16. April 2024
16
April 2024
T rue to his word, Vaughn stayed away from Willow. It was a good thing, something she had asked for, and yet that didn’t stop her from looking for him everywhere she went. How was it possible to miss a person who had never been hers to miss? She was grieving the idea of them, and it wasn’t lost on her how tragic that was.
Matilda recovered from her torn tendon and returned as planned in week two, and Willow went back to the chorus. Harrison’s ego seemed to have recovered from his confrontation with Vaughn at Titian, and life quickly returned to normal—even if normal felt a little different. Hopefully the ‘different’ part would pass with time.
Her efforts at expelling Vaughn from her mind were going reasonably well until the lift door opened on the first floor at Vic Ballet one day and she came face to face with a bruised and battered Antonio. A cold sensation crawled up her spine as she took in the colourful marks on his face and neck.
‘Oh…’ she breathed. ‘What happened to you?’
He looked her straight in the eye and said, ‘On-site accident.’
She knew it was a lie because he was overseeing the project and wasn’t on the tools.
The door began to close with her still inside. Antonio stuck his arm out to stop it.
‘You getting out?’ he asked.
Willow exited and stopped beside him. ‘Was anyone else hurt in this… workplace incident?’
Something flashed on his face, but it was gone before she could recognise it.
He stepped into the lift. ‘I’m needed downstairs. You have a good day.’
‘You too.’
The doors closed between them, and an uneasy feeling sat in her belly. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Vaughn since the night he dropped her home, and now she was worried there might be reasons for that other than the one she thought.
‘There you are,’ Lili called from the doorway of a nearby studio. ‘You coming in?’
The lift doors pinged open again as Willow looked back at Lili. ‘I need to duck out for a bit. Can you let Harrison know something came up and I’ll be back as soon as I can?’
Lili frowned. ‘What came up? Where are you going?’
Willow dashed into the lift and pressed the button. As the door slid shut, she called, ‘I won’t be long.’
‘Willow—’
The doors closed.
When she stepped out into the foyer, she spotted Antonio speaking with one of the contractors. He stopped talking when he saw her, eyeing her all the way to the exit. Willow stepped out into the blinding sun and headed straight to the taxi rank.
‘Where to, love?’ the driver asked when she climbed into the back seat.
‘Titian on Chapel Street, please.’ It was her best chance at finding Vaughn.
The driver nodded and pulled away from the kerb.
A few minutes into the drive, Willow’s phone rang. She fished it from her bag and looked at the screen. It was a private number. She answered. ‘Hello?’
‘Where are you?’
She immediately recognised Vaughn’s voice. The timing was no coincidence. Antonio must have called him. ‘I’m well, Mr Gallo. How are you?’
Getting the point, he tried again. ‘Good morning, Miss Hayes. How are you?’
She hugged herself with her free arm. ‘Well, and yourself?’
‘Couldn’t be better. Where are you?’
She thought about telling him that it was none of his business, but the thought passed quickly. ‘I’m in a taxi.’
‘Aren’t you supposed to be at the studio?’
She watched the buildings slip by for a moment. ‘Was there something you needed?’
‘Yes, I needed to know your location.’
Exhaling, she glanced at the car’s GPS, which told her she was four minutes from the bar. ‘Why don’t you go first and tell me where you are? Titian?’
‘I’m all around the city today.’
It was a clever answer.
‘I ran into Antonio this morning,’ she said before he could ask her again. ‘His face is a mess.’
There was a brief silence before he said, ‘It looks worse than it is.’
She doubted that very much.
‘Willow.’ His tone grew serious. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Oh, I’m all around the city today,’ she replied with a breezy tone.
He exhaled into the phone. ‘Touché.’
She was less than a minute away now. ‘What really happened to him?’
‘Willow…’
She chewed on a fingernail as they swam in silence. ‘Can you at least tell me if you’re okay?’
‘Of course I’m okay,’ he said without hesitation.
The Titian sign came into view. ‘I’m sorry to be rude, but I have to go.’
‘Go where?’
The taxi came to a stop out front of the bar. ‘Goodbye, Mr Gallo.’ She bravely ended the call and, after paying the driver, exited the car.
When she tried to go inside Titian, she found the door locked. She peered through the window and spotted a woman behind the bar. Willow tapped on the glass, and the woman looked in her direction, sighed, then wandered over.
‘We don’t open until twelve,’ she said through a crack in the door.
‘I have an appointment with Mr Gallo. He said he’d be here,’ she lied, surprising herself.
The woman looked down at her cropped T-shirt and tights. ‘Name?’
‘Willow Hayes.’
The bartender opened the door the rest of the way, and Willow stepped inside. ‘Just wait here,’ she instructed before heading off in the direction of Vaughn’s office.
Willow looked around at the familiar setting, her gaze settling on the mural. She let the memory of that first meeting wash over her once again.
‘Sorry,’ the woman said, reappearing a minute later. ‘He must have slipped out. I can leave a message for him if you like?’
Willow looked past her to the mirrored wall. ‘No need, thank you.’ Mustering some more bravery, she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and headed straight for Vaughn’s office.
‘Miss Hayes,’ the bartender said with an edge of panic in her voice. ‘I said he’s not here.’
Willow picked up speed and was around the bar and through the door before the woman could stop her. She found herself in a hallway with more doors. With her heart racing, she opened the first one on her left. Inside, she found Vaughn standing by the large window, hands in his pockets. He turned to face her, and her breath hitched when she saw his face. While it wasn’t as bad as Antonio’s, there was a large purple bruise down one side of it.
‘Oh my goodness,’ she breathed. Her eyes moved over him, searching for more damage. ‘What happened to you?’
‘It’s nothing.’
‘Then why didn’t you want me to see it?’
He wet his lips. ‘You know exactly why. I didn’t want you worrying about things you don’t understand—and now you’ve missed studio time.’
She took a few steps towards him. ‘I needed to know you were okay.’
‘We agreed to stay away from each other, remember?’
Her eyes welled up despite promising herself she wouldn’t get emotional. ‘I don’t like it.’ She sounded like a child still developing her emotional vocabulary.
His eyes moved between hers. ‘It’s nothing.’
Closing the distance between them, she wrapped her arms around his middle. ‘What happened?’
At first he didn’t touch her. Then slowly his arms went around her. The weight of them was pure comfort.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said quietly.
Pulling away slightly, she reached up and lightly traced her finger along the angry splashes of colour, her heart physically aching. He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the backs of her fingers.
‘I’m fine ,’ he reassured her. ‘You need to forget about this shit and go back to the studio.’
She stepped back, her eyes locked on his. ‘Will you come to my apartment tonight?’
His expression softened. ‘Why?’
She didn’t really have a good answer. ‘Because I feel weird. Weird, and maybe a little sick.’ There was an awkward pause. ‘I know this sounds crazy?—’
‘It’s not crazy.’ His voice was so calm. ‘I just don’t know if it’s a good idea.’
‘Oh, it’s definitely not a good idea,’ she said with nervous laughter. ‘I know we’re supposed to stop caring?—’
‘I agreed to see you less, not care less.’
Her hands felt heavy at her sides. ‘Maybe you could just… let me feed you.’
He appeared surprised by that suggestion. ‘You want to feed me?’
Willow hadn’t known what would spill out of her mouth. ‘The food won’t be to the standard you’re used to—obviously.’ Her throat caught. ‘But I do make good hummus.’
Amusement filled his eyes. Looking away, he nodded. ‘What time would this hummus of yours be ready?’
Thankfully, her lungs began to function properly again. ‘Six?’
His gaze returned to her, and she was prepared for him to politely decline. Instead, he said, ‘Okay.’
‘Okay?’
‘I’ll see you at six.’
It felt like someone had lifted a brick off her chest. ‘Great.’
Vaughn walked over to his desk and picked up his phone. ‘Finn will take you back to the studio.’
‘I took a taxi here. I can get one back.’
He gave her a tired look. ‘As I said earlier, I never agreed to care less.’
Swallowing thickly, she let him make the call.