CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Corey
Four days of ignored phone calls, messages, and screaming on the street under her window was grinding my bones to dust. It didn’t matter how long it took; I’d keep going until my body no longer worked.
‘Your lady friend hasn’t been back since I heard all that ruckus a few days ago.’ Gerald stood next to me by the lift.
My jaw tensed at the thought. ‘She’s, ah, been busy.’
‘Busy,’ Gerald pronounced it like a foreign word.
When the doors to the lift opened, I waited as always for Gerald to walk in.
The doors closed, and the Gerald Special filled the small space.
My head turned involuntarily to the corner Nora used to stand in, my heart clenching at the empty space and my reflection staring back at me. Gerald turned around expectantly.
‘Well?’ he asked.
‘Well, what?’
‘How stupid do you think I am? What are you waiting for? Go to her and make things right.’
I couldn’t answer with words, but my heart answered with its pounding beat.
Intuition is what Nora would have called it.
Call me as crazy as she was, but I could feel in my bones that he was right.
I needed to go to Nora right now, and I wouldn’t leave that street until she understood the full story.
Even if it meant waiting outside the apartment door for her to finally leave the safety of those walls.
When the lift opened, I did something I’d never done before. I raced out ahead of Gerald and had my car turning the bend in the carpark before he’d even reached the garbage disposal. One last glance in my rearview mirror showed him waving with a smile that took up half his face.
I couldn’t only feel it in my bones when I arrived at Nora’s and stood on the pavement with my neck craned up to her window.
It was part of my blood, my skin, and my organs.
Every inch of me knew my feet would grow roots into this pavement if that’s how long it took to speak to Nora.
I’d never be complete until she gave me the chance to make things right, and today was the day.
‘Nora,’ I screamed.
People scrambled to leave space as they passed me, and one man grabbed his son’s hand and crossed the road.
‘Nora, open your window,’ I screamed louder.
Her window remained closed, but the one next to hers screeched open. A head of brown curls poked out, wrinkly eyes squinting down at me, smoke blowing from her mouth.
‘What do you want?’ she rasped.
Her skin sagged enough that I worried it would droop down and brush my face.
‘Ah, I’m looking for Nora Claremont.’
‘Nora Claremont?’ she repeated. ‘She’s not here. Packed her bag and left this morning.’
Gravity crushed me to the ground and my knees scraped the pavement.
‘She moved?’ I gasped.
How the hell would I find her now?
‘No, you idiot.’ The lady rolled her eyes. ‘She blabbered about some holiday and how this pretty little blonde girl better have a good excuse if she showed up with her perfect curls. I think they were fighting over some guy. She threatened to hide a pair of scissors in her bag to cut her hair.’
My lips twitched at the thought of Nora wielding sharp blades towards me in an airport filled with security guards.
‘Anyway, she’s gone for two weeks. Come back then.’ She shrunk back into her apartment and slammed the window shut.
My fingers scrambled through my pocket for my phone. The holiday, why hadn’t my reminder gone off? I tapped the screen into my calendar.
Holiday with Nora.
Great. I’d typed it in with no alerts. The plane would be hurtling down the runway and swooping into the air in an hour and a half.
I didn’t have time to go home and pack, but if I left right now, I might make it.
I shoulder-barged a man twice my size to the ground, locking my doors and revving the engine before he’d even made it back to his feet.
Nora would have told me karma would have my head for that.
I didn’t care, they could have my head as long as they left my heart.
My fingers impatiently drummed the steering wheel as I managed to stop at every red light on the way, giving me no choice other than to illegally park my car in the taxi zone and run inside. Bouncing from foot to foot in a queue to check in, a sharp voice vibrated through the speakers.
This is the boarding call for flight QF549 from Sydney to Darwin. We are calling forward tickets seated in row fifteen to twenty-four. That’s flight QF549, rows fifteen to twenty-four. Thank you.
My finger jabbed the skinny shoulder in front of me. Her brown hair whipped around, creased mouth and laser-eyed.
‘Excuse me?’ she snapped.
‘I’m so sorry, that’s my flight they called. Any chance I could pop ahead to check in?’
She scowled and shook her head. ‘Should have been here sooner.’
I’ll bet Nora could have sweet talked her into it with a charming smile and optimistic cheer.
She would have placed her hand on the side of her arm so gently they wouldn’t have noticed until she spoke with the soothing voice she reserved for tough situations.
Then she would have suggested shit about karma and good deeds.
I sighed at the twinge in my chest, then reached forward and gave it a go.
‘Aren’t these self-check-ins the worst?’ I whispered.
Her head twisted halfway, pausing at my hand on her arm.
‘A bit of human interaction and help goes a long way when you’re battling those computers.
Earlier, I tried to organise an uber here and the darn app needed updating.
A man on the street thought I’d gotten bad news and stopped to check on me, then let me use his phone to book the car.
I’ll bet he’s got a lot of good luck coming his way now. ’
The lady sighed. ‘I know you’re trying to butter me up. Now get your hand off my arm.’ She jiggled it as my hand fell back to my side. ‘He’s about to miss his flight,’ she barked to the people in front.
Everyone turned back and surprised me by stepping aside so I could move forward. I opened my mouth to say thank you, but she clapped her hands together twice for me to hurry up.
Nora’s spirit lived on. I might make the flight after all.
Security gave me a thorough pat down, and the sniffer dog sniffed my shoes for what felt like seventy-five hours, but I made it to the gate as the final boarding call came through.
I handed over my ticket and walked through the tunnel to business class.
The air hostess greeted me and re-checked my ticket, then motioned to my seat inside.
I slid my sweaty hands over my jeans and glanced to the empty seat next to it.
Empty.
Nora wasn’t there.
My heart pounded up my throat and strangled me with disappointment. Where the hell was she?
‘Sir, please take a seat. The captain will be preparing for take-off soon.’ The air hostess waited behind me.
I dropped into my spacious cushioned seat and clicked on my seatbelt. My hand combed through my short hair then I rubbed them together. All this energy, and no one to share it with. No one to talk to. No one to—
Tinkling laughter echoed down the aisle and seeped through my skin. I twisted my head and ripped my seatbelt from my lap. I’d pushed onto my feet before I could stop myself and stormed down the aisle until I stood inches from the scattering of freckles across her nose.
‘I didn’t think you’d come,’ she whispered.
The confusion in her eyes begged for answers. And she’d get them.
‘Please take your seat, we’re preparing for take-off.’ That same air hostess was losing her patience.
We walked down the crammed aisle from the bathroom to take our seats.
‘You said you’d be waiting for me at the airport, but I wasn’t surprised you weren’t.’ Her voice belonged in the arctic.
‘It’s not what you think.’ I rubbed the back of my neck.
‘Actions may speak louder than words, but I’m not going to forgive you just because you showed up on this flight.’ She turned to face the window as the plane rolled forward.
‘Let me explain, please,’ I begged.
‘You’ve got thirty seconds, then I’m plugging in a movie and throwing back endless glasses of champagne.’
Thoughts scrambled in my brain like a toddler shoving his hand on the keyboard of a computer. I only had one shot, and I needed to get this right.
‘Muay Thai,’ I said.
Nora’s face scrunched in a way that showed she couldn’t understand the nonsense happening. She wasn’t the only one. I didn’t understand the nonsense. Why did I start with the words ‘Muay Thai’?
‘I met a guy there,’ I continued.
‘Well, I hope you’ll be very happy together.’
‘Nora,’ I groaned. ‘I met a guy that needed a job, and he was perfect for the role. You weren’t.’
‘Thanks for clarifying,’ Nora thundered.
I raised my hands in the air with a ‘shh’ because passengers had twisted their heads to stare at us, but that pissed her off even more. This wasn’t coming out right. I stared out the window as the plane rolled to the runway, trying to gather my thoughts.
‘Nora, you were too good for it.’
‘You ruined my life.’ She blinked back tears.
‘Yeah? Well, you ruined mine, too. I can’t get through a single day without thinking about you.
When I wake up and brush my teeth, right through to when I arrive home to an empty apartment and order Mexican.
That’s right! I eat Mexican now, because it reminds me of you.
I mean, Jesus, I can’t even sleep without thinking about you.
You’re in my dreams, you’re under my god-damn skin. ’
Nora raised an eyebrow at my confession, and the plane rumbled as it picked up speed down the runway.
‘Please, Nora. I was trying to protect you.’
Her gaze lingered on mine for a moment too long to be considered hateful, her mind likely thinking about a book she’d read and what advice it’d given her.
We lifted into the air. There was no going back now.
‘For someone trying to protect me, you really hurt me. I don’t even need your protection; I’m not a baby.’
My stomach churned knowing I’d hurt her. ‘Can I start at the beginning?’
She nodded, just once, but enough for me to finally explain everything properly.
‘So, Muay Thai. There was this new guy I got talking to, and it turned out he needed a job.’
‘So, you offered him mine,’ Nora interrupted.
‘No,’ I yelled louder than I meant to.
Passengers’ heads swivelled to us again.
‘Sorry,’ I whispered.
Their heads turned back in front of them, but I couldn’t help but notice their ears stayed slightly turned to us. It was like being in class all over again.
‘I mean, technically, but I offered him that job because I knew you’d never be happy working for my father.’
‘I think that’s for me to decide, not you,’ Nora’s voice rose.
I recognised the pitch, the same tone I’d used for the last two weeks when I didn’t feel seen.
‘I know, but you work so hard. So fucking hard. And you deserve so much more than what he could offer. After my dad sent you that email, I sent your CV from my account to a company that’s been after me for years.
He was impressed, as he should have been.
’ I lowered my voice. ‘I interviewed as you one evening before I came home.’
‘You what?’ Nora’s eyes narrowed.
‘You heard me. I’m not going to apologise, we had no idea if we’d switch back by that point. I almost considered going into illustration, but then I couldn’t stand the idea of switching back and having ruined your career progression.’
‘What’s the job?’ She crossed her arms.
‘The Finance Manager of Jerbus Electronics.’
Her narrowed eyes immediately widened, blood draining from her face. ‘That’s a really big company,’ she whispered.
‘Biggest in the country.’
‘I’m not qualified for that,’ she shrieked.
‘Not qualified?’ I lowered my voice so no one could hear us.
‘You slotted into my job and no one even noticed the difference. You’re a month off getting your diploma, you’ve got the experience considering you were doing more than your role required, and you’ve got the drive. You’re more than they could ask for.’
Jerbus had been sending me fruit baskets, flowers, and tickets to soccer games in an attempt to lure me to their company.
Before the switch with Nora, I’d drafted an email in class accepting their offer which had increased four times over ten months.
Now I knew why I hadn’t accepted that position sooner.
The universe stopped me because they were sending someone better their way.
Besides, that wasn’t the job my heart begged for.
It was time for me to stop living a shadowed life and step into the light.
‘You’re serious?’ Nora fiddled with her seatbelt clasp.
‘Dead serious. They’re expecting you to start next month. I was going to surprise you before you stormed out, and I haven’t been able to speak to you since. I was starting to think I’d have to take the position and start another shitty life scraping through numbers.’
It was time for me to show Nora I was no longer the peppermint asshole sitting in front of her in class.
My proof waited in the brown leather bag at my feet.
A ridiculous flutter tickled my stomach as I reached down and pulled a piece of paper from a folder.
Nora plucked it from my hands and absorbed the words excruciatingly slow.