I bet Marilyn guesses—her snort is dismissive. “These were just Vince’s practice pieces. His last work was so good he could have made some real money.”
She’s angry on my behalf. Fuming. And so is Kitty when Dair does need to leave. I grab our coats from the bedroom and return to find her yowling. She does it the minute he puts her down, then follows him like I do to the front door, where he stops me from pulling on my own coat. He takes it from me and hangs it on a hook.
“Stay. Catch up with Marilyn and get your hair cut.” He sweeps a finger through the too-long fringe flopping across my forehead. “Only not too much.” He lowers his voice. “It’s a little bit Disney prince. Thought so the first time I saw you.” He holds up his phone next. “Besides, I know where I’m going. I checked. I can catch a bus not too far from here. It will get me straight to where I’m working tonight.” His gaze lands on something behind me. Or on someone. “It was good to meet you, Marilyn.”
She joins me in the doorway. “Come back soon, love.”
“Ah. Probably not. Whether I can sell my stuff or have to give it away, I’ll be home by the end of the month. Can’t wait,” he says way more faintly than usual. Dair tries to smile again. “Never thought too hard before about February being the shortest month of the year.” His eyes drop to my mouth. They rise again to land on Marilyn. “Kinda wish it was a leap year. I’d get to add an extra day to how long I have left.”
The end of the month rushing up shouldn’t shock me. I’ve always known his deadline. He rallies before me.
“But at least Vincent found a way to offload all my cabinets and chairs and tables.”
“Mighthave found a way,” I warn him. “No guarantees.”
Yet again, he hasn’t got the first fucking clue about hiding where he’s weakest. He might as well go ahead and show his belly. “I was ready to give up. Would have paid someone to take it all away. You’ve given me something to work with.” He acts like he doesn’t care about Marilyn earwigging on this conversation. “You thinking so hard about it for me means a lot.”
No one’s ever called me a deep thinker.
It means he gets to slip away before I can give him the kiss goodbye I really wanted.
The cat cries again as soon as the door shuts between us, and I could have a little weep too at the look Marilyn gives me. I don’t know how to name it, but I’m sure some piss-taking is coming.
It doesn’t.
Marilyn gives me a hug for no good reason.
She only lets go of me to scoop up an angry cat, but Kitty hisses and spits, her claws out for the first time since I got here. She hides under a table holding plants as spiky as her while I join Marilyn at a window to watch Dair leave the building.
He heads off in the wrong direction, and I get another momentary insight to Kev. This one comes with an action replay of him pressing his forehead to mine after checking I know where I’m headed.
Because he’d already loved and lost enough people.
Someone I also don’t want to lose track of course-corrects below us before I can wrench the window open and yell, “Oi, Oi,” to get his attention.
Dair doesn’t need my direction.
Doesn’t need any more of my help or guidance.
He’ll leave soon for the Isle of Harris, and yet here I am, stamping into my shoes on the Isle of Dogs regardless.
Bless Marilyn for not laughing at me when I dart to my old bedroom to grab a reference book as an excuse to take offrunning. By the time I reach the front door, she’s there, holding my coat out.
“No time.”
I leave her clutching it to her heart. Who knows why her smile wobbles. Maybe Dair’s waterworks are contagious. I quit thinking about that and bypass the lift to hammer down flight after flight of stairs, nearly falling headfirst in my hurry. Then I run full pelt for the bus stop, where Dair looks up from his phone, surprised to see me.
“Here.”
I thrust the reference book at him, and his smile makes almost breaking every bone in my body worth it. I’ve made him happy, and he doesn’t give a fuck who sees it.
Minutes later, a bus carries that smile away, and no, I still didn’t get that kiss I wanted.
I did get to hear him thank me for a book I never would have read from cover to cover like my aunt did. Before the bus pulls away with him safely aboard it, he’s already paging through it, hunting for familiar patterns like Stacey used to.
Of course, Marilyn watched that whole deal.
She’s back at the living room window when I let myself back in the flat. This time, she does laugh. “Well, hello there, Disney prince.” She pushes my fringe back, studying my forehead before letting it fall. “Kitty liked your friend.”
