New Winslow S8E53
Cleo liked having Andrew in the apartment with them. Even with the curse broken, things were still awkward with Edie. She knew they were both thinking about it as they attempted to interact in a somewhat normal way. The curse had been the main problem in their relationship, wasn’t it? And now that it was gone, what was keeping them apart? On paper, she couldn’t see any reason why she and Edie couldn’t live happily ever after. The real problem was gone and they could peacefully plan their future, right?
But whenever she went to broach the subject over the next few days, neither of them could find anything to say to carry the conversation further. Edie still resented her for going back and putting herself at risk, Cleo knew that. And Cleo couldn’t help the frustration and resentment she still felt on her own end. They were at a standstill, but having Andrew there was a distraction and tension breaker she was grateful for.
It shouldn’t have worked, considering he was a walking, breathing reminder of the curse. But somehow it did.
Andrew got a new job with an ease that made her jealous. He had to figure out a way to explain the gap in his resume, but he brushed it away with health issues and emphasized the way they’d built up Limerick and his sales position there. Within a week of moving in with Cleo – and hundreds of job applications delivered with an at-times concerning amount of focus she knew was meant to distract him from other things – he’d landed six different job interviews. A week later he had an offer from a company in downtown Boston.
She was also still putting in applications, now mostly for part-time jobs that were far more interesting than the full-time ones she’d been applying to before. Maybe once she got a job, they could reassess their living situations. The idea of moving to a new apartment with Andrew was tempting for both of them. And it didn’t have to signify that things were completely done with Edie, right? They had plenty of time to repair their relationship if that was what they both wanted. And Cleo had to admit, at least to herself, that it was.
And she didn’t think she was fooling herself that Edie might feel the same way, even if they hadn’t actually talked anything through yet. She could see it in the softness with which Edie looked at her at night before they went to separate beds, and in the way her own heart caught when Edie got home at night. Maybe some separation would be enough for them to fix what they’d had.
She wasn’t sure exactly how to approach this with Edie, but in the end, she didn’t have to. Cleo got home from a rare visit with her mother to see Edie sitting at the table, waiting for her.
“Can I talk to you?” they asked.
A variety of possibilities, helpful and horrible, began making their way through Cleo’s mind. But instead of getting her hopes up, she nodded and sat down on the other side of the table. “I know this is sudden,” Edie said, playing with the tab on their can of seltzer. “But I was invited to go on tour in Europe again.”
“Hey, that’s awesome!” Cleo exclaimed. “Congratulations!”
“Thanks,” Edie said, their smile not quite reaching their eyes. “It’s Ryan’s brother’s band, their drummer just had a baby and won’t be able to join them. It starts in a week and a half.”
“Wow, that is sudden.”
“There’s another thing…”
Cleo braced herself. “When I get back, I think I’m going to move in with Ryan for a while,” Edie said. “I can still help cover the rent here if that’s a problem, I don’t want to leave you screwed. But it’s really, really hard living with you.”
If it weren’t for the tears in Edie’s eyes, Cleo might have been offended. But she knew exactly what they meant. “I know,” she said. “Are you…”
She couldn’t get her hopes up. “I don’t know,” Edie admitted. “I’m so confused and mixed up and I know you are too. And us being here together isn’t helping at all. I think if I go away for a few weeks, then stay with Ryan for a while when his roommate’s on sabbatical, then maybe I’ll know how I’m feeling better after.”
Cleo nodded quickly. “I’m going to go over there tonight for a while,” Edie said. “We’re going to rehearse and then me and Ryan need to figure it all out. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
They stood up and Cleo followed, taking a chance and kissing Edie on the cheek. Edie took a sharp breath, then turned and kissed her, long and tenderly, their tears landing on Cleo’s lips as they broke apart. Then they went into the bedroom to pack while Cleo stood helplessly in the front hall.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming email a moment later. She opened it and saw it was from the restaurant she’d interviewed with two days earlier.
Dear Ms. Rodriguez,
Thank you for interviewing with us. After reviewing your application and in light of your interview, we are pleased to offer you a part-time position here…
She didn’t get further than that before she started crying. When Andrew walked in the door a few minutes later, that’s how he found her.
———-
Andrew was riding the Red Line with no real destination in mind. Instead, he was just sitting in a two seater, gazing blankly at the dark tunnels as they rushed past. Occasionally the train would pass another and he’d catch a glimpse of people going the other way, looking at their phones or staring out the window just like him. It felt like a dream, but the way his head was aching assured him this was all real.
It was real, Andrew was on the Red Line. He was back home, he’d landed a new job, and two days in, he was exhausted. Noah had texted him earlier with a question about a potential new spot for the Limerick and Andrew hadn’t even looked at the message again, let alone answered. Though Noah hadn’t seemed too attached to the idea. Even selling the land in New Winslow wouldn’t give them enough money to buy anything else nearby, if anything was available. The curse breaking didn’t mean people were more excited to move to town.
Not to mention the whiff of scandal around the abrupt resignation of Charles Baxter amidst rumors of arson and attempted murder. No one cared out here in Boston, of course. That kind of news, curses and arson and corrupt officials, even something that big wasn’t going to leave the valley.
Andrew didn’t know why he’d chosen to just ride the train to nowhere today, beyond a vague idea of going to Beacon Hill when he got on the Green Line out of Brighton earlier. But when he’d gotten to Park Street, he’d lost his nerve. Instead of ascending the stairs out of the station, he’d gotten on the outbound train to Alewife. And now he was on his way back toward Braintree, with Park Street coming up momentarily.
He was going to do it this time. Andrew got up as the train slowed to a stop in the Park Street station, following the crowd out the doors and down the platform. He climbed the stairs, and then he was on Boston Common, like he’d never left.
Andrew let muscle memory take over from there as he walked up the path toward Beacon Hill. It was a beautiful day and the Common was filled with people. Nobody noticed him and he didn’t say a word to anyone, simply following the cobblestone path until he was standing in front of the enormous Massachusetts State House. This used to be his everyday life, strolling down to the trains to go to work, then coming back up here to go home.
And now he was walking toward his old flat, the one where he’d planned to spend the rest of his life. He’d had the money, that final trip to New Winslow had gotten him the money he needed. Not that it mattered, his landlord had been stringing him along after all. But he’d left the city so confident that this would be his home forever. And then he’d fired off that late-night email, only to have his dreams shattered minutes later.
As he walked closer and closer to the turn onto Irving Street, Andrew considered just turning around, but it was like something else was controlling him now. He kept going, stepping carefully around a damaged brick in the sidewalk, moving into the road to dodge a baby in a pram, and finally taking the last turn onto his gracefully shaded former street.
And then he was standing outside the building, the door to his old flat right in front of him. He still had a key somewhere, didn’t he? No, Cleo had dropped those off for him, giving the landlord some story about injury keeping Andrew from doing it himself. The building was still all old brick and lovely, with full flower boxes in the windows and cheery little decorations that managed to bring some lightness without disrupting the historic grandeur of the neighborhood.
There was a For Sale sign beside the door. One bedroom unit for sale, inquire with the realtor below. And a ridiculous idea formed in Andrew’s brain. It wouldn’t be the same flat, he wasn’t that lucky. But how different could they be?
He pulled up the realtor’s website on his mobile and saw the flat listed. Not his, but it so close that his heart ached. The price tag was startling, but that was Boston, right? And if he sold the land in New Winslow and they didn’t need it for a new location, then that was more than twenty percent. Maybe they’d accept an offer. He had a job now, he was good for a mortgage, right? Andrew would have to figure those things out after, maybe Noah would help him.
“Beacon Hill Realty, Stacey speaking.”
“Stacey, hello,” Andrew said, doing his best to sound as posh as possible without sounding like a total prick. “My name is Andrew Harris, I’m interested in the property at 413 Irving Street.”
“Ah, that one is lovely, isn’t it? Are you working with a realtor, Mr. Harris?”
“No, I just saw the sign and was interested in learning more.”
“Well, I’d be happy to set up a tour if you’d like. I have to be honest with you, sir, there are several cash offers in already, some well over the asking price. The seller is still accepting bids, though, so you have a few more days to put your offer together.”
The fantasy fizzled out as quickly as it had come into his head. “Excellent, thank you,” Andrew said.
“You’re welcome, sir. Talk to you soon.”
Andrew hung up and looked at the building that had been his home for so many years, but not nearly as many as he’d hoped. He didn’t have the money. He hadn’t had it before and even if he managed to sell the land where the Limerick building had been in time, he wouldn’t be anywhere near the asking price, let alone above it. It was time to let go of that life.
With one last look up at the window of his old flat, Andrew nodded goodbye and walked back toward the trains. There were other places that money could go.
———-
“Listen,” Cleo said, a little while later when the two of them were alone in the apartment. “Do you want to stay here? Edie’s leaving and I have the lease for another year. I could pay for it myself now, though it would fucking suck. But if you don’t have any other plans, maybe we really can…”
“Yes,” Andrew said quickly, leaning across the kitchen table toward her with an abruptness that almost made her jerk back. “God, yes. Please let me stay. I’ll live on the sofa, just please don’t make me search for a housemate at thirty-five years old.”
The relief on his face was the same as what she was feeling and she knew that the sadness there was similar to her own. But she took out the bottle of red wine she’d grabbed earlier after Edie left and poured them both a glass.
———–
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