Show No Mercy (5 page)

Chapter Thirteen

A great day out

Rhys drove Adam back to his office. He tried chatting about Sophie, but Adam just tried to change the subject quickly, in the most specifically un-suspicious way. Rhys knew that there was something going on, but he didn’t say anything.

The next day, when Adam Attenborough announced everyone a rest day off work, he went to visit Sophie, by walking down to her office. It was strange, walking down the streets of London, not knowing what to do or who to say hello to. Adam used to live in the United States of America, but since his family originated from the United Kingdom, he decided to move there permanently, instead of just going on holiday there every few years.                                                                                                               

When he arrived, he saw Sophie sipping from a mug of coffee, and wearing a blue top with pink leggings.
                                                       

Adam’s mouth automatically turned into a wide grin. Sophie stood up.
                                                                     

“Hi, Mitchell. Nice to see you again.”                           

“You too!” Adam exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically.                                                                                                 

“Since I’m free now, let us walk around town. That way we can get to know each other more.”
             

“Anything for you,” Adam couldn’t help the words escaping from his mouth, and his dimples were showing. He didn’t know how much of a fool he was looking like. He blushed in embarrassment.                                         

Sophie raised her eyebrows, but couldn’t help grinning. “Right, let’s go!”
                                                                     

Sophie joined his side as they walked through town. Adam explained to her that he wasn’t from the UK, so she told him about everything in the town.

She introduced every place. Daisy’s coffee shop: where you could buy bagels, baguettes, biscuits, cookies, cupcakes, buns … slices of sprouted Wheat-berry toast with creamy butter or jam and a mug of steamed milk … an almond biscotti served on the side of a cappuccino … a chelsea sweet bun with coffee or tea … chocolate mousse with a crushed cashew nut topping … rich chocolate cake with custard sauce … pear and apple crumble … everything was delightful in her shop!

The next place she introduced was Raj’s newsagents. Raj was a plump, jolly Indian fellow. He sold every delightful sweet a child could imagine: Crunchie chocolate bars (which he had a special offer for: twenty eight for the price of twenty seven), gobstoppers that lasted for a full day (only 15p each), every product Cadbury’s ever sold; Cadbury Wishes, Cadbury Advent Calendars, Endless Wispa’s, Chunks Cartons, milk chocolate coins, milk chocolate Santa’s, Snowbites, Chocolate snowmen, Buttons tubes, chocolate Christmas tree decorations, Mousse snowmen, Endless Crunchie’s, Freddo Faces Tubes, Snowy Delights, Creme Eggs … and that was just on Christmas!

She showed him a lot more places, a lot more things, a lot more people, a lot more buildings … and, as you can see, it would be impossible to describe every single one of them.

The pair of them were exhausted. It was night time by the end of their massive extravaganza. They both walked out to see the beautiful shimmering dark sky lay out above them.

“Wow …” Adam murmured.

“The sky is always beautiful,” Sophie found herself saying. “Even when it’s dark or rainy or cloudy, it’s still beautiful to look at. It’ll be there no matter what, and I know it will always be beautiful.”

Adam smiled at her, his face filled full of warmth. He was about to reach for her hand, when Sophie saw a blind old man who was trying to cross the road. However, he was struggling to do so because he didn’t know if any cars were coming or not.                                                       

Sophie walked up to him. “Are you OK, sir? Should I help you cross the road?”
                                                                                                               

“I – I – well, yes, thank you dear.”
                           

“No problem,” said Sophie, smiling. She took hold of his arm, and guided him across the road.                                                                                                                             

“Where would you like to go specifically, sir?”
                                                                                                                             

“Oh, lovely, I – I think I’ll go to the Marks & Spencers shop. Do some late night shopping for my missus. I’d be very grateful.”
                           

“OK, I’ll take you there!” Sophie said softly.
                                                                                                               

She guided him there.
                                         

“Thank you so much, my dear,” the old man said, as Adam had finally caught up with Sophie.                                                                                                               

The old man moved his arm and found Sophie’s shoulder. He gently but quickly patted it.
                                                                                                                             

Sophie slowly took it off. “I hope you enjoy your day, sir.”
                                                                                                 

“I will.”
                                                                                                 

Sophie and Adam slowly turned around and walked with each other again.             

“What I like about you is your habit of helping people. I guess that’s why you’re so – so – well, nice!”                                                                                                 

“Oh, Mitchell, that’s so sweet. If I wasn’t Adam Attenborough’s boyfriend then I would be yours, but you know that we’re not as much as friends.”
                                                                                                               

“Yes, yes, of course.” These were the only words that Adam could manage.
                                                                     

Adam wanted to add to his sentence,
I am Adam Attenborough, and I am your boyfriend before you.
But he didn’t have the guts to tell her who he actually was yet.

Adam finally started to let go of the scandal that Sophie had created. He didn’t care about what people were saying now.

I shouldn’t take life too seriously. I should punch it when it needs a good hit. I should laugh at it.
Adam thought.
But there’s one thing I know now, I’m never letting Sophie go.

“Hello? Is anybody in there?” Sophie grinned at Adam. Adam quickly spun back to reality. “Let’s go grab a coffee. I could do with one at this time of night.”                                                                                                 

“Thanks for showing me around!” Adam grinned.
                                                                                                               

“No problem,” Sophie smiled back. She paused. “I’d really love it if we were friends, Mitchell.”
                                                                                   

“Of course we are!” Adam grinned.
                                                                                   

Then Adam’s agent, Mike, called Adam, because he had a heap of paperwork to do.
                           

“I’m sorry, Sophie, I have to go,” Adam apologized. “You know, this and that to do.”                           

“Oh, that’s too bad.”                                                       

“Maybe we could meet up some other time.”             

“Of course,” Sophie flashed him a smile.             

“Well, bye,” Adam said, and left her sipping her milkshake by herself.

Chapter Fourteen

The invitation

After many weeks, it was time for Sophie to go back to work at her Mr. Sandalwood’s studio. Mr. Sandalwood was waiting for her. He had a gold invitation in his hand and he was smiling to his heart’s content.                                                                                                  

“What is it with you, Sandalwood?” Sophie asked.
                                                                                                               

“Well, I’ve organised you a great big party to celebrate the new year! Practically everyone who is to do with or participates with the media is going to come!”
                                                                                   

“Oh, right. That’s great, Sandalwood!”
                           

“Well, you’re going to have to come, ‘cause guess who’s the special guest, guess guess guess!” Mr. Sandalwood was literally jumping.                                                                                                               

“Me?” Sophie tried, because she truly didn’t have a clue.
                                                                     

“No, your boyfriend, Adam Attenborough, of course!” Mr. Sandalwood took Sophie’s arm and started dancing around the room. Sophie withdrew her arm almost immediately with all the panic in her head. She didn’t even know this Adam Attenborough guy.
                                                                     

“But Adam can’t come to the party!” Sophie shouted.                                                                                   

Mr. Sandalwood stopped dancing, and his smile turned into a frown.
                                                                     

“Why ever not?” he asked.                                                       

“Erm, err …” Sophie couldn’t think of an excuse.                                                                                                               

“Well, you’re going to have to bring him here some way or another. He’s the special guest, I printed it out on all the invitations. And I’ve sent them out, too. So if Adam Attenborough doesn’t come to the party, then my life’s ruined!” Mr. Sandalwood looked as if he was about to burst into tears. His face suddenly turned into a vicious one. “Fuck you Sophie. Fuck you!” he shouted. It wasn’t like Mr. Sandalwood to swear. “If you don’t bring Adam Attenborough to the party you are getting kicked right off my work set, job lost and living alone. I’ll find a decent replacement for you. Be warned.”
                                                                                   

“Stop overreacting, Sandalwood,” Sophie sighed, knowing she had to do it no matter what. “I guess I’m going to have to bring him along.”
                                                                                                               

“You do that,” Mr. Sandalwood warned.

Chapter Fifteen

Finding the right moment

Adam was still known as Mitchell to Sophie. They decided to spend another day at town together.                                                                                                               

Sophie dragged Adam around the shops: Claire’s, Boots, Marks and Spencers, New Look, Topshop … All sorts of shops. Adam made fake wolf whistles as Sophie came in and out of the changing rooms in new outfits. Now that Adam and Sophie had grown so close, Sophie couldn’t help blushing whenever he complimented her.

She was so enviably skinny and beautiful. Right at this very moment, now that they were such good friends, Adam felt like kissing her. Every time they met, Adam couldn’t help but think that she looked more and more beautiful. But then he imagined the press headlines:

SOPHIE HAS DUMPED ADAM ATTENBOROUGH?

SOPHIE HAS A NEW BOYFRIEND!

Sophie’s reputation would go down the line and she would never be respected again.
                                         

Then they sat down in the café again. Sophie started talking about random stuff, like déjà vu, but then she just told Adam where he was going to have to meet her tomorrow.                           

“I’ll be at my friend, Billy’s house,” Sophie explained. “He lives at those blocks of flats down the road, room number 5.”                                                                     

“Right,” Adam replied.

Sophie continued to explain all those picky little address details, and then Adam left and promised that he would meet her up at Billy’s house.