Meeting Mr Write: Mr Write Trilogy Book One (11 page)

“Oh, ok.  Not to worry.” I think I’m in shock. “Could you possibly call us a taxi please Steve?” How could he just leave like that? No goodbye or anything.

“Yeah course babe.”

He leaves to make the call and the tears find their release. Pippa and Annie notice and leave the pool to check on me, I feel such an idiot.

“He’s just gone, without a goodbye or anything!” I look at Pippa for some pearls of wisdom.

“Rosie, are you sure you just didn’t hear him?” Pip asks as I hear Steve coming back and quickly wipe away the tears.

“All booked up?” I ask cheerfully.

“Yeah, it’ll be about five minutes gorgeous. I’ll get you girls some towels.”

In the taxi back to the hotel I decide to text Jackson,

‘Why didn’t you say goodbye? Don’t be a dick Jackson, just be straight with me. Night.’

I didn’t expect a text back so was surprised when my phone buzzed in my hand.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll call you tomorrow. Night x’

My stomach flips over in response to his reply but I know I need to be careful, his behaviour tonight only reiterates what he has been saying all along, he’s just not the settling down type.

***

“Rosie, wake up babe. It’s nearly eleven!” I wake to a bikini clad Pippa shaking me gently and handing me a bottle of water. “You ok, it’s not like you to sleep in?” She’s obviously already spent an hour or two by the pool, by the smell of sun oil radiating from her.

“I’m fine Pip, just tired I guess. I’ll get up now.” I reach for my phone. There’s nothing on there, no calls or texts. If Jackson did have an early start this morning, he obviously didn’t see the need to get in touch.

After a couple of hours by the pool, Pippa and I are starving and decide to head out for some lunch. I check my phone again and there’s still nothing so I decide to text him,

‘Are you ok? I thought I might have heard from you by now x’

I click send and feel a pang of concern, if he doesn’t respond what exactly does that mean?

We eat at a small Thai café and agree that we should probably go and pack up our things ready for the move to Phi Phi tomorrow. Before we leave the café I check my phone again, but there is no response, Pippa takes my phone from my hand.

“Rosie, give him dead air. He’ll soon come running.”

She smiles at me. It’s not her usual grin but the shy reassuring hopeful smile of a concerned best friend.

I decide that I will do exactly as she says and turn my phone off. I don’t know why he won’t respond and it’s hard to not hear from him after last night but I know I have to leave him to it. It’s my last day here and I want to go crazy with my best friend before a week of nothing but lying on a beach.

“Come on you, packing first and then we’re going out. I need a drink and a dance!” I paint on a brave face and Pippa smiles enthusiastically; she knows that I’m breaking inside, but she won’t let me see her concern, she throws an arm around my shoulder and we walk back towards the hotel.

Packing doesn’t take long. It’s probably helped along by the two bottles of wine that we bought on our way back to the hotel. Once we have rolled up all but our clothes for tonight and tomorrow and shoved everything into our cases it’s time to get ready to go out.

Pippa decides she wants music on but her iPod battery is flat, so she asks for my phone. I hadn’t thought about my phone in a few hours, the wine and packing being a welcome distraction, but now I feel panicked at the prospect of switching it back on.

If Jackson has been in touch he may be angry that I’ve ignored him, or he may have text to say he never wants to see me again. The truth is worse. He hasn’t tried to contact me at all.

After a moment I pass my phone to Pippa and I can’t stop the tears that fall, I tried so hard to not get involved and fall for him. I knew that I would get hurt, but I didn’t think that he would just cut me off like this. I don’t know how things changed so quickly.

Pippa sits down on the bed next to me and hugs me close, “I’m sorry Rosie.” there is nothing more to say.

After a few minutes the tears stop. I sit back and look at Pippa, a reassuring glance from her brings me to my senses.

“Enough of this shit Pip, put the music on. I need to shake it off!”

Pippa has a knack for cheering me up and after about an hour of dancing around the room whilst getting ready, we head out for the nearest cocktail bar. It’s the first time that Pippa has been out since Mr Germany, but she’s not fazed and heads straight for the bar.

“The thing is Pip, he is a great shag and I mean, really fucking great.” I’m fully aware that I am slurring but don’t seem to be able to stop it. “That’s a shame, I’ll miss that.”

“Oh baby, let’s be honest, after Michael it wouldn’t take much to make you come.” I am shocked but it’s true and I can’t argue so just raise my glass in agreement.

Pippa and I move on to a bar where we can dance. The music is a little cheesy but just what the doctor ordered. We dance for a while before heading to the bar.

“I’m so angry Philippa! Who does he think he is ignoring me like this? I’m going to text him!”

I take out my phone, unsure in my drunken state what to say or if I would even be able to type it, but before I can I notice one unread message.
 It’s from Jackson.

‘I’m sorry Rosie x’

I am livid and show it to Pippa with a shocked expression.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” I call above the music. “He’s fucking sorry, no explanation? What does that even mean?”
 Pippa takes my phone and threatens to call him, “No Pip, let him stew.”

I put my phone back into my bag and head back to the dance floor. I’m hurting. I don’t know why he is pushing me away all of a sudden, but I’m not giving in to him just yet.

It’s not very late but we’re already quite drunk and agree to go and get some food to try and sober up a little. We shamefully head for McDonalds and after ordering, Pippa makes her dash for the bathroom. I take out my phone and type out a text.

‘Sorry for what Jackson? Leaving me alone in your friend’s house or ignoring me all day today? I thought there was a connection between us but I guess I was wrong!’

I hit send and immediately regret it, there’s no reply and I feel stupid once again. When Pippa returns to the table she can tell that my mood has shifted.

“What’s happened?” she asks in a concerned tone.

“I text him.” Pippa tilts her head and looks at me, disappointed. “He didn’t reply.” I shrug my shoulders and she reaches across the table to hold my hand.

“Rosetta, fuck him!”

We head into a bar that is playing a mixture of eighties and nineties pop, and as Pippa goes to get us some drinks I feel a familiar vibration coming from my handbag,

‘You weren’t wrong Rosie. I’m sorry for a lot of things x’

I’ve had enough of this, it needs sorting.

“Pippa, are you ok to get back to the hotel? I have to see him.”

My tone is very matter of fact; I need to get this out of the way tonight,

“Rosie, are you sure that’s a good idea?” She is worried I can see that, but I can’t go on like this.

“Yeah, I have to. Even if it’s just to say goodbye.”

I smile at her to let her know I’m ok and she smiles back before heading out of the bar with me. We share a tuk tuk and drop her back to our hotel before I head off towards Jackson’s, unsure what I am going to say and anxious about what he might.

In the elevator ride up to the top floor I decide to just be myself. I won’t be defensive or confrontational, I’ll just go and have a drink and hopefully he’ll open up when he sees me. I walk towards his door and feel nervous to see him after the last twenty four hours. It takes me a moment to compose myself but I soon reach my hand up and knock the door. I wait for a minute or so and am just about to knock again when the door opens,

“Hi.”

I am silenced when the door is opened by a woman. The blonde woman from that first night in Presley’s I think. She is here in Jackson’s room, wearing just his shirt and I can’t speak, I just step backward in shock.

Twelve

Jackson

“Jackson, it’s for you!”

Ella calls into the suite and I walk to the door. I’m wearing nothing but some loose fitting trousers but figure room service have probably seen worse. I stop dead in my tracks when I see her, and feel the colour drain from my face

“Rosie, oh god, I’m sorry. I didn’t… I mean. Oh god!”

I scratch the back of my head and step out into the hallway.

“Ella, give us a minute please.” She obliges and closes the door of the suite, “Rosie, I…”

“No…don’t! You warned me.” She interrupts; her voice is high and fast. “I’m so stupid.” She says under her breath as she turns to leave.

“Rosie, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.” I feel sick when I see the tears in her eyes as she turns back to me to respond. “What can I say?” I’m desperate.

“Jackson, enjoy your evening.”

She walks back down the corridor towards the elevator and I wonder if I should follow. How do I manage to screw everything up? I’m going after her.

“Rosie, wait!” I call after her as she presses the button to call the elevator.

“Jackson, please don’t. You don’t do commitment, you told me that. I just thought that what we had was more than it actually was. That’s my mistake not yours. Just go back to whoever that is. I should have listened to you.”

She can’t even look at me in the eyes. I feel so lost.  I want to turn back time to yesterday and do it all so differently.

“You don’t understand Rosie, I just…”

She interrupts again, more forcefully this time. “Don’t Jackson. I have to go.”

The elevator arrives and she steps in. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I just step backwards against the wall and watch the tears fall from her eyes as the doors close. I have just lost possibly the best thing that will ever happen to me.

I feel lost, I need to get rid of Ella, and I need to explain to Rosie.

“Ella sweetheart, I’m sorry but you have to leave.” I’m embarrassed but there’s no point in beating around the bush,

“Was that your girlfriend Jackson?” She’s already put her clothes back on and is getting ready to go,

“No. Look I’m really sorry. I never should have invited you around.” She smiles and picks up her bag and walks towards the door.

“Jackson, if you used me just to mess with that girl, you’re a fucking prick. I saw the hurt in her
eyes; nobody deserves to feel like that!”

She leaves and I sink into the sofa, what have I done?

I try calling Rosie but not surprisingly her phone is off. I have to see her, I have to explain and apologise.  I’ve never been close to a woman in the way I have been to her and it’s scary, but the thought of hurting her kills me.

I’m going to see her.

I dress quickly and head down to the lobby, my moped is parked up out front and I start it up, I don’t know what I’m going to say when I see her but I set off towards her hotel.

The night receptionist welcomes me as he has every other time that I’ve been here. He doesn’t bat an eyelid as I head into the hotel and towards the elevators. My stomach is in knots and there is a pain in my throat that I’ve never felt before.

I step out of the elevator and walk down the corridor towards Rosie’s room and am shocked when the door opens before I’ve even knocked, Pippa steps out into the corridor.

“No Jackson, you need to go!” She was expecting me, and she has no intention of letting me see Rosie. “Leave!”

“Pippa please, I just want to explain.” I plead with her to let me in.

“Explain what Jackson? How you blanked her all day and then fucked someone else? Good fucking luck. I warned you James, I fucking warned you!” Pippa is pacing in front of me like she is trying to control her anger towards me. “Rosie isn’t like you and me Jackson. She is good, really fucking good. She believes in romance and love, and despite having her heart ripped out and stomped on more than once, she still hopes. You knew that and you fucked her over anyway.”

The reality of what she is saying takes my breath away and I have to lean against the wall for support.

“Pippa. I don’t know what I can even say, but I can’t just let her go. Please.” I’m leaning forward with my hands on my knees and looking up towards Pippa, who is now leaning against the opposite wall.

“That’s exactly what you will do Jackson. My best friend has just cried her heart out until she passed out from exhaustion and it’s not the first time I’ve seen her do that, I won’t see it again. So you need to leave, and you need to leave her alone. You blew it.”

She heads back into the room and closes the door and I know knocking again is pointless, she’s right. Reluctantly, I leave.

Unable to face the night ahead, I find myself at Presley’s. Steve spots me and heads over towards me as soon as I walk into the bar. He shakes his head, he knows by the look on my face what’s happened,

“Oh bloody hell mate, I warned you Jacko.” He knew I’d fuck it up. “Come on mate. Let me get you a beer.”

***

Rosie

As the speedboat to Phi Phi pulls away from the pier, there’s a sadness in me that I can’t hide. I thought I had found a connection with Jackson that I never expected to find with anyone, but now, as I leave him behind, I realise that I’m probably never going to have the kind of love that I so long for. Pippa wraps her arms around me, offering the comfort that only a best friend can, and we watch as Ao Nang fades into the distance.

“It’s alright baby girl, you’ll be ok.” Pippa is her usual caring self and it soothes me more than she knows.

As we travel towards Phi Phi the warm sea air in my face brightens my mood. I feel relieved to be an island away from Jackson after last night, and to be able to devote nine days to Pippa, with no distractions.

As we approach Phi Phi Don the speed boat driver points out long beach to us. That’s where we’re staying but we have to go to the main pier and take a long tail boat back from there.

It looks perfect. White sand, turquoise sea and a spattering of beach huts. The beach isn’t crowded and my stomach flutters at the beauty of the place and the excitement of spending time there, doing absolutely nothing.

The main pier is crowded with boats and tourists all over, the majority of people that I see look like typical gap year students, bustling around looking for the nearest bar. Our speedboat driver directs us to a long tail boat and asks the driver to take us to long beach. We thank him and climb into the boat. It’s certainly an experience as it bounces and bangs along on top of the waves.

As we approach the bay, a man standing on the shoreline takes my eye. I squint and laugh, “Jeez, I thought that was Rafe then.”

Pippa doesn’t react with much more than a smile and as we speed closer and I squint harder. “Pip seriously look, that really looks like Rafe!”

She smiles a knowing smile at me and I look once again at the man, my stomach flips over as I realise that my brother is standing on the sand waiting for me. Just when I really need him, he’s here.

“You took your bloody time!” He calls out as the boat pulls up to the beach and I can’t contain myself, I leap from the boat into my big brother’s waiting arms and sob as he spins me around on the beach, “Hey you’ll wash my sun oil off, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’ve just never been so happy to see you.” I smile and smack him on the chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh charming!” Rafe laughs and lightly pushes my shoulder. I turn to see Matthew lifting our bags and Pippa off the boat and onto the sand.

“Matthew!” Here are the tears again! I hug him tightly. I’m so pleased to see them both.

“We thought we’d surprise you Ginge, didn’t want you girls having all the fun” I notice that they already look quite tanned,

“How long have you been here?”

“Three days babe.” Rafe has come to carry my bag and starts to walk up the sand. I can’t help but wish that I had been here with them for the last three days
instead of chasing around after a man who warned me that he’d hurt me, and then did just that.

We check into our accommodation and head straight back out onto the sand. Rafe and Matthew have already claimed the prime sunbathing spot for us, and I can’t wait to
lie in the sun and do nothing, Rafe has other ideas.

“Come for a swim sis. The sea is so warm and clear it’s like a massive salty bath…with fish!”

He smiles and drags me by the hand towards the water, I am just so happy to be near him that I’ll go wherever he wants.

After about half an hour in the sea, Rafe and I head back to the beach. While the three of them get settled for tanning I decide to work on my book. It flows out of me and before I know it, a good couple of hours have passed, and I have seven chapters.

“Alright sis?” A sleepy sounding Rafe sits up next to me.

“Yeah I’m great. The book is coming along, finally.” I smile, click save and close the laptop.

“That’s great. But you seem like you’re holding something back from me Ro, what’s going on?”

Without even looking behind him, he smacks Matthew on the backside and tells him to turn over and I know I can’t hide anything from my eagle eyed brother.

I proceed to tell him everything about Jackson, the whole story from start to finish. By the end of it, I am ready for a drink but it feels good to talk to Rafe. He’s always been the voice of reason in my life, although he doesn’t look particularly reasonable right now.

“I’ll kill him!” Rafe is looking at me with a look that I’ve seen many times before, I saw it on my wedding day, and the day I told him my college boyfriend had cheated on me, and the day he found out I had lost my virginity, and more.

“Rafe, it’s not all his fault. He warned me that he wouldn’t commit.” I try to take some of the blame,

“Then he should have stayed away Rosie. You’re not a fun and run kind of girl and from the sound of it you were more than clear with him about that. I’ll kill him.”

Rafe shakes his head and I can hear the anger in his voice. Rafe is not someone that I would describe as having a temper, not these days at least! He is fiercely protective of the people close to him though, and he can be dangerous when he loses it.

Rafe was a brawler when he was younger. I guess it was a way of dealing with his confusion over being gay. He learnt to channel it by studying Muay Thai or Thai boxing as some people call it, and it taught him a lot of discipline. But it also made him a more powerful, more skilful fighter and someone not to be crossed.

“Rafael, that is enough!” I give him my serious sister look. “Jackson fucked up yes, but it doesn’t matter now. It will not put a dampener on my time here with you three, so drop it!” I feel good. I’ve gotten it all off my chest and told my brother off. “Right, I need a drink…Cocktails?” Rafe smiles and Matthew and Pippa sit up and match him.

“Hell yes!” Pippa, as usual, leads the charge towards the nearest bar. This could end up being the best nine days of my life.

***

Since we arrived on Phi Phi I feel like the tension has completely disappeared. Ao Nang was great, but I spent twelve days there and pretty much all of it was focused on Jackson James.

Here, all I have to focus on is reapplying sun cream and which cocktail to choose. Having Rafe, Matthew and Pippa here is amazing, I have laughed until its hurt more times than I can remember over the past six days and my book actually resembles a novel.

“Ginge, the time is now. Come on!” Matthew is standing over me on the beach and pulls on a t-shirt.

“Matthew, you cannot be serious, it’s sweltering!”

Matthew and I had agreed two nights ago, to climb up to the viewpoint from where you can look out over the whole island…but I was extremely drunk at the time and it’s so hot that I really don’t fancy climbing a bloody mountain right now.

“Shut it wench! Come on, on your feet!” He holds his hand out and pulls me up to standing, I pull my fisherman trousers and a vest on and we set off down the beach.

The climb is unbelievable, it’s incredibly steep and the heat is beyond belief. To top it off I have just been bitten by the biggest mosquito that I have ever seen!

We reach the top after about half an hour and Matthew was right, it is so worth it. It’s like looking at a postcard from up here and the view temporarily stuns me.

“Rosie, thank you for this, I wanted to share this with you.”

I’m taken aback. Matthew is like another brother to me but he’s not normally so sentimental. I look into his piercing, ice blue eyes and smile but, he must be able to see the confusion on my face and continues.

“It’s just that, in the time that I’ve known, you we’ve grown close. I think of you as the little sister that I never had, but after what Michael did to you, and how you’ve hurt in the time since, I feel like I let you down.”

I am stunned by his admission and tears prick my eyes. How can he possibly think that way? I adore him.

“Matthew, I love you so much I can’t even say. You have nothing to regret or apologise for. Michael fucked up big time, but you have been amazing, and the smile you put on my brother’s face makes my day every single time that I see it!”