A Place Beyond The Horizon

08. RUNNING AWAY FROM EVERYTHING

"I still care," Aidan counters, "I'm interested in what's going on with you."

Rosa snorts. "Look, I'm at work. I gotta get on."

There is a picture of a night out. Davey's in the picture and on impulse he taps on Davey's name. The screen flicks to his feed and Aidan begins to scroll through Davey's recent posts. There's a team meeting group shot, and a picture of a bare field with a for sale sign in front of it covered over with a 'sold' sticker, then there's a picture that changes everything. It's Davey and Rosa, faces flushed with the last light of sunset, on the shore of the lake together.

Before he can get over the shock, the words are already emerging from his mouth.

"Nice shot with Davey by the lake."

There's a long pause on the line, and when he hears Rosa speak again, her voice sounds strained.

"Aidan, I told you. I'm at work, I just can't do this right now."

"Want to talk about it later?"

"I... uh... I don't think so."

There is a bitter, dark feeling bubbling up inside him, but Aidan strangles it ruthlessly.

"I guess there's nothing to say about it, is there?" he murmurs, "I guess you're moving on."

"Fuck you," Rosa hisses, "You're the one who moved on. You fucking just left me here to pick up the pieces."

Aidan can't help himself. He's fighting to keep his voice calm and level.

"Nice piece to pick up."

"Please," Rosa gasps, "Aidan, please don't. You're not being fair."

There is a muffled sound on the phone. Aidan can picture his wife, standing at the reception desk of the gym that they own together, in her activewear. He's seen her there for years, he can imagine every detail, and it's eating him alive.

Aidan can hear little sniffling noises and he realises she's crying. Fair, she said, and Aidan has an acid response ready to go, but at the sound of his wife in tears, the words die in his throat.

"I'm sorry," he says instead, "Maybe I shouldn't have called you at work. We can talk another time."

"Okay."

"Okay. See ya."

Aidan ends the call and slides the phone back into his pocket. He should have been checking Davey's feed. Of course Rosa wouldn't have published anything, she would have guessed that Aidan is watching, but Davey wouldn't care. A picture of his team, or a new piece of land his company has acquired, or his new girlfriend, it was all the same as far as Davey was concerned. It was all just sealing the deal.

Only now can Aidan put the past few days into perspective. Mara is wild and complex, Kat is lovely and kind, but neither of them really compare. He's still in love with Rosa, however futile it seems, and that acknowledgement breaks his heart.

---

Aidan has the weekend to himself. Mara is everywhere, popping up on the morning show, giving an interview to a news outlet. She even meets the mayor, who is keen to spruik a new media arts innovation hub. Aidan watches her from afar as she talks about the creative process or the need for funding in the arts or her favourite chocolate brownie recipe. There's no trace at all of the woman who pressed his hand to her throat and told him to squeeze while she came. There are no messages from her either.

He talks to Kat on Sunday, as she's out at brunch. Kat is bubbly and enthusiastic, even confessing that she went to see Mara's movie on Saturday and quite liked it. He checks on her offer of a threesome again and gets a stream of expletives back that leaves them both laughing.