Curiosity burns my tongue, but I hold it, waiting until Sash is ready to explain what we’re doing here and why the place is like a fucking mausoleum.
As we step through the dust and grime, I note nothing’s changed. I lived here for two years of my life and I could almost swear it is exactly how it was then. As if it’s been completely untouched.
Oh fuck.
That’s exactly it. It literally hasn’t been touched.
The filthy-looking Christmas tree glaring from the corner of the lounge confirms it.
‘Sasha, what the actual fuck?’ So much for holding my tongue.
‘Where did you leave the note?’ She scans the room apprehensively, stepping gingerly towards the kitchen area. Her tone isn’t accusatory; I’m pretty sure she believes me. Nevertheless, a grimace remains pressed upon her lips. As if she’s in physical pain, or it’s taking everything she’s got to hold it together.
I cross the large open-plan space, glancing at the couch as I pass. Memories flood back with the force of a rising riptide, so I can only imagine how Sasha feels. That night was always going to be memorable for both of us. It should have been the best night of our lives, yet it turned into the worst, for both of us.
So much pain.
So much sadness.
I point at the dust-covered kettle. ‘I left it propped here.’
‘Well it wasn’t here when I came back.’ Her voice shakes with emotion, but not anger.
I drop to the floor, checking the surrounding areas, then behind the kettle, even pulling the unit from the wall to check it didn’t slip behind it.
‘You’re certain no one was in here?’ I don’t mention that that fact alone has shocked me to the core.
‘No one. It was bad enough sorting through Mam and Dad’s stuff. I couldn’t sort through yours as well. You think I’m a total weirdo…’ Her eyes fill with unshed tears.
‘No, I’m just a little shocked. You could have rented this place to another family all this time…’
‘I couldn’t deal with it. And no, before you think I’m crazy, it’s not because you turned into a super massive sex symbol and I wanted to preserve the fact you’d ever been here. It was more like I wanted to freeze the memory of before, when everything was perfect. When the whole world was ahead of us and my parents were the responsible adults. That, and truthfully, I just couldn’t deal with coming in here again. This is the first time I’ve stepped foot in here in years. Harry, my accountant, wanted me to sell it, along with the other cabins, but they were my mother’s idea and, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve tried to keep things pretty much the same as she did…’
‘Until the dry rot…’
She nods glumly. ‘It forced a slight modicum of modernisation.’
‘You know you could probably sue someone for that. The bricks they used mustn’t have been certified.’
Sasha rolls her eyes. ‘Come on, Ryan, this isn’t the States. Those bricks are as old as the hills. Even if I could find someone alive to hold responsible, it would cost me more to sue than I’d ever get back. Not to mention I could die of old age before it even got to court in this country.’
She has a point.
‘So what now?’ I lean on the dusty kitchen counter top, drinking in the woman before me like I did so many times as a boy.
‘I guess I’ll have to wonder…unless you want to tell me what it said?’ She’s talking about the note, but I meant with the castle.
‘When you come to Vegas and hear me sing, everything will become crystal clear, I promise. Don’t cheat beforehand. You’ve come this far without listening, just wait another few days. I’ll make it worth your while, I promise you.’
‘Ryan, I told you, I can’t. Especially not now. Even if I didn’t have to look out for Victoria, I’m going to have to call the architect out and source a construction company asap.’
‘I’ll help you with everything. You’re not on your own anymore. You don’t have to personally oversee everything. We’ll arrange everything before we go and Megan can oversee it. I’ll leave Pierce here too, he’s great at managing this type of stuff.’ Pulling her knuckles to my lips, I kiss each of her fingers persuasively.
She groans. ‘I can’t. One day I’ll make it to the States. But not this time.’
‘Wait… one day? You never made it to the States? Not even for a holiday?’ I kind of assumed she would have gone at some point. Hell, it was her idea, initially. We’ve spent so much time together this past week, but I’ve barely scratched the surface of the last ten years. I want to know everything.
‘I never got round to it with everything else that happened… Been kind of busy…’ Her voice trails off, loaded with longing.
