“And before you even start, Ivy, I’ve got to go.”
“What?”
She stands, zips up her bag and starts walking away, not waiting for me to catch up with the thought, let alone the actuality. I follow until we’re at the door and then grab hold of her arm before she leaves without even saying goodbye. “Neve, stop. I’m sorry if—”
“No. I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m just not like you, Ivy, and I’ve got some things going on that are making life difficult at the moment.”
I look over her features, for the first time noticing an element of exhaustion under her deep blue eyes. She sighs and leans in, kissing me on the cheek lightly. “Maybe we can do this again at some point soon. I just ….” She backs off until she’s half looking along the road again. “I’ve just got to run now, okay?”
“Oh, okay.”
“See you soon.”
I barely get a bye out before she’s walking away at speed, her phone going to her ear as she goes. Well, that was wonderful. I suppose I'll just go home then.
Chapter Seven
BLAKE
It’s been 30 hours since I dropped Ivy here, and now it’s my turn to leave. So much has happened since I first deployed into this country, but I doubt there will be true peace anytime soon. Hundreds of lives taken—the ground soaked with the blood of the innocent.
Shaking off the memory of that day, I focus on the future. It's something that I’ve never been able to do. Maybe leaving this,and all the other countries I’ve been to is what I need to put everything into perspective. Only time will tell.
~
The flight is tolerable. Nearly thirteen hours gives me plenty of time to assess my decision. Although, my mind has a bad habit of wandering back to the memories of Ivy. God, she's something else. A little crazy, but somehow she’s managed to stay in one piece. The stories and trauma she must have experienced haven’t tarnished her outlook on life—something I might need some advice on.
I land and process through arrivals, glad to be skipping the baggage claim. There’s always an advantage to travelling light. Everything I still own is in storage, where it’s been for years. I’ll have to swing by and collect a few things. My few T-shirts and jeans won’t last long back here in London. I guess there’ll be no shortage of shops to replace the items I need, though.
The Heathrow Express is the fastest way to get to London Paddington station, and from there, I take the Circle line to Kensington High Street. It’s late, but the streets are still busy with people out and about, even in this quieter area. I check the address on my phone and walk to the Airbnb I’ve booked. It’s nothing fancy. A cheap studio apartment which I can book for two weeks at a time after my month is up. It's bigger than the room I’ve been in back in Afghanistan and comes with the added bonus of being in a city not at war.
A month will give me some time to work out the next step.
I check in with the doorman, as agreed, and make my way up to the flat, dumping my bag on the sofa. My camera bag I’m more careful with and place it on the table.
I fire off a message to Dan.Guess where I am.
With you, Blake, it could be anywhere in the fucking world.
I laugh at his reply. It’s true.I’m in London. Just got in.
Cool. I admit, I wasn’t holding out after our call, but I’m pleased you’re back. Any plans?
How about a beer?
Deal. When and where?
Saturday?
Sure. If you’re in London, I’ll come to you. I’m sure you’ve missed having a proper pint in a pub.
You could say that.
Alcohol was a bit of a luxury in Afghanistan. And it was never anywhere close to a proper beer.
I’ll text you the time and place. See you Saturday.
It's too late now to phone Mum, but I’ll set that right tomorrow when I visit. After the welcome I received on our previous call, I'm not confident she’ll be pleased to see me, but it won't stop her from avoiding my question about her health, and I'll be able to see if she is ill. I hope it was just a tactic to show me how much of a shit son I’ve been.
