“Well go on then, love, tell us,” she nods encouragingly at me, her transparent eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I swallow hard, the room suddenly feeling very still and quiet. The hum of the fridge halts and even the pigeons outside her window stop flapping about. “My mother died on November eleventh.”
She smiles knowingly, “And you have a special connection to your mother, correct?”
Nodding, I add, “I share a birthday with her.”
“And the two of you are Geminis, correct?” She beams.
My mouth opens. “Yes, my birthday is June fifth.”
“Oh, how funny,” she replies. “Six plus five equals—”
“Eleven,” Hayden finishes.
Aggie chuckles and begins shuffling through her papers. She pulls one out to show us. “Gemini is the Zodiac house of twins…symbolised here,” she points to the sheet. “See? Two pillars joined at the top and base, which is a representation of the twins seated side by side with embracing arms. Similar to an eleven, don’t you think?”
Hayden’s hand moves from my lap and I turn to him. His eyes are wide and accusing. “How could you not mention that about your mum?”
I shake my head nervously. “11:11 seemed so important to you and I didn’t want to scare you. You were already spooked over the fact that I live on the eleventh floor.”
“Oh!” Aggie chuckles. “The Universe is a wicked creature sometimes, isn’t she? This is all so perfect.”
“Perfect? Why?” I ask, looking back to her.
“Because you two are each other’s twin flame, of course!” Hayden and I continue to stare at her in confusion. She chortles, “I felt it plain as day when I first saw you the night you brought my naughty rat-arsed nephew home. Surely you two have sensed it since then. I couldn’t believe you held out as long as you did. That deep, burning, pulling connection is intense, isn’t it?” She twines her hands together in a powerful grip to visualise.
“What do you mean? What are twin flames?” I ask, my mind reeling.
“It’s like this…you’ve heard of soul mates, right? Well twin flames have an even deeper connection that supersedes soul mates. The moment you meet your twin flame is the moment the earth beneath your feet begins to shift.”
My memory flashes back to the night Bruce knocked Hayden over. The energy between us was just chemistry. An obvious physical attraction, nothing more. Yes, it was intense. More intense than with any man I’d ever met. But I thought that was just because it was Hayden. And Hayden is well…Hayden. I’m not all together sure I believe whatever it is Aggie is trying to say we are. “I’ve never even heard that term before,” I state dismissively.
“Twin flames are mirrored souls because they essentially reflect the deepest needs, desires, and dreams…even the dark elements of our souls. The yucky stuff. They can accept and absorb.”
A loud scratch echoes in the small kitchen as Hayden shoots up from his chair.
“Hayden!” I exclaim as he turns and strides out of the room. I look to Aggie with wide, apologetic eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Her face looks crestfallen. “I’m sorry if I’ve spoken out of turn, love.”
“No, you did just what I wanted you to do. He’s just surprised. It’s been a very enlightening day. I think he’s just overwhelmed. Truly though, thank you.”
She nods, but her face still appears sympathetic. “It’s all right, love. You two take care.”
I nod and run out after Hayden, hustling down the stairs and out onto the busy Notting Hill road. Traffic whizzes by nosily as I step around a group of tourists hopping off a red, double-decker bus. “Hayden,” I shout as I see him storming down the sidewalk.
His shoulders tense at the sound of my voice, but he slows. When I get nearer, he turns his head and barks at me like a wild animal. “I hope you’re fucking happy, Vi.”
I recoil, clearly underestimating his reaction to Aggie’s reading. “What do you mean? Happy about what?”
His face pulls a menacing expression as he stops and turns to look at me. “We’re destined to be together, so now I’m all better. All healed. Isn’t that lucky for you.”
“Hayden, stop it.” I reach out to touch him, but he pulls back away from me.
“I don’t know what you were after in there, but whatever crap that scamming quack just told us is rubbish.” He grips one of his cuffs and shoots accusing daggers at me.
“She’s a nice woman, Hayden,” I retort, my tone defensive. “It wasn’t a scam. She did it as a favour. I didn’t even pay her.”
He scoffs loudly. “So now what? I’m just supposed to accept you as my twin flame and we go run off into our mythological future together, happily ever after? Life doesn’t fucking work like that, Vi.”