A Place Beyond The Horizon

08. RUNNING AWAY FROM EVERYTHING

It takes an hour to build up to it, but Aidan taps the screen and starts a call with his estranged wife. Ever since leaving Kat earlier this morning, kissing her goodbye as she went to her meetings, wishing her a good flight back down to Melbourne, he's had the same thought going round and round in his head.

Mara's publicity coup, the picture of them together on the beach, the paparazzi shot, has changed everything for him. It's been a wake-up call, that he's involved with a woman for whom the rules are different. Mara lives her life in front of the lens and Aidan is having to bear the consequences of that. Hiding isn't an option anymore.

"Hi."

Aidan's pulse quickens. "Hi," he replies, "How are you?"

Instantly, he curses himself for a stupid question.

"Fine," Rosa replies, "How about you?"

Her tone is neutral, unemotional, in stark contrast to the previous call.

"I just wondered if you had time to talk?" Aidan asks.

"I've got a class booked in thirty minutes, but, yeah sure."

"Which class?"

"Milf training."

"You doing that one now? How's it going?"

"Same crowd, mostly. Few new starters. Your friend Cass brought along a friend of hers, Cynthia."

Aidan cringes inwardly at the mention of Cassie, of the memory of her in the back of his car, naked. He had been so tempted, reeling from the shock of his own wife cheating, but in the end he hadn't indulged in an-eye-for-an-eye. Instead, he'd run away.

"Good that she's bringing people in. Good for numbers."

"Oh, I think they'd prefer you to me, but they don't get a choice."

It's a subtle barb, and it stings, but Aidan navigates around it.

"And how's everyone else going?"

"Fine, they're fine, Aidan."

Silence.

Aidan summons up the nerve to ask the big question. "How're you going?"

Silence again, but then he hears her sigh.

"Same," she murmurs.

"You've been getting out."

"Sure. So, you been talking to people back here have you?"

"Yeah, like Ant," Aidan responds, working out what to say next.

For some reason, his fingers are scrolling on the phone, showing her activity feed. He hasn't meant to do it, but he can't help himself.

"And on the feeds," he continues, "You look good. You look like you're enjoying yourself."

"So do you."

It's the casual way she drops it into the conversation that catches him off-guard, even though it's the reason he had to call her.

"Yeah, looks like I'm on the socials."

"And then some. It's good to see you getting on with your life. A movie star, no less."

"I'm her personal trainer. It's a good gig."

"I bet."

"It was just random chance."

"Look, Aidan, that's fine. How you live your life has nothing to do with me. Not anymore."

Aidan's scrolling through pictures, seeing Rosa in the park, or doing a class, or having breakfast. It's the same as it always has been, the steady stream of life updates for her followers, letting people know about what's coming up in the gym, keeping up awareness. Only now, he's looking at it through a different lens, and it doesn't look much different to Mara. But, Mara's playing the same game on an epic scale.