, unblock me."
"Fine, good night." And I hung up, tossing my phone onto the bed, thinking about what could happen tomorrow. The image of Jackson kissing me in my office made me bring my fingers to my lips again to touch them. Oliver definitely couldn't stay in my life... when it seemed someone else was already in my thoughts.