Shock of my life
Sadie’s POV
The voice by the door sounded familiar, like someone from a half-remembered dream. But that was impossible, I thought, brushing it off as just nerves. The door clicked shut, and then he spoke again, this time more softly, almost reverently, as though he were crossing a line.
“Can I come closer?”
A shadow stretched across the dim room, and I felt my pulse quicken. I was hidden, unseen, with only a small, distant light illuminating the room in faint glimmers.
“Yes,” I whispered, barely audible.
“Sweetheart, I was here about thirty minutes ago, and I thought… I thought you might not make it.” He stepped forward, closer this time, until his fingers brushed mine. I started to speak, but he gently placed his hand over my mouth.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he murmured. “The memory of you has been the strongest thing I’ve held on to…”
My heart pounded as I realized who it might be. The realization flooded over me, and I could hardly contain the joy bursting through my words.
“Justin?” I whispered, his name slipping out.
He froze, taking his hand from my mouth, startled. I could see his surprise, his uncertainty, as he tried to place my voice.
“Do I… know you from somewhere?”
In a heartbeat, I leapt forward and wrapped my arms around him, clinging to him as though I might wake up from this dream.
“It’s me,” I cried, half-laughing, half-sobbing. “Teach me romance! You promised me you would.”
A moment passed, and then his voice, touched with wonder, said my name, “Sadie?”
“Yes,” I said, laughing through my tears. “Yes, it’s me!”
We held each other in a long embrace, an embrace that felt like everything I had ever wanted and feared, all wrapped together. We were laughing and talking over each other, trying to untangle this impossible moment. And then he pulled back, looking at me closely, a smile breaking over his face.
“Sadie… the girl from the airport, Stella?”
We both burst out laughing, collapsing onto the bed in shared disbelief.
“Yes, I’m the Stella you wanted to teach romance!” I said, breathless.
He pulled me close, voice low and serious now. “I always felt something intense when I saw you. I try not to look too long at first when you come over—I worry you’ll see how I feel.”
“I feel it too,” I confessed, feeling exposed but somehow free. “But I was scared you’d think badly of me.”
“And I thought you might tell my daughter,” he admitted with a small chuckle. “I tried to protect you—from my younger brother Eric, and even from other guys.”
“What?” I laughed, genuinely surprised. “You mean the blind date with Eric?”
He shook his head. “No, I mean the night Daisy took you to that bar. I followed you both and sent warning texts to every guy who tried talking to you.”
I sat up in shock. “You were following us? Daisy always thought I was the one turning them down! You never told her?”
He grinned and pulled me closer. “I wanted you to myself.”
A sudden surge of emotion made me press my lips to his. All my feelings poured out through that kiss, a rush of relief and longing that I couldn’t hold back. These were the lips I had dreamed about, and now I could finally feel them, his touch matching every dream and more.
Somewhere between our gasps and laughter, my gown slipped off, pooling on the floor. He lifted me onto the bed, his hands tracing a path down my shoulders. And as he moved above me, I whispered his name, feeling the heat of his skin, the rough warmth of his hold, and for the first time, I let myself fully feel it. I let myself get lost in him.
The night felt endless. Just when I thought we’d fall asleep, he’d pull me back, our breaths mingling, our laughter filling the room. In his arms, it felt like nothing else mattered. We found each other again and again, each moment more intense than the last. He was fierce yet gentle, rugged but careful, as though he feared he’d wake up and I’d be gone. I hoped the night would stretch on forever.
But as the first hints of dawn crept in, reality began to set in too. The dating app had one unbreakable rule: leave before morning. I woke up just before 5 am, feeling the weight of what we’d done. Seeing him lying next to me, the enormity of it hit me, and a small pang of guilt gnawed at my chest. He leaned over, eyes soft as he leaned in for one more kiss. I stopped him, reminding him of the rule.
One by one, we dressed in silence, sneaking out of the King’s Royal Hotel before the world was fully awake.
At home, the events of the night hit me like a wave. Daisy. What if she found out? My heart twisted at the thought, her face swimming in my mind. Guilt tugged at me, a heavy weight settling in my chest as I curled up in bed. Everything felt different, sharper, more exposed, and Justin’s promise to call this morning now felt like something I couldn’t handle.
As the phone rang, I stared at it, my mind racing. I couldn’t pick up; not after everything that had happened. Instead, I quickly typed out a message, my hands shaking.
“Justin, please, can we pretend last night never happened? Just let it go.”
I sent it, holding my breath as I waited. When he didn’t call again, I felt both a sense of relief and a hollow ache in my chest.
The hours ticked by, and at 8 am, I still hadn’t moved from bed. Guilt gnawed at me, but also something else—a feeling I couldn’t name but that lingered like a shadow in my thoughts.
Then, my phone rang again, and dread filled me. Without even looking, I assumed it was Justin.
“I told you not to call me again! Why are you still calling?”
A pause, then, “Sadie?”
It was Daisy. My heart dropped. I felt cold.
“Oh… I… I didn’t mean you,” I stammered.
“Then who did you think it was?” Her voice was cautious.
There was no answer I could give her, none that would make sense.
“Can I talk to you later, please?”
“Are you coming back on Monday or Tuesday?” she asked, sounding concerned.
“I… I don’t know yet,” I replied, ending the call quickly, unable to face the thought of seeing her.
A few minutes later, I heard a car pull up. I knew by the sound that it was my mum and her boyfriend, Ben. For a split second, I could only see Justin’s face. Shaking the image from my head, I forced a smile as my mum rushed over and hugged me.
“My precious girl,” she said, and Ben nodded his greeting. I blinked, still in a daze.
“Sadie, Ben’s been trying to say hello,” my mum said, looking at me with worry.
“Oh, sorry. I… I just need some rest,” I mumbled, pressing a hand to my forehead.
Once I was in my room, I collapsed onto the bed, closing my eyes, but the only face I saw was Justin’s. Overwhelmed, I felt torn between the thrill of last night and the gut-wrenching regret.
“Sadie,” my mum’s voice interrupted my thoughts. She sat beside me, smoothing my hair back. “Are you thinking about that picture in my room?” she asked, and I felt her worry deepen as I didn’t answer.
Taking a deep breath, she seemed to struggle with something. “Sadie, there’s something I haven’t told you.”
I looked up, surprised. “You mean about Dad?” I asked, the hope seeping into my voice.
But she shook her head. “No. It’s… about my pregnancy. I don’t know who your father is.”
The words hung in the air, a revelation I never expected. My world tipped sideways, questions swirling in my head.
“What?” I whispered, barely able to believe it. “All these years… you never told me?”
I felt a strange relief mixed with an odd sadness. So much had changed in the past twenty-four hours, leaving me with a secret too big to share and a truth too complex to understand. And I wondered, even as I tried to bury last night in my mind, if I’d ever be able to truly let it go.
“Why have you done this to me?”
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