Chapter 22
22
Aidan
I lie here in the hammock with Lis’ hand pressed to my heart once again. It’s fitting, her hand resting there. She owns me.
I’ve been waiting for the question about my cross—she’s spent a fair amount of time staring at it, tracing it. And it hits me. Right now—in this moment—my heart is cocooned safely between Michael’s memory and Lisbeth’s presence. The beats evenly match up to the rhythm of hers.
As exposed as we are, swinging in a hammock on my neighbor’s deck, I can’t imagine feeling closer to her—more in tune to her. It feels a lot like love, and I want to stay here. Not just here in this moment, but here—in the States. Thoughts of what I need to do in order to stay here start swirling through my brain. I’ll need to sort my visa to start, an apartment of my own. To talk to Lis and tell her the rest the story. I just don’t know how.
The hammock is a romantic idea, and certainly better than the sauna of my room, but I want more. I need to have a space for just us. For us to be together, maybe live together. The thought washes over me as the soft breeze ruffles her hair, blowing wisps of it across my chest and I relax into sleep, feeling like I have a plan, a purpose, and someone to share it with. Not someone, Lisbeth.
Morning comes way too early, the sun streaming through the trees barely filtering it before it hits my eyes. This is how I want to wake up on the regular. Wrapped up in this woman, feels like the definition of home .
There’s no way I can pull myself out of this thing without waking her. Instead, I squeeze her and tickle my hand from her hip, up to her waist and back down until she starts squirming.
“Why? Why would you wake a person like that?” she grumbles while planting her hands on my chest and pushing up. Her hair is a wild mess, her cheek is red where it was pressed against my skin all night, and she couldn’t be more beautiful.
“I couldn’t wait to see you. It was selfish.” My smile stretches wide across my face as I slide my hand up her arm and try to tame her wild hair away from her face.
Much as I love this moment, I need to get things moving. “Come on, love. Let’s go back upstairs.” I swat her arse and try to sit up, but the hammock sucks me back in. The motion making us swing way too hard, the ropes creaking as we rock.
After another failed attempt and both of us almost falling out on our heads, we’re out of the damn thing and back up on my deck.
“What’s the plan today?”
“Go get dressed, we’re going to get you some coffee and breakfast. I like you better when you’re fed and properly caffeinated.” I drop a kiss on her forehead and head up to my loft to grab my laptop and get ready for the day.
Lis
We round the corner to the diner, the bell jingling, and find a booth toward the back. I slide in and Aidan scoots in next to me. “Uh… What are you doing? Something wrong with that side over there?” I smile and nod at the other side of the table. “You know Gracyn and I make fun of people for doing this at the bistro. Right?”
“I do. You’ve both shared that with me many times, but we have to work on our to-do list, for today, yeah?” He pulls his laptop from his bag as the waitress comes to the table, coffee pot in hand. Bless her. I flip my cup on its saucer and push it toward her eagerly.
“What can I getcha?”
I dump in a dollop of creamer and inhale a healthy dose of the life-giving liquid. I look up to order and both the waitress and Aidan are staring at me. I might have groaned as I drank half my cup down. The waitress refills my cup for me while we order a mountain of food and Aidan pulls up a website for apartments in the area. “So, your plan?”
“Right. It’s time for me to look at a different living arrangement. And I would love for you to help me. Would you look with me?” He turns his very serious eyes to mine and holds his breath.
“Okay. I can tag along. Do you know where you want to look?” I lean into his shoulder and wrap my free hand around his arm, for a better view of the screen. Yup, just for a better view of the screen.
“What do you think? You’ve lived here longer, I’ll trust your guidance.”
“Okay.” We haven’t really had the talk yet about how long he’s staying. I bite my bottom lip and lean back to get a better look at his face. I’m taking Gracyn’s words to heart and much as it makes me feel squishy, I ask, “Are you looking for something short term? Month-to-month?”
The air stills as I wait, searching his face. I want him to say he’s staying. I do. I really do, but this is scary as shit. There’s no way I could ever ask him to stay, so feeling him out is the safest for my heart. With the rest of his family still in Dublin, he has no reason to stay.
“Erm. Maybe three months to start. Just to make sure the location works.” That tells me nothing. “Or maybe an Airbnb. That would make more sense since they’re already furnished.”
I pull back, dropping my hands to my lap, wiping sweaty palms on my shorts.
“So, just for an extended vacation, or…?”
“Lisbeth. Truly, I don’t have any furniture, it would be smart to move into something furnished.”
Our food arrives and we scroll through the site between bites. This is so far out of my comfort zone. Asking questions of someone, trusting them not to hurt me. And true to everything he has shown me, Aidan senses it, my nerves.
By the time we’re done, we have forty minutes to make it to the first appointment.
Aidan
We spend most of the day trekking around town looking at different flats. Nice ones with no furniture, crappy ones with too much furniture and the stink of cats that will last far longer than the building will be standing. And a few that would be just about perfect.
Lis points out the things she likes and doesn’t in each of them and I file that information away as quite important. I want her to like the place I get. I want her with me.
“I have a test to study for, again. It’s the last one before my final and then I have like three weeks off before clinical rotations start. Do you want to order food and come hang out with me? And watch me study?”
“Much as I would love to watch—or help you study,” God I love the blush that creeps up her neck at that, “I have some calls to return for work, for photography. And, I don’t want to distract you.” Her thoughts have gone straight to our first study session.
I park behind her car, really not wanting to let her go, but knowing I have to. Much as I would love to spend the evening with her, with nowhere to go and nothing to do but watch her work, I know I need to say no.
I press my lips tight together and step out of the car, rounding the front to open her door.
“So, you don’t want to come over?” She leans into me wrapping her arms around my waist and tilts her head up. Her wide eyes bouncing back and forth between mine.
“I want nothing more than to come over—and over, and over.” I push my smile as wide as I can while running my mind through all things I’d love to do with her—to her.
She smacks my chest, laughing while pushing away from me. I open the door to her car and tuck her inside. “I know this—school— takes priority right now. Your test is tomorrow?”
“Yeah, and my final Wednesday. But, then I have time. I can breathe for a bit—I can be all yours.” Her hand hovers above her eyes, blocking the few rays of sun as I angle my body to shield her. It’s the smile that squinches her eye almost closed.
“Can we do dinner after your final? Maybe make some plans for that all mine idea?” I’m already making plans and lists and more plans.
“Yup. That’ll give me something to look forward to. Is there an incentive for grades? A sliding scale, maybe, better rewards for better grades?” It takes nothing for her to wink since her eye is about shut already, but it’s adorable when she does it. She darts her gaze to the sky, mentally running through her schedule. “Wednesday?”
“That works. Study hard and I’ll check in with you.” I lean in her open window for the kiss that will have to get me through the longest stretch we’ve spent apart in weeks. Hands wrapped in her hair as she strains to get closer to me. It’s not near enough, but I let her go. And bound up to my flat to put my plans in motion.