Page 76 of The Life Experiment
As the men reached the car, the driver opened the door, but Angus wanted to tell him to close it. Peter Fairview-Whitley didn’t talk of regrets. He was a man who oozed confidence, not melancholy.
Willing himself to be brave, Angus moved closer to his father. ‘Is everything okay?’
‘You’ve already asked that,’ Peter replied.
‘I know, but is it?’
The second between Angus’s question and Peter’s dismissive laugh was short, but loud. ‘I’m fine, Angus,’ Peter said, evacuating himself from the conversation. ‘Don’t worry. Keep working hard and visit your mother and me at the weekend. We’d love to hear your updates.’
Before Angus could command his father to stay and speak to him, Peter slid into the car.
In the time it took the driver to return to his seat, Angus could have opened the door. He could have demanded answers from his father, but his arms stayed fixed to his sides, too afraid to ask the questions his gut told him he must.
From the pavement, Angus watched as his father was driven away. His eyes remained on the vehicle until it turned at the end of the road. Even when it was out of sight, Angus kept staring ahead, hoping that an answer might appear through the mist.
Inside the pocket of his overcoat, Angus’s phone began to vibrate.
‘I’m leaving work now,’ came Layla’s slightly breathless voice when he answered the call. ‘Michelle said to cut out an hour earlier after the last few late nights. Fancy meeting for a drink before the show?’
The casualness of her tone jarred with Angus’s anxiety, so much so that the world felt like it was splitting in two before his very eyes.
‘Angus?’
Layla’s voice cut through his unease. ‘I can meet you at The Castle again, if you’d like?’ he said.
‘The Castle sounds great. I can be there in half an hour, if that works for you?’
‘It works for me.’
There was a pregnant pause, and then Layla asked, ‘Is everything okay?’
Waseverything okay? Angus had no idea. In some ways, his life was the best it had ever been. He had found a purpose and fosteredrelationships in a way he never had before. In others, he was drowning in lies and worries. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was sinking, and that nothing and no one could save him.
‘I… I think there’s something wrong with my father.’
It was only when Layla responded that Angus realised he’d said the words out loud.
‘What do you mean?’ Layla asked.
‘I… I think he’s sick.’ Emotion cracked Angus’s speech. ‘He’s changed, Layla. Every time I see him, he’s thinner. He talks more openly. If you knew my dad, you would know how weird that is. I don’t know what to do.’
‘Where are you?’ Layla replied, her tone measured.
‘Kensington.’
‘Send me the address.’
Dumbstruck, Angus sent the address to Layla.
‘Stay where you are and stay on the line,’ she said. Even in his despair, the instruction made Angus smile. Where did she think he would go? These calls were what he lived for.
For the next twenty minutes, Layla and Angus talked as she made her way to him. While Layla recapped her day and wondered out loud about the play they were to see later that evening, Angus’s worries levelled out. By the time a taxi pulled up and Layla emerged from it, he had almost forgotten them completely.
‘Layla,’ he breathed. Angus had barely finishing saying her name before her arms were wrapped around him.
‘It’s okay,’ she whispered. ‘It’s all going to be okay.’
Softening into Layla’s body, Angus allowed himself to be held until the world found balance once more.
