Page 59 of A Sky Full of Stars
Thank you so much for the telescope – it was a very thoughtful gift. I still haven’t quite decided whether I should keep it or give it to the archive, but I promise it’s in safe hands either way. I hope you are well.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Tristan was perturbed by the perfunctory nature of Charlotte’s response. Perhaps she hadn’t wanted to mention any more details of the letter he’d sent with the telescope over text, but it still seemed a little lacking. They hadn’t spoken in the weeks that Charlotte had been in Bristol, and he was disappointed and a bit hurt that she hadn’t referenced anything he’d actually written in the letter. Then he shook his head. They had agreed to put a pause on things: perhaps this was just Charlotte’s way of reminding him of that. Before he could continue second guessing, he decided to send her a reply.
I’m glad it got to you OK. I hope you find the answer you’re looking for!
He pressed ‘Send’ before he could add any more. There was so much he wanted to say but it didn’t seem right to reiterate what he’d already written in the letter. Then, grabbing his phone and locking the office, he headed off to lunch with his family.
Later that afternoon, replete with roast beef and Lorelai’s famed sticky toffee pudding, he slumped on the sofa in Lorelai’s living room, idly watching Cora and Dylan arguing over who got to go next on the old Nintendo DS that he’d dug out of his attic for them. Cora, who had control of the stylus, was threatening to poke her younger brother in the eye with it when he felt he should intervene.
‘Why don’t you two go and count how many conkers have fallen off Gran’s tree and bring some back in? We could make something out of them.’
Cora rolled her eyes, but a warning look from Thea compelled her to give a conciliatory smile to her uncle. ‘All right, Uncle Tristan. Come on, Dylan, let’s get a bag out of Gran’s cupboard and we’ll go and collect some.’
‘Thanks… I think!’ Thea grinned at her brother. ‘So long as you take what they find home with you. I’ve still got a bag of last year’s going mouldy in the shed!’
‘It’s a deal,’ Tristan replied. He’d enjoyed spending time with them all. Since he’d started seeing the therapist, he’d gradually felt able to be more present in the moments with his family, and although it was early days, it definitely seemed to be helping.
‘That text you got from Charlotte seemed a little cold,’ Thea said, once the two of them were alone. Lorelai was in the kitchen, putting the pots and pans away, having waved off her grandchildren’s offers to clear up, and with the children down the bottom of the garden, Thea obviously wanted to discuss it. Tristan, unusually for him, had shown his sister the message before lunch, and she’d expressed surprise, but then hadn’t said anything else.
‘It was a bit,’ Tristan admitted. ‘But I suppose I shouldn’t really expect anything else, after everything that happened.’
‘Hmm…’ Thea looked sceptical. ‘I don’t think she’s being entirely fair. I know you called a pause, but you didn’t call it off between you altogether, did you? She owes you a little more than that response, I think.’
‘She doesn’t owe me anything,’ Tristan protested. ‘If it wasn’t for me, she’d never have ended up on the gantry that night.’
‘Yeah, that’s true, but you had a good thing going before then – I mean, you’d actually spoken to me about her, and thatneverhappens!’ She grinned.
Tristan sighed. ‘I know you mean well, sis, but I think Charlotte just needs some space. I don’t want to push her.’
‘Like sending her Great-Uncle Phil’s telescope wasn’t a push?’ Thea countered. ‘I mean, don’t tell me you weren’t hoping she’d come back with something other than “Thanks a lot, I haven’t decided what to do with that incredibly thoughtful gift you sent me”!’
Tristan hadn’t told Thea about the letter he’d written to go with the telescope. He got the feeling, if he had, that she’d be even more on his case than she was now. Besides, he was conflicted enough about the whole thing, now he’d had a couple of weeks to think about it. Perhaps it had been a daft idea, and he’d put her under too much pressure.
‘I don’t want to force her into something she’s only doing because she feels guilty,’ Tristan countered. ‘The telescope felt like the right thing to do, but now… I kind of wish I hadn’t sent it.’
‘You can’t keep second guessing yourself,’ Thea said. ‘The ball’s in her court.’ A funny expression passed over her face as she spoke, which Tristan didn’t miss. Before he could ask her what had occurred to her, though, Thea continued.
‘That night on the gantry, you were in a hell of a state. At least you’re doing something about that now. Didn’t the therapist suggest some coping strategies to help you next time you feel as though there’s been a trigger?’
Tristan nodded. ‘Yeah, but sometimes it all seems so ridiculous. I mean, I should just be able to cope, shouldn’t I?’
Thea sat back up again and put a hand on her brother’s arm. ‘Tris, we’ve both been through so much. There’s no harm in taking some time to get to grips with it all. You’ve waited long enough to be able to do that. Don’t rush things.’
Tristan gave a slight laugh. ‘You sound like my therapist!’
‘I was, for years, but I clearly wasn’t a very good one!’ Thea’s eyes shone momentarily before she added, ‘It’s a good job you’ve got a professional to turn to, now.’
‘You did the best you could,’ Tristan said softly. ‘It’s not your fault I’m a stubborn bastard who doesn’t know what’s good for him.’
‘Yeah.’ Thea looked shifty, and this time the expression remained. ‘About that…’
Tristan was suddenly on the alert. He and Thea had always been finely tuned to each other’s changes of emotion, and now he definitely knew something was up.
‘Sis?’ he said quickly. ‘What have you been up to?’
