Flight Risk

39 - The Arctic Hare Room Part 2

Claire answered on the third ring and sat on her living room sofa with a cup of tea. Her calm demeanour and cute t-shirt with a towering pile of cartoon cats helped settle my mind.

"Are you okay, Audrey?"

I shook my head. "I messed up, Claire. Please don't be mad at me."

Her look was as gentle as it had been when I turned to her after my first relationship fell apart.

"Somehow, I think it's worse in your head than in reality. Spill."

Hadn't I told Caleb that about an hour ago? It was difficult to take. But I wouldn't destroy her over it like he'd done to me.

She sat there sipping her steaming tea like she had all the time in the world.

"You know how Caleb and I... We said we'd been dating for months."

"You certainly looked at each other like you had been." A small smile showed she didn't believe our lies.

Why was he calling me 'a woman he'd known for a week' if he cared that much? He'd said he hadn't been lying about his feelings several times.

Focus, Audrey.

"We uh... We were sitting together on the same flight from Jakarta and discovered we were heading to the same wedding and uh..."

What was the polite way to say devised a plan to lie to everyone I knew?

"Made up a relationship?" Claire ventured with a hint of amusement in her voice and grin.

Some tension left my arms and shoulders. Amusement was encouraging. She didn't hate me.

"Was it that obvious?"

She chuckled. "We suspected something as the stories didn't line up, but when I wanted to ask about it, Vince kept saying, 'Let Audrey be Audrey. Caleb's a good guy going through tough times who won't take advantage of her. It'll be fine.' So I kept my mouth shut even though I hated the idea of you running off with a person you just met that I hardly know."

It was touching that she cared that much. Sometimes with the distance, I got wrapped up in my new life and forgot what I loved about my old one.

Claire's comment also made me reflect. How much had Vince shared? He would have had to explain why Caleb wasn't attending the wedding with his sister, right?

"Do you know about his family?"

Claire nodded and set down her tea. "It's heartbreaking. Vince had invited him and his family since they'd kept in touch after his stay there. His parents and sister were supposed to come with him to the wedding and had to cancel it all just weeks before their departure. Has he mentioned it at all?"

My chest grew heavy. It was a tremendous burden, and while he worked out the stress of it, I was melting down in our hotel bathroom. He wanted to avoid hurting his parents, who'd already been through so much pain and had next to no time to heal or process. I'd been collateral damage.

"Yeah, the doctor said his sister's condition is supposed to improve. It's better than the outlook they had before."

"That's good. Vince says they're the sweetest people. I really hope she pulls through."

"Me too. And they sure sound like it."

That's why Caleb's answer had confused me. Why would they fault him for seeking comfort when he needed it the most? Plus, his parents had met on a holiday. Were his fears justified, or was it an illogical panic reaction? I was no stranger to those.

The video feed went quiet, though it seemed like Vince might be scurrying around in their kitchen and perhaps distracting Claire. It was a Friday, but she had mentioned them taking holidays in the days after the wedding to visit with relatives.