Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 170: A Late Night Call

Chapter 170: A Late Night Call

That night Talia, Rebecca and Cordelia shared a room like back in the days, reminiscing the past. In that colonial style King-sized bed, the three friends sat comfortably, crossing their legs, sending away all the staff.

Cordelia mostly whined about the rules she needed to follow being the Queen Consort.

"How I wish I could resign my job!" Cordelia sighed. "The other day someone spotted a little smudge of my eyeliner on my white gloves, and that made the front page news!"

"Shouldn’t you divorce your husband to resign your ’job’?" Talia asked, "But you can’t divorce either, can you?"

There were strict laws forbidding divorce in a Royal Marriage.

"No! I can’t!" Cordelia hugged Talia, "I love him. And even if I don’t, I’ll lose everything if I divorce. I’ll be thrown to the wolves; literally," Cordelia shuddered.

"Make more babies. You’ll get maternity leave," Talia gave her input.

"You’re just saying that to get further down on the line of succession, aren’t you?" Cordelia pinched Talia’s waist.

"Ah! You cruel queen!" Talia tried to pinch back but she couldn’t even win against Cordelia.

"Ha! Don’t mess with mama bear, Tallie... I lift weights regularly and I’ve gained a lot of strength..." Cordelia sneered.

"You do?" Talia was surprised. She used to do only cardio workouts. Now she is doing weightlifting? Impressive!

"Yep! I carry around my two kids all the time..." Cordelia smacked her lips proudly and Talia could only roll her eyes.

Rebecca who was sitting on the bed, propping her cheek with her hand, threw the pillow at them both.

"Ah, the humanity! The pitiful life of a Queen and a Princess whose only job is to dress-up, act elegant and look pretty..." she laughed. Rebecca truly didn’t understand their world. But they were right too. People do criticise them for weird, mundane things.

"Pity us... We are pitiful!" Both Talia and Cordelia said at the same time and the three of them, ended up laughing.

"I won’t you show ponies! I’d never pity you! I’m more pitiful than you are..."

"Cordelia, she is a liar. I stayed with her family. They’re awesome. And guess what... Their kitchen is right down the stairs! " Talia explained. In their homes, they need to walk a kilometer to get to the kitchen.

"Really?" Cordelia acted surprised.

Of course they knew. They lived in a small studio apartment in the past during her university days and Talia’s apartment is not that big. In fact it could be considered miniscule compared to the home she grew up in.

"You two are too much!" Rebecca couldn’t bear with them. Why are they acting like they didn’t know how middle class people live?

"And listen... They own acres of land and they have a lot of dogs..." Talia went on describing her days in Rebecca’s home and Cordelia listened with interest mostly to rile up Rebecca who wanted to mock them. In the end, Talia and Cordelia got together making Rebecca exasperated. But Rebecca knew that her life growing up was not that bad as she wanted to portray. In some ways, she even had better life than these two wealthy, pompous women.

---

King Louis who wanted to ask his wife to return to his bed, stood near the door and tried to open the room but felt like he was slapped when he found the door locked. Sir Leonard who followed the King, pretended he didn’t see what he saw.

The King looked gobsmacked. He was pale as a sheet.

He is a King and he has never encountered such situation before. How could this happen?

A locked door in front of a King?

Louis could vaguely hear the laughter from inside. When his wife told him to sleep alone for the night, he thought she was joking. She was even having a pouty expression he rarely sees on her, and in his moment of bewilderment, he kissed her. He didn’t give her permission to sleep with her friends. So why did she think that way?

Well...upon pondering, He vaguely remembered his Lia thanking him, but he thought she was joking. He thought just like he wouldn’t like sleeping without her, she wouldn’t like sleeping without him either.

But... Why does she seem happy without me? Should I go to sleep alone... When my wife is in the next room? With her friends?

He’s been married for five years and this would be the first night he’d be not sleeping with his wife when they are under the same roof.

Even when she delivered their sons, he stayed with her in that small hospital room. He couldn’t sleep the whole night because the baby cried a lot, but he was happy being her side. And today... he got abandoned by her, for her friends?

What kind of trial is this?

"Your Majesty, should I get the key?" Sir Leonard asked. Louis looked at his faithful assistant and waved his hand. Holding his hand behind his back, he walked back to his room; where he had to sleep alone, when his wife is right next door, sleeping with her friends, not caring for him.

The three friends didn’t knew about the King’s visit and decided to sleep around midnight. They would have chatted for a long time, but Rebecca’s pregnancy made it difficult for her to stay awake for a long time.

Talia and Cordelia let Rebecca sleep in the middle fearing Rebecca might roll over in her sleep. Before switching off the light, Talia noticed the tear in the corner of Rebecca’s eye and wiped it with a tissue.

"This happens a lot?" Cordelia asked, her face filled with worry. Talia nodded.

"This is not good for her health, and the baby’s" Cordelia added and Talia could only reply with an exasperated sigh.

Talia noticed her phone blinking and saw it was Joe calling. Talia picked up the phone and sat beside Cordelia as she wanted to know what happens too.

"What?" Talia spoke in a low voice. There was no sound from the other end. "Joe?" Talia called making sure Rebecca is asleep.

Cordelia sensing Rebecca might wake up, signalled Talia to go to the balcony. Talia nodded and walked to the balcony and shut the door.

"You there, Joe?" she asked. The silence at the other end, gave her the creeps. There seemed to be a soothing song playing in the background, but it gave her an ominous feel. Joe is a recovering drug addict and during troubled times like this, it won’t be good for him to be alone. What if he relapsed?

"Is she near?" Joe spoke after a long time.

"Are you drunk? Joe?" Talia could hear the slight slur in his voice and asked. "You idiot! Where are you?" she asked.

"I screwed up, Talia... I screwed up big time..."

Joe seemed to be sobbing at the other end and Talia felt her hands go cold. All she could imagine was Joe sitting in a bathtub, in a pool of his own blood as he slit his wrists. Rebecca told he tried that once back when he was an addict.

What if he did that again?

"What did you do? Joe.... Where are you...?" Talia asked. Her heart was beating fast and her voice shook. If something happened to Joe, Rebecca won’t survive.

"Talia.... I want to meet her... I want to tell her I’m sorry... I’m sorry... Becky, my angel!... I’m sorry I hurt you..."

Sensing Joe was in a delirious state, Talia was stupefied for a second. Then there was a bang and the line went dead.

Did he drop the phone?

Talia breathed into her hands to make her breathing stable. And she decided to make a call to Joe.

The call went through and she could hear the ring.

"Hello," it was a woman’s voice at the other end and Talia didn’t know if she should be relieved or angered.

"Joe... Is he there?" Talia asked. The woman at the other end introduced herself as the bartender of the bar inside Glitz Hotel, the same hotel Talia and Rebecca were staying. That woman said he was too drunk and he passed out. She also asked what she should do with him.

Talia told the woman to wait until she sends someone to get him and ended the call.

Talia sighed in relief. So he came there to meet Rebecca and ended up drunk? What a tool!

Talia could have sent anyone from Mr. Ed to anyone actually, but Talia found herself dialling Arthur’s number unconsciously.

Maybe because he was in the same hotel, or because she felt like she felt comfortable asking for his help, or because she wanted to speak to him, or she only trusted him with Joe.... Whatever the reason is, She dialled her Fred in the middle of the night.

Arthur who was just about to go to bed, saw his phone vibrating and he felt his scalp go numb.

Could it be that clingy gum?

But he was pleasantly surprised seeing it was ’My Flower Blue’.

"Iris? Is your periods over? Can I come to your room?" he asked the moment he slid his long sculpted finger over the screen, to accept the call.

Talia who was so stressed, oddly found his question soothing her nerves.

What a guy! He never changes; that lecher!

"I’m at the Presidential Guest House. Joe passed out drunk in the lobby bar at The Glitz. Get him... And make sure he is okay," Talia said rubbing her forehead. Hearing Arthur’s voice, already calmed her down considerably.

"You okay?" Arthur could feel she was so stressed. He wondered why she called in the middle of the night, talking about Joe.

"I’m fine... Call me after you find him, okay? Geez! For a moment I thought he tried to off himself..." Talia let out a deep breath.

"Have a glass of warm milk. Go to sleep. I’ll get him." Arthur spoke softly making Talia smile.

"Okay," she looked at her phone and the call was still connected, "Fred, I love you so much," she said and she could hear him chuckle from the other end.

"You better!"

Talia ended the call and got inside. She felt thousand times better after talking to him. Cordelia who was waiting for her, asked for details and Talia explained. Both of them waited for Arthur’s call and he sent a text.

[Got him. He’s just drunk. Go to sleep]

Talia didn’t wait further and both Talia and Cordelia went to sleep.

Arthur found Joe passed out after having too much to drink and after paying for him, he dragged him along to his room.

Bl**dy bast*rd!! How dare he make my Iris worry!