April's Glow (27 page)

‘It's coming back to me,' she whispered. ‘Oh wait,' she said, getting back up. ‘I should light my candle.' She grabbed her gas lighter and held it towards the hope candle on the bedside table. Flame emerged on the well-worn wick, then flickered out. ‘Bugger.' She tried again. ‘Nope, it's out.' She laughed.

‘What so funny?'

‘Not funny, just … interesting.' She lifted up the candle and breathed in its remaining, sweet candy scent. ‘This candle has lasted so long. It was given to me by my cousin to lift my spirits and give me hope. It gave me the idea for the candle store.'

Zac took a whiff of it too. ‘The smell reminds me of you.' He tangled his fingers in her hair.

She smiled. ‘It's like I don't need it anymore. The hope I needed, I got. It served its purpose.' She placed the jar back down. ‘So unless you want me to disrupt the flow of our romantic mood by rummaging through my cupboards for a suitable replacement to light our …
rendezvous
, we'll have to go glow-less for this one.'

He let out a cute, mischievous chuckle, and she nestled her thighs between his as she stood between his legs against the bed. ‘Oh, don't worry, I'll just give you a glow of your own.' He gathered the hem of her lacy chiffon top and lifted it upwards and off, then gathered her body in his arms and pulled her onto the bed by his side.

‘I think I'm already glowing,' she replied, with an eager smile of what was to come.

* * *

It was exactly like he'd imagined. In bed, her laying on his chest stroking his skin as he played with her hair. No words, just silence. Comfortable, perfect silence. The sun was lower now, shining more of a warm orange, as it filtered through the cracks in the venetian blinds and cast light and dark shadows across their relaxed bodies. Looking down at her, he watched as her eyelashes fluttered gently up and down as she blinked every now and again. Such a simple, automatic response, yet so beautiful. Her fingers moved with a flow and rhythm that calmed him, and as his chest rose slowly up and down, so too did she as she rested on him.

With each breath, he fell more and more in love with her.

April. His neighbour, his friend, his lover. And now, his partner, his …

He gulped as he realised.

She was his soulmate.

The one he had wanted. The one he had asked for long ago. The one he had waited for.

‘Don't tell me you're getting ready to go at it again?' she asked with a giggle, turning to look up at him as his breathing became faster.

‘No. Well, yes. Maybe, but … hang on.' He rolled her gently to the side and sat up. ‘Just remembered something. I have to show it to you.' He got up quickly. ‘It's at home, I'll duck over and be right back!' He grabbed his keys and went for the door.

‘Ah, Zac?' April propped herself onto her elbow, the sheet embracing her body. ‘I'm more than happy to watch you wander around naked, but the lovely Nancy from next door might see you and freak out.'

He stopped and eyed his clothes on the floor. ‘Oh yeah. I should at least wear something I guess.' He stepped into his trunks. ‘That'll do. I'm so used to not being seen that I forget sometimes.'

‘Forget. Please forget,' April laughed. ‘But maybe not right now, you exhibitionist.' She flung a pillow at him and he gently whacked her back with it.

‘I'll forget again when I get back.' He grinned, then walked out the bedroom door and let himself out the back door to her deck.

Romeo meowed hello and looked up with wide eyes.

‘Hey buddy, not right now,' said Zac. ‘Important human stuff going on here.'

He stepped onto the low brick wall around the garden and heaved himself up and over the fence and into his yard. He let himself into the house and went to his hall cupboard where he had stored a few small boxes of mementos.

He couldn't believe he had forgotten about it until now.

He looked in one but it wasn't there, then opened the smaller box that held a few photos he'd yet to put up, and a tattered soft teddy bear he'd found in Afghanistan. He was going to give it to the next kid he saw, but then the explosion had happened and changed everything. So he'd kept it, for some reason. Maybe it was symbolic way of bringing Johnny home when he couldn't for real.

But that wasn't what he was looking for.

Underneath the bear was a folded piece of paper. He lifted it out and opened it up.

This is it.

He didn't even read it before dashing back out of the house. Though he couldn't remember all the details, he knew the gist of what was written on it, and wanted to experience it alongside April anyway.

He jumped back over the fence, in his undies, waving to Nancy in her house across April's yard as she peered out the window with a big grin on her face.

‘Sorry, Romes,' he said, as he passed the cat and went back inside, making his way to the bedroom.

‘That was quick,' April said. ‘Not that I have any idea what you're doing and how long it might take.' She was still laying on the bed, half propped up, her eyes curious and sparkling. ‘Oh, and aren't you forgetting something?'

‘Huh?' he said. ‘Oh yeah, I'm forgetting to forget.' He smiled and took off his trunks then slid back into bed next to her.

‘Much better,' she said. ‘Now, what is it you have there, Mister?'

He never knew if this day would come. But it was here, and he was as happy as he was when he was a young boy and had discovered girls weren't so bad after all. But this was much better.

‘When I first went sober, I wrote this.' He held it out in front so they could both read it. ‘It's a letter, except at the time, I didn't know who I was writing it to.' He slid his free arm around her and held her close. ‘But now I know.'

He finished reading before she did, and so he waited, his heart racing, his hand shaking as it held the letter. And then she turned her head and looked at him, tears brimming at her eyelids and a quivering smile on her lips. ‘To think I almost let you go,' she whispered, her voice trembling. ‘My beautiful, beautiful man.' She brought her hand to his face and caressed his cheek, tenderly, urgently, her eyes scanning his face as though taking in every detail. ‘I feel like I'm in a dream.' She nestled closer into his side.

‘I'm dreaming with you,' he said, then turned to face her and placed his hand on her chest, over her heart. ‘I can feel it,' he said. ‘Your heart. Finally here, with me.' His eyes became warm and he strong emotion welled up inside his own heart, filling him with a love that was even stronger than he'd imagined.

She put her hand over his and held it tight to her chest. Her eyes overflowed with tears and they spilled onto her cheeks. ‘That is most beautiful, magical thing I have ever read.' She shook her head in awe. ‘You are amazing, Zac Masterson.'

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

‘It's like the advice in that book you gave me, to ask for what you want in life and let it manifest. It's like you wrote this letter, and the universe answered, and led you here,' she said.

‘Exactly,' he replied. ‘Amazing. I'm so grateful I moved in next door.'

‘I'm so grateful my cat went into your yard that day.'

He chuckled. ‘I'm so grateful you're a bad cook and needed to keep coming over for dinner!'

‘Hey!' She flapped the letter onto his face. Then she looked at it again. Her mouth opened wider. ‘Oh my God,' she said.

‘What is it?'

‘The date! Look.' She pointed to the date written at the top, September fifth, one year ago. ‘That was the date of my accident, except it was three years ago now.' She shook her head. ‘You wrote this on a date that holds such significance to me. What are the chances?'

‘Wow,' Zac eyed his blue ink handwriting scrawled across the page. ‘It's not chance, April,' he said, taking the letter and folding it, placing it under his hand and over her heart. ‘It's fate. It was always meant to be you.'

And as he wrapped her firmly in his arms while tears flowed down her cheeks, he finally,
finally,
felt like he had truly found peace and won the war within.

‘I hope you're not really a serial killer,' April said as Zac blindfolded her and helped her into the front seat of his ute.

‘Serial
kisser
maybe.' He smooched her with those lips she had grown so familiar with and yet still felt so enticing and new.

‘Happy to be your victim.' She laughed, when he started the engine. ‘Oh wait! Babe, can you take a picture of us? It's my birthday tradition, I usually do a wacky photo with Zoe and the girls, but I think we should do it too. Me—blindfolded, perfect. Except I won't know how it looks till after this surprise, whatever it is, so I'll just have to trust you.'

‘What an awesome idea. Should I pull a silly face or something?'

‘You wouldn't have to try very hard.'

He nudged her in the side. ‘Enough, smart mouth. Okay, hang on, let me prepare.'

She felt him lean over and open the glove box, then heard a shuffling of some papers and unknown things.

‘What are you doing, getting your own blindfold or something?'

‘Nope.' After a few moments he said, ‘Okay I'm ready. Here we go, selfie time.'

She had no idea what Zac was doing but she poked her tongue out and pointed to the blindfold with both hands.
Click!
‘All done!'

He put something back in the glove box and then drove out and down the street, and then onto the highway. April could tell, based on the speed he was going and the sounds of the other cars.

‘Just one hint? C'mon!' She was itching to now what he had in store for her birthday.

‘Nope.'

‘Have you secretly finished writing your memoir and you're taking me to the book launch?' She jiggled up and down in her seat.

‘Nope,' he repeated with the same smug tone. ‘Remember I've enrolled in that memoir writing course, starting in town in May? So nope, no book launch.'

‘Couples sexy photo shoot?'

‘Nope, but there's an idea for my birthday.'

‘Mmm,' she whispered. ‘Okay, I give up. I'll wait. Because I'm so patient.'

‘Oh yes, Patient April who wants to know everything yesterday.'

‘Life's short.'

‘So is my patience when it comes to your impatience.'

‘Now you're just getting all fancy and wordy.'

‘It's what I do best.'

April covered his hand on the gearstick and whispered, ‘Actually, it's not the main thing you do best.'

She could feel his gaze on her for a moment.

‘Mmm. Anyway, don't distract me, birthday girl, I'm trying to drive!'

‘Okay, okay.'

After around twenty minutes the car came to a stop. ‘Now, no peeking. I'll help you out.'

The door opened and Zac's hands held hers as she stepped out of the car.

‘Are there people around? I'm going to look like an idiot. Am I on television, some reality birthday show? Is my mum here?'

April had explained her feelings about Zac to her mum after they'd committed to their relationship. At first her mother had been worried and cautioned her, but when she'd told her about the soulmate letter her mum had practically cried. She'd gripped April's hands and said, ‘Sweetheart, hold onto him. I can't promise that it'll be easy or perfect, or that things may not change down the track, but that kind of love needs to be grabbed with both hands.'