22. Legends
Our New Year’s Eve was meant to be a quiet affair. My eye hadn’t quite healed and Adam was suffering a mild case of the flu.
Eating dinner by candlelight was my idea. We sat side by side on the floor, using the coffee table as a dining table. The mushroom risotto I’d attempted hadn’t gone exactly to plan. I was hoping that the dull light might make the gluggy mess seem less horrid. Adam never mentioned it. I wondered if he thought it was beyond even false compliments.
“If you don’t eat it all, you can’t have dessert,” I teased, bumping his arm.
He set his fork down on his plate. “I have something for you.”
“A fillet steak?” I asked, only half-jokingly.
“No, not quite.” He reached into his jeans for a small black box. He set it on the table and we stared at it as if it was about to explode.
“What is it?” For some reason, I whispered the question.
“It’s your new ring.”
“Well, can I see it?”
His pained frown confused me. Unless he’d managed to have the ugliest gold ring in the history of rings made, I saw no reason for his hesitation. I didn’t bother waiting for an answer. I picked up the box and flipped open the lid. There were two plain gold rings inside. The gold from Adam’s wedding ring had been used to make a simple thin band for me; his altered ring was about half the original width.
“What do you think?” he asked, picking up his fork and stabbing at the mush on his plate.
I took my ring out of the box, slipped it on my finger and flapped my hand. “It fits like a glove,” I replied. “I’ll never take it off.”
“I’m glad.”
His dull tone annoyed me. Perhaps his stuffy head was to blame. Or maybe the horrid risotto was sucking the life right out of him. “You don’t sound glad, Adam.”
Still looking slightly tortured, he shrugged. “I like the other ones better, that’s all.”
I sidled closer to him, snuggling in, linking my arm through his.
“I love my curly fry rings. You know I do. I just can’t wear them. This ring is perfect for me.”
I held my hand out, wiggling my fingers. He slowly shook his head. “Nothing about a plain gold band is special.”
I was furious. It was one of the few joyous moments I’d had that week, and he was ruining it with the superficial opinion that it wasn’t grand enough. I released my hold on him and straightened. “To me, it’s special. I don’t want a big flashy ring.” I slipped the ring off my finger, put it down on the table and stood up, towering over him for once. “And if you want the truth, I’m not so keen on the big flashy life that comes with the big flashy ring either.”
He lifted his head to look at me, looking positively wounded. “What does that mean?”
I wanted to tell him exactly what it meant. I was having major issues when it came to adjusting to life in his world, most of which he was oblivious to. But I didn’t. I walked away.
I learned something that night.
Adam wasn’t a chaser. My father was a chaser. Every spat I’d ever had with Alex ended with me storming out of the room. Minutes later he’d follow me, attempting to either calm me down or continue the argument.
Adam didn’t follow. He left the apartment, which was nothing less than I deserved.
He left because he couldn’t deal with me. The list of people who were prepared to deal with me was becoming shorter by the day. It seemed like a good idea to try bumping numbers.
I called Alex.
“Hi Charli,” he greeted, answering on the second ring.
“Hello father.” I was thrilled that he sounded pleased to hear from me. “I miss you.”
“You can come home any time you like.”
As tempting as his offer was at that moment, I had no intention of jumping ship.
“What are you doing for New Year?” I asked, changing the subject.
Alex explained that he and Gabrielle were spending a few days in Hobart. “We’re going to watch the fireworks on the waterfront.”
My heart ached for home – just a little. As a child, Alex took me to Hobart every New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks. I was glad he’d kept up the tradition.
“I guess you and Adam are heading to Times Square?”
“I’m not sure what our plans are yet,” I lied.
I knew exactly what my plans were. I just didn’t think Alex needed to hear how I was going to see the New Year in alone because my bad behaviour had driven Adam out of the apartment.
“Are you happy, Charli?” Alex asked, perhaps sensing something was amiss.
“I’d be much happier if I heard from you once in a while.”
“I haven’t had much to say to you lately.”
“Are you still mad?”
“I’m still disappointed,” he replied after a long pause. “I’m still trying to get my head around why you think getting married was a good idea.”
We were about to repeat mistakes of old. Ending the conversation before one of us said something regretful seemed sensible – mainly because the regretful comments usually came from me.
“Alex, I have to go. It’s getting close to midnight.”
He wished me a Happy New Year and promised to call me in a few days. It was a promise I wasn’t sure he’d keep. The distance between us lately wasn’t just geographical.
I really didn’t want to be alone at midnight, but as the minutes ticked by it seemed likely. I grabbed a blanket off the bed and rugged myself up on the couch. It was a position I held for only a moment. I couldn’t stand the sight of the two plates of ghastly risotto still sitting on the coffee table. I carried them to the kitchen, scraped them into the bin and set about making a pot of tea. That’s where I was when Adam walked in the door, a few minutes before midnight.
He made no effort to come any closer than the edge of the kitchen – probably worried about the reception he’d receive. I wanted to speak but couldn’t summon words. I hoped he was silent for the same reason. The mutual stare down lasted an uncomfortably long time before he finally made a move that was well worth the wait.
He walked over to me and lifted me onto the kitchen counter. Wedging himself between my legs, he took my face in his hands.
His long lingering kiss was the sweetest sign of forgiveness. The way I kissed him back was my silent apology.
Not one single word was spoken until morning.
***
Adam presented me with my new gold ring for a second time over breakfast – just as casually as he had the night before.
“I’m still not happy with it, but something is better than nothing.”
I slipped it back on my finger, ignoring his misgivings. “I love it. Even if you don’t.”
Nursing a mug of hot coffee with both hands, he looked down, shaking his head. “I love you. The ring is unimportant.”
“No good comes of being weighted down with jewels anyway. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”
Piquing Adam’s curiosity with just a few words was ridiculously easy. It always had been. And I loved that about him. “Charlotte, what on earth are you talking about?”
“Greek Cypriot fairies.” I held two fingers in the air. “Two sisters, Dorcia and Effie.”
Adam took a sip of his coffee, set it on the counter and glanced at his watch. “I want to hear this tale but I really have to go.”
The work at the new restaurant was completed, and the grand opening was just two weeks away. Adam wasn’t anywhere near as amped up about it as his brother, but he needed to be there that morning to sign off on the project. That was the reason behind the stuffy suit and tie he was wearing. I had nowhere to be that morning. That’s why I was still wearing my pink monkey print pyjamas.
I shrugged. “I’ll tell you about it another time.”
I began walking away but he caught my hand as I passed, pulling me to a stop. “Not so fast, Charli. If you don’t tell me now, I’m going to be wondering about it all day.”
“Curious little thing, aren’t you?” I teased, leaning in to straighten his tie.
Adam raked both hands through my bedroom hair and rested them on my shoulders.
“Enchanted is what I am,” he whispered, leaning in dangerously close. “Tell me.”
I sighed as if explaining it was a chore. “The sisters were nothing alike. Dorcia was materialistic and vain. Her sister, Effie, was the complete opposite. When it came to choosing husbands, Effie married for love. Her husband, Abraxas, was a lowly carpenter, but she loved him with her whole heart.”
“How do you remember all of these stories, Charli?”
“Shush. Do you want to hear it or not?”
He moved his hand, checking the time on his watch again.
“I am so late,” he muttered, smiling. “Keep going.”
“Dorcia married Xenon. She didn’t love him at all, but he was filthy rich. Impossibly rich. Décarie rich,” I teased. “Effie’s wedding ring was a simple gold band like this one.”
I wiggled my fingers at him and he rolled his eyes. “Poor girl.”
“Dorcia wore a huge solitaire diamond that sparkled brilliantly,” I continued. “Xenon showered her with other diamonds too – earrings, necklaces, bracelets –”
“Where’s the tragedy, Charli?” asked Adam, trying to hurry the story along.
“I’m getting to it. One day, the sisters decided to visit their family on a neighbouring island. The only way they could get there was by boat, but during the trip something terrible happened.”
“Oh, no,” he crooned in mock horror.
I changed my tone to match the theatre in his. “The boat sank and the girls were forced to swim for their lives.”
“Did they make it to shore?”
I smiled purely because he’d asked the question. “Effie did. But Dorcia’s vanity got the better of her. She refused to abandon her jewels. When she hit the sea, all her diamonds soaked up the water, making them even heavier. She sank like a stone and drowned.”
His frown grew more concentrated as he thought it through.
“Are you doubting the legend, Adam? Every time someone claims not to believe, a fairy falls down dead. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”
He shook his head, his hand on his heart. “Never.”
“There’s proof that it’s true, you know. Dorcia’s jewels can still be found – only they’re not diamonds anymore. They’re aquamarines – jewels tinged the same colour blue as the oceans of Cyprus.”
Adam’s arms slipped around my waist. “I am so in love with your mind.”
It wasn’t a question. I didn’t have to speak. Instead, I pressed my lips against his, secretly willing him to stay home with me.
It didn’t work. Adam met Ryan at the new restaurant as planned – albeit half an hour late thanks to Dorcia and Effie.