Paradise Found

“You want a drink or something?” I ask as I head to our kitchen.

“Elle,” Lauren calls out my name. “What is going on? My anxiety is through the roof after today,” she calls out from the couch.

I grab myself a water, head back into the living room, and take a seat beside her on the couch. Her eyes are wide with questions as she stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“You’re never going to believe who the guest is?” I say.

“Don’t tell me he’s some hot rock star? Movie star? Billionaire? Sheik? Royal?” Lauren asks, peppering me with suggestions.

“Alistair King.”

Lauren’s jaw falls open as I tell her, and silence fills the villa. “No …fuckingway. How the hell? I don’t understand. Of all the people, it’s him? Hang on, you didn’t come back screaming and crying …” She looks me over. “Actually, you look like you’ve been fucked sideways, Eloise?”

“So much has happened.”

“I’m listening,” she says, folding her arms across her ample chest.

“At first, I was shocked, angry, even vengeful.” Lauren nods. “Then I overheard a phone call from his mum.” Lauren moves forward, ready to hear what I have to say. “His ex is marrying his brother. That’s who his ex cheated on him with.”

Lauren blinks rapidly as she takes in the news. “No fucking way!”

“And he knocked her up too,” I add.

Lauren shakes her head, her eyes wide with disbelief. “He was dealing with all of that at the same time as dealing with my drama. I felt like such a bitch.”

“You didn’t know, Elle. That’s a lot,” Lauren adds.

“I explained the reason why I left to him. About how someone told me they had fun with him back in London. He assured me it wasn’t him. He even showed me his calendar from that day, and he was in a meeting on the other side of town. Why would he keep that in his calendar all these months if it wasn’t true?”

“I agree. But there’s only one Mr. King in the system in London,” Lauren adds.

“At that time. Were we wrong?” I ask her.

Lauren shrugs her shoulders as a frown falls over her face. “Maybe we need to check again. Was it an admin error? Like it’s weird, Elle.”

“I know, but I believe him, Loz. I really do.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” she says, giving me a small smile.

“I should have spoken to him when it happened. Would have saved me a ton of heartache.”

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But you were leaving anyway,” she adds.

“I know but—” I stop myself because the words were about to tumble out of my mouth, and I don’t know if now is the time to be having this conversation with Lauren about my future.

“But what?” Lauren asks.

I sit there in silence, unable to work out how to tell her I’m unhappy here.

“Elle, you’re worrying me. What’s going on?” Lauren asks again, her voice rising with fear.

Emotions begin to well in my eyes as I confess my true feelings to her, “I’m not happy here, Loz.”

“You’re not? Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks, seemingly confused.

“Because you are.” Tears stream down my face at my confession.

“Oh, babe,” she says, shuffling over to me and pulling me into a hug. “I would have understood. Of course, I’m having fun here, it’s Paradise, but I can take it or leave it,” she tells me.