***** CHAPTER 141 *****



As soon as the alarm clock sounded, Urs sprang to life and got up out of bed; no lay in today, he had plans. He gave a small yawn as he walked over to the window and pulled the curtains, the sunlight streamed in. Today was off to a good start.


Urs headed to bathroom but stopped in the doorway of his bedroom. From where he stood he could see down the hall and in to the kitchen; there on the wall, he could see the calendar and today’s date circled in red. Today wasn’t like every other day, today was different, today was something he’d been waiting for, for the last six weeks and as the day drew closer he found it difficult to remain calm. The day had finally arrived, it was the day that Kristina returned to London.


Urs could still remember the drive back to their apartment block that day, when he found out that Kristina had broken up with Tyler and she was planning on returning to London. When he had taken his headphones out and heard David mention Kristina’s name, it was the first time in months that he had taken an interest in anything other than their work. Yet he didn’t want to seem too interested, that’s why he had put his headphones back in, when Carlos had tried talking to him about Kristina’s return. It was also the same day that he had made up some stupid lie about having a girlfriend, Verity. Verity did exist and she was a good friend of his, but he was so sick of people asking him in interviews “Do you have a girlfriend?” that before he knew it, he’d said yes. Other times when he had said no, they gave him a strange look, almost as if there was something wrong with him. That’s why he had said yes, but now it only led to more and more questions and he was wondering how he was going to get himself out of this hole he’d managed to dig himself into.


Although he hadn’t told anyone, Urs was excited at the prospect of seeing Kristina again. A few days after finding out that Kristina was returning to London, he had overheard Carlos tell David of Kristina’s travel plans and when she was due to arrive. That night, Urs had gone straight back to his apartment and marked the date off on his calendar and ever since then, he had been counting the days until he saw her again.


Urs sighed heavily, as he stepped inside the shower and closed the shower door; the steam surrounding his body. He wondered if Kristina had ever thought of him, since leaving London. He couldn’t help wondering why she and Tyler had split up. Was he the reason she was coming back to London? Was she missing him as much as he was missing her? Did she regret leaving him? He hadn’t heard anything about her since she had gone, but that was his own fault. Urs hadn’t forgotten what he’d told David all those months ago, when Kristina had left; that he never wanted to hear her name mentioned again. At the time he had been angry and upset, but in all honesty, he longed for someone to say her name again. He longed for someone to talk about her, so that he could ask how she was, if she was okay, if she was happy, if she was well. But Urs knew that no one would talk about her after his outburst at the airport. They could see how much her leaving London had affected him and ever since then, he’d been in a foul mood. He just couldn’t help it, he couldn’t get her out of his head and his emotions were all over the place, he felt love, anger, frustration and sadness, which left him feeling confused.


The only time Kristina’s name had been mentioned, was when David had made several attempts to talk to Urs, about the day Kristina left. Each time, Urs had refused to talk about it, firstly because it was too upsetting for him and secondly because there was nothing to tell David, he had no idea why she had left. As time went by, he slowly came to terms with the fact that she had left and there wasn‘t a thing he could do about it. But it didn’t stop him from missing her, or going over their last moments together, wondering if he had said or done something wrong, but he couldn’t think of anything that would cause her to leave so suddenly.


For the first few days after Kristina had left, Urs had tried to convince himself that he didn’t have any feelings for her anymore, that he shouldn't love a woman who had led him on, letting him believe they could finally have a future together only to leave without a word. He’d tried to tell himself that his heart no longer held a place for her and that he no longer loved her. Sometimes he thought he’d succeeded, but then the smallest thing would make him realise that she would stay in his heart forever. He only had to hear an American accent, smell the scent she wore, or see someone in the street who looked like her to know that she would always be a part of him.


Occasionally, he would dream of her and when he woke, he would expect to see her laying beside him. But that illusion faded fast, leaving him painfully aware that she was no longer with him. He had tried to accept that she wasn't going to be coming back, so he simply tried to forget her; easier said than done. He hoped his feelings for her would fade and that he would get used to not seeing her everyday. But instead, he found himself missing her more and more and longing to see her again. Since spending those few hours together the night before she left, knowing that she had loved him all those years, only made him love her even more.


Urs finished his shower and hurried to get dressed. He had no intention of actually meeting Kristina or telling the others that he was going to the airport, so he wanted to get there early and find somewhere that he could wait for her to arrive, without being spotted. But before leaving for the airport, there were a couple of things he needed to do on the way.


He quickly checked his appearance in the mirror and looked at the unruly crop of dark curls on his head. A soft smile danced on his lips, remembering how much Kristina had loved his curls. He straightened his collar and his smile remained, when he saw Kristina’s ring hanging from the silver chain around his neck. He had originally intended to give it to Carlos, but each time he went to approach him, he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t part with it. Now he kept it with him all the time. “It’s true what they say” he thought.” Absence does make the heart grow fonder and now she was coming home.” It had to be a good sign.


Urs looked at his watch, time was getting on, no time for going down memory lane. He dragged his hair back in to a ponytail and pulled on a baseball cap that he had bought the previous day. Urs wasn’t a great one for wearing hats, that was Sebastien, but he thought it might help to hide him in the crowds. Urs had thought about going to the airport on his motorbike, but he didn’t want to take the chance of anyone seeing it and recognising it as his. So instead, he had hired a car the previous day. Urs slipped on his jacket and picked up the car keys before quietly opening his door and checking that there was no one in the corridor. It was all clear so he made his way downstairs to the car.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina looked at her watch; in just a few minutes her plane would be landing and she would be back in London. She was a bundle of nerves and excitement. Kristina had been counting the days until she could return to London, a place she now considered to be her second home. The last few weeks had been busy, moving out of the apartment she once shared with Tyler and moving in with Natty temporarily, packing up her belongings and having them shipped to the UK, making final arrangements with the letting agent and confirming her transfer to the UK branch of Cavendish.


In that time, Kristina hadn’t spoken to Tyler once. She had left a message for him at the Marmara the day she moved in with Natty, explaining that she was moving out of the apartment. Even when she had put in for the transfer back to London, she didn’t have any dealings with him. But he must’ve known what she was planning on, as the transfer was agreed, confirmed and signed by him within a day of her putting the request in. Kristina could only assume that by hearing nothing from Tyler, he was serious about them not keeping in touch. It hurt her to know that he wanted nothing more to do with her, that she had pushed him away, but if that’s how he wanted things to be, then she had to respect his decision.


As Kristina looked up from her book, something caught her eye. She looked at the television screen towards the front of the plane and stared at it. The plane hadn’t even landed yet but she was already being tested. There on the screen was the video to Mama. Kristina looked away, as the image of Urs in the barbers chair appeared. She couldn’t watch that video anymore, without thinking of Tyler and how much she had hurt him, remembering how he had come home to find her watching it, or more precisely, crying over Urs. “Well not anymore,” she thought to herself. She had come back to London to start a fresh, which meant no more men, no more tears, no more hurt; only work.


The over head seatbelt light came on, so Kristina placed her book in her bag and fastened her seatbelt. As the plane started to descend, Kristina could make out familiar buildings down below. She couldn’t wait to see Abigail again. Before she knew it, the plane had landed and people were getting up from their seats. Kristina stood up from her seat, picked up her bag and checked that she hadn’t left anything behind, before taking a deep breath and joining the other passengers as they left the plane. As soon as her feet touched the tarmac, that would be the moment she started her new life.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urs was running late, he had a couple of stops to make before going to the airport and he’d been held up in traffic and then it had taken him longer than planned to find a parking space at the airport. He ended up having to park in one of the furthest car parks which meant a long walk back to the terminal. Urs hurried inside the airport and checked the arrivals board; Kristina’s flight had landed early. He cursed under his breath, hoping that he hadn’t missed her arrive. He waited by the arrivals door for a short while and at the same time keeping an eye out for Abigail and Carlos. They were nowhere in sight; neither was Kristina for that matter. Urs hung around the arrivals area for a little while longer but eventually he decided that he had missed her. Urs was about to turn and make his way to the exit, but stood motionless, unconsciously holding his breath, when he heard a familiar American accent.

“Abigail? Where are you?”

Urs slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice. It was Kristina, she was standing just a couple of meters away, with her back to him. He could feel his heart racing wildly, at being so close to her again after so many months. He hadn’t planned on letting her see him, but now he wanted her to see him, he wanted her to turn around and notice him. He wanted her to tell him that she had made a mistake by leaving, that she would throw her arms around him and tell him she still loved him. Urs took a step closer to her, the faint smell of her perfume making his head spin. He now stood right behind her, thinking of what he would say to her when she turned around and saw him. But nothing came to him, his mind went blank as he stood there, looking at the woman who had stolen his heart.


Her hair was pulled back loosely in a ponytail, it looked longer than he remembered and she looked as if she had lost weight. She was dressed casual, wearing faded blue jeans, a grey UCLA hooded sweatshirt and white trainers; no more business suits. But she was still the same Kristina that he knew and loved.


“No, the plane left on time and we just landed early that‘s all. What happened? Is everything alright?” Kristina continued. “Okay, don’t worry, I’ll get something to eat while I wait; there’s a café just opposite, I’ll wait for you there.”


Urs froze when he realised that he was standing between Kristina and the café; she would have to walk right by him. He decided that now was not the time to make himself known and he quickly turned around, so he now had his back to her. His eyes darted around, looking for somewhere to go without being spotted but before he could make his escape, he felt someone brush past him. Kristina hadn’t spotted him as she continued to talk on her mobile and now seemed to be searching for something in her bag, as she made her way across to the café. He quickly walked over to a row of seats and sat on the end one, just out of sight behind a pillar, as Kristina took a seat at the café. He leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees, so that he could catch a glimpse of her. She still looked as beautiful as ever.


As he played with the chain around his neck, he slipped his little finger through Kristina’s ring. Over the last few months, he had given some serious thought to the idea of marriage. It was something he had never considered until recently. Several times, he had been out walking in town and would stop outside a jewellers, wondering if he should go in. But as much as he wanted to, he knew that buying an engagement ring, for a woman who had left him without a word and was living several thousand miles away, wasn’t the most sensible of ideas. He wasn’t even sure why he was even considering buying an engagement ring, when marriage had never been something he’d wanted and even now he still wasn’t sure it was for him. But he knew that if he and Kristina ever got back together and that marriage was something she wanted and that she believed in, he would have no hesitation in asking her to marry him. But would they ever get back together? Perhaps now she was back in London they could try again. He wasn’t expecting to pick up from where they left off, he wasn’t even sure if she would speak to him, but he was expecting some answers as to why she walked out on him.


Urs’ view of Kristina was momentarily blocked by several people standing in front of her. It was only when Kristina got up from her seat and several people stepped aside, that Urs realised it was Abigail, Carlos and David. As he watched Kristina hug Carlos and then Abigail, Urs slowly let out a sigh, pleased at seeing her smile, knowing that she was obviously happy to see her sister again; her face was glowing and her eyes were sparkling. But when Kristina hugged David, Urs felt a pang of jealousy shoot through him. He knew that David was happy with Angie, they had been dating for several months now, yet Urs couldn‘t stop these feelings of jealousy. It was the fact that Kristina and David once shared something special and that even after breaking up, they still had a bond and remained friends. Urs didn’t have that any more and it was something he longed for with Kristina. At one time, they had been able to look into each others eyes and feel an instant connection but somewhere along the way, they’d lost it. They had found it again but only hours before she left him. Despite her leaving him with no explanation, Urs knew that no one could ever take Kristina’s place, he loved her, he would always love her and he was determined to make her see that they were meant to be together, there would be no more playing games.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Kristina had made it through to the arrivals area, she couldn’t see Abigail or Carlos anywhere. She knew her flight had landed slightly earlier than expected, but she assumed they would be here a little earlier just in case of something like this happening. She had called Abigail on her mobile just to check that they were on their way. Apparently they had problems parking near the airport and Carlos didn’t like parking too far away, given Abigail’s condition. So Kristina had arranged to meet them at the café, but as she sat there she got the distinct impression that she was being watched. She looked up casually from her drink that she’d ordered while waiting and glanced at the crowds of people but she couldn’t see anyone looking at her. They were all too busy getting on with their own lives. “You’re getting paranoid.” she told herself firmly, as she took another sip of her drink.


It was about fifteen minutes later before Abigail, Carlos and David arrived at the small café. Kristina wasn’t expecting David to be with them, but she was pleased to see him. Kristina was greeted with friendly smiles and welcoming hugs. When Kristina saw her sister and how big she had become, she couldn’t help but place her hand to her own stomach; visions of what her child might look like one day, filled her mind. Then her thoughts started to drift to who the father would be. What would her child look like if Urs were the father? Kristina scolded herself for even thinking about him. She still felt an annoying attraction to him and she couldn’t understand it. She only had to think of him and she felt flushed, the gentle eyes, the tender smile. How could she still feel anything for him after the way he had so easily pushed her aside? She’d sworn off men now that she had moved to London and there was no way she was going to break this rule again.


Kristina was tired after travelling through the night and now had to readjust to the time zone. So David, Carlos and Abigail had dropped Kristina off at her old house and left her to get some rest. As Kristina waved them goodbye, she still got the impression that she was being watched and gave a quick look around, expecting to see someone there, but there was no one. She put the key in the door and made her way inside. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, it felt like an entirely different world, compared to how she had spent the last few months, in places where she felt she never truly belonged. But being here, it felt good, she had that sense of belonging again.


The first thing Kristina did was take her bags inside, dropping them in the hallway. She could unpack later, all she wanted to do right now was sleep. She sat down on the stairs and undid her trainers, when a strong scent caught her attention; a sweet smell. After placing her trainers by the door, she made her way to where the smell was the strongest, in the lounge. There on the small coffee table in the centre of the room, was the biggest and most extravagant bouquet flowers she had ever seen, carefully arranged in crystal vase. It was made up of just about every flower you could imagine, Orchids, Baby’s Breath, red Carnations, red Camellias, red Tulips, Acacia and mauve lilacs. Kristina was sure the flowers all had a meaning but the question that was troubling Kristina was “Who sent them?”


She walked towards the table and looked for a card, it was still tied to the bouquet. All it said was “Welcome home, you were missed xx.” There was no name on the card. Perhaps Abigail had left them just to brighten the place up. She decided it wasn’t important, she would call her after she’d had a rest. Kristina continued to look at the flowers, a sense of nostalgia came over her as she thought about the last time someone had bought her flowers. It was Urs, after one of their many arguments, when she had first started on their campaign, it was his way of apologising to her. That was before Urs knew that she was in love with him. She had such hope, such faith, that one day they would be together, that one day she would be able to tell him the truth; she loved him. But now he knew, he knew everything and he’d chosen to end it; things would never be the same again. Kristina could feel tears burning the backs of her eyes and a feeling of sadness wash over her as she started reminiscing about her times with Urs. “Get it together,” she scolded herself, closing the door to the lounge and making her way up to her room.


Luckily for her, Kristina didn’t have much unpacking to do. After arranging to have her belongings shipped to the UK, Abigail had spent time unpacking them for her. There were still a few boxes to be unpacked but they could be done another day. Kristina opened the door to her room and was greeted with yet another surprise. There on her pillow, lay a single red rose. She froze in the doorway, suddenly remembering the feelings of being watched, and now knowing that someone had been in her home and left flowers, not just in the lounge but in her bedroom. Kristina could see a small white envelope underneath the rose and her curiosity got the better of her. She picked up the small envelope, opened it and took out the card. It simply read:

Loved you yesterday, love you still, always have, always will.


Kristina put the card back in the envelope and put both the envelope and the rose on the bedside table. She walked over to the window and drew the curtains before laying down on the bed. Who on earth could have sent the flowers? It couldn’t possibly be Tyler, how would he get in the house? And it couldn’t be Urs, not after he had ended things between them. But who else could it be? She felt her heart race at the thought of Urs, that he could have sent the flowers, that he might possibly want to see her again; but still she refused to acknowledge that she felt anything for him. She pushed the thoughts of Urs to the back of her mind, not wanting to think about him. She pulled the blanket up over her and closed her eyes, she felt so tired. It wasn’t long before she was fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urs had given the others a head start, before leaving the airport; he didn’t want to risk being spotted. When he reached Kristina’s house, they were taking the cases out of the car and helping Kristina take them up the path to her front door. He had parked a few houses down hoping not to be seen, but had a clear view of Kristina. He watched as they all said their goodbyes and then the others left. Urs was sure Kristina had seen him at one point, when she had stopped and looked around but she had carried on inside the house. Urs watched as the curtains in her room were drawn shut, even though it was left unsigned, she would have found his message by now. His smile broadened and his bottomless dimples deepened as he started up the engine and pulled away

***** CHAPTER 142 *****



When Kristina woke, it was 5pm. She was obviously was more tired than she first thought; she had only meant to have a nap but she’d slept for almost six hours. As she sat up in bed, she suddenly remembered where she was, back in her old house, her home. She smiled to herself, feeling completely rested and more refreshed than ever. She’d definitely made the right move, by coming back to London. Kristina’s stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since her flight had landed the day before.



Kristina swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood up and started to make the bed, humming to herself. She’d had a tune stuck in her head for weeks now and she couldn’t stop humming it. It had been ages since she had written anything, since she’d been so busy these past few weeks. Perhaps things would be a bit calmer now and she could find some time to put it down on paper; she just wished Natty were here to help her though.



Kristina smoothed down the sheets and was about to start fluffing up the pillows but stopped when she saw something black poking out from the under the two pillows on the other side of the bed. She leant across the bed and lifted up the pillows, to find a small black rectangular shaped box, about 6 inches long. Kristina picked it up and sat down on the bed, wondering how it had got there and who had left it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the red rose, still sitting on the bedside table from the night before. Could it be the same person who had left all the flowers? Completely mystified, Kristina warily opened the box, not knowing what to find. As she opened the box, Kristina gave a small gasp. Inside was a beautiful and very expensive looking gold bracelet with a small charm on it, along with a small scroll tied with red ribbon. She carefully took the bracelet out and looked at the charm; it was a miniature gold key. She placed the bracelet back in the box and pulled the ribbon off the scroll, carefully unrolling it. Inside was a message written in elegant handwriting;



I’m giving you the key to my heart,

It’s yours to keep, now and forever.



With love

From me to you

XX



Kristina wasn’t sure what to think after reading the note. It was flattering but at the same time, a little scary. Who on earth had left her the gift and the flowers? How did they get in? Kristina jumped when the phone started to ring.



“Kristina?”



“Hey Abigail.” Kristina said, getting up from the bed and picking up the rose from the bedside table.



“How are you feeling?”



“Great thanks.” Kristina replied, making her way downstairs. “I feel much better after having some sleep.”



“That’s good to hear. Listen the reason I’m calling is because I‘m guessing you probably won’t feel like cooking tonight, so how about joining us?” Abigail suggested. “David’s coming over later and Seb’s already here. He’s looking forward to seeing you again.”



“I don’t know.” Kristina a little hesitantly.



“Urs won’t be here, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Abigail replied, sensing her sisters apprehension. “I saw him go out a little while ago.”



Kristina had wondered about Urs, she wasn’t sure if she was up to seeing him again just yet. He had hurt her and she knew that if she saw him, it might just bring back too many memories and it had taken her long enough to get this far in trying to forget him.



“I’m cooking your favourite.” Abigail continued.



“Spaghetti Bolognese?” Kristina said, her stomach rumbling at the thought of food.



“What else?” Abigail laughed.



“Then how can I say no?” Kristina replied, reaching the bottom of the stairs and heading in to the lounge.



“Okay, so how long will you be?” Abigail asked.



“Just let me freshen up and I’ll be there within the hour.” Kristina replied, placing the red rose in the vase with the other flowers.



“Great, see you then.” Abigail said.



As soon as she had said goodbye to Abigail, Kristina called a local taxi firm and booked a car to take her to Abigail’s. That was something Kristina had forgotten all about, a car of her own. She’d have to start looking for one, she couldn’t keep calling taxi’s all the time. Kristina picked up one of her cases and took it upstairs. She was beginning to wish she‘d unpacked earlier on, because now she would need to iron some clothes. So after finding a clean pair of jeans and a top, she gave them a quick iron, before having a shower. Whilst Kristina was getting dressed, she started to think about who had left the flowers and the bracelet. It had to be someone she knew, but what was puzzling her the most, was how did they get in to the house? After applying a small amount of make up, Kristina picked up the box containing the bracelet, grabbed her jacket and bag before waiting outside for the taxi.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Mmm dinner smells good.” Kristina said, slipping her jacket off.



“That would be your sister’s wonderful cooking.” Carlos said, taking the jacket from her and hanging it up. “It won’t be long, which reminds me, Abby asked me to set the table and I haven‘t done it yet. ”



“You’d better do it now before she finds out and make sure you do a good job.” Kristina laughed. “You know how she likes everything to be just perfect.”



“Don’t I know it.” Carlos said rolling his eyes. “Since being pregnant, her hormones have made her even worse.”



“Hey I heard that.” Abigail said, appearing from the kitchen.



“You know I’m only joking.” Carlos said, turning around and giving Abigail a gentle kiss on the mouth.



“Yeah right.” Abigail smirked, before stepping past him and hugging her sister.



“Do you need any help in the kitchen?” Kristina asked.



“No, it’s alright thanks. I‘m just about to dish up.” Abigail replied. “David and Seb are in the other room. Why don’t you go and say hello?”



Kristina walked further down the hall and entered the lounge. David and Sebastien were sitting on the sofa and had their backs to her, watching television.



“Evening fellas!” Kristina said, ruffling their hair.



“Hey watch it!” David said, running his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it back in place.



“You’re such a girl.” Kristina laughed. David had always spent more time on his hair than her and she had often found him using her hair products, although he always denied it.



“Kristina!” Sebastien said, jumping up from his seat. “I was going to ask how you are, but you look great.”



“Thanks Seb, I feel great too.” Kristina replied, hugging him. “How about you? How are things? Busy?”



“Very busy!” Sebastian sighed. “We spent weeks in Sweden recording the album and now it’s nothing but endless interviews.”



“I bet you love every minute of it.” Kristina said, winking at him.



Sebastien grinned.



“Hey don’t I get a hug?” David said, frowning.



“Well, I wouldn’t want to get too close in case I mess up that hair of yours again.” Kristina smirked.



“Very funny.” David said, rolling his eyes at her. “Now come here.”



Kristina turned to face David and hugged him tightly. It had only been a few hours since she had seen him at the airport, but she felt a sense of belonging again, feeling his big strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe. It was something familiar and something which she missed, feeling close to someone.



“Dinners ready!” Abigail called out.



“About time.” David said, pulling away and heading straight for the door way. “I’m starving.”



Kristina and Sebastien laughed at David as they followed him in to the other room and joined Carlos who was already sitting down and Abigail who was placing a basket of bread on the table.



“Eat up.” Abigail said, sitting down. “I think I made way too much.”



“I’m sure you won’t hear David complaining.” Kristina said, before taking a mouthful.



“Yeah, hurry up everyone.” Sebastien laughed. “David’s hungry and you know what that means.”



“I can’t help it if I have a healthy appetite.” David said, before piling more food on to his plate.



“Oh Abigail, I meant to ask you, did you leave me some flowers?” Kristina said, while pouring herself a glass of water.



“Flowers?” Abigail said, sounding puzzled. “No, why?”



“When I got home yesterday, I found a huge vase of flowers in the lounge.” Kristina replied. “There was a message but no name.”



“What did the message say?” Abigail asked, noticing Sebastien and Carlos exchanging odd looks.



“Welcome home, you were missed’. Kristina answered. “I assumed you had left them.”



“No, no I didn‘t.” Abigail frowned. “Carlos did you leave them for Kristina?”



“Uh no… I don’t know anything about them.” Carlos said, quickly glancing at Sebastien as he took a mouthful of food.



“Sebastien?” Abigail asked.



“No, it wasn’t me.” Sebastien said, keeping his eyes down as he played with the food on his plate.



“There was a red rose too.” Kristina continued. “It was left on my pillow with another message.”



“No name again?” David asked.



“Nope.” Kristina replied. “Just this.” she added, taking the small card out of the back pocket of her jeans and handing it to David.



“Are you sure neither of you two know anything about these flowers?” Abigail asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.



Sebastien and Carlos glanced at each other again and then looked at Abigail.



“You do, don’t you?” Abigail said, raising her eyebrows. “You both look as guilty as anything.”



“I left the vase of flowers.” Carlos admitted.



“And I left the rose.” Sebastien said, biting his lip.



“So who left the bracelet?” Kristina asked.



“Bracelet?” Sebastien said, looking at Carlos who shook his head. “Don’t look at me.”



David glared at Sebastien.



“I swear, I know nothing about a bracelet.” Sebastien said, holding his hands up.



“Was there another message with it?” David asked.



“Yes but there’s still no name on it.” Kristina said, leaning round and taking out the box from her bag, which was left on the sideboard. She handed it to David.



David took the box from Kristina and opened it and took the bracelet out.



“Wow!” Sebastien said, letting out a low whistle. “That looks expensive.”



“You’re not kidding.” David said, holding it up to the light.



“What is that?” Abigail asked, squinting. “Is it some kind of charm on it?”



“Yes it’s a key.” Kristina replied.



Carlos took the scroll from the box and read the message aloud.



I’m giving you the key to my heart,

It’s yours to keep, now and forever.



With love

From me to you

XX



“You have a secret admirer.” Abigail said, grinning. “That’s so romantic.”



“You think so?” Kristina said, frowning. “Doesn’t it bother you that someone managed to get in to the house and leave it there for me to find? I have no idea who it is. For all I know, it could be some psycho.”



“I hadn’t thought of that.” Abigail said, biting her lip. “Who do you know that still has a key?”



“Well obviously there’s you and Carlos.” Kristina replied. “Tyler had one, but that was before we left London and he gave it back to me.”



“He could have made a copy.” Abigail said thoughtfully. “You don’t think it’s him?”



“I don’t know.” Kristina replied. “I don’t think so. The last time we saw each other was at his father’s funeral and we weren’t really on speaking terms. We still aren’t.”



“Perhaps he’s had second thoughts.” Abigail suggested.



Kristina shrugged and continued to eat her meal.



“If he was having second thoughts, would you give it another go?” Sebastien asked.



“Uh uh.” Kristina said, shaking her head. “I‘m going to stay young, free and single. I‘ve sworn off men for life.”



“You’re joking, right?” David said, laughing.



“No, I’m serious.” Kristina said, looking at David. “Why do you find that so funny?”



“I don’t, I just meant... I mean…” David shrugged. “I just thought that maybe now you were back in London, you and Urs might want to try again.”



Kristina took the bracelet from Carlos and placed it back in the box, along with the small scroll.



“Me and Urs are finished.” Kristina said, putting the box in her bag. “We’ll never get back together.”



“You could if you wanted to.” Carlos commented. “I’m sure Urs wants to.”



“Well, I don’t want to.” Kristina said, pushing her plate away. “Is that why you and Seb left the flowers? Are you doing this because of Urs?”



Sebastien and Carlos glanced at each other.



“Well?” Kristina said, looking at Sebastien and then Carlos.



“We just wanted to help.” Sebastien said lowering his voice. “But Urs doesn’t know a thing about it.”



“We thought that if you found the flowers, you might think it was Urs that sent them.” Carlos explained. “And that you two might start talking again.”



“He’s been in a foul mood ever since you left London.” Sebastien said, smiling weakly. “But then he found out you were coming back and he’s been acting like his old self again. We’re sure it’s because of you. Why don’t you go and see him?”



“Look I know you’re only trying to help.” Kristina said, getting to her feet. “But I don’t need it, especially where my love life is concerned and if I never saw Urs again, that would suit me just fine. So I’d appreciate it if you’d stop interfering.”



“Where are you going?” Abigail asked, when Kristina picked up her bag. “You’ve hardly touched your food.”



“I’ve lost my appetite.” Kristina said, walking around the table to her sister. “Thanks for dinner.”



“You‘re not leaving are you?” Abigail frowned.



“I’m sorry but I’m not feeling very sociable.” Kristina said, hugging Abigail. “I don’t want to ruin your evening. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, perhaps we can go out and do some shopping and have lunch somewhere.”



“Okay.” Abigail sighed, as she followed Kristina to the front door.



“Great one guys.” David said, getting to his feet. “Now see what you’ve done!”



Abigail handed Kristina her jacket and opened the door. “How will you get home?”



“I’ll take her home.” David said, appearing at the end of the hall, slipping his jacket on.



“Thanks David.” Kristina smiled.



Abigail and Kristina gave each other one last hug and then Kristina followed David in to the hall to the elevator. The doors opened just as they reached it and who should appear but none other than Urs. Both Urs and Kristina froze, staring at one another, wide eyed.



Kristina didn’t want to look at Urs, but for some reason she found it impossible to look away from him, she was completely mesmerized. Her eyes scanned his body, he’d been working out, she could tell by the way his muscles stretched the cotton fabric of his maroon coloured Triumph T-shirt, his shoulders appeared broader and his stomach looked firm. The tight jeans seemed to hug his physique in all the wrong places, which made Kristina feel a desire that she hadn’t experienced in quite some time. She could feel her heart pounding hard against her chest, memories of their last night together came flooding back.



“Hi Urs.” David said, taking Kristina by the elbow and leading her in to the elevator.



“Huh?” Urs looked at David, confused.



“I said hello.” David repeated.



“Yeah… hello.” Urs mumbled, stepping out of the elevator and turning to face them. Kristina pressed the button for the ground floor and looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with Urs. As the doors started to close, Kristina kept her eyes firmly focused on the blank wall, doing her best to keep her composure.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“You okay?” David asked, when they pulled up outside Kristina’s house. “You’ve hardly said a word since leaving Carlos and Abigail’s place.”



“I’m fine.” Kristina replied. “Why wouldn‘t I be?”



“I thought that maybe seeing Urs…” David started to say.



“It was just a bit of a shock seeing him like that.” Kristina interrupted him. “That’s all.”



“Did you mean what you said earlier?” David asked quietly. “About not wanting to see Urs again?”



“Does it matter?” Kristina said, shrugging her shoulders.



“If you still love him, then of course it does.” David replied. “Do you? Do you still love him?”



Kristina nervously chewed her lip and looked out the car window.



“It’s a simple enough question, Krissy.” David said softly. “Yes or no?”



“No, I don’t.” Kristina said, after taking a deep breath. “Thanks for the lift, David.” she added, lightly kissing him on the cheek. “I’ll give you call over the weekend.”



“Make sure you do!” David called out to her before she closed the car door and made her way up the path to her front door.



Kristina put the key in the door and pushed it open a little before turning around and waving goodbye to David. David had completely thrown her by asking her if she still loved Urs. Like he said, it was a simple enough question. So why couldn’t she answer him straight away? It had to be because she had seen Urs just a short while earlier, it had brought back too many memories and too many feelings. She wasn’t expecting to see him so soon, she wasn’t prepared. Of course she didn’t love him. How could she?



When David had disappeared out of sight, Kristina stepped inside and closed the door and flicked on the light in the hall. That’s when she noticed a large brown envelope laying on the floor. Straight away she noticed that there was no stamp on it, meaning it had been hand delivered. Kristina placed her bag on the table and slipped off her jacket, hanging it over the banister and then picking up the envelope. Kristina headed to the kitchen and placed the envelope on the counter, before filling up the kettle and switching it on. Kristina couldn’t decide whether or not she should open the envelope. What if it was from the same person that had sent her the bracelet? Knowing that Sebastien and Carlos had left the flowers didn‘t put her mind at rest, someone had still managed to get in to the house. First thing in the morning, she would call a locksmith and get the locks changed.



While waiting for the kettle to boil, Kristina picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite, still staring at the envelope. She was tempted simply to throw it in the bin, without even opening it. But what if it was something important? The kettle clicked and switched itself off as it started to boil. Kristina put the half eaten apple down on the draining board and made herself a mug of tea, gently blowing on it before taking a sip.



It’s no good, she thought to herself, putting the mug down on the counter and picking up the envelope; she had to find out what was inside. Kristina ripped open the top of the envelope and peered inside; it looked like a book. Kristina turned the envelope upside down so that its contents fell out on to the counter. There was a small London A-Z and another envelope. Why would someone send her a street map of London? There’s only one way to find, she thought, picking up the second envelope and taking out the piece of paper.



“By now you should have found the bracelet I left for you, which means you have the key to my heart. But you are probably wondering who I am. This I cannot tell you. If you want to know my name, then it is up to you to find out. At the start of each new day, a clue will be sent to you. If you give me the correct answer, I will give you another clue and tell you where you can find your next charm. There are seven more charms to collect. When you have them all, you may make a wish. Only when you have found all seven charms, will I reveal my identity to you. I will email you each clue and when you think you have the correct answer, you can email your answer to me. Keep the A-Z, I don’t want you getting lost. In case you are wondering how I will contact you, I have set up an email account in your name;



Username: heavensent

Password: secret



At the bottom of the note, was a web address where she could sign in and check her mail. Kristina headed straight to the lounge and switched on her laptop. It had to be a joke. This guy had set up an email account in her name and he was going to send her clues in which she had to find all the charms, before she could find out who he was. Who ever it was had gone to an awful lot of trouble and seemed to be taking things very seriously; perhaps too seriously. But she was curious, she had to see if it was real. Kristina went to the web address given and entered her username and password. Sure enough, the page started to load and she had one message waiting for her, in her inbox.



From: Mr X

Subject: Clue 1



“I knew you wouldn’t be able to wait until morning, so here is your first clue.



It might not be Beverley Hills, but they have 3 stars.



Still want to play?”



Mr X ? How original, Kristina sighed. She had hoped that she would get some idea as to who it was, that he might have made a slip up. But he had obviously registered the account in a false name. She had no other choice but to try and solve the clues. “What the heck,” she thought, leaning back in her chair, “this might even be fun.” Kristina clicked on the reply link and typed four words before hitting the send button.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Urs had not long been home. He was stretched out on the sofa, still in shock. He wasn’t expecting to see Kristina. He’d been so careful in avoiding her at the airport and making sure that no one spotted her entering her house, that the last place he expected to see her was in his own apartment building. Urs had been planning this for weeks and it was only by pure chance that Carlos had left his set of keys for Kristina’s house in Urs’ apartment one evening. That was when he had come up with the idea of the clues and leaving the gift in her house. Urs heard a noise, signalling that he had a new email. He jumped up from the sofa and went over to the desk in the corner, where his laptop was. The email was from heavensent; Kristina. Urs clicked on the email and opened it and read her reply.



“Let the games begin.”

***** CHAPTER 143 *****



As promised, Kristina had called Abigail the following day and they arranged to go shopping in Knightsbridge. Kristina had found it virtually impossible to sleep the previous night, her mind was busy trying to unscramble the clue. But that wasn’t all that was troubling her.


“I had a shower this morning.” Kristina said, as they walked in to a small expensive looking boutique.


“I wondered what the smell was yesterday.” Abigail smirked.


“Very funny.” Kristina said, before sticking her tongue out at her sister.


“I’m sorry.” Abigail said, giggling. “Go on then, finish what you were going to say.”


“Well, it’s really odd.” Kristina said, pausing in front of a clothes rail. “I never noticed it the day before when I had a shower.”


“Noticed what?” Abigail asked.


“The mirror.” Kristina replied. “When I got out of the shower, the mirror was all steamed up but there was a message written on it.”


“How’s that possible?” Abigail frowned.


“I’ve no idea but what ever it’s written in, it won’t come off.” Kristina replied. “I’ve tried everything. It‘s like some kind of wax.”


“What did it say?” Abigail asked.


“Love does not die easily xx.” Kristina replied.


“Oh… so it’s your secret admirer.” Abigail said grinning.


“I guess so, but don’t you think it’s a little…weird?” Kristina said, frowning. “I mean… he’s talking about love but I’ve no idea who he is. You don‘t think Carlos or Seb had anything to do with it, do you?”


“No, I had a word with Carlos this morning and he’s sworn that he and Seb won’t do anything else.” Abigail replied. “As far as I know, all they’ve done is leave flowers for you.”


“I just wish I knew who it was. I don‘t like all these guessing games.” Kristina said, picking up the first dress she came to. “I don’t like the thought of some stranger being in my house. I’m seriously considering calling the police.”


“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.” Abigail said, reassuringly. “He hasn’t done anything bad other than leave you a gift and that note. It‘s not as if he‘s said or done anything to make you think he’s going to harm you.”


“I didn’t tell you earlier, but when I got home last night, there was a package waiting for me.” Kristina said, making her way along the clothes rail.


“A package?” Abigail said, following Kristina. “Another gift?”


“Not really. It was a street map of London.” Kristina replied. “Who ever it is, has set up an email account in my name and each day he’s going to send me a clue. When I think I know the answers, I have to email them to him and if I get the clues right, I get another charm for my bracelet. When I have all seven charms, he will tell me who he is.”


“Wow, he’s really thought about this hasn’t he.” Abigail said, shocked. “Do you have the first clue yet?”


“Yes, he sent me it last night.” Kristina replied, picking up a long black silk dress. “But it doesn’t make any sense.”


“What’s the clue?” Abigail asked. “Perhaps I can help.”


“I was hoping you would say that.” Kristina said, smiling. “It said ‘It might not be Beverly Hills but it has three stars’.”


“Hmm, and you’ve no idea what it is?” Abigail said, frowning.


“Nope.” Kristina said, shaking her head. “Does it mean anything to you?”


“Give me a chance, woman! You‘ve only just given me the clue, you‘ve had all night to think about it.” Abigail laughed. “But just think, if you answer all the clues correctly, you could meet him in seven days.”


“Is that supposed to be a good thing?” Kristina said, putting the black dress back on the rail.


“Don’t you want to find out who your admirer is?” Abigail asked. “You must be a bit curious to know who this guy is.”


“I’m not bothered one way or another.” Kristina said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just a bit of fun and it’ll help me take my mind off…”


“Off Urs?” Abigail finished for her when Kristina stopped mid-sentence.


“Don’t be silly.” Kristina said, turning away and picking up another dress. “It will stop me thinking about the hospital appointment that I’ve got this week.”


“Oh, is it a check up at the Renal Unit?” Abigail asked.


“No, it’s about the headaches I’ve been getting.” Kristina replied. “All my records were sent over from New York and now I have to meet my new doctor and go through all the details of my treatment.”


“So have you still been getting the headaches?” Abigail asked. “Are the tablets helping?”


“I still get the headaches but the tablets help.” Kristina replied. “That’s unless I’m tired or stressed at work and then I get really bad headaches. That’s when the tablets don’t help at all.”


“Well at least with you don’t have to deal with Urs anymore.” Abigail commented. “I guess he’s one less thing to worry about.”


“Why do you say that?” Kristina asked.


“I simply meant that you don’t have to work in the same building or worry about seeing him.” Abigail replied. “Neither of you two have told me what happened the night of the Masquerade Ball but it must’ve been serious for you to leave London the next day.”


“Abigail, I really don’t want to talk about him.” Kristina said, turning away.


“I was speaking to David on the phone before I left this morning.” Abigail continued. “He told me you bumped into Urs when you left our place.”


“Abigail…” Kristina said, turning back and glaring at her.


“He said Urs appeared a little shocked when he first saw you.” Abigail said, ignoring her sister’s angry stare. “But by his reaction, he also got the impression that he still loves you.”


“And how would David know that?” Kristina said, trying to remain calm. She didn’t like the way everyone seemed to be talking about her and Urs’ relationship. “We didn’t even speak to one another, so I don’t know what gave David that impression.”


“Urs didn’t have to say anything.” Abigail replied. “Apparently the look on his face said it all. Which makes me wonder what the real reason was for you leaving. Was it a joint decision for you to leave or was it one you made on your own?”


“I’ve told you before, Abigail.” Kristina said, sighing heavily. “We loved each other but just not enough to continue with a relationship. ”


“You two are an absolute mystery to me.” Abigail frowned. “You finally get together after all these years and within 24 hours you end it. What else do you need in a relationship apart from love?”


A lot more than just love; Kristina thought to herself. She needed commitment, support and trust. She needed to know that a special someone would be there for her through the bad times as well as the good times, that she could always rely and depend on them. Urs had clearly shown that it was something he couldn’t give her and that‘s why she was on her own now.



“I’m not prepared to talk about this any more.” Kristina replied, quietly. “Now please, can we please change the subject?”



Abigail could see she had pushed things a little too far and her sister and had become somewhat subdued. She knew there was a lot more to why Kristina and Urs had split up and wondered if she would ever find out the real reason.


“So… back to your secret admirer.” Abigail said cheerily.


“Abigail!” Kristina said, her face breaking in to a smile. “I was hoping we could talk about something else.”


“What?” Abigail said, innocently.


“I’ll be thankful when all this nonsense stops.” Kristina said. “Then maybe we really can talk about something else.”


“It’s not really nonsense is it.” Abigail said, picking up the black silk dress that Kristina had just been looking at. “If you thought it was nonsense, you wouldn’t even be considering trying to figure out the clue. Who ever it is has put a lot of time and thought in to this so he must think a lot of you and he obviously thinks that he stands a chance with you.”


“It’s probably some psycho who’s got nothing better to do with his time than bug me.” Kristina said, taking the silk dress from Abigail. “I seem to have a habit of attracting losers.”


“That’s not true.” Abigail said, frowning. “David wasn’t a loser, neither was Tyler… or Urs.”


“Okay that’s it.” Kristina said, putting the dress back on the rail. “No more talk of Urs or Tyler..”


“Sorry.” Abigail apologised. “What did you want to talk about?”


“Anything, as long as it’s not about men.” Kristina answered.


“Okay, well as I was saying, this admirer of yours.” Abigail continued. “I was thinking, to get in to your house and leave the bracelet and the message, someone would have to have a key. So who have you given a key to?”


“Abigail!” Kristina exclaimed, now totally frustrated. “I thought we were going to change the subject. We’ve already been through this.”


“Just work with me on this, will you?” Abigail replied. “We have to think about it logically. There must be someone who you’ve trusted enough, to give them a key at some point and they could have had it copied.”


“The only people that have a key to the house is you and Carlos.” Kristina replied. “Oh and Natty.”


“What about the people that used to live there?” Abigail asked. “Did you know the people that were renting the house?”


“No, at least I don’t think so.” Kristina replied. “The letting agent dealt with the tenants. I’ve never even met them and the agent gave me back the original set of keys when I moved back.”


“Okay, you said Tyler had a key.” Abigail commented.


“Tyler is not the one behind all this.” Kristina said firmly.


“How can you be so sure?” Abigail asked.


“It’s just not his style.” Kristina said shrugging. “He’s more… direct. If he has something on his mind, he just says it. He wouldn’t do all this. Besides, we haven‘t spoken since his fathers funeral.”


“But he did have a key, didn‘t he?” Abigail asked.


“Yes but only for like half an hour.” Kristina replied. “He went to the shop to get a few things for dinner and I gave him a key so he could let himself back in.”


“That’s enough time to get a key cut.” Abigail remarked.


“It’s not Tyler.” Kristina said, adamantly.


“Okay what about…”


“No!” Kristina interrupted Abigail.


“You don’t know even know who I was going to say.” Abigail said.


“I do.” Kristina said, picking up the black silk dress for a third time. “You were going to say Urs. Well, I’ve never given him a key. Ever!”


“But it could be.” Abigail said, thoughtfully. “There was a time when…”


Abigail paused.


“What?” Kristina said, stopping to turn and look at her sister.


“When you started sending some of your belongings back to London, I asked Carlos to help me take some of them over to your place.” Abigail explained.


“And?” Kristina said, not quite sure what Abigail was suggesting.


“Well, I gave him your keys and…” Abigail nervously chewed on her lip.


“And?” Kristina said again, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.


“He lost them.” Abigail said faintly.


“He did what!” Kristina exclaimed. “He lost them and you didn’t think to tell me? So I really could have some madman doing all this, just because Carlos lost my house keys.”


“Hang on a minute though, he found them that‘s why I didn‘t tell you until now.” Abigail interrupted her. “But the thing is… I know he remembered last having them was when he was at Urs’ place. Then he couldn’t find them. But the next day, he found them at the studio. Except Carlos hadn’t been to the studio since leaving Urs’ place. How else would they end up at the studio unless it was Urs that took them?”


“It’s not Urs.” Kristina said, firmly.


“How do you know?” Abigail asked. “Has he said something to you?“


“No, last night was the first time we’d seen each other since arriving back in London.” Kristina replied. “And as I said earlier, we didn’t even speak to one another.”


“So how do you know it’s not him?” Abigail asked.


“Because… because I just do.” Kristina said, starting to get annoyed.


“Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?” Abigail asked, softly.


Kristina picked up another dress, this time it was a midnight blue silk dress. She held it up and stared at it, while thinking about what Abigail had asked her. Kristina had only told two people about the reason why her and Urs weren’t together. She had told Tyler out of necessity, when he had found out through Anna, that she had lied to him. The other person was Natty.


But she couldn’t bring herself to tell her own sister; she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the fact that their lives couldn’t be more different and she felt embarrassed. Kristina seemed to make one mistake after another and was once again single, lonely and unhappy with only her career to keep her busy. Yet Abigail had the idyllic life, a perfect marriage to a wonderful man who loved her and now they had baby on the way. Kristina looked at her sister, as she protectively put her hand over her now huge bump. In just a few weeks, Abigail would be a mother. Kristina longed to be a mother, to have children of her own, with a man she loved.


“Kristina?”


Kristina looked up at her sister but didn‘t speak.


“What happened?” Abigail asked quietly. “What happened that night with Urs?”


Kristina could feel the tears of frustration welling up in her eyes once again. Frustration from coming so close, so close to finally being with the man she loved for him to throw it all back in her face. Once again she was painfully reminded of her last moments with Urs.


“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kristina said, before taking a deep breath and refusing to let herself cry. She had been strong up until now, she wasn’t going to cry over another man ever again.


Abigail could see that Kristina was now starting to get upset and decided not to ask anymore questions about Urs.


“Are you going to buy that?” Abigail asked, as Kristina ran the back of her hand down the front of the blue silk dress.


“Are you kidding?” Kristina said, arching an eyebrow. “Have you seen how much it is? You could feed an entire village on that. Besides, when am I going to wear something like this?”


“Perhaps on a date.” Abigail replied.


“Very funny.” Kristina replied.


“What?” Abigail frowned. “I’m serious.”


“I’m not going on a date with anyone.” Kristina said, putting the dress back on the rail.


“Just a thought.” Abigail replied. “But you have to meet your secret admirer sometime. Perhaps you could wear it then?”


“Who says I‘m going to meet him?” Kristina asked.


“Well, how else are you going to find out who it is?” Abigail asked.


“What’s wrong with telling me by email?” Kristina asked.


“I have a feeling that who ever this guy is, he won’t want to tell you by email.” Abigail said, smirking. “He’ll want to meet you face to face, take you out somewhere, wine you and dine you and do his best to impress you.”


“It’ll take more than good wine or fancy food to impress me.” Kristina said, turning and heading for the door. “And perhaps I need to remind you, that I’m not looking to start another relationship.”


“Maybe you should let your admirer know.” Abigail said, following Kristina. “You don’t want to give the guy false hopes.”


“Hey it’s not my fault if he wants to play these silly games.” Kristina snapped. “I can’t be blamed for the outcome. Not everyone gets the happy ending they want.”


“Okay, okay, I understand!” Abigail said, trying to calm her sister down. “I get the message.”


“I’m sorry.” Kristina said, looking across as her sister and frowning. “But it’s true.”


“You don’t need to explain.” Abigail replied. “I understand what you mean. Now, how about we go back to your place and try and work out this clue of yours?”


“Sure, I have to be back soon anyway.” Kristina replied, checking her watch as they left the store and made their way out on to the street and joined the busy shoppers. “I’ve got the locksmith coming.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can I help you, sir?”


Urs turned around to see a middle-aged woman standing behind him.


“Yes, please. The blonde lady that was just in here," Urs said, taking a blue silk dress off the rail. "She was with a woman who's pregnant. I want to buy this for her but I have no idea what size to get."


"I think I can help you there." she replied, as she picked out another blue dress from the rail. "I know which lady you mean. Would you like it wrapped?"


"If you could, please." Urs replied. "I don't suppose you deliver do you?"


"Yes but it's an extra charge." she answered.


"Not a problem." Urs said, handing his credit card to the assistant.


"Okay, well if you can fill in the delivery details and I'll have this wrapped for you." she replied, as she pushed a pen and paper across the counter towards Urs. "I won't be a moment."


While the assistant disappeared out the back, Urs filled in the delivery card. He didn't want Kristina to know who had sent her the dress just yet, so he left the senders details blank. It would be a few days, before Kristina would receive the dress, but he knew of the perfect occasion for Kristina to wear it; that was just one more part of his plan.

***** CHAPTER 144 *****



“This is useless.” Kristina said, throwing the A-Z on the table. “We‘ve gone through all the street names in London and there‘s nothing in there that looks like it could be the answer.”



“It has to be in there somewhere.” Abigail sighed. “Why else would he give you a street map?”



“He said it was because he didn’t want me to get lost.” Kristina frowned. “But how can I get lost when I don’t even know where I should start looking?”



“All done!” said a male voice. Andy, the locksmith popped his head round the door. “Did you want to come and see it?”



“Sure.” Kristina said, getting up from her seat.



Andy then showed Kristina the work he had done on both the back and front doors and explained which keys fitted the locks and how the dead bolt worked. Kristina felt a lot safer knowing that if Mr X did try to get in anymore, he would be out of luck.



“Thanks a lot.” Kristina said, handing over the money. “I appreciate you coming over at such short notice.”



“No worries.” Andy said, giving her a receipt. “I hope you don’t think I’m being nosy, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.”



“Oh?” Kristina said, glancing at Abigail who had just walked in to the hall.



“This guy, the one that you think has got in to your house.” Andy said, picking up his tool box. “Is he the one that left you that clue?”



“Yes. Why do you ask?” Kristina said, curiously.



“No reason.” Andy replied. “I just wondered why you hadn’t looked it up on the internet.”



“And how are we going to do that?” Abigail asked.



“You ‘google’ it.” Andy replied, getting his van keys out of his trouser pocket.



“Wouldn’t that be cheating?” Abigail said, giggling.



“I don’t remember him giving us any rules.” Kristina said, grinning. “And how will he ever know?”



“You’ve got a point.” Abigail agreed.



“Thanks Andy.” Kristina said, following him to the door. “You’ve been a great help, in more ways than one.”



“My pleasure.” Andy said, taking a bow.



Kristina laughed, as she opened the door and said goodbye. She then joined Abigail in the lounge who by now was sitting in front of the laptop.



“Okay, so it’s got to be in London, that’s why Mr X gave me the A-Z.” Kristina remarked, chewing on her lip deep in thought. “And three stars must mean something, perhaps they’re famous people.”



“Don’t forget Beverley Hills.” Abigail added, as Kristina typed in the words London and three stars in to the search engine.



“But he said it wasn’t Beverley Hills.” Kristina replied.



“No read it again.” Abigail said, handing her the paper. “He said it ‘might not’ be Beverley Hills. It’s even spelt with an ‘e’ and Beverly Hills, California doesn’t have an ‘e’. You‘d better just type it in the way he’s written it, to be on the safe side.”



“Okay… Beverley.” Kristina said, typing in the final word before clicking on the search button.



“Oh my God!” Abigail squealed pointing at the screen when the page had loaded. “That’s it. You’ve found the answer. It‘s a hotel.”



Kristina looked at the screen, paying particular attention to the third search result.



“Beverley City Hotel, comfortable 3 Star hotel in London.”



“That can’t be it, surely.” Kristina said, still looking at the screen. “It can’t be that easy.”



“But it makes sense.” Abigail replied. “It’s in London, it has three stars and it’s not Beverly Hills, it’s Beverly City.”



“So now what do I do?” Kristina asked.



“Email him the answer of course!” Abigail said.



“You do realise that even if I email it to him now, I won‘t get the second clue until tomorrow.” Kristina commented.



“Yes but at least you‘ll know if you‘ve got the right answer.”



“But he might not even check his email until tomorrow.” Kristina said, frowning. “And then he could still tell us we have the wrong answer.”



“Just email him will you?” Abigail said, excitedly.



“Okay!” Kristina said laughing. “Geez woman, will you calm down?”



Kristina signed in to the email account and sent Mr X an email with her answer.



“Now I guess we just wait.” Kristina said, as she clicked send.



“Will you let me know when he replies?” Abigail asked.



“Of course.” Kristina replied. “I’ll need your help with the next clue.”



“Well, if they’re all like that you won’t need much help.” Abigail said, before giving a small yawn.



“Somehow I don’t think they’re all going to be that easy.” Kristina sighed. “Are you tired?”



“A little.” she nodded. “Pregnancy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’ve put on weight, my back’s killing me, I can’t sleep. I‘m so tired and ratty, I’m have to keep going to the loo every half hour and then there was the morning sickness. So much for the healthy glow. I look more like death warmed up. You should try it sometime.”



Kristina forced a smile, wondering if she would ever be a mother, to bear a child with a man she loved, and who loved her unconditionally in return.



“It will happen, Kristina.” Abigail said, smiling almost as of reading her mind. “I know you’re not looking for another relationship but one day, when you least expect it, you’ll find the perfect man, who’ll sweep you off your feet and before you know it, you‘ll have a family of your own.”



“Maybe.” Kristina said, looking back at the computer screen. Kristina knew her sister meant well but she didn’t hold out much hope. She knew that even though she was getting over Urs, she couldn’t see herself loving anyone else. There would always be a place in her heart for Urs and no one could ever replace what they had.



But who knows, maybe Abigail was right. Maybe one day she would meet someone special. Maybe she would find someone else. Perhaps her admirer was that person. But she had to give herself time to heal before throwing herself in to the next situation headfirst. “Seems like that’s what my life is all about,” she thought ruefully, as she leant back in her seat. “One crisis after another.”

***** CHAPTER 145 *****





Abigail had gone home several hours ago. Kristina had made herself dinner before having a rest on the sofa. Walking around town earlier that day had worn her out. When Kristina woke, it was dusk and the street lamp outside had just come on, casting an orange glow across the room. Kristina got up from the sofa and turned on the light before drawing the curtains. She still felt tired and decided that she would have a bath and then an early night. But as Kristina walked out of the lounge, she could see her laptop in the study at the end of the hallway. She instantly thought about the clue and wondered if Mr X had replied. What was the harm in checking? It would only take a couple of minutes. So Kristina made her way to the study, switched on the laptop and signed in to her email account.



She couldn’t help feeling a rush of excitement when she saw that she had a new message, but it soon disappeared when she clicked on the message and found that it was an email from the company hosting the email account. By the looks of it, it was a standard email sent out to all their members, telling them about their free services. This particular email was informing everyone of their instant web messenger service. Kristina was about to delete it when she suddenly had an idea. What if she sent a request to Mr X? It was all very well, him sending her perfectly thought out clues but what if she could find out who he really was? He might slip up and give her a small clue to his identity without realising it. Without giving it another thought, Kristina downloaded the messenger service and sent an IM request to Mr X. But now what? Kristina decided to have her bath as planned, but would check her mail one more time before going to bed.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Urs closed the door of his apartment and carefully placed his helmet on the table in the hall way, before shrugging off his leather jacket and hanging it up. He then made his way in to the lounge and before doing anything else, he switched on his laptop. While he was waiting for it to start up, he sat down and kicked off his boots. He’d been out riding his motorbike for the past hour, but he was longing to know if Kristina had figured out his first clue, so in the end he had cut his ride short and come back home.



It wasn’t long before the laptop had loaded and Urs was signed in to his email account. He had two new messages. He read the first one, from Kristina. He grinned to himself, when he read her answer. She had sent the correct answer but he wasn’t going to send her the next clue just yet. He would make her wait until tomorrow morning. Urs then read the next message. It was an instant message request, from Heavensent. Kristina wanted to talk to him? Correction; Kristina wanted to talk to her secret admirer. Maybe this email idea of his wasn’t as foolproof, like he had first thought. He hadn’t even considered this possibility. He could refuse it. He didn’t have to say yes, after all this wasn’t part of the deal. He was only supposed to send her emails, but he was tempted to accept the request. He was longing to have contact with her, even if she didn’t know it was him. But if he did accept he would have to think carefully before he replied to any messages. The temptation was too great to resist. Urs accepted the request.



When Kristina had finished drying herself off, she slipped on a clean night shirt and went downstairs to check her mail. She didn’t have any new messages. Kristina then decided to sign in to the messenger service and see if her request had been accepted. Sure enough, it had. Mr X was showing as ‘online’. But now what did she say? Kristina pulled her chair closer to the desk and made herself comfortable.



Urs was about to sign out of his account when his laptop beeped and a small pop up window appeared, telling him that Heavensent has just signed on. Urs could feel his heart racing, the way it always did when it concerned Kristina. He was excited at the thought of talking to Kristina but he had to be careful, he had to think about every word he said. She mustn’t have any idea it’s him. Another small window popped up; this time it was a message.



Heavensent: Hello



Urs’ hands started to shake, from both nerves and excitement. He shook his head, chuckling to himself, when he realised he had a huge grin plastered on his face.



Mr X: Hello Kristina. How are you this evening?



Heavensent: I’m fine thank you. How are you?



Mr X: I’m doing well.



Heavensent: I guess first things first, I should thank you for the bracelet. It’s lovely but looks very expensive.



Mr X: Only the best for you.



Heavensent: Thank you but I’d rather you didn’t waste your money.



Mr X: It’s not a waste as far as I’m concerned but I will make you a deal. I promise not to buy you anything else. Okay?



Urs smiled to himself, remembering his purchase of a blue silk dress earlier that day. It wouldn’t be long now, until Kristina would receive his gift.



Heavensent: Okay. Did you get my email?



Mr X: Yes, I read it.



Heavensent: Did I get the right answer?



Mr X: I can’t tell you until tomorrow. Remember the rules.



Heavensent: I haven’t forgotten but can’t you at least tell me if I’m right?



Mr X: You’ll just have to be patient.



Heavensent: I’m not very good at being patient.



Urs knew only too well how impatient Kristina was. He chuckled to himself, remembering the time when he and Kristina had brought their costumes for the party and Kristina had pleaded with him, to let her see his costume.



Heavensent: Can I ask you a question?



Mr X: Of course you can. But I can’t guarantee I will answer it.



Heavensent: What happens if I get all the clues right?



Mr X: I explained everything in the letter. When you get all the clues right, I will tell you who I am.



Heavensent: I understand that part, but I meant afterwards.



Mr X: What do you mean?



Heavensent: What happens when you tell me who you are? What do you think is going to happen between us? What do you want from me?



Mr X: I’m hoping we can be friends. But I would be lying if I said that I didn’t hope for something more.



Heavensent: But I don’t even know you.



Mr X: Are you sure about that?



Heavensent: Does that mean we’ve met before?



Mr X: Possibly.



Heavensent: You might like these guessing games but for all I know, you could be some weirdo who’s decided to send me all these clues and gifts. Some people might call that stalking.



Mr X: Do you think that’s what I’m doing? Stalking you?



Urs waited patiently for Kristina’s reply.



Heavensent: I’m not sure what to call it. But try to look at it from my point of view. To me you’re a complete stranger, who’s sent me letters, left me gifts and somehow managed to gain access to my house. And just so you know, I’ve had all the locks changed today so don’t even think about trying to get in to my house again.



Urs couldn’t believe it. He was hoping that Kristina would be flattered at having a secret admirer and he would be able to win her heart. Instead, he had managed to convince her that she was being stalked and was scared enough to have all her locks changed. This wasn’t going to plan.



Mr X: I’m sorry, Kristina. It was never my intention to scare you. I will tell you that I am someone from your past and that we once shared something very special. Please believe me when I say that I would never do anything to harm you. This is the only thing I could think of to get your attention.



Heavensent: Why don’t you try talking to me like a normal person instead of going to all this trouble?



Mr X: I have my reasons. You will find out why, all in good time.



Heavensent: So what happens next?



Mr X: Check your email in the morning and you will find out.



Heavensent: You’re really not going to give anything away are you?



Mr X: No. I have this planned down to every last detail.



Heavensent: I just hope you won’t be disappointed when things don’t work out how you want them to. I’m not looking to start a relationship.



Mr X: Why not? Surely you can’t be happy being single.



Heavensent: Like you, I have my reasons. And how do you know I’m single?



Urs suddenly realised his mistake as soon as Kristina asked him that question. What could he say? He could hardly tell her that he knew she was single because David had told him, when she had announced she was moving back to London. That would give the whole game away.



Heavensent: I asked you a question. How do you know I’m single?



Mr X: We have a mutual friend, that‘s all I will tell you. But please, tell me, why are you single? Has someone hurt you?



Kristina wasn’t sure how to reply. Even though she didn’t know who she was talking to, she found herself ‘wanting’ to talk to him. Maybe it was simply a matter of curiosity, in the hope of finding out more about her admirer. But she wasn’t about to start telling him her life story to a stranger. Who ever he was though, he was right. Kristina had been hurt, and she was afraid of it happening again. Kristina was also afraid that if she started dating again, she would constantly be comparing people to Urs, knowing full well that she would never find anyone quite like him again. Her short lived relationship with Tyler had already proved that she would never be entirely over him.



Mr X: Kristina?



Heavensent: If it’s alright with you, I’d rather not discuss this right now. I’ve still no idea of who you are and I don’t feel comfortable discussing my personal life with a stranger. I’m tired; it‘s been a long day.



Mr X: I understand. And I meant what I said earlier. I am sorry if I’ve caused you any distress. I didn’t mean to scare you.



Heavensent: It’s okay. Stick to the emails and we’ll get along fine.



Mr X: Sleep well, beautiful one.



Heavensent: You too. Goodnight.



Kristina signed out of the messenger service, a faint smile playing on her lips, when she read his last message to her; sleep well, beautiful one. Who ever he was, he certainly had a way with words. But who was he? Who was Mr X? The only clue he had given her, was that he was someone from her past, they had a mutual friend and one she was obviously still in touch with for him to know about the current state of her love life. And how could she forget his other reply; they had once shared something special.



Kristina had been very career focused throughout her life, and although she sociialised with friends, she just didn’t have the time need to keep a serious relationship going. So there hadn‘t been that many ‘special‘ men in her life.



There was Harvey but Kristina knew that this wasn’t Harvey’s style. Besides, who ever it was, was way too polite and he‘d put too much care and thought in to all of this.



There was David but he was with Angie and they both knew that they would never be anything more than good friends.



And then there was Urs but Kristina knew it couldn’t be him. He might love her but not enough to stay with her.



And last of all, there was Tyler. Kristina couldn’t see him going to this much trouble when she had caused him so much pain.



Kristina knew that Abigail suspected Urs was her secret admirer but although she and Urs were no longer seeing each other, he was most definitely not someone from her past. At this moment in time, he was very much in her life. She might not see him everyday but that didn’t stop him finding his way in to her thoughts and her dreams. She longed to be able to forget about her feelings for Urs and to find some normality in her life again.



Kristina yawned, as she switched off the laptop and slowly made her way upstairs, wondering what her life would’ve been like if she had never met Urs. Would she still be with David? Would they be married? Would she be a mother? She would never know the answers to these questions now; Urs had made sure of that.



If only life could be simple. Why couldn’t she just turn back the clock, back to the night of the Tony Awards? If only she’d listened to David and stayed at home that night. If only she had stayed in New York instead of going to Paris and staying with Urs, like David had asked. She would never have met Urs, she would never have fallen in love with him and she would never had made so many bad mistakes, hurting so many people in the process, herself included. Then she would never be in the mess she was in now, trying to move on, trying to forget a man that claimed to love her but couldn’t bear to be with her.



Who ever said ‘it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’ didn’t know what they were talking about, Kristina thought, as she slipped under the bed sheets. What could be worse than to have someone tell you they love you but then end it?

***** CHAPTER 146 *****



Kristina woke the next morning and the first thing she thought of was Mr X; she wondered if he had replied to her email. She literally jumped out of bed, and rushed downstairs to switch on her laptop. There was no denying it, she was looking forward to finding out if she had the right answer and to see what her next clue would be. Did she really know what she was getting herself in to though? She had sworn she would stay single but she was curious to find out who her admirer was. Was she crazy or just pathetic? Perhaps a bit of both, but it was fun and it took her mind off Urs.



The laptop made a small beep, alerting her that she had new mail. That same smile played on her lips, as she opened the email. She had guessed correctly. But the smile was soon replaced with a frown as she continued to read the clue. There was a catch with this clue; she had a time limit. Kristina leant back in her chair and sighed. She only had between 10am and 5.30pm everyday until she got the right answer. It would stay like that until she solved the clue. Kristina was definitely going to need help with this next clue. She picked up the phone and pressed the speed dial button.



“Abigail? It’s Kristina. What are you doing today?”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Come 9 o’clock, Abigail was waiting outside for Kristina. She had eagerly volunteered to help Kristina with her second clue. She was just as keen to find out who her sister’s admirer was and the quicker they solved the clues, the sooner they would find out who he was.



“Come on then.” Abigail said, as Kristina got in to the taxi, waiting to take them in to town. “Let me read today’s clue.”



“You’re really enjoying this , aren’t you?” Kristina giggled, as she handed the piece of paper with the second clue scrawled on it.



“Can you blame me?” Abigail said, taking the paper. “This is exciting!”



“It might be exciting now but what happens when I get all the clues right and I end up meeting him?” Kristina asked, screwing her face up. “You’re okay, you don’t have to see him but he could be my worst nightmare.”



“Or he could be the man of your dreams.” Abigail replied. “Did you bring the A-Z?”



“Got it here.” Kristina replied, tapping her bag. “Why? Do you think you know where we’re supposed to go?”



“No idea.” Abigail replied. “I just don’t want to get lost. What do you think he means when he says ‘Modern Art is Rubbish. If you don‘t believe me, check the newspapers‘?” Abigail added, looking back at the clue.



“I don’t know.” Kristina shrugged. “Maybe he just doesn’t like art.”



“No, there’s got to be a reason for it.” Abigail decided



Kristina then thought of something and Abigail noticed the expression on her sisters face.



“What is it?” Abigail asked.



“I was thinking…” Kristina sighed. “When me and Tyler went on our first date, he took me to the Serpentine Gallery.”



“I thought you said it wasn’t Tyler that was doing this.” Abigail commented.



“I don’t think it is.” Kristina replied, frowning. “But it just seems odd that this guy should mention art, that’s all.”



Abigail then asked the taxi driver to pull over and paid the fare.



“Why have we stopped here?” Kristina asked, getting out of the taxi.



“I want to buy a newspaper.” Abigail replied, heading for a news stand. “The clue said ’check the papers’ so that’s what I’m doing.”



After buying a newspaper, Abigail and Kristina found an empty bench and started looking at every page. It wasn’t long before they came to a large advert, promoting an event called ‘Love London Recycled Sculpture Show’ which featured 21 ‘remarkable sculptures‘. They included a shark made of discarded hubcaps, a polar bear cub made of plastic bags and a dinosaur made from old tyres.



“It looks like that’s where we’re meant to be going.” Abigail said, pointing to the advert. “London Zoo.”



“London Zoo?” Kristina said, not entirely convinced.



“Well, I can’t see many other places advertising art as rubbish, can you?” Abigail replied. “Come on, let’s get another taxi. My feet are killing me and Junior won’t give me a minutes rest.”



They soon arrived at London Zoo, paid for their tickets and were now looking at the clue again; to find out where they should be going next.



“So what’s the next line again?” Abigail asked.



Kristina unfolded the piece of paper with the clue on it and read it out.



“Modern art is rubbish. If you don’t believe me, check the papers. Sonni and Cher can point you in the right direction. If you get stuck, just ask for Guy. When you find him, perhaps you can tell me where he is. And be careful; he‘s not your average man.”



“I guess he means Sonny and Cher the singers.” Abigail said, frowning.



“Maybe, but he’s spelt Sonny’s name wrong.” Kristina commented. “He’s spelt it with an I instead of Y.”



“Well whoever it is, at least you know your Mr X can’t spell.” Abigail laughed.



“Very funny.” Kristina said, rolling her eyes.



“Ah but hang on.” Abigail said, suddenly remembering something. “Perhaps it’s meant to be spelt that way, just live Beverley was spelt with an ‘e’ in the last clue.”



“Okay but what are Sonni and Cher going to be doing at London Zoo?” Kristina asked.



“I don’t know.” Abigail replied. “They’re not really from our era so I don’t know much about them. Perhaps they opened a new enclosure here. It could mean anything.”



“Let’s ask someone.” Kristina suggested; when she saw one of the keepers walking past.



Abigail remained seated while Kristina spoke with the keeper. The baby kept moving and was causing her some discomfort. She only had few more weeks to go; and the sooner the better as far as she was concerned. She didn’t like carrying this extra weight.



“So are we any closer to finding out the answer?” Abigail asked, when Kristina returned a few minutes later.



“Yep!” Kristina replied, grinning. “Apparently Sonni, with an I, and Cher, are two red-face black spider monkeys here at the zoo. So guess where we‘re going next.”



“To see Sonni and Cher?” Abigail said, making a move to stand up.



“Got it in one.” Kristina said, helping her sister up from the bench.



Kristina and Abigail followed the directions on the map in the pamphlet, provided by the zoo and found Sonni and Cher. But once they were there, they had no idea where to go next. The clue said Sonni and Cher would point them in the right direction but apart from a small sign giving background information on the monkeys natural habitat, Kristina and Abigail couldn’t see any obvious signs leading them to the next clue.



“I guess we ask someone again.” Kristina said, looking around for another member of staff.



“But what do we ask?” Abigail sighed.



“It says here; if we get stuck ask for Guy.” Kristina replied, looking at the clue. “Wait here.” Kristina added, as she approached one of the keepers.



A minute later; Kristina returned grinning.



“Come on.” Kristina said, taking her sister by the arm. “This way!”



“Where are we going?” Abigail asked, letting her sister lead the way.



“To see Guy.” Kristina replied. “I know where he lives. I think we might have just solved the second clue.”



Kristina stopped when they came to a clearing in the centre of the zoo. There in front of them was a bronze statue of Guy; one of London Zoo’s most famous gorillas.



“Abigail, I’d like you to meet Guy.” Kristina said, pointing to the statue. “Residence; Barclay Court, London Zoo.”



“You’re one step closer to meeting your Mr X.” Abigail commented. “Now can we please go home? I’m getting cravings for a banana and onion sandwich with loads of mayo.”



“Abigail please.” Kristina said, with a look of disgust on her face. “That’s gross.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Abigail opened the door to her and Carlos’ apartment; Kristina followed her inside.



“Did you want me to make some tea?” Kristina asked. “You look tired.”



“No it’s okay I’ll do it.” Abigail replied. “Like I said, I’m craving a banana, mayo and onion sandwich. Somehow I don’t think you’ll want to make that.”



“Too right.” Kristina laughed, sinking in to one of the arm chairs. “Just the thought of it makes me feel sick. I’ll leave you to it.”



“I’ll be five minutes.” Abigail said, before disappearing down the hallway and going in to the kitchen.



Kristina had just picked up the television remote and was about to switch it on when the front door opened. She expected to see Carlos but was surprised to see Urs.



Urs stopped in the doorway as soon as he saw Kristina, staring at him with a startled look on her face.



“Urs move!” Carlos said, suddenly appearing behind Urs. “This thing is heavy.”



“Sorry Carlos.” Urs said, quickly turning around and helping him carry in a large flat box.



“Kristina!” Carlos said, surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?”



“Nice to see you too, Carlos.” Kristina smiled, taking a deep breath, before getting up from the arm chair. Her heart was thumping heavily against her chest at seeing Urs again.



“Sorry, it’s just that I didn’t expect to see you.” Carlos replied, leaning the box against the wall. “It’s not Abigail is it? Is she okay?”



“She’s fine.” Kristina said, reassuringly. “I just needed her help to solve another clue.”



“Another clue?” Carlos said, shrugging his jacket off. “Oh I remember now; your secret admirer, Mr X.”



“Yeah that’s the one.” Kristina answered.



“Did you manage to solve it?” Carlos asked, as he hung up his jacket.



“Of course.” Kristina replied.



“So it won’t be long before you get to find out who it is.” Carlos commented.



Kristina smiled at Carlos, feeling a little uncomfortable. She could sense Urs watching her and glanced at him briefly, but then looked back at Carlos.



“Where’s Abigail?” Carlos asked, looking around.



“In the kitchen.” Kristina replied. “She was making tea and one of those awful sandwiches.”



“Oh no, not again.” Carlos said, making a face.



The room then fell deathly quiet.



“Urs take a seat. I’m just going to go and say hello to Abby.” Carlos said, making a quick exit; deciding that Kristina and Urs might benefit from some time alone together. He knew that they hadn’t spoken since Kristina’s return to London a few days earlier.



When Carlos had gone, Kristina sat back down in her chair. Yet again she had been taken by surprise to see Urs and didn’t know what to say; in fact she didn‘t want to talk to him at all. She still couldn’t forgive him for ending things the way he did.



“Hi.” Urs said, nervously slipping his hands in to his pockets.



“Hi.” Kristina said, coolly.



“So… how’ve you been?”

***** CHAPTER 147 *****

Urs took off his jacket and carefully placed it on the back of the chair. Kristina’s aloof attitude towards him hadn’t gone unnoticed. Urs was a little surprised at her reaction to him, but then he guessed it was normal. He was probably the last person she expected to see and maybe she felt uncomfortable after her sudden departure with no explanation.


“Good.” Kristina said. She was surprised at how calm and collected Urs seemed. He didn‘t seem bothered by being around her. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened between them. “How are you?”


“We’ve been busy with interviews but I’m sure Carlos or Abigail have told you that already.” he replied, sitting down in the chair opposite her.


“Yes, they’ve told me a little bit about what you guys have been up to.” Kristina replied. “But we haven‘t really spoken about the group.”


Kristina then looked in the direction of the kitchen; hoping that Carlos or Abigail would soon reappear so that she didn’t have to make polite conversation with Urs.


“What’s this about a secret admirer?” Urs asked.


“Oh it’s nothing really.” Kristina said, offhandedly. “Just some weirdo who keeps sending me cryptic messages.”


"Was that what you meant when you talked about solving clues?” Urs asked.


Kristina nodded.


“And you’re trying to solve his clues?” Urs continued, doing his best to keep the conversation going and to get Kristina to talk to him. “What’s it all in aid of?”


“I have to solve seven clues.” Kristina replied, looking back at Urs. “When I solve them all, he’ll tell me who he is.”


“And you’ve no idea who it can be?” Urs asked. Urs didn’t want to seem too interested in her admirer, but he was keen to know exactly what Kristina thought about his plan.


“No idea.” Kristina replied. “And I don’t really care.”


“So why solve the clues?” Urs asked, now curious as to why she was going along with his game if she wasn’t interested in finding out who it was.


“Something to do.” Kristina said, shrugging. She didn’t feel comfortable talking to Urs, especially about someone who had an interest in her. One thing that bothered her though, was the fact that Urs didn’t seem to be jealous of her having an admirer. But the thing that troubled her most, was that she ’wanted’ Urs to be jealous. But why? Was it simply because she wanted to prove a point to him? To show him that she could still attract the attention of other men? Or was it because no matter how many times she tried to tell herself that she didn’t love him anymore, she knew deep down, that she was lying to herself. She still loved him.


“So how’s work?” Urs asked, when he noticed Kristina’s body language change. She didn’t look comfortable.


“Same as always. Busy.” Kristina replied, glad for the change of subject. “I was lucky enough to get my old office back.”


“You’re back at Cavendish?” Urs asked, surprised.


Kristina nodded. “Yes, it’s nice to be somewhere familiar.”


“I didn‘t realise.” Urs said. “But why haven’t you taken over our campaign again?”


“I don’t think that’s a good idea after everything that’s happened. Do you?” Kristina replied. “Besides, there’s no reason for me to take over. I’m sure who ever is working on it, is doing a great job.”


“I’m sure you could do a much better job.” Urs remarked.


Kristina was at a loss for words. Did Urs really think that she would want to be near him again after the way he had treated her?


“You look good.” Urs said, suddenly.


“What?” Kristina said, caught off guard.


“I said you look good.” Urs replied, smiling. “You’ve grown your hair. It suits you.”


“If you keep being nice to me, I might not recognise you.” Kristina said, picking up her bag.


“Krissy? Why are you…”


“Look I have to be somewhere.” Kristina said, getting to her feet. “I’m going to say goodbye to Carlos and Abigail and then I have to go.”


“You’re leaving already?” Urs asked, standing up.


“Isn’t that what I just said?” Kristina said, turning and leaving the room.


As Kristina made her way down the hallway, she let out a heavy sigh; she couldn’t believe Urs was here. She had only passed him briefly in the corridor the other night, when leaving Abigail’s apartment and she took her reaction to him as simple shock. She had spent so long trying to forget about him and she thought she was finally over him. But no matter how much she denied it, she knew that she still had feelings for him. Yet even though her love for him remained, over the past few months, her anger towards him had grown. She could understand him not being able to cope with her illnesses, but to take the easy way out by leaving her a note, to not even discuss it, and to then carry on as if nothing had ever happened, Kristina couldn’t forgive him. There was no way she was going to let him sweet talk his way back in to her life. Kristina was about to enter the kitchen when she heard her name mentioned.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“I’m sorry, Abby.” Carlos apologised. “I didn‘t think Kristina would be here and I needed help with the furniture for the baby’s room. Urs volunteered.”


“That’s okay.” Abigail said, turning to face him. “You weren’t to know. And besides, those two can‘t keep avoiding each other. They have to talk sometime.”


“That’s why I’ve left them alone in there.” Carlos commented. “I just hope they don’t kill each other.”


“Some how I don’t think that will happen.” Abigail smiled. “You said it yourself; Urs was like a different man, when he found out Kristina was coming back. It‘s so obvious he still loves her and although I still have no idea why she left, I know Kristina still loves him.”


“I‘m sure they‘ll work things out eventually.” Carlos said, smiling at Abigail.


“Yes but there’s just one small problem.” Abigail sighed. “Have you forgotten that Urs now has a girlfriend? I don’t think they’ll be able to sort anything out while Urs is seeing Verity. Ever heard of three‘s a crowd?”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~


The hairs on her arms stood up as Kristina let out a small gasp, when hearing that Urs had a girlfriend. Kristina knew that they both had to move on with their lives but she certainly hadn’t expected Urs to move on so quickly. Deep down she hoped that Urs still cared for her and that he might have had second thoughts about ending things. But now she knew for certain that any hope of Urs changing his mind was gone. So why was he being so nice to her? Did he think that she had forgotten everything that had happened between them and he expected her to do the same? Kristina took a deep breath and knocked on the kitchen door before walking straight in.


“Sorry guys but I have to go.” Kristina said, cheerfully. “Doctors appointment.”


“Oh I didn’t realise it was today.” Abigail frowned. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to stay and have something to eat with us.”


“It’s okay.” Kristina replied. “I can always come over another time.”


“Alright, let me know what the doctor has to say.” Abigail said, hugging her. “And give me a call if you need any more help with the next clue.”


“Don’t worry.” Kristina quietly laughed. “You’re top of my list.”


Kristina said goodbye to Carlos and Abigail and walked back in to the lounge to collect her bag and jacket. Urs was still there and Kristina got the distinct impression that he was waiting for her.


“Krissy?” Urs said, quickly standing up. “I was wondering, did you want to come back to my apartment? I have something for you.”


“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kristina mumbled to herself, as she picked up her jacket and slipped it on. Did he really think she was going stay with him any longer than she had to?


“I still have your mobile phone from when you left the hotel that night and… and I didn’t know what to do with it so.…” Urs stuttered.


“So you kept it?” Kristina finished for him, taken aback.


“Well, what was I supposed to do with it?” Urs asked, becoming defensive. “You left it in my room and then you didn‘t come back, so I figured…”


“Okay, okay that’s enough!” Kristina said raising her voice, holding her hands up. Kristina had completely forgotten about her mobile that she had left in Urs’ hotel room. It seemed such a long time ago and she had never even considered the possibility that Urs would actually keep it.


“I didn’t know if you had any important numbers on it.” Urs said, quietly. “I know I should’ve probably given it to Carlos or Abigail but… it’s silly. I always hoped that you would call me.”


Kristina looked at Urs, amazed at his arrogance. What possible reason could she have for contacting him? He had made it quite clear that he wanted nothing more to do with her and that their relationship was over. Did he think her so weak, that she would beg him to reconsider?


“Did you still want it?” Urs asked.


“I…I don’t know.” Kristina stuttered, still surprised that Urs had kept the mobile. “I bought another one when I arrived in New York and I’ve got by just fine with out it. Maybe it’s best if you just throw it away.”


“If that’s what you want.” Urs sighed.


“There’s no point in keeping it.” Kristina replied. “But thanks for holding on to it.”


“Not a problem.” Urs said, smiling weakly.


Kristina found herself staring at Urs, mulling over what he had said. Did he really want her to contact him? Did he honestly think she would call him after he had left her that note? Kristina lowered her eyes and looked at the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Urs, as she was reminded of her last few moments with him; images of them together flashed through her mind. She was beginning to wish she’d made her excuses and left as soon as she’d seen Urs arrive. She didn’t want to go down this road again and she certainly didn’t want to start talking about the past and dredging up old memories; painful memories.


“Krissy?”


“It’s time I left. I have an appointment.”


“Yes, I know.” Urs replied, following her to the door. “You have to see the doctor.”


Kristina stopped, just as she was reaching for the door handle and turned to look at Urs.


“I... I overheard you telling Abigail and Carlos.”


Urs shuffled his feet, as he put his hands back in his pockets, embarrassed at being caught out at his obvious eavesdropping. “If you want, I could give you a lift.”


“You have a car?” Kristina asked, surprised.


“No, I still have my bike.” Urs replied, now sounding hopeful. “I have that spare helmet that you used last time. It would only take me a couple of minutes to go and get the keys and the helmets.”


“Thanks but no thanks.” Kristina said, opening the door. “I’ll get a taxi.”


“As long as you’re sure.” Urs said, reluctantly. “I know how much you hate the doctors.”


Kristina wasn’t sure what to make of Urs. He seemed to be constantly surprising her with kindness, something that she wasn’t expecting after he had ended things so abruptly between them. It was both unnerving and touching yet Kristina didn’t want to start getting close to Urs again only to be let down. She had to keep her distance.


“I appreciate the offer, Urs. Really I do.” Kristina said, politely. “But I think it’s best if I go alone. And besides, it’s taken me a while but I’ve got used to them. I’ve been going there on my own for a while now.”


“Oh?” Urs said, surprised. “Didn’t Tyler ever go with you when you were in New York?”


Urs noticed Kristina tense up at the mention of Tyler’s name. He knew he might be treading on thin ice, asking about Tyler; but he was curious to know more about their relationship.


Kristina looked towards the door; she was desperate to leave, not liking where the conversation was going.


“Good luck with the album, Urs.”


With that, she closed the door on him and headed for the stairs. She had to start as she meant to go on and that meant not letting Urs back in to her heart.

***** CHAPTER 148 *****


“Okay that didn’t go according to plan.” Abigail whispered to Carlos, as she peered around the doorway.


“So now what do we do?” Carlos whispered back.


“I don’t know.” Abigail replied, rubbing her back which was starting to ache again. She then looked at Carlos.


“What are you thinking?” Carlos asked, when he saw her grinning at him.


“What did you and Seb have planned for Kristina and Urs when you two decided to play matchmaker?” Abigail asked.


“Well we hadn’t really got around to planning much.” Carlos sighed. “David told us to keep out of it.”


“But that didn’t stop you.” Abigail smirked. “Both of you still went ahead and left flowers at Kristina’s place.”


“Yeah and then that secret admirer put a spanner in the works by leaving an expensive gift and now all these clues.” Carlos frowned. “How are we ever going to get these two together, now that we know Urs has some real competition and it‘s not me or Seb playing games?”


“How do we know it’s ‘not’ Urs sending Kristina the clues?” Abigail asked.


“I thought Kristina told you it wasn’t Urs.” Carlos replied.


“She did.” Abigail answered. “She also told me it’s not Tyler. But who says she’s right? She has no idea who it is, so who’s to say it’s not Urs doing all this?”


“I don’t think it is.” Carlos replied. “He’s never given us the slightest indication that he wants to get back with Kristina.”


“He kept her mobile.” Abigail commented. “And you heard him yourself; he hoped that she would call him so that has to mean something.”


“Yes but that was months ago.” Carlos replied. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way any more?”


“Why else would he invite her back to his place?” Abigail asked. “He could easily give the mobile to you or me.”


“You might be right.” Carlos said smiling. “But that still doesn’t solve the problem of Verity.”


“I‘ve been thinking about that and I don’t think there is a Verity.” Abigail remarked. “I think he made her up.”


“Why would he do that?” Carlos asked.


“I don’t know!” Abigail replied. “But have you ever seen her? Does he ever talk about her?”


“No I’ve never seen her but just because he doesn’t talk about her doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist.” Carlos replied. “Urs is a pretty private guy and doesn’t reveal much to anyone. He never has done.”


“Well you’ll just have to ask Urs outright.” Abigail told him. “Ask him if this Verity is for real.”


“I can’t do that!” Carlos said, looking horrified. “If you’re right and Verity doesn’t exist, he’s hardly going to admit it, is he?”


“Okay we’ll have to think of something else.” Abigail agreed. “But I’m positive Urs wants to try again with Kristina. I think he might have a game plan of his own. Still, there‘s no harm in giving him a little help.”


“There’s always Valentine’s Day.” Carlos said, wiggling his eyebrows. “That’s only a few dayas away. Let me have a word with Seb and see what we can come up with.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Kristina made her way to the small waiting area in the Neurology department, to see her new doctor. Her records had been sent from New York and now that she had planned on staying in London, she had to discuss her course of treatment and have another check up to chart her progress.


Over the last few years, Kristina had seen a lot of waiting rooms and this one was no different. The same hard plastic chairs, the unmistakeable hospital smell, blue painted walls, a pot plant and year old magazine’s that were there, week in and week out. After a ten minute wait, Kristina’s name was called and she was led down the corridor to meet her new doctor; Doctor Sherman. Kristina liked him. He seemed like an incredibly warm and caring man. Every question that Kristina asked, he was able to answer and put her mind at rest and he was pleased with her progress. Kristina had gone home feeling relieved.

When she arrived back at the house and while waiting for the laptop to start up, Kristina went in to the kitchen to make herself some tea and a sandwich. She had hoped to eat at Carlos and Abigail’s place but then Urs had arrived and Kristina had left earlier than planned. This meant she had arrived at the Neurology department over an hour early, so she had gone for a walk to clear her head until it was time to go for her appointment. But now she was hungry and her stomach was growling.


After making herself a cup of tea and a sandwich, Kristina went back in to the study to check her messages and to send an email to Mr X. She was in the middle of writing the email to Mr X, with what she thought was the correct answer to the second clue. But Kristina didn’t feel as enthusiastic about sending the clues to Mr X, like she had done the previous day. Before she had been quite happy just to go with the flow and solve the clues, knowing that what ever happened, nothing would come of it. She had no real interest in finding out who it was because even if she solved all seven clues, Kristina had no intention of meeting the mystery man and definitely wasn’t looking at starting another relationship with anyone. So why was she even considering going through with this? Perhaps Kristina was just making trouble for herself, encouraging the attention of someone, who she knew absolutely nothing about. Should she send the email with her answer to the clue?


Kristina was still trying to decide whether to click on the send button, when the doorbell rang. Her feet were aching from walking around London Zoo earlier that morning and then waiting for her doctors appointment, so Kristina hadn’t had much of a chance to relax. She let out a heavy sigh as she reluctantly got up from her chair and went to answer the door. When she opened it she came face to face with a young man, wearing a delivery uniform.


“Miss Sanders?”


“Yes.”


"I have a delivery for you.” he said, holding out a large box to her.


“For me?” Kristina said, taking the box from him. “But I haven’t ordered anything.”


“But you are Miss Kristina Sanders, aren’t you?” he said, double checking paperwork, making sure he had the right address.


“Yes, that’s me.” she replied.


“In that case, can you sign here please?” he asked, now holding out a pen and clipboard.


Kristina put down the parcel and took the clipboard from him. After signing for it, Kristina picked up the box and went inside, placing it on the coffee table in the lounge. With everything that had happened the last couple of days with mysterious gifts and cryptic clues, she wasn’t sure whether to open the box. She was afraid of what she might find but as usual, curiosity got the better of her. She sat down on the sofa and opened the box. There was a small envelope laying on the top of several layers of tissue paper. Kristina picked up the envelope and put it to one side to read later. But as she looked back at the box, she froze when she noticed a small piece of blue material between the sheets of tissue paper. It reminded her of the dress she had been admiring the previous day Kristina carefully parted the sheets of tissue paper and picked up the blue material. Sure enough, it was the same blue silk dress. Kristina took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The dress was incredibly expensive and Kristina couldn’t believe that someone had bought it for her. She carefully put the dress back in the box and opened the envelope.


When you solve all the clues and we finally meet, I hope that you will do me the honour of wearing this dress.


Mr X

It was from her secret admirer. Any doubts that Kristina had about sending the email with the answer to the second clue were now erased. There was no way she could continue with this game of his. It wasn’t just a matter of leaving gifts for her, or sending clues and emails. Who ever it was had been following her. How else would he know about the dress? This was taking things a little too far for Kristina’s liking.


Kristina picked up the phone, and dialled Abigail‘s number. Perhaps she had noticed someone hanging around yesterday but hadn’t thought anything of it at the time.


“Hello?”


“Abigail, it‘s me.”


“Hi Kristina. How did things go at the doctors?”


“Fine thanks, no problems. Listen, I know this might sound odd but you didn’t notice if anyone was following us yesterday, did you?”


“Following us? Of course not. What sort of a question is that?


“Well, it’s just that I’ve just had a parcel delivered.”


“Who from?”


“The infamous Mr X.”


“Really? What was it?”


“Do you remember the dress that I was looking at yesterday?”


“You mean the blue silk one?”


“Yeah, that’s the one.”


“Wait a minute, he bought it for you? Is this guy made of money?”


“It sure looks that way. But I can’t keep it.”


“Why on earth not?”


“Abigail, for him to buy me this dress, it meant he was following us yesterday. I just don’t like it, it‘s really freaking me out. I still have no idea who this guy is.”


“So what are you going to do?”


“Well what I’d like to do is return the charm bracelet to him but seeing as I don’t know who he is, I guess I don’t have any choice but to keep it. But I know what boutique he bought the dress from, so at least I can return it. Then I’m going to email this Mr X and tell him I’m not playing anymore.”


“Kristina, if you’re that worried, did you want to come and stay here tonight with me and Carlos?”


“Abigail, I‘ll be fine. But thanks for the offer.”


“Well, if you need us, you know where we are.”


“Honestly, I’ll be fine. I’d better go now. I have a dress to return and an email to write.”


After saying goodbye to Abigail, Kristina got up from the couch and sat down at her desk, thinking about how to word her email to Mr X.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It hadn’t taken Kristina long to write her email to Mr X. She didn’t have much to say to him. She didn’t see any reason to go in to great detail. Kristina knew she didn’t owe him any explanations but she wanted him to understand why she was ending it. Kristina was double checking the email before sending it, when the doorbell rang again.


“I don’t believe this.” Kristina sighed. “Can’t I get a minutes peace?”


All she wanted to do was send the email to Mr X, have something to eat and then have a lie down. But it looked as if that wasn’t going to happen. Kristina pushed back her chair and stood up just as the doorbell rang for a second time. But this time they held the button down, allowing the bell to ring continuously.


“Okay! I’m coming.” Kristina yelled, hitting the send button on Mr X’s email. “Give me a break, will you!”


“Why was everyone so impatient?” she mumbled to herself as stormed out of the study and down the hallway.


“What?” she said, flinging the door open.


“Sorry, am I disturbing you?”


Kristina’s jaw dropped with shock, when she saw who was standing on her doorstep.


“Tyler! What are you doing here?"

***** CHAPTER 149 *****



“I haven’t come at a bad time, have I?” Tyler said, hesitantly when he saw the look on Kristina’s face.



Kristina stood staring at Tyler, still not believing that he was here. Tyler, the man that had walked out on her, was standing on her doorstep. What was he doing in London? But more importantly what was he doing here at her house? What could he possibly want? The last time they had spoken was when she had attended his father’s funeral. The time before that had been when he’d ended their relationship and moved out of their apartment to stay with Anna. Kristina didn’t think they had anything more to say to each other.



“What?” Kristina said, still dumbfounded.



“Have I come at a bad time?” he asked again.



“Well, I…I was planning on going in to town but…”



Kristina looked back down the hallway, in the direction of her study, thinking about the email she had just sent to Mr X and the dress that she still had to return. She had hoped to go back in to town and return it before they closed. The sooner she was rid of it, the sooner she could put an end to the whole Mr X situation.



Kristina looked back towards Tyler.



“Look, I can see you’re busy.” Tyler said, when he could tell that Kristina was obviously distracted by something. “I should’ve called first. I’ll go.”



“No, no, I’m sorry.” Kristina said, stepping aside. “It can wait. Please, come in“



Tyler looked a little sheepish as he stepped inside and Kristina closed the door after him. She was already feeling apprehensive being around Tyler, not knowing why he was here. Whatever his reason, she hoped it wouldn’t end in another argument.



“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked, nervously.



“I wouldn’t say no to a coffee if you’ve got some.” Tyler replied.



“I’ll see what I can do.” she replied, heading towards the kitchen. “Why don’t you go and sit down in the lounge and I’ll be in shortly.”



Tyler walked in to the lounge and placed his car keys on the coffee table. The large box on the table, addressed to Kristina, didn’t go unnoticed by him.



“Do you still take your coffee black?” Kristina called out from the kitchen.



“Yes, please.” Tyler called back, now slipping his jacket off and still eyeing the box on the table. He recognised the name of the boutique and knew that what ever was inside was definitely expensive. Tyler lifted one end of the box up and caught a glimpse of blue silk. As he lifted the lid even more he guessed that it was a dress and quietly closed the box. Tyler had seen the small envelope that was with the box. He knew it was wrong to pry but that didn’t stop him from taking a look at the card; he was anxious to know who was sending Kristina such expensive gifts. Quickly picking up the envelope, he read the card. It was from someone who called himself Mr X. Tyler heard Kristina approaching and quickly put the card back where he found it, literally seconds before Kristina returned with his coffee.



“I’m sorry about the mess.” Kristina apologised, holding the mug of coffee out to Tyler. “It‘s been non-stop all day and I haven‘t had a chance to clear away.”



“You don‘t have to apologise to me.” Tyler smiled, taking the mug from her. “I know how things can get.”



“Well at least let me clear that out of the way so you can put your coffee down.” Kristina said, picking up the box and placing it on an empty chair in the corner. She then sat down and waited for Tyler to speak; but he didn’t seem to be in any hurry explaining what he was doing in London.



“Tyler, I don’t want to appear rude but… why are you here?”



“I guess I’m the last person you expected to see.” Tyler smiled.



“You could say that.” Kristina said, laughing nervously. “I had no idea that you were even in England. Angie never said anything.”



“That’s because Angie doesn’t know.” Tyler replied. “I’m here on personal business.”



“Oh.” Kristina said, now suddenly wary of him. Did his personal business involve her, or was he simply ’passing by’?



They sat in silence for a few moments while Tyler slowly drank his coffee, and Kristina studied him with sideways glances. What possible reason could he have for coming to see her after everything that had happened between them?



“So, this personal business,” Kristina said, unable to bear the silence any longer. “Is it going to keep you here long?”



“Are you trying to get rid of me already?” Tyler said, jokingly.



“I’ve never tried to get rid of you, Tyler.” Kristina replied, seriously. “You left 'me'. Remember?”



“Yes, I’m sorry.” Tyler said, smiling weakly. “That was uncalled for. Forget I said it.”



Tyler took another sip of his coffee, placed his cup on the table and leant back in the arm chair.



“I’m only here for a few days. There are still a couple of things that need sorting out from my fathers estate.” Tyler continued. “It’s nothing big, but it’s just easier to deal with in person rather than over the phone and there were a couple of documents that needed my signature.”



Kristina didn’t respond, hoping that Tyler would continue with explaining why he was here. She didn’t like the way he had conveniently forgotten the fact that he had walked out on her. And now here he was, out of the blue, expecting her to laugh at his jokes and welcome him with open arms. They had only spoken once since their break up; it had been a few civil words to each other at his fathers funeral. Tyler’s arrival was unnerving. It was similar to the feeling she felt yesterday, when Urs surprised her with his friendly attitude.



Tyler picked up his cup and took another sip of his coffee, but then noticed Kristina eyeing him cautiously.



“That still doesn’t explain what I’m doing here now, does it?” Tyler said, almost as if reading her mind.



Kristina shook her head as Tyler finished his coffee and put down his now empty cup.



“I wanted to talk about you and me.”



“What about you and me?” Kristina asked, warily.



Tyler pulled at his tie, loosening it slightly. Before he had arrived at Kristina’s, he’d had everything straight in his head. He would apologise to Kristina for walking out on her and not giving her a chance to explain, hoping that they could bury the past and possibly give their relationship another go. But now after reading the card from Mr X, Tyler was no longer sure of what to say. Would he be competing for her affection? Would she listen to anything he had to say? He didn’t even know who Mr X was and by the sound of it, neither did Kristina. Why else would someone write Mr X, unless they didn’t want her to know their real name? Tyler decided to take things slowly until he knew more about Mr X.



“Tyler?”



“Hmm?” Tyler looked up, momentarily distracted by his thoughts.



“Sorry, I… I was thinking, and I’ll completely understand if you want to say no, but maybe…maybe I was a little hasty before.”



“A little hasty about what?” Kristina asked.



“About how I ended things between us. There was my fathers death and then…” Tyler paused briefly to look at Kristina and then continued. “...and then the whole business with Urs. I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time and I thought we could…”



“Tyler, please.” Kristina interrupted him. “Let’s not go there.”



“No wait, just hear me out.” Tyler said, getting up from the chair and sitting beside her on the couch. “I know things ended badly between us but I thought we could at least try and talk about it and clear the air.”



“Why? Why now?” Kristina asked. “It’s been three months since we broke up. The only time you would even speak to me was at your fathers funeral. What’s changed in that time?”



“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I feel bad about ending things the way we did.” Tyler explained. “It was totally out of character for me to act that way. I didn’t even give you a chance to explain what happened that night. I only listened to one side of the story. I only know what Anna told me.”



“Tyler, please, let‘s not talk about this.” Kristina pleaded, not wanting to be reminded of the events of that night.



“But I need to, Kristina.” Tyler replied. “I don’t want to leave things like this. I want to know that if we ever see each other again, that we could talk to one another and not have to worry about avoiding one another. Despite what’s happened between us, I still care for you. When I found out that there were things to be dealt with in London, I saw it as an opportunity to come and visit you.”



“I see.” Kristina said, stunned by his explanation.



“I thought it might help us both, if we talked about it.” Tyler continued. “Maybe if we talk about what happened that night, we can clear the air and put all this behind us. I would like us to remain friends if nothing else.”



“I’m all for being friends, Tyler but as for the rest of it, if it’s okay with you, I don’t want to talk about it.” Kristina told him. “I’ve moved on, that‘s all behind me now. The past is just that; the past.”



“I can understand that.” Tyler replied. “But I still think I could have done things a little differently. I shouldn’t have left the way I did, not when I knew how ill you were. You needed me. I promised you I would be there and I‘m sorry.”



“There‘s no need to apologise.” Kristina said, smiling weakly. “Even though I didn’t mean to, I hurt you. I should be the one apologising. I honestly thought we could make a go of things but then… Like you said, your father dying, Urs… I just made everything a whole lot worse for you and I don‘t blame you for leaving.”



“You don‘t?” Tyler said, obviously surprised.



“No, not anymore.” Kristina smiled. “I’ll admit that I did at first but that was because I was scared of being alone and I was angry with you! I’d just left my sister and my friends, to transfer to New York and move in with you and then at the first sign of trouble, you left. But I came to realise it was for the best. Like I said, I’ve moved on. I‘m happy with the way things are now.”



“And how are things now?” Tyler asked. “I mean…are you okay, health wise?”



“I’m doing fine.” Kristina replied, now relaxing a little. “I start back to work in a day or two, but I understand from Angie, that I’ve got my old office back.”



Tyler smiled. “That’s nice.”



“How about you?” Kristina asked. “Everything okay?”



“Great. It was hard at first, after losing my dad. But I’ve been kept busy with the new offices.” Tyler replied. “I’m really enjoying the work. I can see why you like it so much. I’ve been working alongside another publicist in New York and I’ve learnt a lot from him, he‘s good at his job.”



“Before you know it, you’ll be running your own campaigns.” Kristina smiled.



“Oh I don’t know about that.” he said, quietly laughing. “I still have a lot to learn.”



The two sat in silence but the air seemed to be a lot less tense than before.



“So have you been out shopping?” Tyler asked, knowing full well she hadn‘t.



“What?” Kristina frowned.



Tyler nodded in the direction of the dress box.



“Oh no, it was just something that was delivered by mistake. I have to return it. I was planning doing it later but… well, here you are.”



Kristina didn’t want to start having to explain all about her mysterious Mr X. There didn’t seem to be any point in telling Tyler, especially since she had just ended this little charade. But then a thought crossed her mind. What if ‘Tyler’ was her Mr X? The dress was incredibly expensive and money was certainly no object to Tyler. The same went for the bracelet too; it was another expensive item that Tyler wouldn‘t think twice about buying. Could it be a coincidence that he was now in London, just days after the gifts and clues started arriving?



“Are you okay?”



“Sorry?” Kristina said, looking back at Tyler.



“You look troubled.” Tyler replied. “Have I said something wrong?”



“No, of course not.” Kristina said, getting to her feet. “I was just thinking about something that’s all. Can I get you another coffee?”



“I’d love one but I really should be going.” Tyler said, standing up and picking up his keys and jacket. “I’ve only been in London a couple of hours. As soon as the jet landed, I checked in to the hotel and then drove straight here.”



“Oh.” Kristina said, surprised.



“I have to see the solicitor now but how about dinner tonight?” Tyler suggested, straightening his tie up. “I’d really like to talk to you and catch up on what you’ve been doing.”



“Dinner?” she said, now feeling uneasy again. “Tyler, you’re still my boss. You know how I feel about that. I‘m not going to go down this road again.”



“No strings attached.” Tyler assured her. “Just friends having dinner. Please.”



Kristina chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. In the weeks that had passed since Tyler had walked out on her, Kristina had struggled with her loneliness, now certain that she was going to be alone for the rest of her life. She struggled with the guilt of knowing she had hurt Tyler, a man that had always shown her compassion. She had tried to combat the pain and heartache that Urs had caused her, knowing that after everything he had done, she still loved him and missed him immensely. She had also overcome her fear of doctors.



She felt a great sense of pride, knowing that in this short amount of time, she had achieved a lot. Kristina had come a long way; getting her old job back, her old office, she was living in a house she considered home, she was coping with her illness and she was slowly but surely burying her feelings for Urs. Kristina had decided that she didn’t need a man in her life; that included Tyler. If she was meant to find someone then so be it; but until then she was resided to the fact that she would always be a single woman.



“Will you at least think about it?” Tyler asked softly, when he could see that Kristina still wasn‘t convinced it was a good idea. “I meant what I said. No strings attached, Kristina. Just friends having dinner.”



“Okay.” Kristina replied.



“Okay, you’ll have dinner with me?” Tyler asked.



“Okay, I’ll think about it.” Kristina replied, not wanting to do anything rash that she might regret later. “Have you still got the same mobile number, so I can give you a call later?”



“Yes, same one.” Tyler replied. “It might have been a bit presumptuous of me, but I’ve already booked a table at Bentleys for 8 o’clock.”



“You’re right, it was presumptuous of you.” Kristina smiled, as she followed him in to the hall. She was determined not to be rushed unto anything until she’d given it some serious thought or at least called Abigail. “I’ll let you know.”



“Okay, I understand.” Tyler sighed. “But at least let me give you a lift in to town. I know you said you were planning on returning that box and I‘ve held you up long enough. We could go straight to the boutique and you can return the box. I won’t be long at the solicitors, so if you‘re okay to hang on for say… twenty minutes, I could bring you home as well.”



“Well, if you don’t mind, it would help me out.” Kristina said thoughtfully, looking back in the direction of the lounge. “I really did want to return it today.”



“So go and get the box.” Tyler said, now feeling hopeful. “And then perhaps by the time you get home, you’ll have made a decision about having dinner with me.”



“Careful, Tyler.” Kristina warned him. “I’ve learnt a lot these past few weeks and I‘m not such a push over these days.”



“Okay message received. I‘m sorry.” Tyler replied, sheepishly. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”



Tyler made his way down the path and Kristina headed back in to the lounge to collect the dress. But as she picked up the box, Kristina glanced out the window to see him getting in to the car. Could it really be Tyler that had sent her the expensive looking gifts and the mysterious clues? She could be completely wrong, but it just didn’t strike her as being the sort of thing Tyler would do. Tyler had always been proud of the fact that he was open and honest about his feelings and always said what he thought. This really didn’t seem like Tyler’s style but it was just too much of a coincidence that he should show up now. Perhaps she should just say no to having dinner with him. If it was Tyler doing all this, then Kristina certainly didn’t want to encourage him or give him the wrong idea. But what would happen if she said yes? She could always ask him outright if he was her Mr X. But what was wrong with asking him now and not later? As Kristina headed out to the car, she was still undecided about his invitation to dinner. As soon as she got back from town, Kristina would call Abigail. She would know what to do.

***** CHAPTER 150 *****



After leaving Carlos and Abigail’s apartment, Urs had gone to the gym. He’d spent two hours working off his frustration, intent on not letting the situation between him and Kristina get to him. Despite her curt attitude towards him, Urs was sure that Kristina would warm to him and they would be able to talk to one another. He knew that things wouldn‘t be like they used to be, but it was obvious that Kristina couldn‘t wait to get away from him.



Urs switched on his laptop, wondering if Kristina had emailed him. He already knew from seeing her at Carlos and Abigail’s apartment, that she had the answer to the second clue. Now it was just a matter of seeing if she had the ‘right’ answer. He smiled when he saw that Kristina had emailed him. But as Urs read the email, his heart sank.



Mr X,



I’ve received your latest gift and I suppose I should say thank you. But I can’t accept something so expensive and that‘s why I’ll be returning it to the boutique.



Also, for you to know to what dress to send, means that you were following me. This is something I don’t feel comfortable with. I’ve decided that I don’t want to continue with this charade anymore and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t contact me again.



Game over!



Urs leant back in his chair and sighed heavily as he raked his fingers through his hair. This was not what he had in mind. He’d planned out everything so perfectly, that he never even considered the idea that he might scare Kristina. How could he be so stupid? Perhaps he should email her and explain things. But what if she didn’t read the email? She’d already asked him not to contact her again. No, something like this would be best done face to face. He had to explain it to Kristina, he had to apologise for scaring her but most importantly he had to make her understand why he had done it. Perhaps when he explained that he only did it because he still loved her and that he wanted to try again, she might understand.



But then what if he forgot all about this? What if he just accepted that Mr X was a bad idea and let Kristina think that her admirer had done as she asked; that he wouldn‘t contact her again. Urs could tell her straight out that he still loved her and that he wanted them to try again. But then that wouldn’t work as she might still worry about who Mr X was and if he was still following her. Urs had to do the honest thing and own up to being Mr X. Urs switched off his laptop, grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Everything had gone smoothly at the boutique for Kristina. She explained to the lady that someone unknown to her, had sent her the dress and she didn’t think it right that she kept it. She had been very understanding and assured Kristina that she would inform the gentleman involved.



Tyler hadn’t been long at the solicitors and as promised; he had a given her a lift home. Kristina still hadn’t given him an answer about dinner and didn’t feel comfortable inviting him in the house again so soon. She was still getting over the shock that he had come to London to see her. And even if she was grateful to him for helping her out she didn’t want to encourage him either. So after parking up a few yards from her house, Kristina thanked him and said goodbye.



As she opened the gate and reached for her keys in her coat pocket, Kristina noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She looked up towards the house, she saw Urs sitting on her doorstep.



“Krissy!” Urs smiled.



“Urs? What are you doing here?” Kristina asked, walking up the path.



“I’ve been waiting for you.” Urs replied, standing up. “I really need to talk to you.”



Kristina then noticed the expression on Urs’ face change as he looked over her shoulder. She turned to see what he was looking at and then saw Tyler following her up the path.



“Tyler? What’s he…?” Urs cursed under his breath.



“Kristina, I know you said you’d….” Tyler stopped mid-sentence when he saw Urs standing next to Kristina. The muscles in Tyler’s face tightened and his fists clenched, as he dredged up a polite smile. “Hello.”



“Tyler.” Urs replied, sternly, nodding his head in acknowledgment. “Krissy?” he said, now focusing on her again.



“What?” she asked, nervously sensing that Tyler and Urs weren‘t happy to see each other.



“I really need to talk to you.” he said, his voice softening.



“Kristina, you haven’t forgotten about this evening have you?” Tyler interrupted.



“No, I haven’t forgotten, Tyler.” Kristina said, glancing over her shoulder.



“What’s happening this evening?” Urs asked.



“Nothing.” Kristina replied, quietly. “But now’s not a good time, Urs.”



“It’s important, Krissy, please.” Urs said, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.



“Kristina. What are we doing about tonight?” Tyler said, loudly.



Kristina pulled her hand away from Urs.



“I said I’ll think about it, Tyler.” Kristina replied, then looking back at Urs. “Can you tell me what it’s about, Urs?”



Urs gently took hold of her arm and pulled her to one side.



“I’d rather not say while he’s here.”



“Kristina?” Tyler called out.



“What?” she said, now getting irritated, and looking back at Tyler.



“The table’s booked for 8 o’clock.”



“I know, Tyler.” she replied, through gritted teeth. “Just give me a minute will you?”



“You’re seeing him again?” Urs asked, frowning.



“Why should it matter to you?”



“Because I was hoping that…” Urs was interrupted.



“Sorry Urs, but are you going to be long? I came a long way to talk to Kristina.”



“Can’t you see we’re trying to talk!” Urs snapped.



“Well we’re busy too.” Tyler said, raising his voice. “”We’re going out for dinner later. So why don’t you come back another time?”



“I haven’t said yes, Tyler.” Kristina said, sounding annoyed. “I said I would think about it.”



“I just assumed…” Tyler started to say.



“Never assume.” Kristina said, now glaring at him.



“Take the hint, Tyler.” Urs said, stepping towards him. “She’s not interested.”



“Oh and she’s interested in you?” Tyler sneered. “You two don’t even talk anymore.”



“Guys? Will you grow up?”



“Oh and you do?” Urs snapped. “That’s why you live in New York and Krissy lives in London.”



“Her name is Kristina not Krissy.”



“Excuse me but I’m still here you know.” Kristina said, standing between the two of them. “There’s no need to talk about me as if I don’t exist.”



“I’ve told you before, she likes me calling her Krissy. Surely that tells you something.”



“That doesn’t mean jack.” Tyler hissed. ”Why do you think she left London in the first place?”



“Knock it off, you two!” Kristina said, now raising her voice.



“I don’t know why Krissy left London. But perhaps you can tell me why she left New York.” Urs spat back.



“What do you mean you don’t know why I left?” Kristina said to Urs, puzzled by his comment.



“That’s none of your business.” Tyler shouted to Urs. “All you need to know is that I want her back so why don’t you back off?”



“Okay that’s it!” Kristina said, as she threw her hands up in the air in defeat, turned around and strode up the path towards the house. “I’m done with both of you.”



“Where are you going, Krissy?” Urs called out. “I still need to talk to you.”



“Kristina, what about our date?” Tyler asked, running up the path.



Kristina didn’t reply. She put the key in the lock, opened the door, and went inside, slamming the door shut.



“Krissy will never love you.” Urs glared at Tyler. “Not while she still loves me.”



“While she loves you?” Tyler snorted, walking back down the path. “She won’t even talk to you.”



“She’ll never take you back.” Urs yelled. “And I’ll prove it to you.”



“That sounds like a challenge to me.” Tyler said, stopping suddenly and looking back at Urs. “Is it?”



“Okay, why not.” Urs replied, confidently.



“In that case, may the best man win.” Tyler replied, making his way back to his car.



“You’ve already lost, Cavendish.” Urs muttered.



“You don’t stand a chance, Buhler.” Tyler mumbled to himself.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Abigail, it’s me.” Kristina sighed, as she flopped down in to the chair.



“Again? That’s twice in one day. What’s wrong?” Abigail asked.



“How long have you got?” Kristina replied, tucking the phone under her chin.



“Oh no, what’s happened now?” Abigail said, worriedly.



“Guess who showed up on my doorstep.” Kristina said, leaning her head back against the chair and closing her eyes.



“I haven’t got a clue.” Abigail replied. “Come on, just tell me.”



“Tyler.” Kristina said, waiting to see what Abigail’s reaction would be.



“Tyler?” Abigail mumbled. “What’s he doing coming to see you? I thought it was all over between you two.”



“It was. It is.” Kristina sighed again. “But he came here to apologise, saying he wanted us to be friends again and then he invited me to dinner.”



“Are you going to accept?” Abigail asked.



“I told him I would think about it.” Kristina replied. “But that was… that was before Urs showed up.”



“Urs? What? While Tyler was still there?” Abigail said, now curious as to why Urs would be there.



“Well, Tyler offered to drive me in to town, to take that dress back to the boutique.” Kristina explained. “Then he gave me a lift home. I said goodbye but when I got to the front door, I found Urs waiting for me and then Tyler came back and saw him. Things got a bit messy, they started arguing and Tyler let it slip that he wants us to get back together. They weren’t listening to me so I left them to it.”



“Where are they now?” Abigail asked. “And what did Urs want?



Kristina sat up in the chair and peered out the window.



“It looks like they’ve both gone now. And I never got to find out what Urs wanted. He just said that he needed to talk to me and that it was important.”



“What happens when Tyler comes back?” Abigail asked. “What are you going to tell him?”



“I don’t know.” Kristina replied, frowning into the phone.



“But you’re not going to start seeing him again, are you?” Abigail said, now worried that Kristina would do something silly. “I don’t think it would be a good idea. I mean, you’ve already told me that you two broke up because he couldn’t deal with the feelings you had for Urs. Tyler’s not even been back a day and he’s already caused trouble.”



“It wasn’t just Tyler.” Kristina said quickly. “Urs was to blame too.”



“Why are you defending Tyler?” Abigail asked. “If he hadn’t shown up, you and Urs would’ve been able to talk and sort things out.”



“There’s nothing to sort out.” Kristina said.



“If you say so.” Abigail sighed. “But please, just tell me you’re not going to have dinner with Tyler. It’s not like you love him is it? At least not like Urs.”



“Abigail!”



“What?” she said innocently. “All I’m saying is, he knows how you feel about Urs.”



“Correction…how I ‘used’ to feel about Urs.”



“Whatever! But he knows he’ll always be second best. If you start dating him, who’s to say the same thing won’t happen a few months down the line? Who‘s to say that he won‘t get jealous, as soon as Urs says as much as a ‘hello‘ to you and then he walks out on you again. He‘s still your boss in case you‘d forgotten. What about that golden rule of yours? Never date work colleagues.”



“I know. I mentioned that to him and he said it would just be friends having dinner. He‘s already booked a table for Bentley‘s later on.”



“But we now know that it’s not just friends having dinner, don’t we!” Abigail said, sounding annoyed. “And if it was dinner with a friend, it would be popping out for a burger and fries. Not some flashy oyster bar in Mayfair. By the sound of it, he’s been planning this for a while.”



“So that’s a no to dinner then?”



“Absolutely!” Abigail said, adamantly. “I think you should just say no and save yourself and him, a whole lot of heartache.”



“Okay, I get the message.” Kristina replied. “But there’s one more thing that I wanted to run by you. That dress that Mr X sent me…what if Tyler sent it?”



“Do you really think it’s him?” Abigail asked.



“I don’t know.” Kristina said, chewing her lip. “It’s not like he can’t afford the gifts. And it can’t be a coincidence with him back in London, just days after the clues start arriving.”



“When you put it like that, I guess it’s possible. You’ll have to ask him.” Abigail replied. “But whatever you do, just don’t have dinner with him. Phone him instead.”



“Why?” Kristina asked.



“Because I don’t want him sweet talking you in to doing something that you’ll regret.” Abigail answered. “I know what you’re like.”



“Give me some credit.” Kristina said, now offended.



“I’m sorry, Kristina.” Abigail apologised. “But Tyler’s totally wrong for you. I still think you and Urs…”



“Abigail I’m hanging up now!” Kristina interrupted, knowing exactly what she was going to say; and not wanting to hear it. “I’ll call you when I have some news. Bye.”



Kristina put down the phone before Abigail could object. She knew that Abigail wanted her and Urs to get back together. But she wouldn’t think that if Kristina told her the reason why she left London in the first place.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Who was that on the phone?” Carlos asked, walking in to the lounge.



“Kristina.” Abigail replied.



“Everything okay?” he asked.



“No, no it’s not okay.” Abigail replied, as she started sifting through papers on the desk; looking for something. “Where’s your mobile?”



“I think I might have left it in my jacket.” Carlos replied, quickly getting up from the chair and following Abigail in to the hall. “Why? What’s happened? Is something wrong?”



“We have a problem.” Abigail said, searching through the pockets of his jacket until she eventually found his mobile.



“What sort of problem?” Carlos asked, puzzled by Abigail’s behaviour.



“Tyler’s back.” Abigail said, while scrolling through the contact list on Carlos’ phone.



“And why’s that problem?” Carlos said, still none the wiser as to why that was such a bad thing.



“It’s a problem because he’s just paid a visit to Kristina.” grinning when she found Urs’ number.



“Oh, what did he want?”



“Kristina!” Abigail replied, putting the phone to her ear after pressing the dial button. “He wants her to have dinner with him. He wants to get back with her.”



“So who are you calling now?” Carlos asked.



“Urs.” Abigail replied.



“Do you think that‘s a good idea?” Carlos said, worriedly.



“Yes! He needs to know what‘s going on.” Abigail replied. “Urs was waiting for Kristina to come home. He wanted to talk to her about something but then Tyler showed his face. Kristina thinks Tyler might be her Mr X.”



“I don’t think we should interfere, Abby.” Carlos said, following her back to the lounge. “We might make things worse.”



“Worse? If I don’t call Urs now, then things ‘will’ get worse.” Abigail frowned. “Kristina might do something stupid and let Tyler talk her in to going back to New York.”



“She wouldn’t do that would she?” Carlos asked.



“Nothing my sister does surprises me anymore.” Abigail said, sitting down. “She’s done some pretty crazy things these last few months but I can’t let her make the same mistake twice. She can’t start seeing Tyler again. Damn it, why isn‘t Urs answering his mobile?”



Abigail hit cancel on the phone and pressed the redial button. She had to get hold of Urs and talk to him before Tyler showed up again.

***** CHAPTER 151 *****

“It’s no good, he’s not answering his mobile.” Abigail said, reluctantly hanging up the phone.

“It can wait until later, can’t it?” Carlos asked. “He’ll be home soon and then you can talk to Urs.”

“I know but I don‘t want Tyler getting to Kristina first.” Abigail replied, slowly easing herself into an armchair. “Knowing him, he’ll talk Kristina into doing something impulsive. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t let Tyler anywhere near her.”

“You’ve really got it in for Tyler, haven’t you.” Carlos commented.

“Have you forgotten what he did?” Abigail asked, carefully placing the phone on the arm of the chair. “He dragged Kristina back to New York and three months later he walked out on her.”

“He hardly dragged Kristina to New York, Abby.” Carlos smirked. “Kristina made her own mind up. If she didn‘t want to go, she could‘ve easily said no. No one forced her.”

“But he should never have left her like that.” Abigail said, frowning. “He knew she was ill. He made all these promises to her and told her that he understood about Urs but he still left. He didn’t even want to talk to her until now.”

“Be thankful that he did leave her.” Carlos replied. “If he hadn’t, Kristina would still be in New York, and then you’d never be able to get Kristina and Urs back together.”

“That’s true.” Abigail said, sighing. “I hadn‘t thought of that.”

“Now all you’ve got to do is get them to talk to each other.” Carlos replied. “And it doesn’t look as if that’s going to be easy.”

“Well it looked as if Urs was quite willing to talk to Kristina but Kristina didn’t want to know.” Abigail remarked, as she picked up the phone again.

“Who are you phoning now?” Carlos asked.

“Kristina.” Abigail replied, dialling her sister’s number. “I’ve just had an idea. I‘m determined to get these two back together.”

“If Kristina ever finds out what you’re up to, you’re in big trouble.” Carlos sighed.

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” Abigail grinned, just as Kristina answered the phone. “And when these two ‘are’ together again, she’ll be thanking me.”

“I hope so!” Carlos replied, just as Abigail put a finger to her mouth, to be quiet.

“Hello Kristina, it’s me. I need you to do something for me.”

“What’s wrong, Abigail?”

“It’s Urs…”

“I told you, Abigail. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Kristina don‘t hang up!”

“If you stop talking about Urs, then I won’t need to. So, is it about Urs?”

“Yes it is but it’s not what you think. I’m trying to get hold of him but he’s not answering his mobile.”

“What do you need to talk to Urs for?”

“I don’t need to talk to him; Carlos does. But we’ve been trying ever since we last spoke on the phone and there’s no reply.”

“Maybe he’s busy. Why don’t you just leave a message?”

“Because I’m starting to get worried now.”

“Why would you be worried?”

“Don’t you remember what happened last time you two argued? He rode off on his bike in a foul mood and next thing we know, he’s in hospital.”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. Except this time we weren’t arguing; he was arguing with Tyler.”

“So? That doesn’t mean that he’s not angry. You said he came to talk to you about something important and you wouldn’t listen. Aren’t you worried that he might have done something silly?”

There was a few seconds silence and Abigail hoped that Kristina was thinking about what she had said. Would Kristina do as she asked? Or would she guess what Abigail was up to?

“So why are you calling me?” Kristina finally replied.

“I was hoping that you could try calling him as well.” Abigail replied. “Maybe you’ll have more luck than me.”

“You do realise that he could be fine and he doesn’t want to talk to anyone.” Kristina commented. “He could be screening his calls.”

“Possibly. But if he see‘s it‘s you calling, he might answer.” Abigail replied. “Please, will you try calling him? For me?”

“I guess so.” Kristina replied, sounding somewhat hesitant.

“Great!” Abigail replied quickly, not giving Kristina a chance to change her mind. “And don‘t forget Carlos needs to talk to him urgently.”

“Okay, okay!” Kristina agreed. “I’ll tell him.”

“Oh one more thing before I go. I forgot to ask you earlier, but did you ask the woman at the boutique about Mr X?”

“What about Mr X?” Kristina asked.

“Did you ask her what he looked like? Did he have an accent? Was he fat, thin, tall or short? This could be your only chance of finding out who he is, seeing as you‘ve asked him not to contact you anymore.”

“No, I didn’t ask her.” Kristina said, wondering why she hadn’t thought of that before. “I suppose I could always go back tomorrow.”

“Good idea. At least you’ll know if he’s Swiss or American. Then you’ll know what to do next.”

“What to do next?” Kristina replied. “I won’t be doing anything next.”

“Why on earth not? You’ll be able to find out who’s still in love with you. If he‘s Swiss, then it‘s hello Urs. If he‘s American, then bye-bye Tyler!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not interested in starting up another relationship with anyone. No matter who it is!”

“Not even if it’s Urs?”

“Do you want me to hang up on you again?” Kristina asked.

“Okay! But please, just call Urs and make sure he’s alright.”

“I said I wouldn’t didn’t I? But I’m warning you, if this is one of your hair-brained schemes to try and get us back together, you’ll be in trouble!”

“I’m telling the truth, Kristina. He’s not answering his mobile.”

“Fine. Give me his number.”

“Thanks Kristina.” Abigail replied, grinning to herself.

“You’re looking very pleased with yourself.” Carlos said, after Abigail had hung up the phone. “I guess that was all part of your master plan, getting Kristina to think that something might have happened to Urs.”

“I am pleased.” Abigail grinned. “And yes, it was the only thing I could think of to get her to call him. I know it was a cruel thing to do, after what happened last time. But it just goes to prove that she cares for him, else she wouldn‘t call him.”

“Well let’s hope this plan of yours works and she does actually call him.” Carlos replied.

“Oh she will, believe me, she will.” Abigail said, still smiling to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving Kristina’s house, Urs had gone for a walk. He’d decided not to ride the Harley to Kristina’s house, he’d taken a taxi instead. The bike was noisy and stood out like a sore thumb. If Kristina saw it, she would know it was his, and Urs still wasn’t sure how to go about telling Kristina he was Mr X. So if he did change his mind and back out, how would he explain his being there? It had taken Urs a while to work out what he was going to say and then several minutes to convince himself it was a good idea, before finally approaching the house and ringing the doorbell; only to discover that she wasn’t home.

Urs now found himself sitting on a bench in a nearby park not far from Kristina‘s house. Despite her attitude towards him, he was certain that Kristina still loved him but he just had to find a way to make her realise it, and to prove to Tyler that he didn’t stand a chance with her. Urs was now wondering what he’d let himself in for, going up against Tyler to win back Kristina. After all, she had left him to move to New York with Tyler. What was to stop her doing it again? Urs had to talk to her and find out why she left London in the first place. But how was he going to do that now Tyler was back on the scene?

Urs sighed heavily, as his phone started to ring for the umpteenth time. He had numerous missed calls on his mobile, all from Carlos. Urs pulled out his mobile from his jacket pocket and was about to cancel the call, but then he noticed the caller ID; it was Kristina’s home number, he knew if off by heart.

“Hello?”

“Urs, it’s Kristina.”

“Krissy! I didn’t know you still had my number.”

“I didn’t. Abigail gave it to me. She’s been trying to get hold of you for quite a while. Apparently Carlos needs to talk to you about something important. Abigail was starting to get worried that something might have happened to you.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Because… because the last time you left my house and you were angry, you ended up in hospital.”

“Oh…I see. Well, as you can hear, I‘m fine but I‘m glad you called. If you‘re free, I‘d still like to come over and talk to you. There‘s something I need to tell you.”

“Can’t you just tell me now?” Kristina asked.

“I’d rather not.” Urs replied; he didn’t want to take the chance of telling Kristina over the phone, only for her to hang up on him. He knew if that happened, there was no way he would get another chance to explain why he had invented Mr X. “Do you think we could meet? Perhaps I could come round now, I‘m not far away.”

“I can’t right now, I’m busy.” Kristina lied. “I only called because Abigail asked me to. You’d better call her, she did say it was important.”

“I will do, I promise, Krissy. But if you’re busy now, perhaps we could meet up tomorrow?”

“I don’t know Urs…”

“Please Krissy.”

Kristina was determined not to agree to see him, after making a promise to herself that she wouldn’t let any man get close to her again and definitely not Urs. Yet if she didn’t like what he had to say, she could always leave, she didn‘t have to stay. But then what if she found herself wanting to stay? What if she wanted to talk with him? She didn’t want to get hurt again but he said it was important that he talk to her, so where was the harm in that? Before Kristina realised what she had done, she found herself agreeing to meet him.

“What time tomorrow?”

“When ever you want. Just name a time and a place and I’ll be there.”

“Well, I’m due to start back at work in a couple of days, so I was going to pop in to the office and see Angie tomorrow. There’s a small café nearby called Rays, it‘s above Foyles, the bookstore.”

“I know the one.” Urs replied. “What time?”

Urs and Kristina had agreed to meet at one o’clock the following day. As they both hung up the phone, both were already nervous. Urs was feeling nervous about what Kristina’s reaction would be when she found out he was Mr X and Kristina was nervous, wondering what was so important that he couldn’t tell her over the phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urs had just stepped out of the elevator and was about to turn and head for his apartment when someone pulled on his arm.

“Hey you! We need to talk!”

“What’s wrong?” Urs asked, letting Abigail lead him to her and Carlos’ apartment.

“Didn’t you get my message?” Abigail said, still holding his arm, as she led him their apartment.

“Your message?” Urs frowned, as she pushed him through the doorway. “Oh you mean, Kristina. Yes she told me that Carlos wanted to talk to me.”

“So where were you going?” Abigail asked, closing the door behind her. “Surely Kristina told you it was important.”

“Of course, she did.” Urs replied, walking down the hallway and in to the lounge. “But I’ve been outside for ages. I was hoping to at least warm up and have a drink before I came here. I’m freezing.”

“Carlos, can you get Urs some tea, please.” Abigail asked, putting her hand on Urs’ shoulder and literally pushing him down into an armchair.

“Abigail, what’s going on?” Urs asked, puzzled by her behaviour. “I thought Carlos wanted to talk to me.”

“It’s me that wants to talk to you, not Carlos.” Abigail replied, sitting down next to him. “I had to tell Kristina that it was Carlos, else she would’ve become suspicious.”

“Suspicious?” Urs said, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you still love my sister?” Abigail asked, suddenly.

“What?” Urs said, shocked.

“You heard me.” she replied. “Do you still love Kristina?”

“Why do you want to know?” Urs asked, defensively.

“Just answer me, Urs.” Abigail replied. “Do you still love her?”

“I… I…” Urs stuttered, still in shock.

“You do, don‘t you?” Abigail answered for him.

“Look, where’s all this coming from?” Urs asked, finally finding his voice. “What’s with all the questions?”

“Because Tyler wants to get back with Kristina.” Abigail replied.

“I know.” Urs said, as another frown took hold of his face. “He told me earlier this afternoon. And how did you know Tyler was back in London?”

“Kristina phoned and told me.” Abigail answered. “She also told me that you wanted to speak to her and then Tyler showed up and you two never got to talk.”

“No we didn’t.” Urs replied. “But then she called me about Carlos, and she arranged to meet me tomorrow.”

“So do you still love her?” Abigail asked again.

Urs still didn’t answer.

“I’m only asking because I want to help, Urs.” Abigail said, reassuringly. “Don’t get me wrong, Tyler’s a nice guy. But I don’t think he can make her happy; unlike you.”

Urs gave a small smile at Abigail.

“I don’t want Kristina to make the same mistake.” Abigail continued. “I‘m worried that if she starts seeing Tyler again, she’ll do something stupid like letting him talk her into going back to New York with him. I’ve heard he can be quite persuasive at times. So if you still love my sister and you don‘t want to lose her again, then you‘d better tell me now.”

“What if I say no?” Urs asked. “What happens if I tell you I don’t love her?”

“If that’s how you feel then fine.” Abigail said shrugging. “But you can’t say I didn’t try.”

“And if I do love her?” Urs asked, warily.

“Like I said, I only want to help.” Abigail answered. “But you have to be honest with me. You have to tell me everything that‘s happened and you have to tell me what happened on the night of the Ball. I want to know why Kristina left London.”

“I don’t know why Krissy left London.” Urs sighed. “Everything was going great until she left the hotel. She kissed me goodbye and never came back. I don’t know what happened to make her leave so suddenly.”

“Are you sure you didn’t say something to upset her?” Abigail asked. “She wouldn’t leave with out good reason. You must‘ve done something.”

“I’ve told you I don‘t know!” Urs said, raising his voice as he got up from his chair. “Why don’t you ask Krissy? You seem to forget that ‘she’ was the one that left ‘me‘. It wasn’t the other way around you know!”

“Urs?” Carlos said, walking in to the lounge, holding a tray of tea. “Calm down, will you?”

“I’m sorry.” Urs apologised to them both. “You don‘t know how much she hurt me leaving that way. It still hurts to think about it even now. But I‘m not the one to blame for all this.”

“I know this is hard.” Abigail said softly. “And I’m sorry. But Kristina refuses to tell me why she left so I assumed it was something you’d said or done. All she kept saying was that you loved one another but not enough. It just didn’t make sense. It still doesn’t.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me either. I couldn’t believe it when she got on that plane.” Urs said quietly, as he sat back down in his chair. “I really didn’t think she’d go.”

“Have you asked Kristina why she left?” Abigail asked.

“No, I’ve hardly had a chance to talk to her. But it’s one of the things I want to talk to her about tomorrow.” Urs replied.

“So what else do you want to talk to her about?” Abigail continued. “That’s if you don’t mind me asking.”

Urs suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“Does it matter?” Urs asked.

"I guess not.” Abigail replied. “But there is another question that I would like to ask you. In fact there‘s two questions.”

"Urs now looked very nervous.

“My first question is does Verity really exist? And my second question is are you Kristina's secret admirer, Mr X?"

***** CHAPTER 152 *****


Urs laughed nervously at Abigail’s questions.

“What do you mean, does Verity exist? What sort of a question is that?”

“I think it’s a perfectly reasonable question, seeing as it’s been almost two months and no one has actually seen her or spoken to her.” Abigail replied. “I just can’t help wondering if you made her up. Although I can’t understand why.”

“Verity does exist.” Urs answered, truthfully. “Hand on my heart, I haven’t made her up.”

“Okay.” Abigail shrugged. “I guess I was wrong then. Because if Verity does exist and you’re seeing her, then you wouldn’t be going behind her back by masquerading as Kristina’s Mr X.”

It fell silent for several seconds; Abigail sensed that Urs was about to say something else.

“Verity does exist.” Urs said again. “But she’s not my girlfriend. I did lie about that part.”

“I knew it!” Abigail squealed. “See Carlos. I told you! He made the whole thing up!”

Urs shot an angry glare at Carlos.

“You’ve been discussing my love life?”

“Sorry Urs.” Carlos said, clearly embarrassed. “But you know what women are like.”

“Hey you, enough of that!” Abigail said, turning and playfully slapping him on the arm. “And don’t apologise, Carlos. He’s gone and made things worse by making up this story about Verity.”

“How have I made things worse?” Urs frowned.

“I some times wonder about you, Urs.” Abigail sighed. “Have you forgotten that when you gave that interview, you told them you had a girlfriend?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten.” Urs replied. “By why has that made things worse? Oh do you mean if they find out I lied? That won‘t do any damage to the bands reputation though, will it?”

“I wasn’t talking about that.” Abigail answered. “And I think the damage has already been done.”

“What damage?” Urs asked, confused.

“What are you talking about?” Carlos asked, equally confused.

“Men!” Abigail exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “Urs, you told the interviewer you had a girlfriend. Did you think that Kristina wouldn’t see the interview? Did you think that she wouldn’t find out? She now thinks that what you and her shared meant nothing and that within just a few months, you’ve found someone else.”

“But we did that interview when Krissy was still in New York with Tyler!” Urs replied. “I was so fed up with everyone asking if we had girlfriends and of all the weird looks I received, when I said no. How was I to know that Krissy was going to come back?”

“You couldn’t have known.” Abigail replied. “But then again, even if Kristina didn’t come back to London, that interview would’ve eventually been broadcast in the US.”

“So… she told you?” Urs asked. “I mean... Krissy actually told you about the interview? She talked about me?”

Abigail nodded.

“She brought it up in conversation, the other day when we went out shopping. Kristina started talking about the group, and just happened to mention that she saw you all on television. That’s when she mentioned the girlfriend.”

“How did she seem?” Urs asked, wincing at his stupidity.

“I don’t know.” Abigail shrugged. “These days, it’s hard to tell with Kristina. We talk but she always changes the subject when it comes to you.”

“You’re right.” Urs sighed. “If she can’t even bring herself to talk to me then the damage has already been done.”

“Not necessarily.” Abigail said, her eyes narrowing while deep in thought. “I think we should take that as a good sign. It means that she still cares for you, else it wouldn’t hurt to talk about you. And then she called you when I told her I was concerned that you weren‘t answering your mobile.”

“Abigail….you’ve got that look on your face.” Carlos said, worriedly. ”What ever it is you’re thinking, it’s no!”

“Shhh, I’m thinking.” Abigail said, waving at him to be quiet. “We could just tell Kristina that you’re not with Verity anymore but she’ll pretend she’s not bothered. So if we can just think of a way of letting her find out, but do it in such a way that she finds out, accidentally on purpose.”

“What?” Carlos asked, now more confused than ever.

“What did you have in mind?” Urs asked, his eyes now lighting up at the thought of making things right with Kristina.

“I‘m not sure yet.” Abigail said, before chewing on her lip. “Give me a day or two to think about it and I‘ll let you know. But right now, I‘m still waiting for answer to my second question. Are you Mr X?”

“Don’t be silly, Abigail.” Urs laughed, nervously again. “Do you really think I would do something like that?”

“Like what?” Abigail asked. “Sending someone you love, gifts and clues which will eventually lead them to you? There’s nothing wrong in that. I think it’s a very sweet and romantic thing to do. So, I‘ll ask again, are you Mr X?”

Urs didn’t reply. He looked at the mug of hot tea in his hands before gently blowing on it and taking a sip.

“Okay, answer me this then. One thing that’s puzzled me is how did you know what dress size Kristina is?” Abigail asked, when Urs didn’t reply. “I thought men were useless at that sort of thing.”

“We are useless, that’s why I asked the woman in the shop.” Urs said, without thinking. He then looked up at Abigail, realising he’d been caught out. She was grinning at him.

“Very clever.” Urs sighed heavily. “So now you know.”

“You do realise you very nearly killed me, making me walk all round London Zoo, just to look for a gorilla.”

“A gorilla?” Carlos said, looking horrified.

“Don’t worry.” Urs chuckled. “It wasn’t a live one, it was a statue. It was one of the clues.”

“You had me worried for a moment.” Carlos replied, letting out a relieved sigh. “I was beginning to wonder what Abby got up to, while I’m not here.”

“What makes you think I don’t get up to anything while you’re not here?” Abigail asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Carlos looked at Abigail, not quite sure what to make of her statement, but then Abigail couldn‘t hold it in any longer and started laughing.

“So where do we go from here?” Urs asked, when they had stopped laughing. “I mean, now that you know about Verity and Mr X.”

“I’m not sure.” Abigail replied. “I had to be certain before I did anything. But you can‘t tell Kristina that you‘re Mr X.”

“But that’s what I was going to tell her tomorrow.” Urs replied. “I want her to know that it’s me that been sending the clues and that she doesn’t have to worry about a stranger following her.”

“You can tell her but just not yet.” Abigail answered. “I don’t think now would be a good time. And she’s made another stupid promise to her herself not to get close to anyone because she’s afraid of getting hurt again. She‘s convinced herself she doesn‘t love you anymore.”

“Krissy and her stupid promises.” Urs mumbled. “She wouldn’t date work colleagues but that didn’t stop her dating David or Tyler. But she won’t date me.”

“Well, there was good reason why she didn’t date you.” Abigail reminded him. “At the time she was still with David when she first met you and then you were with Saskia. And of course there was the awful business of Marius lying to her.”

“Did you know that when you two had the kidney transplant, she made a promise to God, not to see me again if he kept you alive?” Urs asked.

Abigail nodded.

“She told me a couple of days after the surgery when we were still in hospital. I knew she would regret it but I couldn‘t talk her out of it.”

“So she just left it at that?” Urs replied. “She seriously believed that by making that promise, God kept you alive?”

“You have to understand Urs, that she felt she was to blame.” Abigail told him. “If it wasn’t for Kristina asking me to be a donor, I would never have been sick. I think she would‘ve done anything.”

“But when she could see you were going to be okay, she could’ve changed her mind.” Urs frowned. “I know it would’ve been going back on her word but if she loved me…”

Urs fell silent and hung his head.

“Just before me and Carlos were about to leave for our honeymoon, I begged her to phone you.” Abigail said softly, gently placing her hand on his arm. “Anyone could see how unhappy she was. I think when she saw how happy we were, that’s when she realised what she’d done by telling you to go.”

“So why she didn’t call me?” Urs sighed.

“But she did.” Abigail told him. “I only found out when we all met in Simon’s office, the day Il Divo were formed. When I saw you there, I called Kristina and told her to come down to the offices. But then you introduced her to Saskia, she got upset and we ended up having a big argument.”

“What about?” Urs asked.

“You. Me. That I should never have talked her in to coming to see you.” Abigail replied. “That you now had Saskia and that you weren’t too pleased to see her.”

“I wasn’t at the time. I thought she was there to cause trouble.” Urs said, as he thought back to that day. “And I was so shocked at seeing her again. I tried to pretend that she didn‘t mean anything to me anymore, and that I was over her and that she hadn’t hurt me. But she had.”

“Well she was hurting too.” Abigail replied. “She hadn’t so much as looked at another man since saying goodbye to you at the hospital. She was still in love with you. I told her it was her own fault that she was alone and that she should’ve called you all those years ago. That’s when she told me that she had but a woman answered. She assumed you’d met someone else and didn’t want to ruin any relationship that you might have had going.”

“I think I know the day you’re talking about.” Urs said, quietly. “It was a few weeks after your surgery. Julianna took the phone and no one answered. I always wondered if it was Krissy.”

“And because your sister answered the phone, she never contacted you again.” Abigail said sadly.

“I can’t believe this.” Urs said, hanging his head and slowly shaking it in despair. “This is all such a mess. Why can’t anything ever go right for us? Is it really that much to ask?”

“You just need to be patient, Urs.” Abigail told him.

“Patient?” Urs said, now frustrated and standing up again. “Do you realise it‘s been over four years since we first met? I can’t go through another four years of this. I’m going to see her and tell her everything now; about Julianna answering the phone, Verity, Mr X and that I still love her. I don’t care what she says, we’re going to talk about this once and for all. ”

“Urs you can’t go barging in and tell her just like that!” Abigail said, struggling to get up out of the chair. “After freaking her out and having all the locks changed, Mr X isn’t exactly in her good books at the moment. And you know how stubborn she is. You’ll end up arguing and you’ll just make things worse.”

“Abby’s right.” Carlos said, quickly getting to his feet and grabbing Urs by the arm.

“I thought you were both on my side.” Urs frowned.

“We are.” Carlos replied. “But didn’t you listen to Abby? Kristina’s convinced herself she doesn’t love you anymore. If you go there now, it won’t do you any good. She’s not going to be interested in anything you have to say.”

“So what do we do?” Urs asked.

“Not ‘we’ but ‘you’. You have to make her fall in love with you all over again. I can’t see that being too hard.” Abigail winked at Urs. “Kristina just needs a little reminder as to why she fell in love with you in the first place.”

“Use some of that Swiss charm that you’re always talking about.” Carlos smirked.

“But what about Tyler?” Urs asked. “He’s bound to interfere.”

“You let me worry about Tyler.” Abigail replied. “Just make sure you keep your date with Kristina tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, wild horses won‘t stop me.” Urs replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina was still thinking about what Abigail had said to her on the phone; finding out from the boutique what Mr X looked like. Abigail was right, this might be her only way of finding out who her mystery admirer was. She looked at her watch, there was less than an hour until closing time. She could easily get a taxi and head back in to town before they closed. Kristina picked up her phone and called for a taxi, while slipping on her shoes. She would do it now and get it over with, then she would know once and for all who he was.

A short time later and Kristina’s taxi pulled up outside the boutique. She then spotted someone inside who looked familiar; but it couldn’t be him.

“This is your stop. Are you going to get out love?” the taxi driver asked her.

“What?” Kristina asked, glancing back at the driver.

“I said this is your stop. Are you going to get out?” he said again.

Kristina looked back at the man in the boutique. She couldn’t believe he was there. But more importantly ‘what’ was he doing there? Was he her Mr X?

“No, I’ve changed my mind. Can you take me to Mayflower apartments please; Fitzroy Avenue.”

"Sure thing.” he replied, as he looked over his shoulder, signalled and pulled away from the kerb.

Kristina still couldn’t believe it was him. If he wasn’t Mr X, why else would he be there? Did he still love her? Did he want to try again? Was that the reason he’d come to see her? Kristina needed to tell Abigail what she had seen; maybe she could make sense of it. In no time at all, Kristina had arrived at the Mayflower apartments and had rushed up the stairs to her sister’s apartment and was banging on the door.

“Okay give me a chance, it’s not easy carrying all this extra weight.” Abigail said, after opening the door to find her sister there. “I didn’t expect to see you again today.”

“I have something to tell you.” Kristina said, rushing into the apartment. “I know who Mr X is.”

***** CHAPTER 153 *****



“Is Carlos here?” Kristina asked, glancing around the apartment.

“No he’s gone out for takeaway.” Abigail replied. “How did you find out about your Mr X?”

“I thought about what you said, about asking them what he looked like.” Kristina replied, pacing up and down. “So I went back to the boutique to ask them. But then the taxi pulled up outside and that’s when I saw him inside. It has to be him. He has to be Mr X. Why else would he be there?”

“Who was there?” Abigail asked. “You haven’t told me who it is.”

“Tyler.” Kristina said, stopping suddenly. “He was talking to the woman inside the boutique.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Abigail said warily, wondering what Tyler was doing there. “He could’ve been there buying something for someone else.”

“But who?” Kristina snapped. “We already know he wants us to give our relationship another go, so why would he be buying outfits for another woman?”

“Kristina will you calm down!” Abigail said, frowning. “Don’t let him get to you.”

“Can you believe the nerve of that man?” Kristina said, as she started to pace up and down again, ignoring her sister. “He even asked about the dress box. He made out he didn‘t know what it was and he was asking me questions, when all along it was from him. I should‘ve known it was him. You’ve got to have more money than sense to buy a dress like that and he’s definitely got the money.”

“Kristina….”Abigail started to say.

“Just wait until I see him.” Kristina said, angrily. “He had me running all over London following his stupid clues, leaving me fancy gifts everywhere and letting me think I had a stalker.”

“I take it you’re not too pleased now that you’ve found out who it is.” Abigail smirked, relieved that Urs hadn‘t told Kristina that ‘he‘ was in fact her Mr X.

“Happy?” Kristina said, raising her voice. “Happy? I’ve got a damn good mind to send him the bill for the locksmith.”

“Kristina calm down, will you!” Abigail said, as Kristina started pacing again.

“He must think I’m a real pushover if he thinks he can buy me off with expensive gifts.” Kristina continued. “I’ll tell him what he can do with his gifts. He can stick them right up his…”

“Kristina!” Abigail said, covering her ears. “Enough! I don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, he just makes me so…. so mad.” Kristina fumed, slamming her clenched fist down on the sideboard.

“Yes, I noticed.” Abigail smirked.

“I’m sorry.” Kristina said, raking her fingers through her hair. “But does he seriously think that this is going to make up for everything?”

A loud bang then came from one of the bedrooms down the hallway.

“Who else is here?” Kristina asked, curiously. “I thought you said Carlos has gone out.”

“He has, no one else is here.” Abigail replied, taking her sister by the arm and leading her towards the lounge. “Why don’t you come and sit down and I’ll make us some tea.”

Kristina then heard another sound and pulled away from her sister.

“No, someone is definitely in there.” Kristina said, as she grabbed an umbrella from the stand in the hallway. “You stay here.”

“Kristina, you don’t want to go in there.” Abigail said, following her sister.

“Shhh.” Kristina said, putting a finger to her lips. “Stay here.”

Abigail shook her head and smiled to herself as she turned and headed to the kitchen to make them some tea. She had a feeling Kristina would need it shortly.

As Kristina made her way down the hallway to where the noise was coming from, she could feel her heart starting to beat a little faster, not knowing what she would find. But she was determined to find out who or what was making the noise. As Kristina flung open the bedroom door, she raised the umbrella above her head, ready to defend herself. Her jaw dropped when she was greeted with the back of a naked man standing in the middle of her sisters bedroom.

Kristina gave a quiet gasp as she cast her eyes over the tanned muscled skin, covered in small beads of water as it trickled down his back, from the dark curls clinging to his head. The broad shoulders, the slim waist and that bum, she would recognise that bum anywhere.

Kristina swallowed hard as a startled looking Urs turned around and looked back at her. But the startled look soon disappeared when he saw it was Kristina and was replaced with a playful look that was already making Kristina feel nervous.

“I hope you’re not looking at my big feet.” Urs said, casually picking up a towel and loosely wrapping it around his hips.

“What?” Kristina said, puzzled. She looked at Urs’ feet and then suddenly remembered Notting Hill- the movie they had watched together. She started to blush.

“You remembered then, hey?” Urs quietly chuckled.

“I was ‘not’ looking at your feet.” Kristina said adamantly, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed at Urs‘ insinuation.

“So you were just checking out the rest of my body?” Urs replied, now standing there with his hands on his hips. “Well, you can’t be blushing at that. It’s not as if you haven’t seen me naked before, is it?”

“What are you doing here?” Kristina snapped, ignoring his comment.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Urs replied, calmly. “I’m not used to people walking in on me while I’m getting dressed. Do you usually come barging into people’s bedrooms?”

“May I remind you, this isn’t your bedroom.” Kristina snapped again as she glared at him.

“That’s a fair comment.” Urs smiled, putting his hands up in defeat. “Carlos kindly let me use their shower, seeing as I’ve got no hot water. There‘s a problem with the water heater in my apartment. Mind you, I’ve got to help Carlos him set up more baby furniture in return for using it. So why are you here?”

“I came to see what the noise was.” Kristina replied.

“Sorry. I didn’t realise I was making that much noise.” Urs replied, now standing right in front of her. “I hope you don’t intend on using that on me.”

“What?” Kristina asked.

“That!” Urs said, nodding at the umbrella.

“Oh…no, I…” Kristina lowered the umbrella, which she‘d been holding up in the air all this time. “I just grabbed the first thing I could find.”

“Well, lucky for me, I don’t think you could do much damage with that.” Urs grinned.

“Oh I don’t know.” Kristina smirked. “I might not be able to cause damage, but I‘m sure if it was aimed in the right place I could cause some considerable pain.”

“I’m sure you could.” Urs said, smiling. “Well now you know what was making the noise, so if you don’t mind…”

Kristina knew that he was suggesting she leave, but she found herself unable to move.

“Was there something else you wanted?” Urs asked, still with a playful look in his eyes as he took a step closer to her and adjusted his towel, causing Kristina to quickly avert her eyes.

“No, I…” Kristina stuttered, as her mind suddenly went blank.

“Are you sure?” Urs asked, closing the distance between them even further.

“Urs….” she managed to say, before holding her breath.

“Yes, Krissy?” Urs said, looking down at her.

As Kristina stared at his mouth, she could see he was saying something but didn’t hear a single word. She continued to stare at his mouth, and suddenly thought of long slow gentle kisses, just the way he had kissed her on the plane. And then there were the strong, deep and passionate kisses, the way he had kissed her in the elevator. She wondered what he would do if she were to simply reach up and kiss him. Would he return her kiss? She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Kristina imagined running her fingers through those soft curls again, being held close to him in those big strong arms of his and feeling safe once more, not having to worry about what the future held.

“What is it, Krissy?” Urs asked, softly, now concerned that she wasn‘t answering him.

“Nothing, I...” Kristina mumbled. Why did this man make her lose control of the most simple faculties; like thinking and breathing. “I…I think…”

“You always did think too much, Krissy.” Urs whispered, as he smoothed his thumb along her bottom lip. He then lowered his head to hers and gently brushed his lips against her cheek. “Why don’t you give your head a rest and let your heart do the thinking for once?”

Urs pulled back and Kristina stood watching him in complete silence.

“I really do need to get dressed.” Urs smiled. “Or I’ll catch my death standing here like this.”

“I… I’m sorry.” Kristina apologised, suddenly regaining her composure. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Urs said, as Kristina turned to leave.

“Tomorrow?” Kristina said, her head still in a daze.

“Lunch?” Urs replied. “At Rays?”

“Oh… yeah, lunch.” Kristina said, now remembering that Urs had something important to tell her. “I don’t suppose you could tell me now.”

“It’s important, Krissy.” Urs said, his face now taking on a serious look. “But it can wait until I’ve got some clothes on and it can wait until tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Kristina said, quietly. She stared at him for a few seconds longer than intended and he gave her one of his breathtaking smiles that made her weak at the knees every time.

“1 o’clock.” Kristina said, taking a deep breath. “”Don’t be late.”

Kristina hurried out of the bedroom, and closed the door behind her. She leant her head back against the wall, taking several deep breaths. What on earth was she thinking? As soon as she saw it was Urs, she should have left the room straight away. There was no need for her to stay that long, but she had found herself unable to move. Just being alone in the same room with him, had made her feel more alive in those few short minutes, than she had done these last few months since leaving London. She silently cursed to herself, for letting him see how weak she was, to stand there like some love struck teenager. She didn‘t want Urs to think that she still had feelings for him and that he still held a place in her heart. Kristina swore she would never let herself get in that situation again. Because if she did, she was scared that she would let herself fall for that irresistible Swiss charm of his. When she was calm again, Kristina went to find Abigail in the kitchen.

“I told you not to go in there.” Abigail said, trying to keep a straight face as she handed Kristina a mug of tea.

“Yeah well if you’d told me it was Urs making the noise, I wouldn’t have stepped foot in there.” Kristina said, taking the mug from her. “I thought you had burglars.”

“Something tells me you would’ve gone in there no matter what I said.” Abigail smirked. “So was he… you know?”

“If you mean butt naked, yes.” Kristina said, looking up at Abigail over her mug.

“That would explain the flushed look on your face.” Abigail said, grinning. “Must’ve been some view.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Kristina said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Why do you always change the subject when it comes to Urs?” Abigail asked.

“Because….” Kristina paused. She didn’t like talking about Urs because it brought back so many painful memories; the fact that Urs loved her but not enough to stand by her. That if she hadn’t written that letter, telling him of her illness things might have been different. Not writing the letter to Urs, might have only delayed the inevitable, but now she would never know what could have been.

“Kristina?” Abigail said, quietly.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kristina said, placing her mug on the counter. “I should be going. I expect Carlos will be home soon and you two will want to be alone.”

“Kristina, you don’t have to leave yet.” Abigail said, following her in to the hall. “Urs is still here. Why don’t you stay for a little longer too?”

“No, I need an early night.” Kristina said, smiling weakly. “I was going to pop into Cavendish tomorrow and see Angie about starting back at work. And then Urs needs to talk to me about something. He won’t tell me now but I‘m meeting him at Rays for lunch.”

“Yes, he mentioned that you’d agreed to see him.” Abigail smiled. “Will you be okay?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Kristina said, forcing a smile. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”

After Abigail and Kristina had said their goodbyes, Abigail closed the front door just as Urs appeared in the hallway.

“I see you managed to put some clothes on.” Abigail smirked.

“I know.” Urs chuckled. “I think some of that Swiss charm actually did the trick!”

Abigail walked down the hallway and in to the kitchen and started to rinse out the empty mugs.

“Is Kristina okay?” Urs asked, as he dragged his still damp hair back in to a ponytail. “She seemed… I don’t know… she seemed like her mind was elsewhere.”

“I think you being stark naked might have had something to do with that.” Abigail laughed softly.

“I’m serious, Abigail.” Urs said, quietly. “I just got the feeling that… that she still loves me. But she won‘t admit it to herself.”

“I told you earlier, Urs. She‘s changed.” Abigail sighed. “I don’t know why, but until we do, you have to take things slowly.”

“Yeah, real slow.” Urs said, frowning. “So slow, that Tyler can talk Kristina in to giving things another go.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Tyler took her into town today. She went to the boutique and returned the dress that you sent her.” Abigail said, as she placed the mugs on the drainer and turned to face Urs. “She went back later on, as she wanted to ask them about Mr X but when she arrived, Tyler was there. She now thinks that he’s Mr X.”

“What?” Urs said, horrified. “Please tell me that you set her straight and that you told her she was wrong.”

“No way!” Abigail replied. “You should’ve heard her. In fact I’m surprised you didn’t. She’s absolutely livid with him. She thinks he’s trying to buy his way back in to her life, with expensive gifts. For the moment, I think it’s best we let her carry on thinking Tyler is Mr X.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Urs asked, not entirely convinced.

“Of course it is.” Abigail assured him. “All the time she’s mad with him, it leaves an open playing field for you. I’m just wondering what’s going to happen when she confronts Tyler though. I know he was asking about the dress but I don’t think she’s told him about Mr X, so he won’t have any idea what she’s talking about. Of course, she could just assume he’s lying.”

“I wonder what he was doing there.” Urs said, thoughtfully.

“Maybe he had the same idea as Kristina and went back to find out who sent the dress.” Abigail said, looking at Urs. “Perhaps you should give them a call and find out what he wanted.”

“It’s too late now.” Urs said, looking at his watch. “I’ll give them a call first thing in the morning. Well I suppose I should see about getting something to eat. Thanks for letting me use your shower.”

“Anytime.” Abigail said, as she followed Urs in to the hallway. “And don’t worry about Kristina. I’m sure everything will be sorted out very soon.”

“I hope so.” Urs smiled, as he opened the door. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck, Buhler!”

***** CHAPTER 154 *****



“But Simon, I’m meeting someone.” Urs protested, down the phone. “I can’t go.”

“Is it a matter of life or death?” Simon asked.

“No but it is important.” Urs replied. “I can’t cancel on her now.”

“Her? So it’s a woman that‘s been distracting you just lately.”

“Why do we have to do this today?” Urs said, ignoring Simons remark.

“Look Urs, Josie has already told you why.” Simon replied. “I don’t know what you’ve got against this new publicist but why can’t you just listen to her and do as she asks for once?”

“I’ve got nothing against her.” Urs said, defensively. “And I do listen to her.”

“In that case, you already know the answer.” Simon said firmly. “But I‘ll tell you once again. The magazine have asked if they can rearrange the interview for today. I know it’s incredibly short notice but if we don’t do it now we might not get another chance. This group is still trying to get off the ground and we don’t have the luxury to do as we please. You answer a few questions, have a couple of pictures taken, plug the album and then you’re free to do what you want. You knew that your personal life would have to take a back seat for a while.”

“I know but it’s just…” Urs started to say.

“No buts, Urs. You’re going. The car will be there at noon. Make sure you‘re ready.” Simon said, before hanging up the phone.

Urs sighed heavily in frustration as he placed the phone back in the receiver. He didn’t want to cancel his lunch date with Kristina but he knew if he didn’t there would be hell to pay; Simon would make sure of that. Urs looked at his watch. He didn’t have time to get to Kristina’s house, apologise in person and then get back to his apartment in time for the car to collect him. He would just have to phone Kristina and hope that she would agree to meet him later on. Urs picked up the phone and dialled Kristina’s home number but there was no reply. Just my luck, he thought. He was desperately trying to think of a solution, when he remembered Kristina telling him that she was visiting Angie at Cavendish before their meeting at Rays. Urs quickly found the number for Cavendish and left a message with the receptionist, explaining that Kristina would be there visiting Angie. She assured Urs that she would pass the message on. Urs could only hope that when she got the message, Kristina would understand. One thing he didn’t have to worry about though was Tyler’s visit to the boutique. Urs had contacted them earlier that morning, asking about the dress Kristina had returned and if anyone had been enquiring as to who sent it. The assistant admitted that a gentleman had called in the previous day asking about the sender, but they make it a strict rule never to give out customer details. So Tyler was none the wiser as to Mr X was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina had been at Cavendish since 9am with Angie, catching up on office gossip, talking about new clients and discussing projects in progress. She was looking forward to working with Angie again and being in familiar surroundings. After coming to an agreement on what clients she would be dealing with, Kristina had decided to visit her old office. There was some post that would need sorting through, and apparently she already had messages waiting for her, after people heard she was coming back. Kristina wanted to start off organised and get things out ready for her first full day back in the office the following day. But as she opened the door to her office, she was surprised to see Tyler sitting behind her desk.

“Make yourself at home, why don’t you.” Kristina said, as she entered her office and closed the door behind her.

“I heard you were in the building so I thought I would come and say hello and welcome back.” Tyler replied, quickly slipping a piece of paper in to his pocket, as he stood up.

“I don’t officially start until tomorrow.” Kristina said, slamming down a stack of files on her desk.

“Is everything okay?” Tyler asked. “Have I done something wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Kristina replied, putting her hands on her hips. “Have you?”

“Look if you’re talking about what happened with Urs yesterday, I’m sorry.” Tyler apologised. “I didn’t know he was going to be there and I certainly didn‘t mean for any of that to happen.”

“Oh?” Kristina said, now folding her arms. “And what about the part where you told Urs that you want to give our relationship another go? Did you mean for that to happen?”

“No… well, yes but I didn’t plan for it to come out that way.” Tyler replied. “I was hoping we could’ve talked some more first but Urs… he just got me riled up.”

“So how did you plan on telling me?” Kristina asked, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair before sitting down. “Were you going to wine and dine me and sweep me off my feet? Or were you going to buy me more clothes or jewellery and just expect me to come running back to you?”

“What are you talking about?” Tyler asked, puzzled.

“I saw you at Sacha’s yesterday.” Kristina replied. “I saw you at the boutique.”

“Oh!” Tyler said, perching himself on the end of her desk.

“Oh? Is that all you’ve got to say?” Kristina said, with raised eyebrows. “You’re not even going to deny it?”

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Tyler asked.

“I want you to tell me what you were doing there.” she replied.

“And why is it so important to you, to know what I was doing there?” Tyler asked, avoiding the question.

“Because I want to know who sent me the dress.” Kristina replied. “And it’s too much of a coincidence that after you showing up in London, you then show up at the boutique the same day. You sent me that dress, didn’t you?”

“Why does it have to be me?” Tyler asked. “I could’ve been there for any number of reasons.”

“Okay, give me one.” Kristina said, leaning back in her chair.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Tyler said, calmly. “But it wasn’t me that sent you the dress.”

“And why should I believe you?” Kristina asked.

“Because I’m telling you the truth.” Tyler replied. “Now, how about lunch? My treat.”

“How about ‘no thanks’?” Kristina replied, glaring at Tyler.

“Kristina it doesn’t have to be like this.” Tyler sighed.

“Like what?” Kristina replied.

“Like nothing ever happened between us.” Tyler replied. “Won’t you even talk about things?”

“I’ve told you before, I don’t date work colleagues and while I work here, that rule still applies.” Kristina said, pushing the files across her desk.

“So quit.” Tyler said, jokingly. “Then you won’t have to worry about breaking rules.”

“Okay.” Kristina said, as she picked up a pen and started scribbling something on a notepad.

“Okay?” Tyler said, confused. “Okay what?”

“I quit but I still won‘t be dating you!” Kristina replied, tearing off the piece of paper from her notepad and handing it to him. “Accept this as my official resignation with immediate effect.”

“But… but I was only joking.” Tyler said, frowning as he read the note. “I wasn’t serious.”

“Well, I am.” Kristina said, as she picked up her bag and jacket. “I’ve should’ve known this was a bad idea coming back here.”

“Wait, let’s talk.” Tyler urged her. “There’s no need for you to quit. We can sort something out.”

“I don’t want to have to ‘sort something out’.” Kristina replied. “I want to be able to come to work and not worry about who’s going to show up in my office every day. I want things to be nice and simple for once.”

“We can do nice and simple.” Tyler told her. “I promise to back off and give you all the space you need. I won’t give you any hassle and we can talk about things when ever you’re ready.”

“You’ll be waiting a long time, Tyler.” Kristina replied. “I’m never going to be ready because I’m not looking to start another relationship, with you or anyone else for that matter.”

“So what about Urs?” Tyler asked, now getting annoyed. “What was he doing at your place yesterday? Is he the reason you came back to London?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, someone convinced me that moving back to New York was a good idea.” Kristina said, through gritted teeth. “But after making all these promises to me, he then decided a few months down the line that he wanted out and ended the relationship. That’s why I came back to London. Did you seriously expect me to stay?”

“I’m sorry.” Tyler said, quietly. “But you know why I ended things and I’m not going to make excuses. I also had a lot to deal with at the time, with my father dying.”

“I understand that.” Kristina said, trying to remain calm. “But it didn’t make things any easier for me. Now if you‘ll excuse me I have to be somewhere.”

Kristina quietly closed the door behind her, and calmly walked down the hall towards the elevator. Luckily when the elevator arrived, it was empty and she was the only one to get in it. As soon as the doors closed, she let out a heavy sigh. She could feel her stomach churning with nerves. What had she done? She’d just quit a perfectly good job and she had bills and a mortgage to pay. If only she hadn’t been so impulsive and just kept her mouth shut, Tyler would’ve gone back to New York in a few days and she wouldn’t have to worry about him. Now what was she going to do? She didn’t fancy crawling back to Tyler and telling him she’d changed her mind. Kristina looked at her watch, it had just gone noon. She wasn’t due to meet Urs until 1 o’clock. It wouldn’t take her long to get to Rays, it was only a few yards down the street. She would be about an hour early but she needed some time to calm down and think about what options she had career wise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the few occasions that she had taken a lunch break when working at Cavendish, Kristina would always come to Rays. She had only discovered it by accident when she had gone to Foyles the bookstore and had seen people disappearing upstairs. Kristina had assumed it was another level of Foyles but was pleasantly surprised to find Rays Jazz Café. Rays had free wireless access, so even when she left the office, Kristina being a work-a-holic, could still work on her campaigns. At one end of the café, there was a huge selection of blues and jazz CD’s that were on sale. Kristina had bought several CD’s and was slowly starting to build up a wide and varied collection.

As well as being famous for the live jazz bands that played in the evenings, Rays was also famous for its coffee. And although Kristina couldn’t drink coffee anymore, it did smell exceptionally good and she had often been tempted to try some but always resisted. But today she was quite content to just make do with her salad sandwich, while listening to the soothing jazz that was playing quietly in the background. Kristina would always try and sit by the window which looked down in to Charing Cross Road. She had been lucky enough to get her usual spot by the window and kept glancing down in to the street below to see if she could spot Urs. But he was nowhere in sight.

Kristina frowned as she looked at her watch. It was now one 1.30pm and Urs was late. Urs had insisted that it was important he talk to her, yet he couldn’t even arrive on time. From what she’d heard from the others, Urs was never late. David had even joked that Urs had won awards for time keeping. Well he wouldn’t be winning any awards today. Kristina had a very low tolerance for people who were late and she considered tardiness a sign of bad manners. She would give him another half an hour and then she would start making her way home. If he hadn’t turned up by 2 o’clock, then he obviously wasn’t going to show and she didn’t see any point in hanging around. As she sat and ate her lunch, and flicked through the newspaper, her mind wandered back to more serious things. She was more concerned about what she was doing to do next, now that she was officially unemployed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving Rays, Kristina had gone straight home. She had showered, changed in to something more comfortable and had now spent the last four hours updating her CV, searching the internet for prospective employers and printing out letters, ready to post the following morning. Kristina switched off her laptop and picked up the stack of letters and went into the hallway. She had just placed the envelopes in the letter rack when the realised she still this mornings mail to open; most of them looked like bills. She guessed they would be the first of many, and she would have no way of paying unless she could find a job and quickly. But one of the envelopes stood out from all the rest, it was pale blue and the address was handwritten. Kristina picked it up and had only got as far as taking the letter out of the envelope when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch; it was a little after six o’clock. Kristina just hoped it wasn’t Tyler, as she didn’t want him to try and convince her to withdraw her resignation. She knew it was a silly and impulsive thing to do but after thinking about it for a while, she realised that she actually felt better for doing it. She had no more ties to Tyler and could do as she pleased. When she opened the door, Kristina was surprised to find Urs standing on her doorstep.

“Well, well!” Kristina said, folding her arms. “Look who decided to show up. You‘re only five hours late. But better late than never, isn‘t that what they say?”

“I’m really sorry.” Urs apologised. “I can explain.”

“Forget it. You said it was important but it can’t have been that important if you couldn’t even be bothered to come.” Kristina said, as she went to close the door. “You could have least let me know.”

“Just a minute.” Urs said, putting his foot in the door way. “I tried calling you here but there was no answer. So I assumed you’d already left for Cavendish. That’s why I called there and left a message with the receptionist. She promised she would pass the message on.”

“I didn’t get any message.” Kristina said, peering round the door.

“Well, I can assure you, I did call.” Urs replied. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

Kristina chewed on her bottom lip while looking at Urs. She didn’t know if she wanted to believe him. Because that would mean she had no reason to be mad at him and that he was still the gentle and reliable guy that she’d always known. She knew that he wouldn’t deliberately stand her up. And he was here now to apologise, when he could’ve just called or not even bother at all.

“I guess so.” Kristina shrugged.

“So does that mean you’ll let me in and we can talk?” Urs asked, smiling.

Kristina stepped back and opened the door, allowing Urs to come in.

“Thanks.” he smiled again, as he walked past her.

Kristina followed Urs in to the lounge where they both sat down.

“I’m really sorry about this afternoon, Krissy but I couldn’t help cancelling.” Urs apologised. “One of the magazines changed the date for an interview. I couldn’t back out of it. I tried but Simon wouldn‘t let me.”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Kristina said, frowning as she started to read the letter. “Work comes first.”

“So does that mean you forgive me?” he asked.

“Of course.” Kristina mumbled.

“Are you alright?” Urs asked, when he saw the frown on her face.

“I’m fine.” Kristina said, quietly as she placed the letter back in the envelope.

“Perhaps you’ll let me take you out for dinner tomorrow.” Urs suggested. “To make up for this afternoon.”

Kristina didn’t answer; she stared blankly at the envelope in her hand.

“Krissy?” Urs said, concerned.

“Hmm?” Kristina looked up at him.

“Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” he asked, his hazel eyes silently pleading with her.

“Yeah… sure.” Kristina said, looking back at the envelope.

“What time?” Urs asked, his smile growing.

Kristina didn’t answer again. Urs was now starting to worry.

“Krissy, are you okay?” Urs asked, getting to his feet. He was about to walk over to Kristina and sit down beside her but she suddenly got up from her chair and rushed towards him.

“Urs, you have to leave now.” Kristina said, walking into the hallway.

“Are you sure everything’s alright?” Urs asked.

“Everything’s fine but please go.” Kristina said, ushering him to the door.

“Did I do something wrong?” Urs asked, standing in the doorway.

“No you didn’t do anything wrong.” Kristina replied. “I just need you to go. Please”

“Can I call you tomorrow?” Urs asked. “So we can arrange a time for dinner.”

“I won’t be able to make it after all.” Kristina said, opening the door. “Something’s come up. I’m sorry.”

“So when can I see you?” Urs said, stepping out side.

“I don’t know.” Kristina replied. “I’ll call you.”

And with those last few words, she closed the door on him leaving a very worried Urs to wonder what was in the letter. As soon as Kristina had closed the door on Urs, she rang Abigail.

“Everything okay?” Abigail asked. “You don’t sound your usual self.”

“No, not really.” Kristina replied, as tears started to prick the backs of her eyes. “I’ve just had some bad news. I need to get to Hatfield tomorrow. If it‘s okay with you and Carlos, can I borrow the car?”

“Of course you can.” Abigail replied. “But please; tell me what‘s happened.”

Kristina sat down on the stairs. As she explained the contents of the letter to Abigail, she could feel the tears running down her cheeks but she didn‘t care. She only wondered how she was going to make it through tomorrow.

**** CHAPTER 155 *****

Urs had a couple of black suits in his wardrobe but he had to borrow a black tie from Carlos. The last time he’d worn a black tie, was at Aimee’s funeral and he hoped he would never have to wear one again. But before going home last night, he had stopped in at Carlos and Abigail’s apartment. He told Abigail about his concern for Kristina and the mysterious letter. That‘s when Abigail explained that Kristina had already phoned her and she explained to Urs that the letter was from a man called Luke. His wife, Gemma, went to the same renal clinic that Kristina used to go to when she was on dialysis. Luke had written to let her know that Gemma had passed away suddenly. He had sent details of when and where the funeral was to be held, should she want to attend.

Abigail had suggested to Urs that maybe it would be a good idea if he went with Kristina to the funeral. Obviously they hadn’t told Kristina as they knew she would object. So Urs had got up early, showered and dressed and had called Simon to let him know that he had some urgent personal business to attend to. Urs was now waiting for Abigail’s call to let him know that Kristina had arrived.

Urs checked himself in the mirror one last time. He smoothed his hair down and straightened his tie. He looked fine, but inside he felt sick. He tried to suppress the churning in his stomach and the lump in his throat. Urs wasn’t looking forward to today but he couldn’t let Kristina go to a funeral on her own.

A mobile beeped and Urs hurried in to the lounge and picked it up. It was a text from Abigail to say that Kristina had just arrived. Urs slipped his mobile in to his pocket, grabbed his coat and keys and headed straight for Abigail’s apartment. When he arrived, Abigail told him that Kristina had already left. So Urs made a run for the staircase and just as he reached the bottom of the steps he saw Kristina on the path outside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina had collected the car keys from Abigail and was now on her way downstairs. She felt sick but wasn’t sure if it was due to nerves or if it was due to lack of sleep. Thoughts of Gemma had been racing around her head late in to the night, until she was too tired to stay awake. But even then, she fell in to a fitful sleep and woke up early. She tried to eat breakfast but she couldn’t manage any more than a couple of mouthfuls of cereal before feeling physically sick. She had just exited the apartment block and was only a feet away from the car when someone called out her name.

“Krissy!”

Kristina turned around to see Urs hurrying towards her. He was wearing a black suit and tie and had an overcoat draped over his arm.

“I can’t stop, Urs.” Kristina said, now heading for the car. “I have to be somewhere.”

“I know where you‘re going.” Urs said softly, as he gently took Kristina by the arm and turned her to face him.

“Don’t tell me…Abigail.” Kristina sighed.

Urs nodded.

“I thought you could do with some company.” Urs smiled. “That’s why I‘m dressed like this.”

“I can do this on my own you know.” Kristina told him.

“I know you can, but funerals are never an easy thing.” Urs said, his smile faltering. “And I don’t like the thought of you going alone.”

“You don’t have to do this.” Kristina said quietly, feeling a twinge of guilt. She had completely forgotten how hard this must be for Urs, after losing Aimee.

“Yes, I do. But more importantly, I want to.” Urs said, taking the car keys from Kristina. “Come on, I’ll drive.”

Urs unlocked the car and held the door open, waiting for her to get in. Kristina slowly approached the car and looked up at Urs.

“Thank you.” she said, giving a soft smile.

She then got in the car and Urs closed the door, a faint smile graced his lips. He knew today would be hard for both of them, but he was just glad that Kristina was letting him go with her. He had a feeling she would need him, as he was certain that she’d been crying. The sparkle in her eyes wasn’t as bright as it usually was, her eyes were reddened and her face looked a little flush.

Only the hum of the engine and the sound of the radio playing quietly in the background stopped the two of them from sitting in total silence. The church was about an hours drive from London. But for Kristina most of it was a blur, as she tried to think about anything else other than the funeral.

They had almost reached the junction for Hatfield but now the traffic had come to a standstill. The queue seemed to be backed up and they weren’t making much progress. Kristina shivered and turned up the heat in the car. There was a bitter chill in the air and even the heater didn’t seem to help. Kristina had been listening to the radio while getting ready earlier; the weatherman had forecast snow. In the middle of February? At the moment the day was overcast, dull and grey. It seemed like it would rain at any moment and Kristina couldn’t see it snowing. But then again, the weather did the strangest things sometimes.

“So tell me about Gemma.” Urs said, interrupting her thoughts.

“What did Abigail tell you about her?” Kristina asked.

“Just that you met her when you were going for dialysis at the renal clinic.” Urs replied. “What was she like?”

“She was a very sweet and bubbly person.” Kristina smiled. “You’d never have thought she was ill, she was always laughing and joking with everyone. She’d been on the waiting list for a new kidney for a couple of years before finally getting one. But her body rejected it and she had to have it removed, else it would make her worse.”

“So she went back on the waiting list?” Urs asked.

Kristina nodded.

“She also went back on dialysis but we all knew she wouldn’t be able to do that forever.” Kristina said, quietly as she turned to look out the car window. “Her disease was far more advanced than mine and I think she knew that her chances of getting a transplant in time were almost non-existent but she didn‘t seem phased by it at all. Unlike me.” Kristina said, laughing nervously. “I don’t know how she did it. I still find it a struggle just to get up in the mornings.”

Kristina could feel the tears welling up in her eyes but she fought them back. Memories of her time on dialysis came flooding back; memories of how scared she felt, not knowing if Abigail would be a match for a donor. Kristina was only on dialysis for a short while, but it was still a frightening time for her. She took a slow deep breath, trying to compose herself.

“Krissy.” Urs said, taking one hand off the steering wheel and reaching for her hand. “Do you want me to pull over?”

“No, there’s no need to do that.” Kristina said, as she looked at him, forcing a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Urs said, still holding her hand.

“I’m sure.” Kristina said, slipping her hand from his. “I think we‘re moving again.”

“Sorry?”

“The traffic.” Kristina replied. “We’re moving.”

Urs put the car in to gear and they finally started moving again. After a few minutes Urs signalled left and they turned off. As they slowly drove down the road leading to the church, they saw the procession of funeral cars parked along the road. A large group of people all dressed in black were already filing in to the church. Kristina swallowed hard, determined not to cry in front of Urs. She wanted him to see that could be strong.

They had managed to find a parking space not too far from the church. Kristina didn’t even notice that Urs had got out of the car until he was standing on the pavement and had opened her door.

“Ready?” Urs asked, softly.

Kristina nodded.

“Come on then.” Urs said, holding his hand out to her. “It’ll be okay.”

Kristina stared at his hand for a fraction of a second before gladly accepting it and getting out of the car. Urs locked the car and they made the short walk to the church.

The funeral service inside the church wasn’t as hard as Kristina had feared. She could deal with the hymns, listening to people talk about Gemma and her antics. She actually found herself smiling several times. It was the burial that was the worst part. It had started to rain so everyone had been given umbrellas when it came to going outside. People were now standing at Gemma’s grave, a steady drizzle rolled off their umbrellas. Luke caught Kristina watching him with their 4 year old daughter Chloe. He briefly nodded his thanks to her before looking back at Gemma’s grave, as tears escaped from his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

“Grandma, why is daddy crying? Where's mummy?” Chloe asked.

“Honey, mummy was very ill so she's had to go somewhere else to live.”

“Will she becoming back?”

“No Chloe, she won’t.”

“Will she becoming back tomorrow?”

Kristina bit her lip, willing herself not to cry as Chloe stood there beside her father, completely unaware of what her life would be like now her mother had gone.

“No Chloe, mummy can't come back, not ever, but she loves you very much and doesn't want you to ever forget that.”

Kristina felt Urs slip his hand through hers. She looked at him and smiled weakly, and then noticed his cheeks were damp with his own tears. She placed her other hand on his and gently squeezed it. Just as the funeral was coming to an end, Luke knelt down by Gemma’s graveside and buried one hand in the freshly dug earth, before scattering it over her coffin and saying his final goodbye.

As everyone left the churchyard, Urs stood waiting by the car, while Kristina went to see Luke. They only spoke for a few minutes before Kristina returned to Urs. She felt as if she was about to cry but still, she somehow managed to hold it in.

“Are you ready to go?” Urs asked.

“Actually, do you mind if we stay here for a little while?” Kristina replied. “I want to be alone. I just need a few minutes to myself.”

“Sure, I understand.” Urs replied. “Take as long as you need.”

“Thanks.” Kristina smiled.

Kristina slowly made her way round the side of the church. She needed to be alone, to clear her head but most of all, so she could cry in private. She swore she wouldn’t cry in front of Urs. She had told him she could do this alone and didn‘t want him to see how weak she was, that‘s why she needed a few minutes to herself. Kristina spent a while quietly walking around the cemetery, with nothing but her thoughts. She read the countless messages that families had written on the gravestones of loved ones they had lost. Kristina stopped suddenly and looked down at a recent grave, wondering what might have been if she hadn’t survived the transplant. She could feel herself starting to get emotional at the realisation that if Abigail hadn’t been a match and if she hadn't donated a kidney, this morning might very well have been her own funeral.

“Krissy are you okay?” Urs said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Urs… I… I said I needed to be alone.” Kristina said, quickly wiping her eyes.

“I know.” Urs said. “But I was worried about you.”

“There’s no need to be.” Kristina said, turning around to face him. “I’m fine.”

“Well if you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t look fine.” Urs smiled.

“It’s a funeral.” Kristina replied. “What do you expect?”

Kristina then saw a single tear appear at the corner of his eye and once again, she felt that twinge of guilt. She kept forgetting that this was just as hard for Urs, if not harder. He was trying to be strong for her and now she felt awful for allowing him to come with her. Kristina reached for his hand and gently squeezed it.

“This must be so painful for you.” she said quietly. “I’m sorry. I should have said no, when you offered to come with me.”

“Even if you had said no, I still would have come.” Urs replied, as he squeezed her hand back. “I can be stubborn… just like you.”

“Don’t start Buhler.” Kristina said, unable to stop herself from giving a small chuckle.

“Do you feel like eating?” Urs smiled.

“Not really.” Kristina replied. “I couldn’t eat a thing this morning and I don‘t think I could even now.”

“Okay. So are you ready to go home?” Urs asked.

“I think so.” Kristina sighed, looking back at the church. “And thanks for coming with me today. I’m glad you were here.”

“Me too.” Urs said, quietly.

The drive home from Hatfield was just as quiet as the drive there, but somehow this was more relaxed. Neither of them felt the need to talk. Urs was hoping he could spend a little more time with Kristina and was somewhat reluctant to take her home. Her saw an opportunity when Kristina’s stomach rumbled loudly, making them both laugh.

“I guess I’m hungry after all.” Kristina said, laughing.

“If you want, we could go back to mine and I could cook us something.” Urs suggested.

“Like what?” Kristina asked, seriously tempted to accept his offer and not really looking forward to going back to an empty house.

“Anything you want.” Urs replied. “I make a mean Spaghetti Bolognese.”

Kristina looked at Urs, not sure if he was serious but then saw him grinning at her.

“Go on then.” Kristina laughed again. “Spaghetti Bolognese sounds great and I promise not to tip it over you this time.”

“I should hope not.” Urs said, trying to keep a straight face. “Else you’re paying my cleaning bill.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can I get you something to drink?” Urs asked, as both he and Kristina entered his apartment.

“Juice will be good, if you’ve got any.” Kristina replied, taking off her jacket.

“Here let me take that.” Urs said, taking her jacket and hanging it up with his. “One juice coming up.”

Kristina went in to the lounge and sat down, waiting for Urs to return. She looked around the apartment. It was less than a year ago, that she had last been to his apartment but it looked exactly how she remembered it; clean, stylish and well organised which was surprising for a man. When Kristina had last come here, she had been the one cooking for Urs but now it would be the other way around. She then quietly chuckled to herself as she remembered how she had managed to get her toe stuck in the bath tap.

“Something amusing?” Urs said, returning with two glasses of juice.

“I was just thinking about how I got my toe stuck in the bath tap.” Kristina said, still chuckling.

“Ah yes.” Urs grinned. “That’s my hold over you. You tell anyone about the broken pencils in my cast and I mention the bath tap.”

“Well I’m hardly like to bring that up am I?” Kristina said, taking the glass from Urs. “Thanks.”

“Glad to hear it.” Urs replied. “So, were you serious about Spaghetti Bolognese or did you fancy something else?”

“I’m honestly not bothered.” Kristina replied. “I’m so hungry, I could eat anything.”

“Well how about you give me half an hour while I get everything together.” Urs said, placing his glass on the table. “You could pop round and see Abigail and return the car keys while I make a start on things.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kristina smiled, before taking a sip of her juice and then placing it on the table.

“Why don’t you take a key and then you can let yourself back in.” Urs said, taking a key from his pocket. “Just in case I don’t hear you.”

“Thanks.” Kristina said, taking the key from him, their fingers touching briefly in the exchange. Their eyes suddenly locked on to one another’s and Urs’ eyes bore deeply in to hers. Urs was tempted to lean down and kiss her, he was sure he still saw that look she had only for him but he knew that now was definitely not the right time to be making advances towards her.

For a moment, Kristina thought Urs was about to kiss her. Perhaps he was having second thoughts about their relationship. Even if he was, Kristina wasn’t. But no matter how hard she tried to deny her feelings for him, Kristina knew that Urs could see right through her; her eyes gave her away every time. Yet she wasn’t about to admit it to him and least of all to herself.

“I’ll be back in half an hour.” Kristina said, as she quickly turned and left the apartment to see Abigail.

Urs watched Kristina leave and then stood looking at the door for several minutes, wondering what to do next. He knew Abigail had told him to wait before telling Kristina about Mr X and that he had lied about having a girlfriend. But Urs just wanted everything out in the open so that he and Kristina could try again. Should he tell her when she came back? Or was Abigail right? Should he wait?