Against All Odds

Chapter 36

KILLIAN

My phone vibrated where it was lodged in the pocket of my shorts. Automatically, I pulled it out, attention diverted between the conversation my parents were having at the dinner table.

When I saw the notification on the screen, my heart froze and I forgot about everything else around me.

Christmas at home was embellished with a flair for the fantastical. Mom had outdone herself in terms of decor- the house was literally covered in wreathes and tinsel. A huge tree dominated one corner of the lounge and a plethora of shiny, ribboned, prettily wrapped gifts had been stacked neatly underneath it. On the mantel above the fireplace sat the entire nativity scene, donkeys and camels included.

We had spent the day quietly, comfortably, snacking on hors d'oeuvres mom had prepared to tide us over until the feast was ready for dinner. I'd been updated on dad's condition- that for now, everything seemed positive according to his doctors, which eased my mind somewhat.

Presently, sitting at the table laden with steaming food, I toyed with the stem of my wine glass that nursed an exquisite cabernet sauvignon as I stared at the phone in my other hand. I wasn't sure Stella would reply to the message I had sent her earlier that morning. Quite frankly, I didn't really expect her too, either. It wasn't anything personal, simply a generic Merry Christmas as one does to those on their contact lists during these sorts of holidays.

I don't know why I messaged her. There was a likelihood that it was because I could since our communication lines to each other remained open. I had wondered if she would block me after the night of the wedding, but I was surprised, and admittedly relieved, that she hadn't. Taking a sip of my wine, I opened the message from her.

Merry Christmas! And tks for the earrings, Kills.

I couldn't help smiling, glad that she had found the small gift I had left for her. I knew that Stella liked quirky pieces of jewellery like the shell earrings. She had harboured a collection of colourful knickknacks all turned into jewellery pieces when we had lived together- bottle caps, resin flowers, tiny labels from South African products she found cool. I also knew that even if she didn't like the earrings, she was the type of girl to wear them anyway, placing more meaning in the act itself since it was a gift given to her by someone who had thought she may like it, and that meant something to her.

I had once given Amber a gold pendant that she had exchanged the very next day.

"Killian, what do you think?" my mother said just as I began to tap out a response to Stella's message to ask her if she liked the earrings. I set my phone aside and glanced up. It had been ingrained within me from an early age that phones at the dining table were a massive faux pas and it was an instinctual reaction to put the device away when Pauline addressed me.

"Hmm?"

She looked vexed, a frown wrinkling her brow. Having finished eating, her cutlery was set neatly before her and the white napkin beside the plate, which she fussed with now. "Honestly, were you listening to a word I said?" She waved her fingers about dismissively before picking up her own glass of wine and taking a delicate sip from it. "I was just saying that your father and I were thinking about moving to Ireland in the summer. It will be after the first surgery with enough time for him to recover. Of course, we could also move forward by a couple of months so that your father can find new doctors in Ireland." She paused this palaver with another sip from her wine and then raised her brows at me meaningfully. "What do you think, and what has you so busy with that phone anyway?"

I felt myself frown because this was the first time I had checked my phone the entire day. "I think you should do what you feel is best for dad. And I was just messaging a... friend, if you must know."