"Hurry up!" She urges, still bouncing with excitement.

I open the case and pull out the booklet within. It has a picture of the Eiffel Tower on the front, surrounded by glittering lights. I open it, my mind doing somersaults along with my heart.

I stare at the single ticket, my mouth dry and my mind blank.

"It's for the first weekend of August. Hayley's parents go to France every year, but she's coming with me this time." I wait for her to continue and watch as she taps the date on the ticket. "But for that weekend she's at her parent's cabin. They want some time with her, which is understandable, so I booked us three nights and days in Paris. I didn't book any activities because I'll have probably done a lot of random stuff by then and I wasn't sure what you'd want to do."

I choke on my next breath. "You want me to meet you in Paris?"

"It's only for a weekend. And no, my Dad didn't pay. I used the money I've been saving all year to pay for it, but don't worry. I have enough left over for my trip. I made sure."

I drop the ticket and the case on the ground and push her back onto the floor. My lips slant over hers as every good feeling I've ever felt races through me at once. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to react. All I know is this, my body, how to use it and how to show her how much I appreciate her with it.

"Do you like it? Is it silly? I'm not even sure if you have a pa.s.sport." She mutters as I kiss my way down her stomach, unfastening her jeans as I go.

"Stop talking," I order and tug her jeans down.

"You don't like it?" A sharp cry escapes her when I kiss her there, without teasing her first, without much of a warning.

I'm not going to stop, not until my jaw can't move and not until she can't move. If she still thinks I don't like it, I'll have a break and start again.

Eloise He likes it.

I pant, trying to catch my breath as Isaac collapses beside me. He must be exhausted. h.e.l.l, I'm exhausted and I didn't even do anything.

I definitely climaxed, a lot. I didn't even know my body could do that. I didn't know he could do that to my body.

I must be the luckiest female in the entire world.

Chapter Twenty Three.

Eloise The New Year started with a bang, literally. Dad nearly set our garden on fire when one of our fireworks careened off course and smashed into the tree.

It was so cool.

I uploaded it to Facebook and already it has more views than I care about.

It's just a shame Isaac wasn't present. He was the one person I wanted to spend the night with above all others.

At least I got him on Boxing Day, for the whole day and night. I just wish I didn't have to lie to my parents so much.

I've been working all through the holidays to save more money for my trip and University expenses. I have no idea how I'm going to do both, but I'll figure it out. I've been offered another job to work in a taxi firm on a Friday and a Sat.u.r.day night, but that means I'll have even less time with Isaac.

I could see he was sad when I told him I was considering it but, at the end of the day, no matter my feelings for him or his for me, I'll still have to go away in August to University and I'll still be living and breathing, just like he will here.

We won't be together and, as much as I want to spend as much time with him as possible over the next six months or so that we actually have left, I need to think about my future. So does he.

I accepted the place to Cambridge University. I go to tour it with my dad next week and I can't wait.

Isaac doesn't know yet and I don't plan on telling him for a while. There's no need.

G.o.d, I hate how much I love him.

It almost hurts.

I know he doesn't feel the same and I can't blame him or get angry at him for that. What's the point? He's good to me when it matters and he cares about me. He's risking his career for me. We're good as we are.

That said, ever since Boxing Day when I gave him his gift and said the words he has been a lot more affectionate and kind. I've seen him twice since then and we've texted a handful of times.

I can't wait for cla.s.s this morning. I just want to look at him for a while.

Unfortunately, when I do walk into cla.s.s, Isaac isn't there and the cla.s.s has been taken over by a temporary teacher, one I've never seen before.

He smiles kindly at us all and looks the other way when I pull out my phone to text Isaac asking him where he is. My fear escalates when I don't get a response and it escalates even more when Miss Hart comes into the room and asks for me directly.

Only one thing goes through my mind.

They know.

"What's going on?" I ask when she leads me from the room to a private part of the hall.

"I thought you'd want to know." She shifts on the spot, her eyes round with sadness. It's not exactly how I imagined this entire thing to begin. I thought there'd be threats and yelling. "Judith got out this morning."

Blink. "I'm sorry... what?"

"Judith. She left the house this morning and n.o.body has seen her since. It's not unusual for people in her condition to go wandering off."

My heart stops entirely. "I... I have to go and look for her."

"I'd go, but Isaac," she clears her throat and lowers her voice. "Mr Price asked me to hold down the fort here. He told me not to tell you, but I felt like with how close you all are..."

"Thank you." I suddenly have a deep respect for this woman. I shake my head to clear it. "What happened?"

"Well, Isaac got a call at six from his father. He didn't say much before he left." Before he left? "He just said his mum had wandered off and to take care of things at the school. He called me an hour ago and asked me not to tell you."

"Oh my G.o.d." I feel an insane burn in my chest, one of rage mixed with concern. Rage at the fact that... oh G.o.d... I can't even think about it. "I... have to go. Will you sign me out? I need to help look for her." I'll figure out the situation with Isaac and Miss Hart later. For now I need to look for Judith.

"Of course. You go and do what you need to do. I'm sorry you had to find out from me. I'm sure they would have called, but Isaac left his phone back at his apartment."

My heart implodes and somehow I keep my face pa.s.sive. "I'll call Mr Price Senior."

"Will you call? When you know anything?" She asks softly, her hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, no doubt," I a.s.sure her, still dazed and suddenly feeling the urge to vomit.

Isaac I sit in my parent's house feeling useless as Susanna and my father search the town for my mum. I have to keep reminding myself that she couldn't have gotten far.

I should be searching with them, but Susanna has the medication to sedate my mother if she becomes distressed and someone needs to be here in case mum comes back on her own. It's lunch time and I don't have a clue what to do. I pace back and forth, lost without my phone but too scared to leave the house to fetch it, just in case my mum returns while I'm gone.

Eloise... I can't think about her right now. When she finds out, she's going to kill me.

The door opens only twenty minutes later.

"I just wanted lemonade. That's all I wanted." The sound of my mother's voice has me jumping from my seat. "I just wanted lemonade!"

"We're home; she's fine." Eloise speaks into her phone, which is pressed tightly to her ear. She leads my mother into the dining room, her eyes on my mum, never once coming to me. "She'll probably need a bath."

"Can you get me some lemonade? I'd love some lemonade." My mother rambles and I race to fetch her a gla.s.s. "You're such a pretty girl. What's your name?"

"Eloise," Elle responds softly as I bring the gla.s.s back through.

Elle helps my mother out of her coat, dropping it on the floor. "Go and run the bath ready. Your dad will be back with Susanna soon." She orders and I don't hesitate to do what she says.

"You have lovely hair," is the last thing I hear before the bath starts filling.

As expected, my dad and Susanna arrive moments later, quickly give my mother her medication and then help her into the bath to wash the dirt and grime from her skin. Eloise piles the clothing into the washing machine with laundry from the pile in the bedroom.

She still hasn't spoken to me. She must be in shock.

"Where was she?" I ask softly while she drinks a full gla.s.s of water.

"Behind the old newspaper building, looking for lemonade."

"How the h.e.l.l did you find her?"

"Pure luck." She washes her hands and pushes past me. "I'll see you later, Mr Price. I have to get back to school."

"Wait, Elle!" My father calls, but Elle has already gone and is out of the door before he can leave the bathroom. "Where'd she go?"

"She looked upset. I think seeing Mum like that really shook her up." I lower my voice so Mum doesn't hear. "She didn't remember Elle at all."

Eloise I bite down on my tongue hard as I stride down the street, needing to put as much distance between myself and that man as possible. Judith is back safe and I can't stand seeing her like that.

"Elle, wait!" Isaac calls and I finally register the sound of his footsteps following me.

"Not now."

"Elle... what's wrong?"

I spin to face him, shocked at his question. I stare at him in disbelief. "You asked me how I found her, but not how I knew."

He looks confused for a moment before it registers. "Katherine."

Somebody just took a sledge hammer to my heart, crushing it into smithereens. I can't breathe. "So it's true?"

"Wait..." He grips my arm, looking around for any sign of eavesdroppers. I don't even care right now. "Elle."

"Did she stay with you last night?"

"It's not what you..."

Crack.

My hand connects with his face as stinging tears burn trails down my cheeks. "Stay the f.u.c.k away from me."

"Elle, please."

I rub my aching stomach and clench my jaw in an effort to stop the vomit from rising in my throat.

I turn and run, needing to feel the burn of my thighs and lungs, needing to get away from him...needing beyond all else to kill her. I hate her.

I can't get the thought of the two of them out of my mind. I feel sick, so f.u.c.king sick.

"What are you doing?" He yells, grabbing me and dragging me between two houses. "Stop and listen to me."

"I don't want to look at you, let alone listen to you," I cry, slamming my hands against his chest. "How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't do anything! Let me explain!" He drags me further down the alley, scared that someone will see or hear us. His hand clamps over my mouth. "She showed up at my door last night. She'd had a few drinks." My stomach roils. "I tried to get her to leave. She was all over the place." I'm going to vomit. "I offered her a gla.s.s of water and sat her down." His eyes burn holes in my skull and his hand tightens on my mouth when I try to talk. "That was all. She fell asleep; it was late. I couldn't get her to move, so I left her there. I swear. She was still there when I woke up this morning."

He finally releases my mouth and until now I didn't realise he was almost suffocating me. I gulp in a few breaths of air. "So why did you tell her not to tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you! That and I didn't want you finding that out from her, but I didn't have a chance to call because I left my phone at mine." He releases me completely and leans on the wall opposite. "But she did tell you..." His eyes widen slightly and he curses under his breath. "She knows."

"Why should I believe you?"

"She went out of her way to tell you?"

I shrug. "She seemed genuinely concerned."

"No, I mean did she go into detail about her staying at mine."

I think back to my conversation with Miss Hart in the hall and nod. "Sort of. It was cleverly said."

"She knows... maybe not everything, but she knows something."

"Did you f.u.c.k her?"

He lurches back, his face twisting in disgust. "No, Elle! Do you genuinely think that little of me? If I wanted to f.u.c.k other people I wouldn't be doing this with you!"

My heart believes him without a doubt, but my head is screaming at me to stop being a stupid b.i.t.c.h and get out of there before I get hurt even worse.