Over and Over Again | ONC 2023

Chapter 14

Aurelia stepped into the cafe. It was especially busy for a Saturday afternoon, but she quickly spotted Max sitting in the corner.

"Hi," she said quietly and slipped into the seat across from him. She noticed a cup of chamomile tea already sitting in front of her. "You remembered my favourite tea?"

"Of course." He rolled his eyes and laughed. "You filled half my pantry with your tea stash! I couldn't get anything without an avalanche of tea boxes landing on me."

She wondered what he ended up doing with all of the tea. Some of those were expensive.

Awkward silence and tension hung in the air, they could both feel it. The versions of them that could easily hold long and smooth conversations without any effort were long gone. "Listen, Max," she mumbled, "I'm so sorry about how I left."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I was really worried, Aurelia. I had no idea where you went, I had no idea if you were safe!"

She felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I-I was going through something, it's difficult to explain."

"Can you try to?" he asked. Aurelia felt her lower lip wobble. His expression was calm but there was pain and desperation in his eyes that he couldn't hide.

She debated for a moment and took a shaky sip of tea. There weren't many options she had left by this point. "You're going to think I'm out of my mind."

He gave her a smirk and let out a half laugh, half scoff. "This is coming from the same girl who made it to the airport on foot, from my parent's vacation home in the middle of nowhere."

Aurelia couldn't help but chuckle. She got a sunburn and countless mosquito bites, her feet and legs ached for days, and she lost half of the things in her suitcase.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm... an immortal," she slowly said.

Max's eyes widened as he stared silently for a few seconds – perhaps waiting for a just kidding! "You're... serious? This isn't a joke?"

"I wish." She somehow felt relieved, but even more stressed. "I'm around a thousand years old."

Aurelia never knew exactly how old she was these days. She stopped keeping track after she turned two hundred – what was the point?

He rubbed his temples, still trying to process. "How?"

It took ages, much longer than she was expecting, to explain the whole concept to Max. Everything was out on the table; how it all began, the things that made her different from humans, and how past relationships all eventually fell apart. Being a writer and researcher, Max had plenty of questions to keep her story going. They were eventually kicked out by the staff who needed to close the store for the night.

They took a seat on the bench outside the cafe. "There's one thing I don't understand," he said, "why did you leave me? What does that have to do with anything?"

Aurelia grimaced, she had hoped they would have skipped over this part. "Well, you remember I mentioned Derek, my last husband?" she said slowly, figuring out how to break the most bizarre news to him. "I think he's you... I believe his soul was reincarnated into your body."

"W-what?" He furrowed his brows and dragged his hand against his jaw. "What makes you say that?"

She shared the different signs she had seen throughout their relationship. Now that she was recounting them, there were even more than she had realized at the time.

Hours went by before the two were content on where they landed. Aurelia shared everything about immortality she had to share, and Max had learned everything he wanted to learn.

"Thanks for telling me this," he said and lightly touched her forearm. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of this alone."

Without even thinking about it, Aurelia snaked her arms around Max to give him a hug. She could feel his heartbeat drumming against her cheek as he held her tightly against his chest.

The last few years had gone by in a blur. She couldn't pinpoint many memories, just overwhelming feelings of regret and loss.

"I've missed you," she murmured.

They pulled away, and the smile on Max's face warmed her frozen heart. He felt like home.

"You know," he said quietly, "I never stopped loving you, even after all this time."

Aurelia felt her eyes tearing up again. "I did too," she whispered and held his cheek. "But you understand why I couldn't stay, don't you?"

He sighed and leaned back on the bench. "Sort of, but I also think you're going about life in the wrong way."

She crossed her arms. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Azrael did this for a reason, right? I doubt that you disregarding all of the consequences and benefits that come with life is what he was intending," he said. "When your future is endless, why would you keep trying to focus on the future? Why not enjoy the moment?"

"I... think I see what you're saying," Aurelia mumbled.

"The fragility and temporary nature of life is what makes it beautiful, you shouldn't forget that," Max added.

Aurelia fell silent as she thought about his words. The gears turned in her mind as she finally began to connect the dots from the night she met Azrael. This wasn't the life Derek would have wanted her to live either.

Tears began to run down her cheeks. "I-I love you, Max," she sniffled and hiccuped. "Will you give me another chance?"

-

"I hope you're not planning on running away again," Max teased as he handed her the pen.

"Absolutely not." Aurelia grinned as she signed her line on the marriage certificate.

Max's family stood to the side, there as their witnesses. They weren't thrilled, big parties were more their style, but Max convinced them that getting married at city hall was all they needed. Maria, on the other hand, looked excited as ever and gave them two thumbs up.

They did agree to having a small celebration dinner following the marriage. Small did end up being an expensive feast, but it was a compromise they were all willing to make. Max's dad poured glasses of champagne, probably worth more than her car, and passed them around.

"No thank you." Aurelia shook her head and declined with a polite wave. "I won't be drinking for the next little while."

Everyone suddenly turned to Aurelia.

"Wait," Max said slowly as his eyes widened in excitement, "you're not..."

She smiled and nodded.

"I am."