Never Get to Heaven • cl16

004. STRANGER

A few hours later, I felt Joanna gently shaking me awake. I rubbed my eyes, feeling disoriented, as I realised I was back in bed, tucked under the covers in clean pyjamas.

"What—" I croaked, confused.

"Shh... My little bee, it's okay. I was just checking on you," Jo whispered gently, stroking my hair.

Suddenly, the events of this morning flooded back to me, and I widened my eyes at Jo.

"Fuck, Jo! I am so sorry!" I jolted up in bed.

"No. Don't say that, Bea. You did nothing wrong. It was Adam," Jo reassured me, squeezing my hand gently. "We don't need to talk about anything right now, but I've decided to stay with you in Monaco for a little while."

I shook my head. "You can't, Joanna! What about Lyon? Your life, your job?"

"I've sorted everything already, so don't worry. I had brought my work laptop to Monaco anyway, and my boss said it was okay. Don't try to convince me otherwise, Bea. I've made up my mind. I am staying," Jo said, smiling and cupping my face. "I can't leave my best friend like this."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Thank you, Joanna. You don't know how much this means to me."

Jo crawled into bed next to me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I love you so much, my little bee," Jo whispered.

We stayed like that for a while as I calmed down. I wasn't ready to tell Jo everything yet and was grateful she didn't pressure me.

"Is it okay if I go for a walk?" I looked up at Jo.

"Are you sure, Bea? What if you run into him?" Jo asked, concerned.

"I just really need to clear my head; I have somewhere in mind that I know he has never been to before," I thought about the hill I sat on where I had called Joanna before her visit.

"...okay, but give me a little text so I know you're okay, yeah?" Jo said tentatively.

I gave her a small smile and nodded. "Of course, Jo."

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I took out my phone to take a picture of my view from the top of the hill and sent it to Jo.

Bea:
Safe and sound! I'll text you when I am on my way back :)

Jo:
Perfect! It looks gorgeous there, you need to take me!

As I sat on the bench, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by everything that had happened. Adam's outburst replayed in my mind, and my stomach dropped. "We aren't fucking done here, you'll see me soon," his words echoed in my head.

I loved Adam with all my heart, but this wasn't him. He had never been violent with me before. I wondered what had changed in our relationship. Why couldn't it be the same as it was in the beginning? We were so happy and in love. Was it me? I lowered my head and forced myself not to cry. I had already done enough of that today.

As the sun set around me, I watched the clouds change into different hues of oranges and pinks. I sighed, wishing I could rewind time. Maybe I should've just listened to Adam and followed his rules, and none of this would've happened.

Lost in my thoughts, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I jolted onto my feet, my heart racing.

"Fuck! Sorry! I need to stop doing that!" a voice cursed. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.

I looked up and furrowed my brow. "Who are you?" I questioned.

"I—uh, sorry... We met last night, I think. I'm Charles. Beatrice, right?" The man said with a cringed look on his face.