Page 95 of The Wedding Pact
‘Yes, boss,’ he said.
When they arrived home, they crept through the building quietly, and it wasn’t until they were inside their flat and were about to leave each other at their respective bedroom doors that they spoke again.
‘Happy New Year,’ August whispered.
‘Happy New Year,’ Flynn replied. He paused at the door, as if this were the beginning of the end. ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ he asked August, though he was also, really, asking himself.
August nodded with confidence. ‘Yes, one hundred per cent. I think you owe it to yourself to do this. It’s your life.’
After he’d disappeared into his room, August moved not in towards her own bed, but to the living room window, looking out at the nightscape of Bath that she’d grown so in love with. It wouldn’t change, even if he went, even if she couldn’t live here anymore. But knowing that her time to share this with him was trickling away caused her to turn away from the view.
Chapter 68
August
Over the first two weeks of January, while Flynn prepared for his trip to Japan, August threw herself into her work. It was one thing for her to tell Flynn he needed to take back control of his life and decide what he wanted, but she knew she needed to face that in herself too.
She said yes to opportunities for voice work that she’d previously shied away from, following her failed audition; things that were challenging or out of her comfort zone. She found a local amateur dramatics group and called them to see if they could meet at some point. She updated her online profiles and started chatting to other actors and agents on social media. The Tony felt a long way off, averylong way, but it felt good to work for something.
The more time she spent in her booth, now fully soundproofed, the more she remembered how much she loved voice acting, but it also allowed her to block out what was happening in her apartment. And she wondered … if things hadn’t gone so terribly during her audition, would she have found this sparkle for her work again?
Flynn seemed lighter, happier – he said knowing he would soon be having a break from work to go home and see his family was the tonic he needed. But although August was sure that was all true, she also wondered whether potentially rekindling things with Yui – and moving back to Japan to be with her – was also playing a part in his change of mood.
One thing was clear: the romantic thoughts about Flynn that had bobbed to the surface time and again since they’d moved in together had to be pushed down. This was not about her or her journey or her feelings, there were things Flynn needed to figure out by himself. She needed to step away.
When the time came for Flynn to leave for the airport, early in the morning on a cold Saturday in January, August held back her sorrow.
‘I’ll see you in about three weeks,’ Flynn said, hugging her goodbye.
‘Have a good time, you deserve it.’
‘Thanks.’
August punched him lightly on the arm, which felt awkward and unnatural, but hey, it was done now. ‘Go and sort your head out,’ she instructed.
Flynn gave her a smile and she took in his face one last time.
Once he’d gone, closing the door softly behind him, his suitcase disappearing from view, the apartment was quiet. Quieter than when Flynn was just out for the day, it was almost like the walls held their breath, afraid to move in case they came crumbling down. August climbed into her grandma’s armchair and allowed herself a cry.
She cried because she didn’t know if Flynn would be coming home.
The following day, August rose early and treated herself to a Sunday morning bath, and then she made a coffee in her travel mug and left the house on Elizabeth Street early to take a walk as the sun came up. Slowly, the frost on the ground melted and the crisp sky became an ice blue, and August walked and walked, tiring out her legs long after the coffee was drained.
Flynn would be in Japan now, at his parents’ house, which he’d mentioned was somewhere not that far from Tokyo. She wondered what he was doing, but tried not to dwell. Instead she focussed on the here and now –herhere and now – and savoured the cold, minty air, the sounds of the birds waking up, the yawning of the Bath buildings as they woke up and stretched under the winter sunshine.
And when finally she returned to Elizabeth Street, rounding the brow of the hill, she saw something unexpected; something that made her smile.
Chapter 69
Flynn
Though it was morning in England, it was early evening in Japan, and Flynn was struggling to stay awake at his parents’ house, desperate to not let jet lag get the better of him this time. His journey back had been a wonderful contrast from his journey to the UK – smooth, on time, no delays, no turbulence, and by the time he’d touched down he already felt like his work stresses were a million miles away.
And so was August, but he needed to at least try not to think about her too much while he was here.
He took a can of iced coffee from his parents’ fridge and padded outside on to their decking to take in the countryside, with Mount Fuji rising in the distance. It was very different from Bath, but every bit as beautiful.
He felt like he was home.
