Page 11 of Hook, Line, Infinity, Part 3

Talon

IF OUR LOVE IS WRONG -CALUM SCOTT

“Well,Professor Saxton, everything looks great and we’re certainly liking what we’ve heard so far. Professor Mitchell is due to leave in five weeks. How soon can you make the transition to London from Australia?” Henry O’Reily—the dean of the university questions with a smile.

My interview was arranged over skype a couple of days after I replied to the email accepting their offer, which I must admit was a first for me, I’m more accustomed to face to face meetings, but fuck if I could placate the glimmer of elation that sparks up inside of me. It’s been a long sodding time since I’ve felt anything in the vicinity of joy.

“I can be there in the next couple of weeks.”

The dean and his deputy both nod in unison, a gratified smile on both their faces. “Excellent. Happy to hear. In that case I’ll have HR send over the relevant documentation via email in the next few days and we can get this all tied up ready for your arrival.”

“Sounds great, thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m eager and really looking forward to getting started. The accumulated knowledge has been burning a hole in my brain the last couple of months.”

Dean O’Reily chuckles, amused. “Well then, I would like to formally welcome you to the faculty. I have no doubt you’ll do splendidly here at U.C.A.L”

I fix a polished smile on my face and nod courteously, “I promise to deliver nothing but my absolute best, sir.”

The call ends and I finally release the anxious breath while I loosen the charcoal tie around my neck. Well, it looks like I’m moving to London in two weeks. Shit, I need to make living arrangements. Where the hell am I going to live?

Just the thought alone of being close to Rein again was enough to give me the initiative I need to keep going. It’s killing me having her thousands of miles away. I honestly don’t know if what I’m doing is the right thing or not but there’s this unfathomable pull drawing me to her, even with the distance between us. I only know that I can’t bear to be thousands of miles away from her. I can handle a couple hundred maybe, but just knowing I’ll be breathing the same air as she is, lessens that excruciating ache in my gut immensely.

Fark me, I miss her.

* * *

The two weeksleading up to the move thankfully went by rather quickly. I kept myself and my wandering mind occupied with looking for an apartment, studying maps to try and figure out the routes. I must say, getting around in London, not easy. I only just manage to find myself a decent two-bedroom apartment for rent about fifteen minutes drive to the school. Not as spacious or luxurious as the condo I had back in Chicago, but it’s homely and welcoming. Thankfully, I’ll have another two weeks to settle in once I get there before I start work which works out well because I can explore and familiarise myself with the neighbourhood. So far, I’m liking the idea of London.

“Mum, please stop crying.” I sigh while I hand over my boarding pass and passport to the check in attendant. She smiles when she overhears my conversation.

“Don’t you tell me to stop crying. It was bad enough having you two hundred miles away but now you’re moving thousands of miles away.” She sobs down the phone.

“Mum, I’m one flight away. I promise I will still make time to fly out and see you and pop, or you can come out to London to visit me whenever you want.”

I hear my mother scoff on the other end. “Oh, zip it, that’s what you promised when you moved across the state, and we only saw you once a year and that’s only after I chewed your ear off.” She claims tetchily.

I close my eyes and sigh, “Mum, this is something I must do. I will video call you every single day, just please stop crying.”

“You swear on pops life?”

I chuckle shaking my head when I hear my dad grumbling in response in the background, “Hey, why is he swearing on my life, woman?”

“Tom shush, this isn’t about you.” She replies with a huff and turns her attention back to me. “Hon, this isn’t about a job and we both know it, you’re going out there with the hopes of finding her, aren’t you?”

I take my boarding pass and passport and walk through the gate. I notice the small piece of paper sticking out of my passport and open it up to see a number along with the name Bailey written neatly on it. Give me strength. I roll my eyes in exasperation and crumple the paper before I toss it in the bin as I walk past it. “Perhaps I might be holding onto a sliver of hope that our paths might cross someday. I’m not actively going out of my way to track her down or anything.” I admit sheepishly and stop to look up at the flight board. My gate is still not open for boarding, so I make my way over to the Starbucks to get myself a large steaming cup of coffee. A hazelnut latte will certainly hit the spot. It’s still relatively early and I’ve not had my caffeine fix yet.

“Oh sweetheart, if only you’d just listened to me and been straight with her from the start things wouldn’t have gotten this ugly.”

“I know mum, believe me, I regret keeping her in the dark about my past. I thought I was doing the right thing and protecting her, but the truth is, I was a coward. I should have opened up to her. I should have told the Dean about our relationship, maybe then we would have had a fighting chance and I would’ve held onto what little shred was left of my credibility.”

I hear my mother exhale on the other end of the line. There’s a brief pause before she speaks, “You’re a good man, Talon. You’re an absolute schmuck no doubt for wrecking not only her future, but your career that you worked so hard for, but despite all of that you have a golden heart darling, and we know you didn’t intentionally set out to hurt Rein. I only pray that one day your paths will cross, and you can right your wrongs.”

My chest aches when I recall the broken state of Rein when I last saw her. “You’ve no idea how much I want that too, mum. Even if she never forgives me, I want her to know that my feelings for her are genuine. I really do love her and losing her is killing me, more than it did when I lost Taylor and I never imagined that to be possible.” I tell her earnestly.

“She’s real special that one and I don’t just mean cosmically.”

I smile, albeit sorrowfully, “You have no idea just how special. I only hope now she’s back home with her family, she’s happy because she deserves it.”

“What about you, sweetheart?” My mum questions, and despite the chaos in my head I can’t ignore the dejection laced in the tone of her voice. “What about your happiness? Your hearts taken one too many blows lately, I’m worried about you, honey.”

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