You Can't Hurry Love

Chapter Seventeen

I could hear the sobs coming from our flat as I raced down the corridor and I rush to put the key in the lock, missing it the first time before twisting it to the right and throwing the door open. The sound of Ben's wails intensifies and I follow the direction of the noise until I find him in his room, curled up in a ball under his duvet cover.

'Oh, Ben.'

My heart aches as I lift it up and I crawl in next to him, wrapping both of my arms around his body.

We lie there together in the dark, the sound of Ben's snuffles the only thing keeping us company and as time passes, his erratic breathing and steady stream of tears begin to slow.

'I thought we were okay,' he finally speaks, his quiet voice sounding croaky and painful, as if he'd been crying for a long time. (Which he probably has.) 'We talked for hours last night and I thought we'd sorted it out, you know, but when I woke up this morning he'd gone. He left me this.'

I feel something getting pushed into my hand and when I draw back the duvet, I find a crumpled piece of paper nestled inside of it.

'You can read it.'

I open the note and the words written on the page looked rushed, Isaac's usual tidy penmanship scruffy and barely legible, as if he'd been trying to make a quick getaway and through the wet tear-stained blotches from Ben's tears, I read . . .

Ben, please forgive me. I'm sorry for how I reacted in the hotel. I'm sorry for what I said to you last night, I would never want to hurt you but most of all, I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye today. I've decided to go back to my parents for a few days. I need time to think and get my head straight. Just know that I love you and I'll be thinking of you.

Isaac x

'He hasn't left you, you idiot, he's asking for you to fight for him! Look, he's even told you where he is - "I've decided to go back to my parents" ' - I point to the note passionately and Ben finally emerges from his hiding place, showing his face for the first time and breaking my heart at the sight of the black circles around his red-rimmed eyes. 'He's asking you to prove how much he means to you so why are you still sitting in this apartment? Go and get him!'

Ben sits up straight, taking it from me with shaking hands.

'Do you really think I should?'

But as he says this his eyes were darting around the room, and I could tell he was mentally packing his bag already.

'YES!'

'But I have work tonight, and I have rehearsals for the show tomorrow morning . . .'

He seems conflicted so I place my hands on his shoulders to make him listen to me.

'Call in sick for tonight and we'll deal with tomorrow, later! Come on Ben, what are you waiting for?'

'Okay . . . I'm going to do it! Where did I put my phone?' Ben shrieks excitedly and I find it and throw it to him, grabbing the pillow as I watch him search for a number and press call, holding the phone to his ear and waiting for someone to pick up.

'Lincoln hi, it's Ben. I'm sorry to do this at short notice but I'm going to need the night off, there's been a family emergency . . . I know it's not ideal but there's nothing I can do . . . I have to go to Essex, it's important . . . I can't say right now- . . . Yeah, I know- . . . But you know that's not going to happen . . . . . . Alright, bye.'

Ben hangs up the phone with an exasperated growl and launches it across the room where it bounces off the wall and lands with a clatter on the floor and he throws himself face-down onto the bed, screaming, 'He said NO!' His voice muffled. 'The only way I can go is if I get cover, but who can I get to cover me when we're so short-staffed as it is?'