Free Aftermath by Joanne Clancy

and humour. Hope loved learning about him; about his personality, his passion, his life. He made her a huge scrapbook during their first year together which he filled with clippings about her television shows, diary entries o f their special moments , copies of her texts to him, photographs and drawings. Niall was a gifted artist and cartoonist as well as being clever with words. She was so grateful that he had taken the time to make the scrapbook for her. It was all she had left of him now.
    She was full of energy and passion on set, even more so than usual. Work was hard; long hours, early starts and late nights, yet she was happy an d excited and madly in love. Her head was all over the place and her colleagues looked at her like she was a crazy woman. She was a crazy woman, but she didn't care! At first, she didn't tell the team about Niall, but soon she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. Anyway, she had to tell them because she was afraid they wou ld think she was going mental! Once she'd told her work colleagues she had to tell everyone. Soon she was calling her friends and asking their advice.
    “What should I do? I'm so in love. What do I do?” she’d ask them.
    They were worried about her, knowing her obsessive and addictive nature. They didn't want her to be let down and fall into the darkness which s he'd fought so hard to escape. Everyone was giving her the same advice. “You're overworked and exhausted. You need rest, time alone. It's been too much on you with work and so many emotions. Don't make any decisions now. Go to a spa for a few days. Clear your mind and then you'll have a better perspective about Niall.”
    She so desperately wanted to see Niall and he wanted to see her too. He kept urging her to fly out to be with him but her friends advised her not to go so fast, not to join him until she ’d done some thinking on her own.
    I wish we weren't so far apart. I can't wait to fall into your arms. I want to look into the deepest blue oceans, feel your energy and feel your tender kisses on my skin. XXX
    She'd decided to take her friends' advice and have some well-deserved time off to relax and clear her mind. She researched spas all over the world but somehow she couldn't find the right one. Actually, she couldn't find the right spa anywhere in the world except for England, where Niall was working on business.
    “Don't worry,” she told her friends. “I'm taking your advice and going to a spa.”
    Of course, she neglected to mention where exactly.
    It was early in the morning when she arrived at The Sanctuary Spa in Sussex and she immediately texted Niall. He called her back within minutes.
    “Guess where I am?” she teased him.
    “I don't know, at the studio in Cork?”
    “Nope, I'm in Sussex, just down the road from you at The Sanctuary Spa. Would you like to join me for dinner?”
    “Of course, I'll cancel my appointments and get there as soon as I can.” She knew he was smiling. Later, he told her that his heart was beating out of his chest on the drive to meet her again.
    When Niall accepted h er dinner invitation, she was very happy. It meant there was a continuation, a real continuation. Yes, they had that magical first kiss, but the realistic part of Hope knew that she couldn't let everything hinge on a kiss, no matter how incredible it may have been. Being together again would be the confirmation of their kiss and a reaffirmation of their feelings.
    So began the most amazing week of her life. They didn't plan anything, everything was gloriously spontaneous. They were staying in a beautiful bedroom with a four-poster bed and a little balcony which overlooked the gardens. It reminded Hope of the scene from Romeo and Juliet.
    She was out of her room in a heartbeat and running down the stairs as soon as she saw Niall jump out of the taxi. They hugged and kissed, cherishing the warmth of each other's embrace.
    They made dinner reservations at the hotel but Hope couldn't eat anything. She