Heartstrings

Chapter Twenty: Someone Like You

Reid

I stared out of the airplane window, running my fingertips along my new tattoo; it was a bird in flight, just above my collarbone.

Flying was a delirious sensation. When you were on the ground, everything seemed so huge and important. But the perspective from a high altitude was completely different. You realised how tiny, how insignificant you were in a world crammed with other people and things. My troubles were inconsequential in comparison to this.

Months ago, my cousin Tony got engaged to an old friend of Mallory's, called Kennedy. Today was their wedding rehearsal. And Nina was going to watch me walk down the aisle with my ex-girlfriend.

Two years didn't sound long, but I didn't need much time to know how I felt about Mallory. Everything that we shared, that unbreakable bond we formed, it was still there. Lying in my heart somewhere, dormant in a corner, while Nina occupied most of the space.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked me. Concern radiated from her expression, but her eyes were sleepy and tired-looking from her nap.

I smiled tightly, brushing her hair away from her face. "I'm fine."

"We don't have to go to the rehearsal." Nina reminded me softly. She was looking at me carefully, like I was a fragile china doll. "You know that Tony said it was okay."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Sure, I'll miss my only cousin's wedding. It's not like it's a once-in-a-lifetime event, or anything."

Nina's expression was still pensive. Still hiding something. "Even if she's there?"

Years after the accident, we still couldn't say Mallory's name. I grinned reassuringly at my girlfriend, cupping her face in my hand. "I'll be fine. More importantly, I can't wait to see your dress."

Nina's smile turned sly. "I can't wait either. Keeping it a surprise wasn't easy."

I laughed, and the tension dissolved. We got our hand baggage and went to get the rest of our bags. As we left the airport, stepping into the cold air of Scotland, I thought about how Mallory's mother was half-Scottish. That was why half her cousins were ginger.

I glanced at Nina, taking in her pin straight locks. Not a single hair out of place, as per usual. Then I thought of Mallory, with her wild, beautiful hair. She used to laugh about how she had no time because of her coursework, hence her untamed look. But Nina looked like she had never experienced a bad hair day.

I was comparing them now, damn it. That made me feel horribly guilty. But I had to ignore the consequences of my actions, else the stability I painstakingly built would crash down.

I barely noticed the taxi ride to the hotel, the walk up to our room. Nina held my arm the whole time, talking about everything and anything she noticed. She had a spark to her, something that brightened the darkness in my life. Even if this was just a tiny shard of happiness, it was something.

The wedding rehearsal came quickly. Before I knew it, we were dressing in our hotel room. Nina quickly put on her purple silk slip, looking gorgeous. I stared into the mirror at my honey eyes. They were darker than in the old photos of me in college. Darker than I remembered them being, when I was with Mallory.

"Are you ready?" Nina asked me.

I took her hand, my eyes taking her in. "You're stunning.

Nina smiled, inspecting my blazer carefully. "You're handsome as ever, in that suit."

She kissed the corner of my lips and walked over to the door, putting her heels on. I put my dress shoes on, straightening my tie, and we walked out of the room. Nina talked to me, but I couldn't focus. I was sleepwalking through time, waiting with bated breath until something restarted my heart. Before I knew happiness again.