Chapter 4

"Gosh, well… there are a lot of them flying around in there right now. But I guess I'm mostly thinking about how much everything's changed and how, for the first time, it's really hitting me. Them selling the house sort of… sends that feeling home."

He nodded. "If it's any consolation, I don't think they're ready to do that just yet. They're just feeling out plans, you know? And besides… if they do decide to sell, I'm probably the one who's going to take it on."

"You're really planning on staying here then? I have to say, I'm surprised, but I'm not mad about it."

He laughed, giving a little shrug. "You know, it surprised me, too. I didn't start out thinking I'd end up back home, but somewhere in the middle of my residency, I started getting real homesick. Not just for my family, but for all of it. The town, the beach, just… even knowing it wasn't the same, I wanted to be back here. So, I did something kind of 'out there' and took some psychic advice. The girl I was sort of, well, seriously seeing at the time, Katie, she’s really big into astrology, tarot, divination… all that stuff."

Aiden couldn't help the derisive snort that left her as she shook her head, pointedly ignoring the flicker of jealousy that twisted vaguely around her middle. A touch of color hit his cheeks, though whether at the admission or her reaction, she didn't know.

"Anyway! She dragged me with her to a psychic fair. It was a rare couple of days off so I figured, no harm in a little fun, right? Wrong." He let out another quiet, scoffing laugh and shook his head. "She parked me in front of an older lady who immediately took my hand. And I thought it was all very theatric, with the veil and the long skirts and the crystals and all. She played her part well, you know? And even though I thought it was a little ridiculous, I was trying to be a good sport. So anyway, she looked at my palm for a few minutes, muttering away to herself in another language the whole time. Then she pulled three cards from a deck, and Katie went from interested to tense. Of course I had no idea what any of it was saying."

Aiden couldn't help herself, she was actually intrigued. After so much loss early on in her life, she was not one to put much stock in anything spiritual or religious; she considered herself a stoic at best. But knowing the experience had obviously affected the man seated beside her, she was hanging on every incredulous word.

"So the old woman looks at me, then at her. And she says something that stuck with me hard. I don't know if it was because of her confidence or the genuine-sounding accent or what, but I believed her. And so did Katie. So this fortune teller, she said 'This woman is not for you. The life you're thinking of, is not for you. Have your fun for now, but you are going home soon. And you are going home alone, because your future can only be found there. Your roots are where you begin.'"

He cleared his throat slightly, before he continued, almost sheepish. "So, I just laughed because it's supposed to be in good fun, but I'm a little freaked out because I'd just been feeling so homesick, even though I'm not about to let an actress dictate my life and influence my choices, right? So I thanked her for the reading, paid, and was about to go laugh it off with Katie, but Katie was seriously stone-faced. I mean just steely eyed and clearly not happy. She didn't want to talk about it at all, either, and then she parked me at another table.

"So you can imagine how that went, I'm sure. She kept making me sit for different readings, but every time, the reading was a variation on the same theme. She was extremely pissed by the end of the tour. Not one reader had said what she wanted to hear. And by that point, I was kinda internally freaking out. On the one hand, I don't believe in this stuff, not really. But on the other… you have all these different people with absolutely nothing to gain, besides a few bucks anyway, who all claim to read the future, and they're all telling me it's about time to end things with Katie and go back home of all places to start my life. It was hard to ignore."

Aiden quietly took it all in for a few beats before she blinked. "Whoa. I'm not sure what else to say, but yikes on several bikes, Mitch. That's like something straight out of a freaking Twilight Zone episode. I mean, without the horrible scary thing attached to it anyway." She fell silent again while he chuckled at her phrasing, before she brushed on the subject she'd been carefully avoiding thinking about. "So. Who ended things, then?" She was assuming a bit, but he had said 'had been seeing at the time.'

He gave a huff of a laugh, and it was only then she noticed he was still holding her hand. "Oh, she did. Things got really chilly between us the next few days even though I was trying to salvage something. I tried making light of it, she kept insisting the ‘spirits know best.’ But now I know I was also kinda gearing up, in the back of my mind, to end it because that's the kind of message you don't just ignore. But I was really grappling with it because on the surface it seemed like such a ridiculous reason to break up with someone you otherwise got along with. Maybe saw things getting more serious with, even." He blew out a sigh and shook his head. "It makes me sound crazy, doesn't it?"

Aiden took her time answering, letting it sink in that he'd almost had a whole different life, but for a bunch of self-styled psychics freaking out his ex-girlfriend. And him for that matter. The skeptic in her wanted to laugh, but it wasn't like the Mitch she knew to make rash decisions. Either he’d really changed a lot over the last few years, or something shook him badly that day. She cleared her throat and tightened her grip on his hand, but only just. "I mean… on the surface, and if I didn't really know you? It does all sound a little 'Twin Peaks.' But you've never been the kind of person to change up your whole life on a maybe or some other uncertainty. You’ve always been insightful, methodical. A planner. Hell, you had school and your career mapped out by the time you were 16 and made every bit of it happen along the way. So short answer is no, I don’t think its crazy. It's definitely unexpected, but… also sort of cool, too.”

“Oh really, the biggest skeptic I know thinks it sounds cool.” He tried and failed to keep a straight face, the raised-brow deadpan quickly giving way to one of his winning smiles and a sincere laugh. She shrugged with a grin of her own, happy to see a lightness had returned to him. He seemed almost relieved, though about what she couldn’t guess.

“I mean... Look, you know I have a hard time believing this stuff, but it was clearly enough for you to believe, and that alone is worth something. Plus it’ll be quite a story to tell your kids one day, don't you think? ‘So Dad, how’d you meet Mom?’ ‘Oh, well, let me tell you about the hundred psychics in one day that made me bust up my relationship and head back home. I happened to stumble over her here in the most mundane, generic, beautiful beach town on Earth. Worth it!’” She couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up, barely registering that they were falling right back into their old selves, complete with the teasing, sarcastic brand of humor they always seemed to bring out in one another. The sound of him laughing along with her was music to her ears.

"Well anyway. That is the story of how I ended up back home, for better or worse… or weirder or cooler." He blew out a bit of a sigh and shook his head. "I don't know why, but it feels so good to get that out, to be able to talk about it. I don't think I've told anyone else about all that."

"I can't imagine why," Aiden quipped with a smirk.

"Ha ha. Only Katie knows the truth and she was clear she didn't want that to be the 'official story.' As into all things mystical as she is, I don't think she wanted her family and friends dunking on her for ending a serious relationship over a bunch of psychics." He let out another snort of laughter. "Thanks for not making me feel like a crazy person, Aiden. I've really missed this, talking about anything and everything with you."

She couldn't help the smile that curved over her lips, her shoulders rising in a little shrug. "I've missed this, too. We've had so many good conversations over the years. Sometimes involving a bit too much alcohol, maybe. But I can count on both hands how many deep talks I've had with other people since those days." Her gaze stayed trained on him as the smile remained firmly on her lips, taking in all the little details in the stolen moments while his attention was on the road before them. Not much had changed; maybe a few fine lines from too many late nights of studying, and the telltale signs of too-little sleep in the here and now. But his eyes had stayed soft, kind, inquisitive. His smile still came easily, even though he must have seen enough in his training to harden him some. Before she let her thoughts go wandering too much, though, he brought her back down to reality, all too soon.