I hoped she was able to deliver the message clearly so he wouldn't bother us again, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure she was up for the task. She looked nervous, and that wasn't a good thing. Whatever happened, it was worth a try and if anything, good practice for Eliza.
“I do have to warn you that if this doesn't work, it's not going to be good news for Kas. I might have to get him arrested and deal with him one way or another. It will mean he'll miss his exams if not worse.”
“You can't do that!" she exclaimed.
“It's not fair on him! How can you even think about doing that! You absolute dickhead.”
She was outraged. I should have picked her up on shouting and swearing at me, but I thought it wiser to ignore it for now and talk to her later. I didn't want her getting into a strop with me as we needed to work together on this one and she needed to be able to concentrate.
I clocked Zaphire shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
“It's up to you to solve this one then, as I won't hesitate to do the necessary." I said matter of factly, completely ignoring her outburst.
Nothing better than a bit of pressure to sharpen the senses. She glowered at me which I returned with a hard stare. There really wasn't another solution and I hoped she'd step up to the mark and make it work.
Zaphire got up, gave Eliza a reassuring hug and left, looking slightly bemused at me. I turned my attention back to Eliza, who had calmed down somewhat, and we started to prepare for the call.
CHAPTER 23
I took a deep breath before dialling Kasper's number. I had to steady my nerves before I spoke to him. I felt both apprehensive and excited. I had missed Kas so much and now I was about to talk to him and even though it was just online, it was the closest I would get to actually seeing him.
The message I had to deliver wasn't going to be easy. Kas wouldn't like it at all and wouldn't understand. Though I had been cocky to Zack about knowing what to say, my mind had actually gone blank. I hoped my constant rehearsal of the spiel that I'd rehearsed would help me out when needed.
It didn't help that Zack was there, observing me like a hawk. How could I act naturally under his watchful eye? I had to block him out, pretend he wasn't there, which was double as hard because for some reason Zack's scent was even stronger than normal this evening. If I failed it could have dire consequences for Kas, making me feel angry and anxious. I had to do whatever it would take to prevent that from happening...
Kas answered the call after the first ring. I saw his eyes searching for my picture. We had tampered with it somewhat so it looked like it was a poor connection, but I could see him clear as day, as if he was in this room.
“Hey." I said tentatively.
“Hey, Eli!”
His face lit up when he heard my voice.
“I've missed you so much, babe!" his voice rough with emotion.
“I've missed you too, Kas." I squeaked back.
I couldn't help being excited to see him. All sorts of mixed feelings flooded me and it must have showed as I noticed Zack lifting his eyebrows. Block him out.
“How are you doing? How is revision going? Do you feel prepared?" I blurted out.
He looked pained.
“That's not what I want to talk about, babes," he paused but I waited.
I wanted to find out what exactly he wanted to know. I hoped, rather naively, it would be something I could resolve easily.
“How's your father?"
Concern had crept into his voice, but it was mixed with scepticism.
It was obvious to me he didn't really believe that I had gone to visit my sick father.
“He's not well at all." I managed to say with some conviction.
“It has all been very strange, finally meeting him again but in these circumstances. I feel emotionally drained.”
I sighed and rubbed my fingers against my temples hoping it looked convincing.
“I just don't get it Eliza," he said, clearly frustrated.
“Why can't we talk? It's not like you not to want to talk about what's happening. It's not good for you.”
He sounded desperate and worried now.
“It's the time difference babe, and the internet connection is shite here. It's difficult to find anywhere with a decent connection. I'm just too tired....”
“Cut the crap, Eli." Kas interrupted.
“I don't buy it. You're managing now aren't you. I'm worried about you. Something is off. Even Bella was questioning it the other day. Why can't you tell me the truth?”
His face was determined.
Shit. I really had to try and convince him now. I thought about all the advice Zack had given about body posture, eye contact and such and tried to pull it all together one more time.
“Listen, Kas. I am telling you the truth. It's difficult. I just want to deal with it first, without any interruptions. You know what my mind can be like when too much is going on. I thought you, of all people, would understand...”
I looked him straight in the eyes, leaning slightly forward, eyes wide open, my voice steady but trying to convey I was hurt by his distrust at the same time. He was silent for a while, looking me over. Clearly annoyed and bothered by the bad connection. I thought for a moment I had succeeded but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He wouldn't give up.
“Okay," he said slowly, his West Country accent strong.
“I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings but I love you and if you need me, I want to be there for you. You don't need to
