Room Service

Chapter Twelve

            It was only when I stopped in my tracks, and dared to let my voice ring out across the empty space, that he turned on the spot. “Hi.”

            Our eyes locked, and I felt it throughout my entire body; a cold shiver ran right through me despite the pleasant sunshine overhead. His eyes remained as striking as ever, that shade of blue that always popped straight off a magazine page, and ended up doing the same in person. The sea breeze battered his still brown hair, so that it was being ruffled wildly atop his head in a way his previous blond swoop certainly wouldn’t have.

            “Hey.”

            I took a step closer, slowly broaching the distance between us. “You managed to throw off the paparazzi for a while, then?”

            I watched as a small smile curled the corner of his lip, merely twitching, like it was only threatening to turn into something more. “I could say the same to you.”

            Despite trying to make a joke of it, he was right, of course. With photographers developing an unnerving ability to track my every move, a feat only made simpler by Walden’s tiny size, it had only been a streak of luck that saw me able to escape my house without any of them on my tail. I was certainly coming to terms with the art of it all; dodging paparazzi was a skill easily developed through a bit of practice. I’d managed to find my way right up to the Viewpoint – the entrance to which was thankfully secluded – alone.

            “What do you want?” I dared to ask. The challenge in my voice came out unintentionally, and I wasn’t sure whether I regretted it.

            “Obviously, I wanted to talk.” He looked down at me, all traces of the smile vanished from his face, eyes full of something deep and sincere instead. “Or, more specifically, to apologise.”

            “For what?”

            He shook his head. “You know,” he began, gesturing wildly all around us, as if the explanation had us surrounded, “all of this.”

            I was aware of the way my heart felt like it was slowly turning to lead, sinking to the pit of my stomach in a nauseating manner. “It’s not really your fault.”

            Before the words were even fully out of my mouth, he was already making to interrupt. “Of course it’s my fault. I’d be a dick to do anything other than take full responsibility for everything that’s gone on here. I should never have dragged you into it.”

            “I let myself be dragged into it,” I countered. “It wasn’t all you.”

            “I should’ve known better,” he said. “I should’ve thought about it properly. This kind of stuff is standard with me, you know? I barely notice it anymore. I should’ve remembered this isn’t something normal people have to deal with… and yet I forced you into it anyway.”

            “You didn’t force me into anything. I could’ve walked away at any point.”

            “You don’t know how bad I feel about all of this,” he told me. “I’m not even supposed to be here right now – Allison’s going to have a fit when I get back – but I had to come see you. I couldn’t leave it on that note.”

            I forced myself to shrug, in a way that was meant to come out nonchalant, but probably looked anything but. “We both knew it was going to come to this eventually, didn’t we?”

            “I know, but that doesn’t mean any of it is acceptable.” He sighed, shaking his head, and reached up to run a hand through his ruffled hair. It was already so dishevelled that there wasn’t really a visible change. “I’m sorry, Coraline. I’m sorry for the way all this had to turn out. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be somebody different, someone other than stupid Leon McCarthy with paparazzi following my every move. You deserve someone who doesn’t give you all that hassle.”