Stuck with You: the perfect feel-good romantic comedy!

Hey, hope you got home okay last night and have recovered from our ordeal? Dan

Without allowing myself to think too deeply about it, I sent a quick text back: Hi, yes, all fine. Thanks for everything, Elena x

Oh shit! Had I just put a kiss at the end of the text? It was just a habit; I always signed off texts that way. I put my phone down before I could stress, but another text came through almost immediately.

Good. Maybe we should set a date for next year to mark our one-year anniversary of getting stuck together? Same time, same place :)

I stared at it for a moment. It was quite surreal to be getting texts from Daniel when I was packing up the remnants of my life with Alex.

I wrote back: You’re on! See you next year.

I had more messages from Rachel, but instead of texting her, I dialled her number and waited for her to answer.

‘Elena? I tried to phone you at work. Are you all right?’

‘I’m not there at the moment. I’m back at the flat. Packing up my stuff.’

‘Packing? Why?’

I picked up a book and looked at its spine. ‘Alex is seeing someone else. He told me this morning.’

‘What? Oh no! Elena, that’s crazy! Do you need help? I can come now. We’re not busy and Bobbi can hold the fort.’

I was about to say no when I realised that, actually, I really did need some help. She arrived a quarter of an hour later, just as I was lugging my suitcase to my car. She skidded to a halt and came running over to me, enveloping me in a hug.

‘Are you all right? Oh, honey! This is awful.’

I shrugged. I still felt unnaturally hollow and sore inside and everything had taken on a surreal quality. The sky, the trees, the birds; everything felt too vivid, like I was in some high-definition film, acting out somebody else’s life. Even if I hadn’t been completely happy with Alex over the past few months, there was comfort in the boredom and I’d felt secure in my daily routine. This was like having my whole life torn up and thrown into the air; where and how the pieces would settle was anybody’s guess. I had to be brave though. ‘I knew there was something wrong, didn’t I? I said yesterday that it wasn’t right.’

‘I know, but this…’ Rachel indicated my suitcase with a look of dismay.

‘I have to admit, I didn’t expect this to happen. Or for him to have found another woman. And, you know, the thing is, he just blurted it out. He could have said he was at a friend’s house or anything and I’d have believed him.’ Fishing my key from my pocket, I clicked the button and the car flashed to say it was open. The case rumbled behind me as I dragged it over. ‘It’s for the best though. It wasn’t right and I could have wasted more time just thinking about leaving and being too scared to walk away. He’s made it easy for me to leave. I know that sounds cowardly.’ I shrugged and heaved my case into the boot of the car. It filled it. ‘I tell you what though; I never realised I had so much stuff. Or that my car was so small.’

‘Well, I’m here now.’ We looked at Rachel’s smart car and laughed. ‘Are we going to shred his suits?’ she asked as we made our way back up to the flat. ‘Or cut holes in his pants?’

‘No, nothing like that. I’m just going to leave.’

‘Really? You’re going to let him get away with this without a fight?’

‘What would I be fighting for? There’s no point making out like I’m heartbroken when I knew it wasn’t working. I was talking about ending it yesterday, wasn’t I? He’s been so grumpy and uncommunicative lately. Plus we barely see each other. We’re either at work or out, separately.’ I made my way slowly up the first flight of stairs.

‘Yes, but he’s seeing someone else. How long has he been seeing her? She’ll be the reason he’s been so grumpy and uncommunicative lately. That makes him a rat.’

I shrugged, sadly. ‘Maybe he went off with her because things weren’t right with me. I mean, we were never the most passionate couple. Even when we first got together, he was never particularly affectionate or even that interested in having sex.’

‘Really?’ Rachel screwed up her face in disbelief as I unlocked the door to the flat. ‘What do you mean, not interested in sex?’

‘Well, we did it, obviously,’ I said, looking at the pile of stuff I still had to take down to the cars. Just the sight of them exhausted me. ‘But not as much as some people when they first get together. He was always tired from work.’

‘Work? He only works in a bank, Elena. It’s hardly physically demanding.’

‘I know. I just thought he had a low sex drive, that’s all.’ I bent to pick up a bin bag.

‘And did it not occur to you to mind?’

‘Not really. I just liked being with him. Maybe I always liked him more than he liked me.’

Rachel grunted and picked up a box of books. ‘He must have liked you to let you move in with him. How did that happen, by the way? I can’t remember it even being a big thing?’

‘No, it wasn’t. It happened gradually. I spent so much time here, and left so much of my stuff here, that eventually I just started living here.’ I carried my bag to the door and opened it. ‘I suppose it’s a bit weird now, looking back, but it felt right at the time. And it was nice to be out of my parents’ house. It’s going to be weird moving back in with them.’ I gave a little shudder. ‘Like going back in time or something.’

‘Are your parents okay with you moving back in?’

I stopped walking and stared blankly at the wall opposite. ‘I haven’t had chance to ring them yet, to be honest with you. They don’t know about any of this. I’m sure they’ll be fine though. My room’s still there waiting for me.’

Rachel laughed. ‘Wow, that really will be like stepping back in time. Well then, let’s get this stuff into the cars, shall we?’

***

‘Hello, love!’ My mum looked astonished to see me standing on her doorstep, holding a bin bag and a lamp. She pushed her hand through her short dark hair and peered at Rachel, who was standing behind me holding a yucca.

‘Hi, Mum!’ I said, as cheerfully as possible. ‘Is it all right if I come and stay for a while?’

‘Of course it is!’ She leaned forward and kissed me before taking the lamp from my arms. ‘But why? Are you having your flat decorated?’

Wrinkling my nose, I shook my head. ‘Alex and I split up.’

Mum’s mouth fell open. She looked appalled. ‘Really? I had no idea you were having difficulties. Come in, come in. You may as well take everything straight up to your room. Lord knows, there’s enough clutter downstairs without you adding to it. Have you got much?’

‘Loads,’ I said, grimly, starting up the stairs after her. ‘Where’s Dad?’ I dragged the bag into my old bedroom and looked around. Everything was still the same as it had always been. The bed was made up with my old pink-check duvet. Even my ‘lunar eclipse over Stonehenge’ poster was still on the wall.

Rachel looked around in amazement. ‘This place is like a time capsule,’ she whispered.

Mum placed the lamp reverently on the bedside table. ‘Your dad’s outside in the garden. Shall I call him to help?’

I peeped out of the window to see him on his knees, weeding his borders. He looked completely immersed in what he was doing.

‘No, we’ll manage. He’s happy out there.’

‘He’ll be happier to see you. And you, Rachel.’ She turned and smiled at Rachel, who was positioning the yucca in the corner of the room.

Mum opened the window and yelled into the back garden, ‘Derek! Come and help Elena with her stuff.’

Dad’s head shot up in surprise and he got to his feet. I leaned out of the window and waved to him. ‘Hi, Dad.’

‘Hello, love.’ He beamed up at me, steel-grey hair lifting in the wind. He had mud all over the knees of his stonewashed jeans. ‘I’ll be there in two ticks.’

‘No worries, Dad.’ I turned back to Rachel. ‘Come on then, let’s get the next lot.’