Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,51

Elise. Let me help you to sort this out. I don’t understand why you haven’t left that low-life before now but maybe it’s time. Maybe this needs to be a turning point for you – for both of us. We can be good together, I know we can. It’ll be so fucking good.” He whispered as he continued to hold her hands. She saw the intensity and the belief in his words there, in his eyes.

Elise wanted to believe too. She wanted to believe that it would be that simple but in the end when all was said and done, would it really? How did he know that? They had only just met and they knew next to nothing about each other – how on earth could she justify leaving Dale for someone she knew so little about? Sure they had intense chemistry and she found herself with feelings for him that she thought had long since been buried but what if that were all it was? What if there was nothing left when that burnt out? Where would that leave her then? It was the same questions going round and round in her head and she was beginning to get sick and tired of there being no answer.

She stood and began to pace the room aware that his eyes were watching her every move, hoping that the movement would bring with it some clarity. As she reached the window, she noticed a small bookcase tucked in the corner and her eyes were drawn to a photo in a silver frame which was sitting on the top. Picking it up, she recognised a slightly younger Vaughn who was laughing into the camera along with Stephen and a very beautiful woman. Stephen? Why on earth would Vaughn have a photo of Stephen?

It was then that she remembered something he had said earlier that night – that he had been at the club with Stephen celebrating a friend’s birthday. Obviously the two of them must know each other outside of work; another little fact of which she was completely unaware.

“Stephen,” – she said out loud, “I didn’t realise you knew Stephen – other than from work?”

Vaughn stood up and walked across to join her, looking at the photo in her hands.

“Stephen and I go.... way... back” he hesitated, “We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Oh ..” she said not really sure of what else to say. Stephen had never mentioned the friendship either, which seemed odd. Why would they not be open about knowing each other? She looked back at the photo. Both men were stunning but so was the woman standing in-between them. She was unbelievably attractive; one of the most striking women Elise had ever seen.

“This woman,” she pointed to the picture, “she’s very beautiful; she almost resembles Stephen.” The girl had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Stephen’s, very similar to her own in fact, but where Stephen had a typical surfer dude image, the woman was all cool elegance and she looked right at home tucked in-between Stephen and Vaughn.

“Is she related to Stephen?”

Abruptly Vaughn stepped away, his face becoming shuttered and closed and for a moment Elise didn’t think that he was going to answer her. Seconds stretched into minutes and the silence thickened. Eventually he spoke.

“Yes...” he said hoarsely, “his sister, Natalie.”

The pain in his reply was obvious and Elise registered that this wasn’t a topic that she should pursue and so she replaced the photo and headed back to the sofa. His reaction intrigued her. In the few days that she had known him, she had never felt him less than in control. But a simple photo seemed to have the power to almost bring him to his knees and she wondered what the story was. And if it was so painful, why did he keep the photo? She knew Stephen of course but Natalie? She had never heard Stephen talk about a sister and yet he obviously had one. Who was she? What was she? A skeleton in Vaughn’s closet perhaps? Part of his past? Or maybe his present? But then who was she to judge? She had a whole graveyard lurking in hers.

Vaughn was by now standing in front of the fire watching the flames and he appeared lost in memories, the shadow of pain that she had seen once before etched onto his features. She watched the glow reflecting on his face as he tried to bring whatever emotion he