Chapter 12
(Previously )
At night, Luna slept in between her parents, unable to stop talking.
"I want to do hand painting with Mummy and Daddy! I want to swim with Mummy and Daddy! " Luna went on and on, even repeating some of the things they had already done. The last thing she requested, however, made Max laugh.
'The little girl said, "I want to take care of my little sister with Mummy and Daddy!"
She turned from side to side, repeatedly hugging Max and Helen. She kept saying, "I love you,
Mummy. I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, Munch," Helen said each time the little expressed those words.
"I love Lu," Max said, whenever Luna would turn to him.
For an hour, Luna was restless, circling her little leg around Helen and then turning to her father to do the same.
She did it so many times, unable to decide which position to take.
In the end, she grabbed Helen’s arm and wrapped it around her, forcing her mummy to face her back. Whereas, Luna’s legs were around Max’s thigh.
They both patted Luna to sleep. When she was completely out, Helen said, "I know we are supposed to teach her independence, but I figured, let's have her experience the things she missed when I wasn't around."
*************
Days came and went. It was finally time for Helen to join Max and luna in NY
Helen feels excited to see them and unsure why she feels nervous when her plane lands at JFK airport.
Max and Luna have been here for three days, and by now he's probably on his way back from Connecticut, where he was supposed to drop the little girl off and be back in time to pick her up at the airport.
She checks her phone and isn't surprised to see a message from Max, though it's not what she expected.
My love, I'm sorry but I won't be able to pick you up at the airport, I was late dropping Luna off and it was a bit chaotic. Your daughter doesn't understand why she couldn't attend the event with us.
See ya. Love you
Max
As soon as Helen finished reading Max's text, his and Luna's faces appeared on her screen.
"Hey you" he said, a big grin on his face
"Hey" she murmured
"How was your flight?" He asked
"Overall very good, but..." She clears her throat
"It didn't sound good."
Helen smiles "I've been a little sick for the past few days and-"
"Why won't you get better?" Max interrupts
"It was better yesterday, but- I don't know," she says, rubbing her forehead, "Ben took me to this new restaurant, and I tried the Nasi goreng, "
"Stop saying bad things about the nasi, it was delicious." Max hears Ben whining
"Nasi goreng? What is that?"
"Not so great considering how long I spent with my head in the toilet bowl." Helen responded very promptly to Benett, ignoring Max’s question.
"We all ate the same food dear, but you're the only one who got sick out of the three of us. Can you explain why?" Benett gazes at her with her big blue eyes.
"Nazreen didn't eat the same food as we did" Helen persists "And while normally I would look forward to a good verbal sparring match... today I say no, my head really hurts."
"Anyway, I didn't get sick, neither did Nazreen." Benett insists. "Your sickness isn't related to the food. Look for a better and different excuse."
Helen rolls her eyes but doesn't find anything to object to her friend's protests.
"Nasi goreng? What is that?" Max asked again
"Fried rice with meat and vegetables.…" Helen takes a deep shaking breath and lets it out slowly "It was probably something bad that I ate and my stomach just flipped."
"Hope you're feeling better now, but for what it's worth, I'm glad having your voice in my ear."
"Don't worry, I'll go straight to the hotel and get some rest. You Join me?"
"Umm yes later, I'm about half an hour from New York. I have an appointment with the lawyer and then I got to meet Brentley."
"Brentley? Where? Why?" Helen's voice comes out more worried than she'd like.
"I don't know, she asked if I could stop by." Helen stays silent
"Hmmm have you seen any of them?"
"No... Helen?" He paused for a moment, as if to say something, then changed his mind.
"Yes?"
"I'll join you later?"
"All right"
"Text me your room number."
"Okay"
"I love you"
"I love you too - Oh Max -" But she hears the tone, he's already hung up. She then keeps her eyes fixed on the phone
"What?" Benett asked
"Nothing" Helen circles her temples, trying to calm an awful headache.
"Max?"
"Yes" she sighed
"And?"
"And, he's meeting with Brentley."
"You're worrying about nothing, my dear. Let's just get some rest before we hit the city," Benett said, taking Helen's arm before picking up her suitcase. They both step outside, following Seyeed and Nazreen's path, Benett's arm firmly gripping Helen's, reminding her that she's there to support her through thick and thin.
Even if Helen doesn't say anything, Ben knows she's stressed about facing those people she used to love and called family.Watching them walk away from her was very difficult, and for a long time, she wondered if all the people she loved would leave her, just like her father had done. As time passed, she came to her senses with her friends’s help and realized that some people weren't meant to stay in your life. That's just the way life is. As Benett uses to say, If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change or If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
But the one Helen has firmly locked in her heart is the one that states; You don't lose friends, because real friends can never be lost. You lose people masquerading as friends, and you're better for it.
**** At the event *****
The event takes place in one of the biggest hotel brands in the country. This place is a designated place for those who appreciate things done with love, character and style.
"Do you think he'll come?" She asks as she’s standing next to her friend, a glass of water in her hand!
Her friend reads the text message and shrugs, then Lauren turns to face Wilder and continues typing frenetically on her phone.
"You never told me what happened between you when you were in Geneva. Why did you guys break up?" She's still attempting to get a response!
Elizabeth looks at her with a thin smile and takes the phone from Lauren's hands.
"Nothing happened, we just realized it would be really difficult to continue a long-distance relationship. There's so much work to do in New Amsterdam and he... "Liz huffs "It was for the best..."Lauren observes that Liz's smile is sad and even if she doesn't want to insist, her curiosity is stronger than reason.
"But you love him... You should have tried harder... There are options..."
"Forget it Lauren, it was for the best..."
"I'm sure he'll come, even though I know he doesn't like formal events. -This one's different!"
"How is it different? It's WHO. And what about Luna?" Liz asked.
Lauren thinks, then texts again "I don't know about Luna, But I'm sure he'll come. Have you heard from him lately?"
"No, not really! I ask him for advice.. A lot "
"Does he answer? "
Liz nods "Always"
"See?" Lauren gently squeezes her shoulder. "I'm sure tonight's a good night for both of you..." What Lauren doesn't know is that their conversations are limited to a few tips Max gives her about Brentley. Nothing else. The couple of times Elizabeth had asked about his private life, if he'd been able to talk to Helen or find out what was going on between them, Max had been very evasive.
Not that he left any doubt about his relationship with Helen, but he refused to go into it with Liz. But it was mainly because Helen didn't want him to talk about them to her so-called friends.
What Elizabeth didn't share with Lauren was that she had cried all the way on her flight back and was still struggling, almost five months later, to come to terms with the fact that they were no longer together, that they had parted ways…No longer connected. And the reality is her grief is caused by the realization that his entire existence belongs to another woman.
There were nights when the wind was so cold, that her body froze in the bed in need of Max Goodwin. The memory is divided into large number of small part, and Liz has no idea where, when, or how she'll finally be able to erase all the memories they've had together, no matter how small the memories were.
They had never promised each other anything when he left. Yes, at first she had been the one to hold things back between them, wanting to be seen, wanting to be friends, but if she were honest with herself, she'd admit that she'd fallen in love with him long before he'd made the first move.
If she were even more honest, she'd say she was this close to running to him, doubled back down the trail, taking back her words when she'd told him to fight for Helen, when they were in the park several months earlier.
She perfectly knows that Dr sharpe is super foxy, she never doubted it, never tried to interfere or never tried to follow in her footsteps. Elizabeth is not a weak woman, she's strong, she's always fought to get what she wanted, so it was impossible for her to beg Max to give her, to give them a chance.
She'd caught herself hoping that on the trip he'd see things differently, that he'd ask her to join him and Luna. Would she? She wasn't quite sure of the answer, but she knew she'd have liked the conversation to proceed and just thinking about it, Liz cried awfully before she fell asleep.
****
Let's just say that WHO had done things in style and invited the world's most renowned doctors. All of them involved in research in various aspects of medicine, so It wasn’t without surprise that Max found familiar faces and names.
While chatting with Dr. Akitori, Max notices that his phone lights up, indicating an incoming text message. He glances at it briefly, still chatting with his colleague, then after a few minutes greets Dr. Akitori with a hand on his shoulder and walks to the corner of the room where Wilder is waiting for him.
On his way, he grabs two glasses of champagne,
"Hi," he smirked
"I thought you were trying to avoid me." Wilder signed, almost relief.
"Why would I do such a thing?"Max says, raising an eyebrow.
"I can see that Who has done things in a big way," says Wilder, raising her head in amazement at the magnificence of the room
"I admit it," he says, handing her a glass of champagne.
"Remember how much I love champagne?"
"How could I forget?" Then they both laughed, remembering a rather boozy evening when Liz had ended up on the tables dancing.
"Where is Luna?"
"With Gwen" Max replies, turning around to look for something or someone
"I thought you wouldn't come.- Did you come alone?" Max doesn't have time to answer, he hears Bloom and Floyd behind, interrupting him.
***
As Helen just walked into the room like a queen, a tight-fitting flattering dress, whose flaps descend down to her calves. That hugs her body and flatters her curves, wearing it with high heels from the latest collection of her favorite luxury brand. Her natural beauty, elegance and brightness capture the attention, making every soul turn in her path like a ray of sunshine.
She lit up any room she walked into, this exquisite dress wouldn't suit everyone, but Helen showed it off like no one else.
Its price? she kept it a secret and refused to tell Max how much she'd spent on it. But when he randomly found out while looking for something in her desk drawer, his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
To say the least, his eyes will pop out of his head when he will spots her in that gorgeous dress.
"I hope it's worth it," he whispered in her ear,
"The dress is worth every inch of the fabric." Helen replied with a smile that was reserved exclusively for him...
She walked in as cool as a cucumber, head and chin up, as if there was nothing that could destabilize her. She spots Seyeed and Nazreen and makes her way to them. As she passes the people, greeting some with a smile and stopping briefly to shake a few hands, she lets her eyes wander through the nooks and crannies of the room, searching for her man.
She sees him in the corner of her eye having a serious conversation with Wilder. Pretending she doesn't see them and tried to strike up a conversation with the medical director of Japan's largest hospital.
This man had been trying to get her on board for years, praising the advantages of working in Tokyo, with their equipment at the cutting edge of technology, guarantees a careful and meticulous workmanship. Offering her an unrestricted research budget and an unlimited amount of financial resources. There was a time when she'd almost said yes, back from New York when she was looking for new adventures, or rather to get away from certain things. Let's face it, this man admires Helen sharpe, but as Seyeed says every time, he doesn't know whether
Dr. Akihabara values Helen sharpe's work or Helen Sharpe herself! And every time he sees her, like tonight, his offer just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Helen smiles courteously, thanking him for acknowledging her work. Feeling a hand on her hip pushing her away, Helen has just time to excuse herself before her friend Benett hands her a glass of champagne.
"Ben, I was having a serious conversation with Dr. Aki-"
"Oh stop it, I just saved your ass, you were going to stay frozen smiling like a jug."
"Can you tell me why I asked you here?" Helen asked her friend, rolling her eyes
"Because you didn't want to end up in front of all those nasty people you used to call friends."
"Dom Pérignon," Benett said. "You should really enjoy it, it's free. Just drink up," Helen rolls her eyes and takes a sip.
Benett moves over and stands next to Helen, her head tilted slightly toward her ears as she whispers in her ear.
I missed you.
"What?" Helen replies, looking up at her.
"That's what she just signed." Don't pretend you're not ogling Max and that woman.
"No I don’t!"
"Stop lying" Do you think we could talk later? Benett keeps going. Go for a drink later? Maybe you could stop by my place, have an aperitif.
"Ben…"
"An aperitif?How old is she? Sixty? that's what you get for studying so hard? People talking like they’re older?"
"Benett stop it!" but Helen can't help smiling at her friend's childish comment.
"Why? She's talking in public, it's not like it's a secret."
"It's a private conversation, Ben."
"Then she should have texted him, because everyone can understand or read what she's saying." She pauses for a sip before stopping the waiter as he passes them with hors d'oeuvres.
"Stop jibber-jabbering and just drink up! Helen said
"You know what?"
"What?"
"The rosés marry perfectly with hors d'œuvre."
"Everything seemed hopeless with you," Helen says, rolling her beautiful brown eyes.However, she feels a little jealous when she watches them looking so close, she can't help thinking that not so long ago, these two people in front of her had shared the same bed..
Her mood changes and her eyebrows meet, suddenly feeling nauseous. Benett senses her mood change and tries to distract her.
"Who's that?" Benett asks, pointing with her chin. Helen turns around, and shows her back to them.
"Them"
"Who them?"
"Floyd, Iggy and Lauren."
Benett narrows her eyes. "Hmmm interesting"
"No, it's not," she says, hurrying towards Seyeed, her comfort zone.
**
"Did you know she'd be here? Bloom asked.
"No" Iggy replied
"Floyd? "
"I had no idea."
"She looks good" Iggy dares. Wilder's gaze isn't on Helen like the others, but dances between Helen and Max.
Helen watches Max scanning the room and when his gaze lands on hers, he smiles. The Light had a smile that was indescribably beautiful, he recognized it. This is Helen Sharpe.
When Max starts to move like an automatic in Helen's direction, Iggy tries to dissuade him.
"Max, this is not a good idea, you need to heal and move on." But Max doesn't listen and is already in the middle of the room, his eyes never leaving Helen's body.
Helen turns her head, avoiding the glances of her old friends.
"Hey, hey Helen," Benett calls her, but from the top of her vertiginous heels, she's already far away and Benett almost has to run, apologizing for jostling a few people as she goes.
"Stop running away from them"
"I'm not running"
"Yes you do."
"Why should I?"
"Because they hurt you.
"Stop talking "
"I’ve already told you, stop running."
"Stop talking Benett"
"Face them and leave them behind."
Seeing Max get closer to them, Helen becomes nervous, unable to stand still.
"What's happening to you?" Seyeed asks, looking up from his phone to stare at Helen.
"Nothing," she replies. "Nothing at all, I need to use the loo."
Benett tries to hold her back, but Max is already in the middle of the room, slipping between people as he catches her on the way, grabbing her arm.
"Where were you going?"
"Bathroom"
"Really?" instead of replying, she raises her head and looks him straight in the eye. Helen thought Max looked gorgeous, wearing the same shade of tuxedo as her dress. As usual, he always had his beard grown that she likes. He smelled so good, and he had that sexy smile that he had confidently worn over the past few weeks.
"You look so beautiful," He puts his hand on the small of her back and places a kiss on her temple.
"Wait- what just happened?" Lauren asks.
"I just saw the same thing you do," Iggy answered.
"Did you know Floyd?" Lauren asks
"No idea." Floyd shrugs, taking a sip of his champagne
"Are they together?"Lauren continues
"I think so," He replied.
As the event goes on, former colleagues avoiding each other, staying at opposite ends of the room, Helen’s team is graciously rewarded. This win adds to their growing list of awards and industry accolades.
After the prizes had been awarded to the groups concerned, some people invaded the dance floor, including Max, who let himself be dragged along by Lauren, who literally threw herself at him as he passed to join his colleague James..
Nazreen quickly whispered to her, "So this is Lauren Bloom?" Her friend and colleague said.
"Be mindful," Benett adds
"I definitely will," Helen replied. "By ignoring them. I don’t owe them anything."
"I think you should tell them some truths, your truths my dear." Benett said before swallowing her glass of wine in one gulp and standing quickly on her vertiginous heels, which only made her look even taller, and heads swiftly toward Max and Lauren.
"Ben, BENETT, where are you going? Lord, what am I going to do with her?" Helen says as she turns around, her two fingers gently massaging her temples.
Whoever knows Ben as Helen does, will know what she has in mind…So, If you suspect it is a deliberate tactic from this sweet woman with big, innocent blue eyes and long, wheat-blond hair flowing over her shoulders, is implementing, You'll behave appropriately by stating that she has not forced them to stop or interrupted them.
As Benett stands in front of them, Max throws a quick glance in Helen's direction, his eyes worried, as if trying to guess her mood. But what he sees doesn't leave him guessing. Her head resting on her folded arm, smiling and chatting with Nazreen.
"You're sweating," Ben says jokingly to Max.
"I know. I'm suffocating" Tugging lightly on his bowtie he has worked at it few hours ago for ten minutes until it was perfect.
"Does it make you sweat?" asks Benett
"I think I'll go outside and get some fresh air, it's pretty hot in here."
"Go ahead, I'll join you in a few moments, for now I need to use the loo, but I need to talk to you."
Helen looks at them, relaxed to see her best friend dancing with her man, a smile on her lips.
Seyeed came over, and said, "What?"
"Umm?"
"What are you smiling about?"
"Look straight ahead." she replies, turning briefly to him. "I know he hates it" Helen adds, pointing with her chin Max and Benett’s direction.
Seyeed takes a big sip of his wine before turning his attention to Max and Benett. He sighs, then takes another sip.
"Are you sure about your choice?"
"What choice are we talking about?" Helen says, unfolding her expensive dress with the palms of her hands.
"Him." Seyeed replied dryly, putting his glass back down.
Helen Sighs putting her hand on her uncle's forearm. "Max! Call him Max... I'm not sure about anything, Seyeed, and I don't understand why you're so resistant when it comes to Max. He's a good man, and I love him."
A voice behind them interrupts her as soon as her sentence came out of her mouth.
"Can we talk?" Helen stops talking, she looks over her shoulder, slowly turning around, confident that she knows who this voice belongs to. She's not surprised to see Lauren standing in front of her, then a brow goes up without blinking.
Helen glances at Seyeed and then at Nazreen before fixing her gaze back on Lauren.
"Are you talking to me?" Helen asks with a look that's half annoyed and half haughty.
"Yes, I’m talking to you Hels" she replied overconfident.
Helen bows her head for a couple of seconds, wondering whether she should talk to her former friend or not, then stands up to follow Lauren.
"I won't be long," she says to Seyeed, " Don't move from here, we need to finish this conversation." She then follows Lauren out of the room, Iggy and Floyd's eyes on them. Once outside the room, Lauren walks a few steps towards the bathroom, then stops abruptly, turning to Helen.
The two former friends stare at each other blankly, Helen keeps Lauren's gaze, raising an eyebrow as if to order Bloom to start talking.
"To say I was amazed to see you here, would be putting it lightly." Mildly embarrassed defensiveness bordering on hostility.
"What do you want Lauren?"
"What are you doing here, Helen?"
"What do you really want to know, Lauren? Just ask."
"Surprise to hear that you and Max are back together."
"What makes you think we're back together?"
"Yes, actually…" says Lauren, "Seeing the way you left him hanging on the day of your supposed wedding..." Lauren giggles. "Well, I would like to shout it to the world, but I keep quiet."
"No, no, please, go ahead, say what's on your mind Bloom. " At this point, the women are joined by Iggy and Floyd.
"Did you know that Max and Wilder had a thing? And they were actually pretty good together. She didn't give him a hard time."
"Lauren." Iggy says
"What? She's right there in front of us, why should I keep quiet?"
"Do you know how you left him? Running off to the other side of the world, leaving Max and Luna? How could you do that? To the man you said you loved, to Luna? "
"Lauren, stop talking."
"That little girl loved you so much! Don't you have a heart?" and then that research you compromised. You think you know somebody and then you realize that she's been lying to you all along."
"Do you have anything else to add?" Helen asks with a smile, leaving Lauren in shock.
"And you?" she says, addressing Floyd and Iggy. The men shake their heads no.
"Because everything you just said, Bloom, is just a copy and paste of the several emails that followed my split with Max."
"Why are you smiling? what do you have to say?" Lauren asks really annoyed
"Nothing" she says slightly shaking her head, half amused half annoyed before heading for the ballroom, then stops midway, pauses for a few seconds, thinking about Ben and Nazreen's words, then backtracks.
"You know what Lauren?" She starts, looking arrogant and haughty. "I am not obligated to you. You are not allowed to borrow pain, questions, or answers from me! because I have no debts to any of you. But, because I was foolish enough to believe that we were friends, I’m going to do you a favor and tell you this. From the moment you knew Max was coming to London with me, none of you three have been friends.
"You know why? Because NA came before his happiness and before mine. You did everything to hold him back, ignoring what We wanted. What HE wanted. And you call yourself friends? the three of you knew me long before Max arrived… long before, but you treated me like a stranger. It is amazing how selective and how short your memory can be. But let me remind you of something, Bloom. Whose shoulder were you crying on when you were on the edge? Who drove you home when you were so intoxicated by your drugs that you couldn't put one foot in front of the other?" Helen approaches Lauren, leaving just a few inches between them. "I saved your life! " Then she turns her gaze from Lauren to Floyd.
"And you, Reynold? need I remind you how miserable you were when you came back from San Francisco? And you Dr Frome?
"Helen, It’s not what you…" Iggy tried, but she ignored him.
"But Helen Sharpe? Lord, if words could kill, I'd be dead and buried long ago."
"Helen," he tried again
"Let me finish" she cut him "They say friends are the family we choose. You're neither of those things. Because, where were you when I needed these so-called friends? We're family, you said?." A bitter laugh escapes from her lips.
"NO we weren’t." And No, that place isn’t causing you to make irrational decisions. Broadly speaking, you are likely to feel comfortable with all of the various bad choices you make because YOU are the wrong choices for each other."
"And in memory of our years as colleagues, I’ll give you something to satisfy your curiosity. The answer is yes. Max and I are back together and happy." Helen smiles before turning away without another word.