I See London 1 (32 page)

Chapter 46

It wasn’t until Hugh had gone back inside that I realized I didn’t actually have any cash in my bag to get a cab. And my debit card was useless considering how little cash I had left in my account. I stared up at the sky. It was getting dark out, night beginning to fall. The walk would be half an hour tops. Not ideal in a long dress and heels, but I couldn’t imagine the alternative—having to go back in and face Hugh.

I gathered the hem of my skirt in my hand, making my way through the exit, turning toward Knightsbridge. I walked through the city, my head ducked low, all too aware of the stares coming my way. The evening dress stood out, even in London.

My phone started ringing. I hesitated before pulling it out. The last thing I felt like doing was talking to anyone, but curiosity won out. I pulled out my phone, feeling a flash of relief at Fleur’s name on my caller ID.

She was the only person who would really understand how I felt right now.

“Hello?”

“Maggie?” Fleur’s voice sounded on the other end of the line. Except that it didn’t sound like Fleur at all. The Fleur I knew was confident, her voice cool and crisp, with just enough of a French accent to sound exotic. This Fleur sounded anything but confident. She sounded as though she had been crying—my name coming out in a muffled whisper.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Costa—”

My heart sank. “What happened?”

“It’s over. This whole time, he was lying to me. He told me he loved me, but it was all just a game with him. He just wanted sex.” Her voice broke off. “I thought he cared. After what happened between us, I thought it meant as much to him as it did to me. It never meant anything.”

Anger filled me. I wasn’t exactly surprised, but I wanted to kill him for hurting her. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Fleur?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I am.” I could hear the tears in her voice. “I loved him. I loved him so much. And I thought he loved me. I thought that if we just worked through our shit, we might actually be able to work things out between us. I thought we could fix what happened. I feel so stupid.”

I sighed. “I know. But you’ll be okay, Fleur. There are other guys out there. Better guys. Guys who will love you the way you deserve to be loved. I promise.”

Fleur laughed harshly. “Maybe what I had with Costa was what I deserved.”

“It isn’t,” I insisted. “I promise you, you deserve better.”

“I’m just so sick of feeling this way. I wish it wouldn’t hurt anymore.”

“I know.” A lump formed in my throat. “I know how you feel.”

“Are you okay, Maggie?” Worry filled Fleur’s voice. “You don’t sound great. Are you still at the wedding with Hugh? I’m sorry I bothered you. I just needed to talk.”

“No. I’m not okay. And I’m not at the wedding. Or with Hugh.” The words came out with a strangled sob.

“What happened?”

“He broke up with me.”

There was a pause. “What an asshole,” Fleur spat out.

I shook my head, wiping furiously at the tears spilling down my cheeks. As much as a part of me welcomed Fleur’s anger, I knew it wasn’t fair.

“He wasn’t an asshole about it. He was really nice. He was right, there was just too much of an age difference—too much of a difference between us for it to ever work. He wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. And that was all I wanted to be.” I didn’t even bother adding the part about the ex-girlfriend. I could share that part later. Preferably with alcohol and chocolate involved.

I moved to the side of the sidewalk, hovering under the green awning at Harrods. I turned toward the windows, struggling to hide my tears from the crowd. Samir had been right all along, I was an idiot.

“Where are you?”

“Knightsbridge. I’m in front of Harrods.”

Krispy Kreme sounded like the perfect idea right about now. We needed to drown our sorrows in something. Why not fried dough?

“What are you doing?”

“Walking home.”

“In your dress?”

“I didn’t have money for a cab, so I’ve been walking.”

“He didn’t drive you home?”

“It was his friend’s wedding. I couldn’t exactly ask him to leave. Besides, I’d already told him I was fine before I realized I didn’t have any cash.”

“It’s raining.”

I looked up in the sky. It was the quintessential London night—the weather not bad enough to be a full-on storm and yet gloomy enough to suit my mood. “It’s not bad. Barely drizzling. I’m almost back anyways.”

“When you get back can we just get miserably drunk tonight and eat lots of chocolate?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like exactly what I need. I’ll bring doughnuts, too.”

* * *

I ended up with a dozen doughnuts. It seemed like the appropriate amount to treat two cases of heartbreak. I juggled the Harrods bag in my hands while I punched in the code to the room. I had tried knocking, but Fleur hadn’t answered. After two tries I got it right. I pushed the door open, the room dark and quiet. I closed the door behind me, fumbling for the light switch, my elbow hitting the wall.

“Ow.” I cursed, flipping the switch. The doughnuts dropped out of my hands.

Fleur lay facedown on the ground in front of her bed, a pile of vomit next to her.

“Fleur?” I rushed toward her, my heart pounding madly. “Fleur!” I reached out and shook her, turning her body over. She was pale. Too pale. Her eyes rolled back in her head. “Fleur!”

I reached down, fumbling for a pulse, trying madly to remember any first aid I knew. Her pulse was faint, but it was there. I scrambled over to my bag, pulling my cell out. Fingers shaking, I dialed the emergency number as I fumbled over the keys. “Please, please, please.”

A woman picked up on the third or fourth ring. Her clipped British accent filled the line. “What’s your emergency?”

“My roommate. She’s lying on the floor, unconscious.”

“Is she breathing?” The woman’s voice was remarkably calm as she fired off questions at me.

“I think so. Her breaths seem shallow.” My voice reached a high pitch, the words tumbling from my mouth in a mad rush.

“Did she take anything?”

I scanned the floor near Fleur’s body. My gaze settled on a small baggie. There were two pills in the bag. My heart sank. “Yes. There are pills on the floor.”

“Where are you?”

I gave her all of the necessary information for the school, panic filling me with each second that passed. She asked me a few more questions, which I struggled to answer.

“Help is on the way. They should be there in a few minutes.”

Tears ran down my cheek, my heart pounding madly in my chest. I turned my attention back to Fleur. “Stay with me, Fleur, stay with me.” She moaned. “Fleur!” She moaned again, her eyelids fluttering.

I cradled her head in my lap, waiting for the paramedics to arrive. I thought about running to get help, but I quite simply couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her. So I sat with her, praying she would be all right.

She was breathing, shallowly, but she was breathing.

After what felt like an eternity, the paramedics pounded on our door. I released her, gently setting her head back down on the ground, jumping to my feet and rushing to let them in. “She seems conscious,” I babbled by way of a greeting. “She’s not responding or anything.”

They spoke to me briefly, asking questions about when I found her, how long she had been unconscious, if she had any allergies or drug habits. I answered them as best I could, all the while staring at the paramedics working on her. They moved me out of the way, crowding around Fleur’s body, yelling things out to each other—in words that might as well have been a foreign language for all I understood them.

“Maggie!”

I whirled around.

George came through the door. “I’m on duty for Residence Life tonight. What happened?” His gaze flew to the ground where Fleur lay, the paramedics loading her on a stretcher.

“I came back to the room and she was like this.” My voice broke. “I called for help.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

I hesitated. “I think she took something.” George’s expression darkened. “She was upset…”

The paramedics lifted Fleur up on the stretcher, motioning for us to move out of the doorway.

I grabbed my purse off the dresser. “I’m going with her.”

George nodded. “I’ll come, too.”

We left in an ambulance.

* * *

The wait in the hospital was agonizing. Mya had already left on vacation with her parents. Michael was flying back to the U.S. tonight. So I sat with George, waiting for any news from Fleur’s doctors.

Mrs. Fox came down to the hospital to handle things until Fleur’s parents were able to fly in from France. But there was only one person I wanted with me right now. I dialed the number, panic bubbling in my chest as the phone rang and rang. Finally voice mail picked up.

“This is Samir. Leave a message.”

I waited for the beep. “It’s Maggie. Fleur’s in the hospital in Chelsea. She’s alive but she’s not doing well.” My voice broke off with a strangled sob. “Please come.”

I disconnected the call, leaning back in the waiting room chair, fear and panic coursing through my body.

And I waited.

An hour later he came bursting through the hospital doors.

Samir rushed toward me. “What happened?” he demanded, his voice hoarse. “Are you all right? What happened to Fleur?”

I nodded, tears flowing down my face. “I found her in our room. They think she took something. They don’t know.” I brushed furiously at my face, batting away the tears. “She called me earlier. She was upset about Costa. I was on my way back. We were going to have a girls’ night. Drink wine, that sort of thing. I don’t know where she got the drugs.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“I don’t know.” I couldn’t make the tears stop. “They won’t tell me anything. Mrs. Fox is talking to the doctors now.”

Samir wrapped his arm around my waist, gathering me against his body. He tucked my head against his chest. “Shh,” he whispered, his lips grazing my ear.

“She can’t die.” The words slipped out amid a rising panic building in my chest.

“She won’t.”

I couldn’t get the image of Fleur lying on the floor, her body pale, her eyes lifeless, out of my mind. I shivered.

“Are you cold?”

I nodded. I realized then that in my haste to make it to the hospital I hadn’t even grabbed my coat. I still wore the same evening gown I wore to the wedding. My hair had long since escaped its updo, tumbling down my shoulders.

Samir pulled away from me. Shrugging out of his jacket, he draped it over my shoulders. “Better?”

I nodded, barely trusting my own voice. “Thank you.” I filled him in on what Fleur had told me about her last conversation with Costa.

“I’m going to kill Costa.”

“That makes two of us.” I was a mix of emotions that bubbled up, threatening to spill over the surface. There was anger—a burning, deep anger. I wanted revenge, wanted to punish this boy who hurt my best friend. Fear gnawed at me, settling deep in my belly. It was the same fear that had my heart pounding madly in my chest from the first moment that I discovered Fleur’s body lying on the floor of our room.

Samir released me abruptly, turning toward the long hallway opposite the waiting room. Mrs. Fox walked toward us.

“She’s going to be fine,” Mrs. Fox announced.

Relief flooded me. I sagged against Samir.

“She’s tired now, and she’s resting.” Her gaze flickered between me and Samir, her voice gentle. “For right now the doctors are only letting family visit with her. But tomorrow I’m sure you can visit, Maggie. I know she’ll want to see you. Her parents should be here soon.”

“She’s going to be okay, then?” Samir asked, his expression still tense.

“She’s going to be fine, Samir. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.” She turned to me. “Would you like to go back to school together?”

I hesitated, reluctant to leave Fleur.

“I’ll take care of her. I promise,” Samir interjected, his gaze on mine. “You should get some rest anyway.” He gestured toward my outfit. “And you should probably change.”

“Are you sure you’re all right by yourself?” I hated leaving him.

“You heard Mrs. Fox. Fleur’s parents will be here soon. It’s probably easier for them if it’s just family. Go, Maggie. Rest.”

I waited while Mrs. Fox finished speaking with the doctors. I gathered up my stuff to leave with her and George, saying goodbye to Samir.

I had only taken a few steps down the hall when I heard his voice behind me.

“Hey, Maggie…”

I turned.

Samir stood in the middle of the hospital hallway, his hands shoved into his coat pockets. I could still smell the scent of his cologne on my skin. It clung to me, invading my pores. Samir hesitated for a moment, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

I froze for a moment, standing there blinking like an idiot. I had no idea how to respond. Saying thanks seemed insignificant somehow.

Before I could answer him he was gone.

Chapter 47

I didn’t sleep all night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Fleur’s body lying on the floor. Unfortunately not sleeping also meant I had plenty of time to think of my breakup with Hugh—and Samir.

I packed instead.

I threw stuff into my suitcase, rising feelings of panic bubbling up inside. It had been a shit couple of days and I wasn’t sure how the hell I was going to move forward. For the first time I actually was looking forward to going home. I needed to get the hell out of here. Fast.

“Is she going to be all right?”

I looked up at the sound of Noora’s voice. She had spent last night at her aunt’s flat, but clearly the International School gossip had made its way to her.

I smiled weakly. “Yeah, I think so. Her family is with her now.” Samir had texted me earlier to tell me that Fleur’s parents had arrived from France.

“I can’t believe you found her. You must have been terrified.”

“I was.”

Noora reached out, wrapping her arms around me. “Do you need anything?”