The cab pulled up outside the Napier Gallery, and I paid the driver before climbing out onto the crowded sidewalk. The skyscrapers surrounding the roads afforded a little shelter from the biting wind, but my teeth were still chattering.
I glanced up at the stark, modern exterior of the building that housed everything that meant something in my life, and I inhaled a deep, shaking breath.
This was it.
My heart hammered in my chest, and I suddenly saw stars dancing before my eyes. Panic began to mount, and I swallowed hard. I realised nothing was going to calm me. I just had to bite the bullet.
I pushed through the door and was greeted by a pretty, petite brunette in a sharp skirt suit. ‘Good morning, sir. Welcome to the Napier Gallery, New York. Is there anything I can help you with?’
Her scripted patter came out in a formulaic rush, and I smiled, trying to gather my thoughts. ‘Erm...yes. Yes, I was hoping to speak with Star Mendoza, please.’
‘Miss Mendoza isn’t in the gallery today. She’s taking a well-earned break.’
Aww, dammit.‘Ah, okay. Is there a way I can find her? Or contact her?’
The woman narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ‘And who might you be?’
‘My name is Fin Hunter. I’m a... erm... a friend.’
Her eyes widened and she opened and closed her mouth several times as her cheeks coloured pink. ‘Oh.You’reFin Hunter.’
I frowned and nodded. ‘That’s what I said.’
‘I really don’t know if I should give you her address. She’s a friend as well as a colleague, and I don’t... She’s trying to get over you.’
I crumpled my brow. ‘Trying? What if I don’t want her to get over me? What if I want her to know how I feel and that I’ve travelled all this way to tell her I love her?’
She visibly melted. ‘Well, when you put it like that, I guess... Maybe I should call her first and check it’s okay for you to go to her apartment. I really don’t think—’
I held up my hands. ‘Look, I know it’s probably not company policy and all that, but the way things were left between us is just so unfinished. I need to see her. I have to tell her.’
The woman closed her eyes for a moment, clearly toying with the idea of giving me Star’s address, but her eyes jolted open as someone walked in through the gallery doors.
‘Oh, shit.’ As the brunette’s eyes widened, I spun round to see why she had reacted in that way, and my breath caught.
‘Fin?’ The colour drained from Star’s face and she leaned on the wall as if to steady herself.
The brunette interjected. ‘Star. I was just about to call you.’
Star shook her head and kept her eyes focused on me. ‘It’s... it’s okay, Zara. I know him. This is Fin.’ Her words came out in a breathy whisper and her eyelids fluttered.
‘Yeah, he said who he was. I didn’t want to give him your address in case you didn’t want to see him.’
Star moved her focus onto Zara and her eyes filled with panic, but I stood there like a moron whilst they talked about me as if I wasn’t even in the room. Anger and pain began to surface from deep within me as it dawned on me. She wasn’t happy to see me, so perhaps the letterhadbeen intended as a final goodbye after all. Maybe I should have stayed in Edinburgh.
I stepped into her line of sight to interrupt the dialogue between the two women. ‘Star, can we go somewhere to talk? Please?’
Her attention snapped back to me again and she nodded before turning and walking back out through the door. I didn’t bother to thank Zara. Instead, I followed Star out into the street.
‘Star! Slow down!’ I called after her as she strode away from me.
She stopped and turned to face me. Her eyes burned with rage. ‘What thehellare you doing here, Fin?’
I came to a halt before her. ‘I had to see you. I had to tell you—’
‘I think you told me enough, don’t you?’
Hang on. It’s me who should be pissed off here. That letter had all but finished me off. And she’s angry?‘I couldn’t leave things how they were, Star. I had to come here to see if—’
