Slow Dancing

10 | volti subito

1 0

v o l t i   s u b i t o

[It.] : Turn the page quickly.

  

THE NIGHT BEFORE my last meeting with Kaden, I lay in bed with wide eyes and my heart beating painfully in my chest. I could still see him for one last time, so why did my heart already feel so empty?

But even as the question flashed in my mind, the answer came equally as quickly. When I agreed to this, I went in with an open mind and an open heart, with the sole purpose of helping Kaden. So each word I said, each action I did, it was from the bottom of my heart. No more, no less. There was no keeping my heart safe and that was perfectly fine with me. The consequences, I knew, would be heartbreaking, but it was worth the heartbreak.

He was so worth the heartbreak.

I went to school the next day with dark circles beneath my eyes. Millie noticed that my mood was unusually sombre – in fact, she'd noticed something different about me the past month – but she didn't pry. Instead, she simply handed me my usual flask of tea, slipped her arm through mine and led me to class.

When class was over, I took the bus to the beach-house. I stared out of the window the whole journey, watching the cars blur into trees and the trees blur into pavements, until they were all nothing but one big massive blur. Somewhere along the way, an arbitrary idea came to mind and I held fast onto it for the rest of the ride.

It wasn't a surprise when, upon arriving at the Brettons' beach-house, Edwin told me that Adelaide wanted to see me. I entered her study room and she was once again wearing her stylish glasses, a foreboding expression on her face.

"I just wanted to thank you for coming over again," she began quite cordially, "seven times, in fact. You seemed to have played Evangeline well enough and I appreciate you taking the effort to do so."

I forced a smile on my face. "It was the least I could do."

"Well, I appreciate it all the same," she acknowledged and picked up her pen again. "Kaden's upstairs in his room. Edwin will see you up."

The room was silent again and I knew that she expected me to leave. But I couldn't. Not until I attempted this.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered every bit of courage in me and took a step forward. "I have to ask you something." When she looked up, I continued, "is there any way, any way whatsoever, that I can continue to stay with Kaden?"

The expression on her face remained indifferent, but I heard the warning in her voice nonetheless. "What are you trying to say, Isla?"

"I'm saying," taking another step forward, I locked my gaze with hers, "please let me stay with Kaden until he regains his sight."

And maybe even longer because I just can't take a step back.

She was silent for so long I almost thought she hadn't heard me. But then her gaze turned unrelenting and I knew I had dug a grave for myself. Now I had to lie in it.

"I thought we agreed on this," she began, in a clipped, icy tone. "Seven meetings, at most, and then you'd never see him again."

"Yes, but – "

"You signed it plain and clear on the contract. Or do I have to take it out again to remind you?"

I shook my head. "I remember, but listen – "