Keep It Secret: Time Starts Now (Part Book 1) Page 16

  “Yes?”

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Sure I’m fine. Just a little sad,” I reply and shrug my shoulder.

  Ali takes me in for a hug.

  “I know exactly how you feel darling. Don’t worry it’ll get better. I promise,” Ali replies and I hope she is right.

  After we land and are driven back to Ali's house I directly put my suitcase into my car.

  “Are you going to drive home immediately?”

  “Yes. I just want to get back as soon as possible. I have this meeting because of the hotel.”

  “Oh yes of course. Let me know if you need any help.”

  I sit in my car and drive off. Ali and I have separated our businesses because it is easier to handle it that way. Whilst I am taking care of the hotel, she is taking care of the fashion business. It works best that way and we are always both in the loop of both. I am really tired and glad that I have nearly reached my destination. I see the sign of my hometown and know I’ll be back home in half an hour.

  I drive straight to my mum’s house, to pick up my dog. She isn’t home when I go inside and I’m kind of glad. I can’t wait to tell her all about London and Ryan but at the same time, I am so tired right now, that I just want to go home and cuddle with Prince. Prince is so happy to see me and I am too. I put him in the car and finally drive to my home. As soon as I open the door I sit down on the sofa. I don’t even think about unpacking my bags. I am exhausted. Prince joins me on the sofa and I play and cuddle with him.

  My phone rings. I really don’t want to answer it. I’m so tired just leave me alone I think to myself, as I grab my phone to see who is calling. There is no way I am going to answer the phone whoever it may be. Then I see Ryan's name on the screen and immediately change my mind and answer the phone.

  “Hey, did you arrive home safely?”

  “Hi. Yes, I did. I just got back half an hour ago.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. You sound tired.”

  “I am. After the flight and then driving for nearly three hours I must admit I am kind of tired.”

  “How about you? I thought you were also leaving London today?”

  “Yes, I am. I am taking a flight overnight back to Toronto.”

  “Oh I see.”

  “So Poppy listen, I have been wondering if you would like to join me on my one week break in LA? I can talk to Henry if he would be free to come and then him, Ali and you could all join me there. That way you wouldn’t have to fly out all that way on your own. Would you be up for that?” Ryan asks me and I am over the moon.

  “YES! Omg, absolutely. Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious! We could go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter together.”

  “I would love that!”

  “Okay, so don’t tell Ali yet, please. I have to ask Henry first. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. I won’t say a word.” I promise him.

  We keep on talking until Ryan has to leave for the airport. I sit back on my sofa and can’t believe what just happened. I am full of joy right now and can’t wait to go to LA and see Ryan again.

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  Chapter 26

  Alison

  I can’t believe it’s already Monday when I hear my alarm go off at five am. I force myself out of bed, wishing I could just stay there and sleep a little bit longer. There is no chance though. My trainer is already on his way over to have our daily morning workout. I hate working out and if I hadn’t hired a personal trainer, I know I would never do it. I know it’s important for my wellbeing though, so although I hate it I still force myself to do it or actually my trainer forces me to do it. I put on my workout clothes and then sit down on the floor to meditate for ten minutes. First the mind then the body, that means I have a happy soul for the rest of the day.

  My doorbell rings and I know it’s Ricci my trainer.

  “Good morning dear. Are you ready?”

  He is annoyingly energetic every single morning.

  “No. Does that make any difference though?”

  “Absolutely not. Get your ass out here and let’s go running,” He commands.

  “Running? Seriously? You know I hate running,” I complain already.

  “You hate training in general but enough with the whining. Let’s go.”

  So we start running. After twenty minutes we arrived at a little meadow.

  “Can you feel it burn yet?”

  “I already felt it after the first five minutes!” I say completely out of breath.

  “Well get down we are going to do some exercises now,” Ricci tells me and I get on the floor of course not without complaining again.

  “We are just starting the exercise now? Then what was what we did earlier?”

  “You mean that little bit of a run? That was just a little warm-up.”

  “Lucky me,” I mumble and start doing the exercises he tells me to.

  When I arrive back at my house again, I am exhausted but also feel very good and energized. Working out really is good even though I hate it. I rush upstairs and jump under the shower to get ready for the day.

  When I get out of the shower I walk downstairs in the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. I take my tea, walk back upstairs into my makeup room and start applying my makeup whilst drinking my tea. It’s the same routine every single morning but I like routines. I think about what my schedule for the day is. I have a conference call with the tailoring company in London and have to work on a few new designs. Also, I have to work on our social media pages. Oh, I nearly forgot that I have a couple of interviews scheduled over lunch because I am looking for an assistant. It’s going to be a busy day. When I am about to do my hair and get dressed my phone rings. It’s a text from a dear friend of mine who lives in the neighbourhood.

  “Are you still ok for a cup of coffee this afternoon?” the text says.

  Oh no, I had forgotten about that, but luckily I have nothing planned this afternoon that I can’t change around.

  “Absolutely. I’ll come over to your place at about four pm?” I text back.

  “Perfect. See you later.”

  The conference call went really well. It’s already lunchtime, working on new designs, the time just flew by. I set up my table with some water for the interviews when the doorbell rings. It must be the first candidate for the assistant job. I walk to the door and open it.

  “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Alison,” I say and stretch out my hand to greet him.

  “Hello, thanks for inviting me. I’m James,” The young man replies and shakes my hand.

  “Please come on in,” I say and lead him to the dining table.

  “Take a seat, James. Would you like something to drink? Water, coffee or something else?”

  “Water would be lovely thank you.”

  “So tell me something about yourself, James. Why would you like to work as my assistant and what do you think would be your job?”

  “Well, I lived in England my entire life and wanted to do something new. So I packed my bags and moved to Germany four months ago. I enjoy living here and started to learn about the culture and the language of course. I like working in an irregular environment. I’m not the typical nine to five-person. I don’t mind working long hours and I love travelling. When I saw that you are looking for an assistant I thought this must be fate. This is the perfect job for me!”

  “That’s nice to hear. So yes some days you would have to work long hours. We would be travelling to London quite a bit and sometimes other places as well, so it’s good that you are up for that. I would need you to be on call 24/7 regularly but of course, you will have days off and holidays where you won’t have to worry about me or work. Does this sound interesting to you?” I ask him knowing that it is a tough job and a lot to ask for.

  “Yes absolutely!”

  We then talk about the average things he would have to do and of course how much he will get paid.

  “Okay Jame
s, if you don’t have any more questions I’d say that would be it and I will call you tonight and let you know about my decision,” I tell James as we stand up and I walk him to the door.

  We say goodbye and he leaves. I have a good feeling with him. I don’t know what it is, it’s just a gut feeling and I always listen to my guts. There are two more candidates I have to interview before I can make my decision though. So off into the next round.

  When the last candidate is gone I’m relieved. They were all very nice. Two boys and a sweet girl. But James is the one who stood out. I go over everything I’ve written down before and it backs up the decision I’ve already made in my head. I’m going to hire James.

  I rush out the door to go and visit my friend for coffee. I hope I’ll make it on time. The interviews took a little longer than I thought they would. I close the gate behind me and start walking off. I realise a car and two men sitting in it. I wonder what they are doing sitting in the car, but maybe they are just picking someone up and are waiting in the car for the person to come down. They keep staring at me and it gives me a weird feeling. Then one of the men starts pointing towards me and talks to the other man in the car. I feel really weird now, then when I am almost at the level of the car I see that one of them is holding something in front of his face. Are those binoculars? No. It’s a camera. I start walking faster. I nearly run past the car and can only think of making it to my friend’s house as fast as possible. When I arrive at her house completely out of breath, my friend looks at me with concern.

  “Are you okay? Did you run here?”

  “I did walk here as fast as I could, yes. Something really strange just happened,” I reply whilst catching my breath.

  “Oh, Jesus. What happened?” she asks me even more concerned.

  “When I left my house I saw a car standing on the side of the road close to my house with two men sitting in it. Then they pointed at me and started talking. Obviously, I couldn’t hear what they were talking about. When I walked past the car I realised that one was holding a camera. I don’t know, but I think they were taking pictures of me,” I reply confused about the situation.

  “That’s strange, do you think it would have to do something with Henry?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I was wrong and I am just being overdramatic but if they really did take pictures of me, then that is the only explanation for it. How would they know who I am and where I live, though? This doesn’t make any sense!”

  “Just relax. Wait and see. I wouldn’t jump into conclusions just yet,” My friend tells me to calm my nerves and it works.

  We enjoy our coffee and catch up with each other. Then it is time for me to leave again and go back home.

  I walk out of her door and start walking home. I hope the car that had these two weird men in it earlier is gone by now. I enter into my street and stop for a moment. The car is still there. For a moment I don’t know what to do. Should I walk back to my friend’s house or just keep going, as I am nearly at my house. I decide to keep on walking back to my house. When I reach the car I can see the two men are still sitting in the car. This can’t be a coincidence. No one sits in a car for two hours. I hear the car doors open behind me and am terrified. Thank god I have my phone in my hand, in case anything happens, I’ll immediately call my friend.

  “Alison!” I hear one of the men call my name, but I don’t turn around I just start walking even faster.

  “Alison Thomson!”

  “Alison wait!”

  I finally turn around. Immediately both of the men start taking pictures of me.

  “Alison, are you and Henry Green still dating?”

  “Is it true that you are pregnant with his child?”

  How on earth did they find out about us? How do they know who I am and where I live? I don’t say a word and I am almost at my gate. The men are coming close now.

  “Alison give us a statement. When will you see Henry again? Are you going to get married?”

  I turn around and look at them in shock.

  “Who?” I ask.

  “Henry Green we know you two are dating!”

  “Sorry. You must have the wrong girl. I don’t even know who you are talking about.”

  I put my key into my gate door and try to open it. One of the men pulls me by my arm and swings me around to get a better picture of me.

  “Come on Alison we know it’s you!”

  I pull my arm away from him.

  “Don’t you dare touch me ever again and I am pretty sure it’s illegal that you are taking pictures of me. I am not a public figure and I am not who you think I am!” Is all I say before I push open my gate and slam it behind me.

  I run up the stairs and into my house. I close the door behind me and all of a sudden all that just happened kicks in. I lean my back against the door and sink down to the floor. When I reach the floor I start crying. My whole body is shaking. What the hell did just happen? I think it’s done now. I have just lost my normal life. I will never be able to leave my house again.

  After I have calmed down a little and I am able to speak again I pull out my phone and dial Henry’s number.

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  Chapter 27

  Henry

  I am just heading out. I have been in the studio the entire day recording my album. Jeff organized an amazing band. We’ve already got a lot done. I can’t wait to drive home and call Ali to tell her about my amazing day. Just as I am about to get in my car, my phone rings. It’s Ali. She must have sensed my thoughts and that I was going to call her in a few minutes.

  “Hello, my Love” I cheerfully answer the phone.

  “Hey” is all Ali replies with a sound of a cracked voice.

  It sounds as if she has been crying or is about to.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  “Are you home?”

  “No, not yet. I am in the car about to drive home, so I should be home in a few minutes. Why?”

  “Can you just call me back when you are home?”

  She sounds devastated.

  “Of course I can, love. I was going to anyway, but please first tell me if you are okay. I’m really worried.”

  “I’m okay. Don’t worry. I’ll explain it to you later.”

  “Okay love. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

  I don’t believe that she is fine. Not for one second. I start my car and drive home as fast as I can. I am so worried and keep making up stories in my head what could have happened. It’s no use, I just have to wait and see. I hope it’s nothing bad. I pull up my driveway, run inside the house and immediately call Ali back.

  “Hey, babe. That was fast!” Ali answers the phone.

  “I drove home as fast as I could. I’m really concerned. I know you said you were fine but you don’t sound like you are fine.”

  “Something happened earlier,”

  “What? What happened? Did you get hurt?” I start rambling off.

  “Calm down baby. I didn’t get hurt. Just relax and listen okay?”

  “Okay Love sorry. Go on tell me all about what happened,” I reply and decide to shut up and listen.

  “So this afternoon I went to my friend’s house to have coffee. You know my friend who lives in the neighbourhood. I walked out of my gate and there was a car with two men in it staring at me. When I walked past them I realised that one of them had a camera. I thought it was strange but that was all. However, on my way back home, the men and the car were still there. This time as I walked passed them, they got out of the car and followed me. They kept calling my name and taking photos of me. They asked me when I will see you again and if it’s true that we are dating. I decided to just look down and not speak to them. As I was about to open my gate one of the men grabbed me and pulled me around forcefully to take a photo and to get an answer. I was able to pull away from him and rush inside. I was terrified though. They were so aggressive. What I am trying to say is that it’s out. They know and I just
can’t cope with that. Not yet. I am just not ready for it and I don’t know what to do!” Ali tells me and starts crying.

  I was barely able to let her finish the story she just told me. How dare they invade her privacy like that. She is not a public figure. I made that choice for me, she didn’t make that choice. Knowing that one of them touched her is killing me inside. My heart sinks into my stomach and I can barely come up with any words.

  “He touched you?” is all I manage to say.

  “Well yeah, he grabbed my arm to turn me around but nothing more.”

  “Nothing more? I’d say that is way too much already. How dare they! Are you hurt?” I want to know feeling the rage building up inside me.

  “Henry! I’m not hurt. They didn’t hit me or anything like that. I’m fine just a little shaken up but physically I am totally fine Baby!” Ali tells me and it does help to calm me down.

  “I’m so sorry that this happened to you due to me.”

  “Why are YOU apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong. This wasn’t your fault!”

  “I am the one who put you in this situation. So yes this is my fault!”

  “Again Henry. I knew who you were when I decided to start a relationship with you. In that case, it is also my own fault and don’t even try to talk me out of it. If you think this is your fault then it is also one hundred per cent my fault. My opinion is that it’s the paparazzi's’ fault though.”

  God this girl is as stubborn as me so I know there is no point in arguing about it because she will never change her mind about it. All I can do now is to make this go away. I will do anything to keep Ali’s life private for as long as she wants it to be.

  “I’ll make this go away Love, I promise you!”

  “How? How can you possibly manage that?”

  “Don’t you worry about it, just know that I will! Jeff is going to be here any minute now and I am sure he will help me with this. I’ll call you tonight as soon as Jeff has gone,” I tell Ali, hating that I have to end the phone call already.