Surviving Love

Chapter 8

The Range Rover is very large and I have some trouble getting my short body into the passenger seat, when I am finally in the passenger seat I put my seat belt on and glance over to Theo in the driver's seat.

"Thank you for coming to get me," I say in a timid voice, he just grumbles back "It's fine, next time don't get lost and we won't have this issue".

I'm tired of the constant comments and criticisms so I look out the window away from him and rub my arms I am absolutely freezing from being sat outside for so long I start shivering. He looked over at me and put the heating on in the car. I looked over to him and smiled and he just looked away.

"The building is called Levy where we live", he said. Well, I could have probably guessed that if I thought about it. "I'm such an idiot" I mumble to myself feeling Theos eyes on me.

We pull up in front of the building I recognise and he gets out, I follow grabbing my bags and we go up to the penthouse, I put all my food and items away noticing that Claire is now on her way out. I say bye and she say she will see me tomorrow and I smile back. I ask Theo if Coopers is asleep and he nods.

Theo looks at me and says "I am working tomorrow so your job will technically start from 7 am when I leave, you will have Cooper all day please keep him in the house for the next few days until he gets used to you". I nod and say I'm going to bed.

I get to my room and I don't know what to do I don't like new places and I definitely won't be able to sleep as I really don't feel comfortable in this apartment yet, maybe I never will do.

I toss and turn all night until I hear someone speaking quietly in the apartment, I get out of bed wearing my pyjamas which consist of a long band t-shirt and shorts underneath you can't see. I walk down to where I hear the noise to see Theo in Cooper's room.

I see him in his arms whilst he talks to him about the new woman who moved in, clearly speaking about me. I leave them to give them privacy and go to the living room and look out over the city. It is a beautiful view I've never seen anything like it. I know Theo is rich clearly but I still don't know anything about him I don't even know what his job is. He seems like quite a private person or maybe he's not and just doesn't want to talk to me.

As I'm staring over the city I hear Theo come into the living room he comes and stands near me.

"Why aren't you asleep? It's 3 am" he said as he is holding a glass of whisky I think. I turn to look at him and reply "I don't sleep very well". I see him searching my face then his eyes trail down looking over my chest then down to my bare legs as his eyes linger there before coming back up to my face. He nods then walks away.

I sit for a while longer in the living room and head back to bed. It's not going to be long before I have to get up.

I groan as my alarm goes off at 6 am, I get up and go to shower, brush my teeth and start getting ready for the day I decide to wear jeans and a jumper and I go into the kitchen where Theo and Cooper are. I ask where the bowls are and Theo points, every cupboard in this house seems high I am standing on my tiptoes stretching as far as I can until my fingertips tip the bowl in my direction. God that was hard work, I turn around and I see a small smirk on Theo's face but it disappears as soon as he sees me looking. Cooper is babbling in his highchair with food all over his face. I grab my cheerio's and Theo advises I can have some coffee he made. I look at him trying to shake the shocked look off my face and thank him.

After I've finished breakfast Theo is dressing Cooper and I clean up after them so Claire doesn't have to do it.

Theo comes out of Cooper's room on the phone shouting as he bumps into me "Will you just get out of the way whilst you live here you are invisible to me. Do you understand?". I nod and scurry away to Cooper's room before he can say anything else.

I receive a text message from Theo saying he has left even though the loud bang of the door gave me a clear indication of that and to turn on my voicemail.

To be honest, I completely forgot about that, I turn on the voicemail dreading what the consequences of this will be. Me and Cooper are playing with his toys on the floor in the living room at around 6 pm he has had his naps and has been fed and Claire is in the kitchen cooking something up. A loud noise comes from the front door when two people barge in, Claire looks and laughs whilst I try to ignore it and carry on playing with Cooper which he giggles and reaches for my face again.

I hear Claire speaking to the two-unknown people in the kitchen "Riley, Ben it's lovely for you to barge in as always are you staying for dinner". Riley is at least 5ft 6" brown long hair and just beautiful and Ben is around 6ft 3" with blonde messy hair he's hugging Claire when he turns around seeing Cooper.

"There's my little man, haven't you grown, now it's my time to play with all the toys that daddy buys you because you know I'm your best friend and best friends share," he said whilst Cooper looked at him in fascination and started babbling some more. I look over at the door as Theo walks in and sees his guests he hugs Riley and Claire who are still in the kitchen and comes over and slaps Ben on the back.

"You never said you were coming today," he said to Ben. Ben jumped up giving him a hug and looked at me and said "You never told me how pretty Mia is, I had to come to meet her in the flesh and obviously come see my man". He looked at me a winked I didn't know where to look. Ben came to sit next to me and just didn't stop talking man this guy could talk.

I found out he's Theo's best friend known each other since childhood, Cooper is his godson and he is extremely attracted to small brunette girls as he eyes me up and down.

Theo cleared his throat I looked at him and he looked fuming, I go to say something and he interrupts saying "I'm paying for you to look after Cooper not flirt with my friends, you're dismissed for the night". I didn't know what to say to this I was being polite listening to his friend who is very forward. I look away not knowing what to do whilst I feel eyes on me I make my way to my bedroom as I walk passed him I look at him "Sorry, I'll leave" my voice shaky.

When I'm nearly in my room I hear Riley speaking to Theo "Why are you being so harsh on her? You know Ben is pushy and she was just being polite. Cooper looks like he likes her". He sighed and said it was none of her business how he treated his staff.

Staff, I know I am staff but I am looking after the most important thing in his life and he clearly has no respect for me. Which was then confirmed by his next comment.

"Do you know she works at a bar Friday/Saturday nights because she has no money and she's clearly one of those girls who will show off some skin to get attention" he tells her.

He really does think I'm invisible in this house, doesn't he? I hear Riley telling him to shut up and people can wear what they want. Claire calls dinner and I hear more commotion in the kitchen as Ben shouts my name. Theo tells him to shut up when I hear my bedroom door open.

I'm sitting crossed-legged on my bed when Ben comes in and asks to me come to eat. I decline and say I'm fine. Instead of leaving me like a normal person, he sits down on the bed asking me more questions about me, and drags me to the kitchen.

I stand there awkwardly when he tells me to sit but I decline and he tells me that I'm eating with them and he does care what Theo says.

I look at Theo and he shrugs, I go to the kettle and put it on to make a pasta pot once it's done I go to the table and everyone is staring at me. I smile and start eating whilst Riley turns to me "Why aren't you eating what Claire cooked?" She says. I don't really know what to say and Claire interrupts looking directly at Theo saying "This idiot told her she's not allowed to eat our food, she pays and cooks her own food and there are no exceptions" mimicking Theos voice.

Riley and Ben look between me and Theo and shake their head. Theo for the first time looks right at me like he's trying to figure me out and says "Whatever you have in front of you isn't real food". I shrug and finish my pasta put the pot in the bin and wash up and excuse myself.

When I'm in my room I look at my phone it's now 10 pm and my phone has been buzzing for a while. It's an unknown number again and I have 10 voicemails that I haven't opened.

Before I drift off all I can think is when will he leave me alone it's been months.