Page 74 of Heart Strings
She springs off the bed and throws her arms around my neck.
“I take it you approve?”
“Wooing successful. It’s incredible, A.”
“Thank you for inspiring me.” I press my forehead against hers. “There’s one last thing I want to tell you. I gave my landlord notice to vacate today. I’m moving back to Galway. Officially.”
Hope flickers on Cielo’s face. It’s a beautiful, delicate thing worth writing a hundred songs about.
“I know how you feel about long distance,” I rush in before she can say anything, “but we aren’t your parents. We’ll put in the effort when I’m away on tour. We’ll make it work. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Aidan. Let’s prove it to each other this time.”
Chapter 28
Lo
People can surpriseyou—and rarely, it’s even possible to surprise yourself. Before Lark’s wedding, I was certain that Aidan and I were done forever. But nostalgia and romance are a powerful combination, and spending time together again has only reinforced how much I missed him all along.
My heart nearly burst when Aidan said he loved me. More important, he proved it by taking action. I melted into his arms when he told me he’d found a flat, finally allowing myself to revel in the sense of comfort I’ve only found in his embrace. His follow-through renewed a sense of hope and light in my life that I hadn’t realized was missing.
Things are good now—so good that I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. The biopsy feels like a steel-toed boot suspended from a frayed shoelace just over my head. I called my doctor and got authorized for the procedure, but haven’t actually scheduled it yet. I know it’s foolish to wait, but I just want to hold on to this sense of normalcy and happiness for a little while longer.
Lark and Callum are still on their honeymoon, but she screams into the phone when I deliver the news that Aidan and I are officially back together. “I knew it! I knew it would happen before we got back. Cal, you owe me a tenner!”
I laugh. “Glad I can make you some cash.”
Oisín was more skeptical when I told him I’m giving Aidan another chance, but he came around when Aidan dropped off lunch for me at the hospital and included a vegan burger especially for him. Of course, Oisín’s still giving me crap about my complete one-eighty, but that’s what friends are for.
One person who doesn’t know yet is my mom. She’s got to be suspicious of the upbeat inflection of my voice as I run down the events of my week, and the general lift in my mood since the wedding, but she hasn’t asked. Yet. I just want to enjoy Aidan without hearing all the ways this relationship is doomed. Our lives aren’t perfect, but now we understand what we lost before. We can make it this time. When Aidan flashes me that crinkle-eye smile that makes my heart swell, it feels right.
I know I’m living in a bubble of my own creation, keeping Lark—and worse, Aidan—in the dark about my lab results. I can’t help feeling that once I tell them, once I schedule the biopsy the possibility that the cancer is back will become real. I will face reality…soon.
Tomorrow morning, Aidan’s parents are driving him to the airport in Shannon. He plans to record demos with his band as part of rehearsals in London before they fly to New York together. He pulls designer pieces that cost more than my rent from the closet of the guest room. Now I know that the image is one constructed for him.
Aidan zips the suitcase shut. “I wish you could be there with me.”
“Me, too. But you don’t have to feel guilty about it. It’s only a week.” It’s not that I don’t trust him to be faithful, or that I can’t stand to be apart for any length of time. What makes me nervous is the way distance can become cumulative until eventually you barely know each other.
The bed dips under his weight as he sits beside me. “We’ll video chat every night.”
“New York’s five hours behind, but we can manage.”
“I’ll set an alarm on my phone so we can talk when you’re on lunch.” He grabs his phone from the nightstand and programs a reminder. The simple act is reassuring.
“You deserve this, A. I’m excited for you.”
“I’m nervous, to be honest.”
I take his hands in mine. “Don’t be. Everyone’s gonna love the new song as much as I do.”
Watching Aidan go fills me with equal parts dread and excitement. The opportunity to play the festival alongside household names is too good to pass up, but there’s always been something about a packed suitcase that sends my anxiety spiking. But this isn’t the beginning of the end. Two years ago, I refused to trust in us, but I’ve grown since then. I can deal with challenges head-on and trust that Aidan will be here when I need him. He’ll come home to me.
To prove it to myself, I call the cancer center and schedule the biopsy.
The receptionist says I’m in luck: They just had a cancellation and have one opening the Monday after the festival ends.Aidan isn’t scheduled to return to Ireland by then, but that’s a good thing. Less time to ruminate before the procedure and a little space to process the results by myself before he returns home. More time to figure out what to tell him. Some weight lifts off my chest as I mark the procedure on my calendar. I just hope my luck keeps.
Aidan sends me recordings of their practice sessions in London. The band is excellent, complementing his smooth tenor voice with lively energy. It’s a gorgeous track, but I think I’ll always be partial to that stripped-down version he played for me in his parents’ guest room.
