You may not see me anymore, but I'm always with you Adrienne, chapter 3
Markus and Adrienne had seen a lot of each other over the past few weeks. They met up with each other to talk things through and to share each others feelings. This it what Adrienne needed, someone to lean on when times got rough. Although it wasn't the same as having a heart to heart with Billie, it kept her spirits up all the same.
"Markus, I really appreciate your support these past few weeks, I really needed it" Adrienne said, sipping a cup of tea.
"It's ok, you're a friend of mine now, and I will always look out for you" he replied, placing a warm hand over Adrienne's. Adrienne looked up into his eyes and smiled as Markus gently leant towards her giving her a kiss on the cheek. Adrienne placed her hand on Markus's cheek, rubbing it as she gently gave him a soft kiss on the lips. She suddenly sprung back, realising what she had done. A stab of guilt filled her stomach.
"I'm sorry I didn't realise, can you leave me alone for a moment?" Adrienne stuttered.
Markus looked bewildered but got up slowly and headed out the door. Adrienne knew what she had to do. She quickly grabbed her coat and raced down to the cemetery.
She quickly found the right grave, she knelt down, her face red, eyes puffy and tears streaming down her face.
"I'm so sorry Billie! I don't know what I was thinking, I love you Billie not Markus!" She said a little loudly causing some passers by to stare at her.
"You don't need to apologise," a male voice said behind her. Adrienne turned her head to see Mike standing there, his hands in his pockets.
"Yes I do Mike! I'm so stupid, how could I kiss Markus just after my own husband has passed away?" she screamed, crying harder. Mike knelt down beside her and looked into her eyes.
"Look, Billie would want you to be happy, he wouldn't want to see you like this and would be glad you found a friend you can talk to" Mike tried to comfort her.
"Mike i just miss him so much!" Adrienne sobbed.
"I know, I know" Mike replied. The two started to head back to Mike's car. Adrienne took one last sad look back to the grave and smiled, then got into the car with Mike.
As soon as they got home, Adrienne phoned Markus to apologise.
"Hello?" Markus asked as he picked up the phone.
"Hey, erm, Markus it's me, Adrienne" She said cheerily.
"Oh hi" Markus said, a tone of hurt in his voice.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry I flipped out and everything" She said.
"It's ok, I understand how you're feeling and how broken and confused you must be feeling, it didn't mean anything, I know" Markus said sweetly.
"Ok, well if you're not doing anything tonight then do you want to go out to eat down town?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah, I'm not doing anything and it would be nice to spend time together." He replied.
"Ok, great, well you can pick me up at my house then at seven pm?" She said happily.
"Oh I'm picking you up now am I?" Markus joked.
"Yeah you are, and you better not be late either." Adrienne laughed.
"Ok sure!"
"Well I'll see you later then."
"Yep, sure will."
"Oh and Markus, thanks for understanding," Adrienne thanked.
"It's ok."
"Well, see you soon then."
"Yeah bye" And with that she hung up, and raced up to her room but bumped into Mike on the way.
"Oh sorry Mike!" Adrienne said, steadying herself.
"It's ok, what are you in a hurry for anyway?" He asked.
"I'm meeting Markus for a meal, nothing special." Adrienne said.
"Mmmm ok." He replied with one eye brow raised.
About an hour later, Adrienne was ready downstairs, waiting for Markus to arrive. As soon as the doorbell rang, Adrienne jumped slightly and got up and headed out to open the door. She Checked herself out in the mirror, just to make sure she was presentable. She was wearing a black, knee length, strappy dress with black sandals. Billie favourite outfit. She had her hair scraped back into a ponytail with a curl hanging lose at the front. The way Billie liked. She was also wearing diamond heart neckalce. A present from Billie.
She didn't really know why she was wearing all the things Billie had liked but i guess it just made her feel more comfortable.
She opened the door and there stood Markus in black pants and a white shirt, holding a single red rose.
"For you." He said, presenting it to her along with a open friendly smile.
"Thanks." Adrienne said, taking it and blushing the colour of the petals. She went inside to say goodbye and placed the rose on the coffee table, inside a vase of flowers. She noticed Mike with that look on his face again when he saw the rose, but she decided to ignore it.
"Bye kids, I wont be back terribly late so don't worry about me." She said, kissing them both on the forehead.
"I wasn't going to anyway mum" Joey huffed, disapproving of his mum going out with a man. Adrienne just chuckled and patted Mike on the shoulder to say thanks for putting up with them for the night.
She walked out with Markus down to the car, and he drove them both down town.
"So where are we going?" Adrienne asked, breaking the silence.
"Oh I thought we'd go to one of my favourite places down here if that's ok with you"Markus said, turning into a car park.
"Yeah sure, anything you like I'm sure will be fine with me." She said, picking up her bag from the car. Before she could even open the door, Markus had gotton out and opened the door for her.
"Thanks." Adrienne said once again.
She looked up at the glowing sign hanging above the door of the building. An immediate feel of emotions hit her. It was the place Billie took her the night he proposed. Adrienne breathed in heavily, making sure she was going to be ok, but thoughts of her husband rushing to her head.
Markus linked his arm through hers and smiled down at her. Adrienne looked back at him, glowing in the dusk light. He bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek.
There was a sudden flash.
Both of them jumped and turned around to see where the flash had come from. Markus looked behind him and Adrienne looked ahead. Immediatley she could make out a figure running up the road, a camera hanging around his neck.
She has been caught.
"Er Markus, Im sorry, I've got to go" Adrienne stuttered, unlinking herself from him and walking quickly back up the street.
She rushed home and ran up the stairs, ignoring the funny looks Mike gave her when she passed him on the stairway.
She shook out her hair, slipped out of her dress and cried herself to sleep that night, dreading the next day of what would be in the papers. Why did she have to live like this?
"Markus, I really appreciate your support these past few weeks, I really needed it" Adrienne said, sipping a cup of tea.
"It's ok, you're a friend of mine now, and I will always look out for you" he replied, placing a warm hand over Adrienne's. Adrienne looked up into his eyes and smiled as Markus gently leant towards her giving her a kiss on the cheek. Adrienne placed her hand on Markus's cheek, rubbing it as she gently gave him a soft kiss on the lips. She suddenly sprung back, realising what she had done. A stab of guilt filled her stomach.
"I'm sorry I didn't realise, can you leave me alone for a moment?" Adrienne stuttered.
Markus looked bewildered but got up slowly and headed out the door. Adrienne knew what she had to do. She quickly grabbed her coat and raced down to the cemetery.
She quickly found the right grave, she knelt down, her face red, eyes puffy and tears streaming down her face.
"I'm so sorry Billie! I don't know what I was thinking, I love you Billie not Markus!" She said a little loudly causing some passers by to stare at her.
"You don't need to apologise," a male voice said behind her. Adrienne turned her head to see Mike standing there, his hands in his pockets.
"Yes I do Mike! I'm so stupid, how could I kiss Markus just after my own husband has passed away?" she screamed, crying harder. Mike knelt down beside her and looked into her eyes.
"Look, Billie would want you to be happy, he wouldn't want to see you like this and would be glad you found a friend you can talk to" Mike tried to comfort her.
"Mike i just miss him so much!" Adrienne sobbed.
"I know, I know" Mike replied. The two started to head back to Mike's car. Adrienne took one last sad look back to the grave and smiled, then got into the car with Mike.
As soon as they got home, Adrienne phoned Markus to apologise.
"Hello?" Markus asked as he picked up the phone.
"Hey, erm, Markus it's me, Adrienne" She said cheerily.
"Oh hi" Markus said, a tone of hurt in his voice.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry I flipped out and everything" She said.
"It's ok, I understand how you're feeling and how broken and confused you must be feeling, it didn't mean anything, I know" Markus said sweetly.
"Ok, well if you're not doing anything tonight then do you want to go out to eat down town?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah, I'm not doing anything and it would be nice to spend time together." He replied.
"Ok, great, well you can pick me up at my house then at seven pm?" She said happily.
"Oh I'm picking you up now am I?" Markus joked.
"Yeah you are, and you better not be late either." Adrienne laughed.
"Ok sure!"
"Well I'll see you later then."
"Yep, sure will."
"Oh and Markus, thanks for understanding," Adrienne thanked.
"It's ok."
"Well, see you soon then."
"Yeah bye" And with that she hung up, and raced up to her room but bumped into Mike on the way.
"Oh sorry Mike!" Adrienne said, steadying herself.
"It's ok, what are you in a hurry for anyway?" He asked.
"I'm meeting Markus for a meal, nothing special." Adrienne said.
"Mmmm ok." He replied with one eye brow raised.
About an hour later, Adrienne was ready downstairs, waiting for Markus to arrive. As soon as the doorbell rang, Adrienne jumped slightly and got up and headed out to open the door. She Checked herself out in the mirror, just to make sure she was presentable. She was wearing a black, knee length, strappy dress with black sandals. Billie favourite outfit. She had her hair scraped back into a ponytail with a curl hanging lose at the front. The way Billie liked. She was also wearing diamond heart neckalce. A present from Billie.
She didn't really know why she was wearing all the things Billie had liked but i guess it just made her feel more comfortable.
She opened the door and there stood Markus in black pants and a white shirt, holding a single red rose.
"For you." He said, presenting it to her along with a open friendly smile.
"Thanks." Adrienne said, taking it and blushing the colour of the petals. She went inside to say goodbye and placed the rose on the coffee table, inside a vase of flowers. She noticed Mike with that look on his face again when he saw the rose, but she decided to ignore it.
"Bye kids, I wont be back terribly late so don't worry about me." She said, kissing them both on the forehead.
"I wasn't going to anyway mum" Joey huffed, disapproving of his mum going out with a man. Adrienne just chuckled and patted Mike on the shoulder to say thanks for putting up with them for the night.
She walked out with Markus down to the car, and he drove them both down town.
"So where are we going?" Adrienne asked, breaking the silence.
"Oh I thought we'd go to one of my favourite places down here if that's ok with you"Markus said, turning into a car park.
"Yeah sure, anything you like I'm sure will be fine with me." She said, picking up her bag from the car. Before she could even open the door, Markus had gotton out and opened the door for her.
"Thanks." Adrienne said once again.
She looked up at the glowing sign hanging above the door of the building. An immediate feel of emotions hit her. It was the place Billie took her the night he proposed. Adrienne breathed in heavily, making sure she was going to be ok, but thoughts of her husband rushing to her head.
Markus linked his arm through hers and smiled down at her. Adrienne looked back at him, glowing in the dusk light. He bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek.
There was a sudden flash.
Both of them jumped and turned around to see where the flash had come from. Markus looked behind him and Adrienne looked ahead. Immediatley she could make out a figure running up the road, a camera hanging around his neck.
She has been caught.
"Er Markus, Im sorry, I've got to go" Adrienne stuttered, unlinking herself from him and walking quickly back up the street.
She rushed home and ran up the stairs, ignoring the funny looks Mike gave her when she passed him on the stairway.
She shook out her hair, slipped out of her dress and cried herself to sleep that night, dreading the next day of what would be in the papers. Why did she have to live like this?
