Poppet2002: Sorry it took so long. Thank you for your review.
Guest: Thank you! More to come.
Guest: I haven't. I just wasn't sure what to write next and had some personal things going on on this account. Thank you for your review.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alicia gasped and sat bolt upright in bed. She held a hand to her chest and tried her best to control her breathing, as beads of sweat rolled down her face. She gulped and glanced around the empty bedroom, noticing the empty glass that sat on her bedside table. She desperately needed a drink, but the thought of going downstairs terrified her. What if there was someone in the kitchen? What if he'd escaped from prison? What if Lily had been taken?
Finally building up the courage, she slowly left the room and headed down the stairs barefoot. Lily was fast asleep on the sofa. It was nice of her to stay the night, so that Alicia wasn't on her own. She made her way into the kitchen and grabbed another glass from the cupboard, turning on the tap and waiting until the water was ice-cold.
"Hi."
"Shit!" Alicia cursed under her breath, as the glass slipped from her fingers and landed with a smash on the hard floor.
"Sorry," Lily apologised and walked over to her. "Move aside. I'll clean it up."
"No, I've got it," Alicia whispered. "It was my fault."
"I shouldn't have made you jump," Lily said. "Can't sleep?"
"Not really," Alicia answered, and watched as Lily crouched down to pick up the glass. "You?"
"Same," she said. "I'm really proud of you, you know? You did well."
"Did I?" Alicia asked nervously. "I don't feel like I did."
"He's in prison, isn't he?" Lily stated. "You were brilliant, and you don't have to worry about him anymore. You sent him to prison Alicia, not anyone else, not...Not me. You did so much better than I did. You should be proud."
Lily stood up and placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder. Alicia gave her a small smile and wrapped her arms around her waist, small tears rolling down her cheeks.
"It doesn't seem as if either of us are going to sleep tonight," Lily said. "Why don't we put a film on? You don't have work tomorrow."
"But you do," Alicia stated.
"I don't care." Lily shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, I'm sure Mrs Beauchamp would understand if I took the day off as well."
"I never thought that you'd skip work," Alicia laughed. "Thank you. I thought that this feeling would go away after court, but...I guess not."
"It will never go away, Alicia," Lily said. "But it will get better. I promise. Go and make yourself comfortable on the sofa, and I'll finish off in here."
"I um...I just needed some water," Alicia told her.
"I'll bring it for you," Lily said. "Along with some popcorn."
"I'm glad you agreed to go for lunch with me," Ethan said, as the two of them walked through the doors of the local Italian restaurant. "I know that it's not really anything special, but I hope you like it anyway."
"It's a nice place, Ethan," Alicia whispered. "I don't care that it's not posh or expensive. I just wanted to see you."
Ethan smiled nervously, as the waiter came over to show them to their table. Alicia took a deep breath and sensing her anxiety, Ethan gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She flinched and tensed up, but she didn't remove her hand.
"Are you okay?" He asked her, once they were sat down.
"Fine." She nodded faintly. "Thank you."
"So, um...I heard that Lily stayed with you last night," he stuttered. "How was that?"
"Neither of us could really sleep," she said. "So, we watched a film instead. Bridesmaids? Have you...Have you seen it?" Ethan shook his head and fiddled with his glasses. "It's good," she said. "She wanted to take the day off today, but I told her not to. I was okay, just caught up on my sleep. Sorry, I'm rambling."
"No, it's fine," he said. "It's nice to hear you talking so much."
Once they'd ordered their drinks, they began to scan over their menus.
"What do you fancy?" He asked.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I'm a bit tight for money this month, so nothing too pricey. That's what I get though for taking so many days off."
"Well, that's not your fault," he said. "Besides, this is my treat."
"Are you sure?" Alicia questioned him.
"Absolutely," he said. "Have whatever you want. I was thinking of treating myself to a steak, I haven't had steak in ages."
"That does sound good," Alicia said. "I don't know, my appetite's been a bit hit and miss lately, but I do enjoy a good spaghetti bolognaise."
"It's meant to be nice here," Ethan said. "It is a proper Italian restaurant though, so it's bound to be."
Alicia nodded and her chest tightened, as she spoke, "You can ask me, you know?"
Ethan lifted his head from his menu and frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You want to ask me how I'm doing," she said. "I can tell. I'm doing okay, I guess. Still struggling from lack of sleep, still have my low days, but I'm doing better."
"I'm glad to hear that," he sighed. "Lily said that you did really well in court. You should be proud of yourself."
"That's what she told me," Alicia said. "I'm trying. It's going to take some time but eventually and hopefully, I will get there."
"You will," he said. "I believe in you."
Sorry that it was such a short chapter, but I hope you liked it. I really want to finish this story. I'll try to update soon.
What do you guys think of Alicia's storyline? It's heartbreaking but Chelsea is amazing!
Also, I wanted your thoughts. I have made a new account to post new stories on, so should I use that? Or should I continue to post on this account? Also, I wasn't sure whether to continue writing for Lily or not. I absolutely love her, but I do like Alicia as well. What do you think? x