A Thing of Beauty - A Hozier Fanfiction

Chapter Seven

15 May 2020

Co. Wicklow, IE

Positive COVID Cases: 23,956

Deaths: 1,518

Andrew yawned as he swiveled in his desk chair, pen in hand, notebook open in front of him. The beginnings of a song were staring up at him and he was looking back with an empty mind. The urge to write had sprung upon him earlier that morning, but by the time he'd gathered himself and sat down an hour later, all inspiration was gone. He drummed his fingers against the paper and sighed again. Alex was good at breaking him out of these funks, but he'd left the night beforehand to drive to his parents' home.

A summer storm was rolling through and heavy gunmetal grey clouds pelted the windows with rain. A crow was taking shelter in a tree outside his office window and he found himself drawn to it. He stood and walked over to get a better look, leaning against the window sill. The bird had burrowed into the leaves, grooming itself in an attempt to dry off faster. Its feathers were a vibrant black against the lush green of the tree.

The silence in the room was deafening. The rest of the house was no better. Despite Finn's rambunctious nature, Cassie did her best to keep him under constant supervision. She seemed to be perpetually following him around, tidying messes as they happened and apologizing profusely. So far, the casualties had been two white bath towels permanently stained with mud, a crystal vase knocked off an end table, and a large tomato sauce stain on the kitchen runner. Not to mention the dirty hand and finger prints on windows and walls.

Cassie was adamant that she would replace everything and he could see the remorse and embarrassment on her face each time new damage appeared. He was trying to be patient and understanding - Finn was a toddler and toddlers were inherently destructive - but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the slight feeling of regret that was creeping across the back of his mind like water leeching up through a crack in the floor. It was a stark reminder of how very different their lives were. The noise was a nice distraction but Andrew wasn't quite sure the destruction was a good trade off for a lack of solitude.

He heard footsteps in the corridor outside the office and looked up when Cassie appeared. She hesitated when she saw the open notebook on his desk.

"You're busy," she stated. "I'll come back."

He turned to face her and motioned her in. "Don't - its fine. What's up?" he asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.

She took a cautious step into the room, looking around. "I was just wondering if you'd be OK with me filming a few things for Instagram here," she explained. "My publisher wants a few things to use for press."

"Ehm...what types of things?" he asked, scratching his eyebrow.

"Just a few ads for the book," she explained with a shrug. "Since I can't really do press."

"Oh, ehm, sure - yeah, I guess," he replied. "Just try not to get anything too recognizable in the background." At her raised eyebrow, he explained. "I don't want people to try to connect us. You know, like trying to start rumors or something."

"Oh, right. Yeah," she chuckled. "Yeah, I can do that. I'll just do like a blank wall or something. If you want, I can show you first."

He shook his head quickly. "No, that's alright. I trust you." 

She hovered in the doorway and an awkward silence passed between them. She'd been there a few days but hadn't come into his study yet. He was the same at her place. He'd stayed out of her office; it seemed like an invasion of privacy to see where she created.