by Laura Burton
“Oops, sorry about that,” Toby shouted, his head was bobbing up and down in the water to the far side. Even though his face was only partially lit by the fairy lights, Amelia could not register any sign of true remorse on his grinning face.
“You are not sorry,” she called out to him and squeezed her hair which was already beginning to frizz in the early morning California heat.
“Come on in!”
Amelia gripped the edge of the pool and leaned on her wrists as she considered it.
“I’ll have to go and get my swimming costume.”
“You’re wet anyway, just come in.” Toby moved around the water fluidly like a merman. Amelia watched him slink back and forth, a look of true delight on his face as he moved. He looked more at home than she’d ever seen him.
“I’m not swimming in my dress!” Amelia said as she kicked her feet and splashed Toby.
“Oh, come on, live a little!” he said cheekily as he moved forward and held out his hands for her to take. Amelia folded her arms.
“What if my dress won’t stay down?” she thought aloud. Her face flushed red as she realised she hadn’t kept that thought to herself.
Toby smirked. “Then you would look like a jellyfish.” His response was so far from anything Amelia could have imagined that it had her burst into a fit of giggles. The image of her moving up and down with her dress puffing out as she sank, then deflating as she moved up had her creased over. Toby chuckled and swam around in the pool imitating a jellyfish with his arms flapping and his cheeks puffed out. The two of them splashed each other and laughed for a long time, when finally they stopped, their chests heaving and out of breath. Amelia let her legs float, swaying side to side along with the current of the water as Toby swam laps. Finally, he came to a stop by her knees and looked up at her with a serious expression on his face.
“Do you believe in Fate?” he asked softly. Amelia had to lean in to hear him.
“You’ve asked me that before.” She looked out at the rest of the garden; there was a large barbecue area, with comfy seating and a firepit in the middle. The lines of fairy lights ran along the entire length of the garden and she could just make out a basketball court in the dim lighting.
“Well, do you?” Toby asked as he placed his hand on top of Amelia’s left hand and she looked down to see his blue eyes shining like two moons in the night’s sky. Amelia leaned forward to look at him closely and considered his question for a few moments. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand while he waited for her reply. The air was still and silent; Amelia could not even hear a cricket chirp.
“I think…,” she began hesitantly. Did she believe in Fate? A memory flashed before her mind.
The steps of the solicitor’s office were heavily worn, even though they were made of stone. The rain poured rapidly, making them particularly slippery underfoot. Amelia secured her grip on the large umbrella shielding her perfect bun from being touched by the rain and took care as she climbed the steps. She pushed the heavy wooden door open and a loud creaking noise filled her ears as she entered the building. The sound was decidedly creepy, and the high ceilings made it echo around the room. Amelia folded her umbrella and closed the door behind her.
“Horrible weather we’re having.”
An elderly woman with glasses perched at the end of her nose sat behind a large reception desk and typed enthusiastically at the computer. Amelia noticed the woman’s back was perfectly straight and her white hair was swept back into a loose knot on the back of her head. Amelia imagined she had been typing for all of her working life. The woman smiled up at her. Usually Amelia would feel the need to smile back, yet she felt nothing inside. No emotions, no will to be polite, so she did not return the smile but merely stared at the woman who was similar in age to her grandma.
“I have an appointment with Mr. Wills,” she said.. The woman nodded her head and pointed a finger to a couple of chairs across from the desk.
“He will be out to greet you in a moment. Please take a seat.” She turned her attention back to the computer screen as she took a mug in her hand and sipped its contents slowly.
“Eight letters… a person who writes about notable events….”
“Reporter.”. The woman looked over at her in surprise at her blunt answer, then nodded and typed the word out on her computer. “How did you get that so fast?”
“Because I am a reporter, and I write for the online magazine you’re reading.”
“Really? The Weston Daily? Well, what are the odds?” the lady exclaimed. “It must be fate!”
Amelia frowned. If Fate brought her to that office just so the old woman could finish her crossword, then Fate—whoever or whatever it was supposed to be—had a messed-up list of priorities. A door swung open before Amelia could reply and a large man entered the room. His neatly-combed hair was greying on the sides and his large brown eyes latched onto Amelia’s.
“Relative of Irene Smith? Very sorry for your loss. Please come in.”
Amelia’s heart weighed heavy as she pulled herself out of the memory and focussed back on Toby’s face. His eyes were still wide and hopeful as he looked at her.
“No, Toby, I don’t believe in Fate.” Amelia’s eyes filled with tears as the pang in her stomach throbbed—an old wound made fresh again in an instant. Toby’s eyes looked hurt for a moment, but he smiled against it.
“Well, I do,” he countered. He stood up on tiptoes and his lips gently touched Amelia’s for the briefest moment and then moved to her ear and whispered, “because Fate has led me to the woman I love.”
Amelia’s mouth flew open and her whole body tingled, like every atom of her being was in celebration and had a dance party. Toby stood back to look at her again and she remained poised leant forward and dazed, as if ready… when suddenly, both of her hands lost grip of the marble and she fell headfirst into the pool.
Chapter Ten
Falling Deeper
Amelia rested a hand on the smooth banister rail as she descended the sweeping staircase. After falling into the pool, she hurried upstairs to shower—again—and make herself look presentable. She chose a pair of dark denim jeans and an ivory peplum blouse. By the time she braided her long hair and picked off a few stray hairs on her blouse, the sun was shining brightly through the large pane windows. As Amelia walked down the steps, she tuned in to the sound of piano music filling the hall with beautiful harmonies. She rounded the corner and stared open-mouthed as she watched Toby hunched over the grand piano, his eyes closed as his fingers glided expertly across the keys. Amelia stood still and allowed the music to whisk her away to another world. The piece was upbeat and fast, like the soundtrack to a pirate adventure. Her imagination lit up a scene of two swash-buckling pirates fighting animatedly on the deck of an old ship. The music stopped and the image vanished. Amelia opened her eyes to see Toby looking at her, his cheeks flushed as he grinned.
“Don’t stop. That was spellbinding.” Amelia crossed her arms and looked at Toby pointedly. He offered a silent salute and took up a challenge once more. This time he played something hauntingly beautiful. It was low and sombre with less intricacy, but after a fermata the movement was stirring and meaningful. Amelia swayed to the music as Toby continued to play and the two of them were silent, sharing in the beauty of the chords being played. As he moved onto another piece of music, this one had a steady rhythm with no rest in between movements, Amelia was like a snake in a basket and Toby was her charmer, enchanting her with his mystical notes. Her body warmed and tingled as she moved side to side until she became light-headed.
“What are you doing?” Toby’s voice snapped Amelia out of her trance, and she opened her eyes to see he had stopped playing again. Her cheeks flushed as she considered how ridiculous she must have looked, swaying on the spot to the music with her eyes closed.
“I’m sorry, you’re very good at the piano. I got carried away.”
Toby stood up from the piano stool and walked over to her. He
had changed into a relaxed shirt and a pair of board shorts. She wondered how many pairs of shorts he owned; it seemed they were his regular choice of clothing.
“There’s something pretty amazing about music,” he said as he took Amelia’s hands and placed one on his back and held the other to the side. He clutched the small of her back and sidestepped slowly, humming the song he had been playing. Amelia followed suit and the two of them danced slowly in circles in the middle of the hall.
“Don’t you wish people still had balls? You know, where everyone dresses up fancy and dances to classical music?” Amelia whispered as they swayed in sync. Toby nodded.
“Let’s have one!”
Amelia looked up at the large gold chandelier hanging above their heads, sparking in the sunlight.
“Your house is big enough to host a ball,” Amelia noted.
“I know. My grandfather used to host them every Christmas. My mom told me that wealthy couples in the area would gather here and dance right where we are dancing now. My grandfather would play the most exquisite music; he was known for it.”
“So, a novelist and a musician? Is there anything your grandfather couldn’t do?” Amelia said with a smile. Toby twirled her and held her close again. She inhaled his calming scent and could not help but sigh. If only they could dance arm in arm for all time and eternity.
“My mom liked telling me stories about my grandfather. He adored Grandma, but she died young while giving birth to my mom. The piano piece I was playing was composed by him to remember his sweetheart, Ava Green,” Toby explained softly. His breath tickled Amelia’s lips and she relaxed into his embrace. Her ears zoned out and there was a period of time where she was so lost in the experience of being in his arms, moving to imaginary music and watching his lips opening and closing, that she failed to register the words he was saying. Her focus returned to her hearing once she registered that there were tears welling in Toby’s eyes.
“… and I just wish that I got to know him,” he finished and stopped dancing. Amelia hugged Toby and rubbed her hands up and down his back.
“Well, you seem to know a lot about him. I feel like I know him already just by the stories you’ve shared,” Amelia offered gently as she rested her head tenderly on his shoulder. Toby ran his fingers over the braid of her hair and his breath came out in heavy puffs tickling her neck.
“Toby.” Amelia lifted her head to look up at him and searched his blue eyes.
“Where is your mum?” she asked kindly. As she expected, Toby’s pupils dilated, and he looked worried for a moment. He appeared unsure like he was wrestling with himself over what to say.
“She’s not here right now.”
Amelia studied his facial expression and could see that he was telling the truth. She looked around at the empty house and a sudden thought sprang to mind.
“Toby,” she said again. This time she took his hand in hers and clasped it with her other one and held it to her heart.
“How long have you been alone?”
Toby’s shoulders hunched and he looked forlornly at the floor.
“Too long.”
Chapter Eleven
Forbidden Love
“I’m starving,” Toby said as he held the door to the café open for Amelia to walk through.
“I know this is crazy, but I really don’t remember the last time I had a decent meal,” Amelia said lightly as they both walked to a booth and sat on opposite ends of the table. Amelia looked around; they were sitting in a traditional American diner, with red booths, metal circular tables and huge posters of ice cream hanging on the walls. Huge ceiling fans were running at full speed to counter the intense heat from outside. A waitress walked around holding a small notebook and had a pencil tucked behind her ear. “Hi there, welcome to Frankie’s Diner, can I get you something to drink?” the blonde spoke in an American accent and her perfectly white teeth dazzled Amelia as she smiled.
“I’ll take a root beer,” Toby said casually, he leaned over the table to Amelia and pointed on the menu sitting in front of her.
“The drinks are here. What do you like?” he asked. Amelia studied the menu with confusion; she had not heard of a lot of the names.
“What is a Sierra Mist?” she asked the waitress.
“It’s like lemonade,” she replied, then pressed her finger to her lips momentarily and said. “Your accent is so cute! Where are you from?”
Amelia looked back at the waitress with surprise. Cute? What was she, a five-year-old?
“England.”
“Oh! I love England! My friend’s brother moved there with his family a year ago. His name is John Edwards—do you know him?” The waitress raised her brows and smiled with anticipation. Amelia was sorely tempted to play along and tell her that she babysits his kids and plays volleyball with his wife on the weekends, but she opted for the truth, thinking that her sarcasm may offend the woman.
“No, sorry.” The waitress took the pencil from her ear and scribbled down on the notebook.
“Where are my manners? I’m sorry, my name is Mandy. I will be serving you two today. I have a root beer for you, sir, and would you like to go with the Sierra Mist?” Her voice was light and harmonious, like a songbird. Amelia gave her a nod.
“Okay, have you decided what you want to order? Or shall I give you a couple of minutes?” Toby glanced at Amelia to read her face; she gave a shrug back.
“I’ll just have whatever you have,” she said simply. There wasn’t exactly a full English breakfast or continental option on the menu, so she wasn’t sure what to order.
Toby turned to Mandy and murmured, “We’ll both have the triple stack of pancakes with a side of hash browns, two sausage links and a—” He turned to Amelia and asked. “—how do you like your eggs?” Amelia looked quizzically at Mandy who was still smiling at Toby as if she wasn’t there.
She looked back at Toby and tentatively said, “Scrambled?” He grinned to her and turned back to Mandy.
“—and scrambled eggs.” Mandy scribbled the order down and looked at them both as she flashed them a bright smile.
“I’ll get that order to the kitchen. It shouldn’t be too long, and in the meantime, I’ll just grab your drinks,” Mandy said and then she marched off. Amelia settled back into the leather cushion of her seat and listened to the noise of the kitchen staff barking at each other and clashing pots and pans as they set about making breakfast. Two young chefs were talking about some sort of deal.
“… after all this time, do you really think anything is gonna change?”
“They’re never gonna pull the plug. They’ve spent too much money as it is.”
“Yeah, but how much money do they have left to keep it going? Hasn’t it been something like nine years now?”
“Ten.” The other chef whistled his response.
“A decade. How long are they going to drag it out for? Just put him out of his misery, I say.”
“But the plan—”
“Well, I think they need to move on. It’s not going to work out.” Amelia focussed back on Toby who apparently was listening too. He looked back at her sheepishly, as if she had caught him out somehow.
“Do you know what those two are talking about?” she asked. He bit his lip. That’s a yes. The question was, would he tell her what he knew? Or like every other question, she’d asked so far, would he keep her in the dark?
“Is this to do with you?” Toby didn’t say anything but the look he gave her told her the answer. “Is it to do with your secret work?” Toby dragged a hand through his hair and pressed his palms together as if he were about to pray. “Toby, what—”
“That’s one root beer for you, and the Sierra Mist for you.” Mandy was back and placed two large glasses down on the table. “I’ll bring your food out as soon as it’s ready. If there’s anything you need, just give me a shout,” she said and then she was off again. Amelia and Toby nodded politely keeping their eyes locked on each other in a silent standoff.
“If it’s so classified, then why are there people talking about it in a diner?” Amelia shot back. Toby rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the room, as if desperately searching for something. Though Amelia did not know what it was. Perhaps he was searching for a believable lie? Then his gaze landed on something and his eyes widened with horror. Amelia followed his line of sight. A sickly sensation swirled within her stomach as she did so, and her eyes landed on the dark silhouette of a man standing outside.
“Oh no, is that…?” she started to say but Toby grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet as he left the booth in a quick movement.
“We have to go,” he said urgently. He fumbled in his wallet and threw a couple of twenty-dollar notes on the table and marched out of the diner still holding Amelia’s hand and she ran to keep up.
They left the diner and Amelia craned her neck to look at the man who was standing outside looking in; he had a milky complexion and wore a simple black suit. His facial expression was completely blank, hauntingly so. It sent cold shivers down her spine. Toby yanked on her hand and she turned to see him getting into a taxi.
“Come in, quick.” Amelia jumped in after him and closed the door.
Her heart was pounding as adrenaline coursed through her veins and sent her ears ringing. Even with the window rolled down, the heat inside the car was stifling. As Toby gave instructions for the driver, a thin hand grabbed the door, long fingers curled over the edge and rested less than an inch away from Amelia’s shoulder. She stared in horror and held her breath as a face slowly came into view. Then she saw those eyes. Those black eyes. Now that she was close, she could see they were very dark brown, not black like she’d previously thought, but they looked cold and unfeeling as they stared at Amelia.