Nobody's Obligation (Swimming Upstream #2) (13 page)

Chapter 26

Ava

To call Ava flustered was an understatement. After all the drama of the morning, she’d been forced to run through the airport to the furthest gate to board her connecting flight. Fearing she’d be late and end up trapped in Los Angeles, a city that had already left a bad taste in her mouth, Ava had done the mad dash, almost knocking others out of the way. But when she arrived at her gate, there was no plane waiting. Glancing up, she noticed the flashing sign indicating that her plane had been delayed and was not due for another hour.

“Shit!” Ava exclaimed, sliding down the wall.

For a moment Ava sat in silence and watched the world pass her by. Some people stared at her and she wasn’t sure why. Eventually Ava forced herself to her feet and shuffled off to find the nearest bathroom.

Ten minutes later Ava emerged feeling better. A shower and a sleep were still topping her wish list, but she’d washed her face, cleaned her teeth, and tried in vain to control her hair. Now she was on the hunt for coffee. Rounding the corner, she spotted a Starbucks calling her name. Right now it could sell the worst coffee in the world and she still wouldn’t care. At this point, Ava knew if they offered it she’d have the caffeine injected directly into her bloodstream.

Walking purposefully towards the smell of coffee, Ava passed a bunch of teenage girls who pointed rudely at her before breaking out in fits of giggles. It was high school all over again. Forcing herself to ignore them, she marched on determinedly.

Minutes later, Ava sunk into the overstuffed and oversized armchair in the corner, balancing her coffee as if it was the most treasured possession she’d ever owned. Nibbling on a blueberry muffin, she sat in silence and watched people. It was something she’d always done without even realising it, but as she got older and indulged in her writing passion she found a use for her observations. People-watching become more than just a passing fascination. It became research. She’d watch the way people moved, where they were going, and how they reacted. Sitting in one of the busiest airports in the world, with people dodging in every different direction, this was a spectator’s heaven.

Grabbing her notebook and pen from her backpack, Ava scribbled illegibly. It didn’t matter that her notes didn’t make sense or were just random words splashed across the page. This was Ava’s process. She’d take those notes and turn it into something later. For now it was just a matter of getting it down before the thoughts vanished.

Three pages of scribbles later, Ava drained the last of her coffee and grimaced. It was definitely not the best coffee she’d ever had, but it was better than nothing. Tucking her notebook back in her bag, Ava pulled out her phone and waited for it to come back to life.

The sound system overhead crackled to life and alerted passengers that there had been further delays to various flights, including Ava’s. Annoyed Ava turned her attention back to her phone as it buzzed to life. Messages flooded through and Ava wasn’t sure what was going on. Confused, Ava started opening the texts.

Amanda: Did you forget to tell me something?

Jessica: Have a nice flight did we?

Toni: Fifteen hours in heaven! That’s what I call i
t


Kirsty: Seriously?

As Ava flicked through the messages, all similar, she had no idea what they were on about. Baffled about it all, Ava quickly shot off a text back to Amanda.

Ava: What’s up?

Despite the time difference there was barely any delay in Amanda’s response.

Amanda: U kidding?

Ava tapped out quickly:

Ava: ???

Amanda’s response was a winky face. Ava was left wondering if she was on drugs or drunk. Then her phone vibrated again. Obviously the picture message took longer to come through. Ava didn’t need to, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to look twice.

But it didn’t change. The picture remained the same as her face drained of colour. Slowly everything started to make sense but at the same time nothing did.

Ava typed, glancing around the coffee shop suddenly nervous:

Ava: Where did u get this?

Amanda: Twitter.

“Fuck!” Ava mumbled under her breath. Although she’d tried to keep her outburst stealthily quiet, the old lady reading a romance novel in the chair just opposite Ava snapped up her head and glowered at Ava. “Sorry,” she murmured before turning her attention to the phone.

Amanda: Seriously tho, u ok?

Ava was shocked into action.

Ava: Yeah. Is it everywhere?

Amanda: Pretty much.

Ava couldn’t help it. She felt everything, all at once. Instead of lying to Amanda, which Ava knew all too well that she would see through instantly, she just sent back:

Ava
:


Suddenly she felt claustrophobic. Like the walls were closing in. Like everyone was staring at her. Judging. And Ava hated it. There was nothing in the world that made her more uncomfortable in her own skin than the idea of people looking at her. Ava wanted nothing more than to remain faceless, much to her publisher’s chagrin. Somehow Ava had even managed to convince them to leave her photo off the cover of her book.

Grabbing her rubbish, Ava dashed for the exit, dropping her trash at the nearest bin. She wanted somewhere to hide but she was trapped in an airport and going nowhere fast. Instead she hurried over to her gate where people were milling about, dropped into the quietest corner she could find, wrapped her arms around her knees, and stared off into space.

Ava didn’t know how much time she’d lost avoiding the world but slowly people were filling the chairs surrounding her. Hoping that was an indication that the flight would soon be leaving, Ava’s heart roared back to life. She knew herself well enough to know that once she was on the move again her pounding headache would ease up and she could go back to focusing on all the adventures New York had to offer.

When her flight was called, Ava sprang to her feet like she’d just sat on a tack. All of her energy was back and she was bouncing. Checking her phone, she noticed that her four-hour stopover had turned into just over seven so far. And after the bus trip and the earlier flight, Ava wasn’t surprised that she felt the way she did. Overtired plus caffeine meant Ava was on another planet right now.

As her boarding pass was scanned and she set off down the walkway, Ava felt the vibration of her phone in her back pocket. Moments later she was settled in her seat. Again she’d won the seat lottery and had an exit row window seat. She pulled out her phone to switch it off. Noticing Amanda had texted again, she opened it quickly. It was a link to a news site. Nervously Ava clicked on the link and watched as her phone did its thing and loaded. Ava almost swallowed her tongue.

Is This The Woman Who Caught

Tyler Andrews’ Eye?

It seems that all may not be as it seems when it comes to Tyler Andrews these days. After declaring only months ago that he didn’t have time for romantic attachments, it seems like someone got under his skin. Ava Jacobs, a budding author whose first novel was published recently by Sydney publishing house Barber and Sons, seems to have caught Tyler’s eye. The book, ‘Perfection Is Just an Illusion’ is a story revolving around a normal girl and an Olympic swimmer and their plight to be together.

Sources confirm that only a handful of weeks ago the two enjoyed a romantic lunch date in the country before being spotted again, only hours ago, climbing off a plane in LA, where Tyler is due to attend official functions at the invitation of the American Swimming Association. Rumours that Tyler was intending to spend some time with Dannica Michaels, America’s golden girl, have now been dashed as photos of the new couple emerge.

Could it be that Ms. Jacobs’ book might not be entirely fiction?

Silent tears streamed down Ava’s face as she read and re-read the article. Shock wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the terror coursing through her veins. What was worse was those damn photos. Ava didn’t know where they’d come from but there they were staring back at her. Photos of her holding Tyler’s hand, sleeping on his shoulder, him kissing her cheek. Ava closed her eyes, sucked in deep breaths, and shut out the world. As nervous as she’d been last time, the plane she was on took off and this time she felt nothing. This time she was numb.

By the time the plane landed in Newark, Ava was a mess. She was tired and miserable and guilt was gnawing at her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what she’d done wrong but she assumed it was something. As quickly as she possibly could she collected her belongings and scurried towards the taxi rank before heading towards her hotel. With a renewed sense of purpose, Ava watched out the window as the city she’d always dreamt about grew in front of her eyes. She was almost there.

Chapter 27

Tyler

After a nap and a long hot shower, Tyler felt more like himself. He was still tired and there was a crick in his neck that he couldn’t shake, but he felt better and ready to face LA. Quickly he dug through his bag until he found his itinerary and read through it. Although he’d had it for a couple of days, he hadn’t even bothered to look. He’d done this before. He was there to smile and wave and say all the right things. Then he could go home. Tyler knew Jonathan would have him heavily scheduled, but thankfully this time Jonathan remembered that other things were important in Tyler’s life as well. This trip he’d even scheduled in time for sleep and even the occasional training session. Reading through it, Tyler found himself more frustrated than ever. He knew what to expect and Jonathan hadn’t delivered anything less, with the exception of flying him coach, but for the first time it was grating on his every nerve. Tyler didn’t want every minute of every day planned out for him. He wanted to be free just to go where he felt like and not have to answer to anyone.

And that was the realisation that froze him on the spot. Standing in the middle of an average-size hotel room, dressed only in a pair of jeans, a wet towel lying across the bed, his bag exploding on the floor, Tyler froze. And for the first time in as long as he could remember he looked at his life. And with that came the understanding that his life wasn’t really his. Too many people relied on him for something. Their lives were intrinsically intertwined with his. One wrong move, one hare-brained idea, one bad decision, and it wasn’t only him who would have to live with the consequences.

“Fuck it!” Tyler snarled, punching the nearest pillow with all his frustrations.

For a moment he let his fury and disappointment bubble and escape before regaining control. Sometimes he just needed to get it out. Boxing was his preferred method but without the privacy of his own punching bag, swearing and tossing things about in a hotel room would have to do.

Once he got himself back in order, Tyler snatched up the itinerary and took another look. Thankfully he had the rest of the day to himself before his commitments started at six-thirty tomorrow morning. With a renewed sense of relief, Tyler finished dressing and rushed downstairs before sliding in the nearest taxi.

“Where to?” the driver asked brusquely.

“Disneyland.” Tyler beamed as he slipped his arm into his seatbelt. The driver barely grunted his acknowledgement as he pulled out into traffic.

Almost an hour later Tyler was standing at the gates of the happiest place on Earth with an ear-splitting grin. Seemingly all his frustrations and reservations had evaporated and in their spot was pure, unadulterated joy and unlimited freedom. Tyler quickly paid for his ticket and skipped through the gates.

Up ahead Tyler spotted Snow White floating towards him and started laughing. He knew that he must look like an idiot, walking along laughing to himself, but he didn’t care. For the first time in a long time Tyler was acting his age. Well, maybe not his age but he was having fun. And he’d barely started. After asking Snow White for directions to Mickey Mouse’s house, Tyler jogged towards it. He’d been to Disneyland before and loved every minute of it, but last time he’d missed out on meeting Mickey. He had been getting ready for the parade or something. But this time, this time nothing was going to stop Tyler from getting his photo taken with the famous mouse.

As he passed under the Toon Town welcome banner, the kids got thicker. They were squealing and smiling and laughing and even crying. Tyler spotted Tigger and Piglet off to one side and noticed the long line of people waiting patiently for their turn for a photo.

Quickening his pace, Tyler took long strides as he dashed towards Mickey’s house. And then, there it was. Being taller than almost everyone, especially the kids who barely reached his waist, gave Tyler an uninterrupted view of Mickey’s house. And standing on the front steps was the man of the moment. Or rather the mouse of the moment. Tyler jumped into the line and waited his turn. He felt foolish standing there, waiting patiently to have his photo taken with a guy in a felt suit, but it didn’t matter. That’s what Disneyland was all about. Forgetting who you are supposed to be and just being. In Tyler’s mind, as long as it didn’t hurt anyone or wasn’t illegal, there couldn’t be a downside. Could there?

The line moved quickly and soon Tyler was climbing the steps. He handed his phone to Mickey’s friend, whose name tag sent Tyler spinning. Shaking away the thought, Tyler stepped up beside Mickey and wrapped a long arm around the mouse.

“Here you go,” Mickey’s friend’s voice sing-songed as she handed the phone back to Tyler.

“Thanks…Ava,” Tyler gulped as the photographer’s name tripped off his tongue.

“You’re welcome.” She smiled before turning her attention to the little boy running up the stairs with outstretched arms towards Mickey.

As Tyler strolled through Mickey’s house and across through the back gate, he couldn’t help but hate himself. Just seeing her name on someone else had affected him. The thoughts that filled his head shouldn’t be there, but for some reason Tyler couldn’t shake them. He emerged moments later into the street and got swept along by the sea of people. Trying to figure out what was going on, Tyler tried to listen to the chatter around him. Only catching snippets of conversations, he deduced that a show was about to start and it was something that shouldn’t be missed. At the same time his stomach rumbled loudly, causing him to get a weird look from a redheaded girl with pigtails walking next to him. As the masses continued down the street, Tyler veered off and settled himself in the first restaurant he could find.

Tyler sat in the restaurant devouring the largest steak and chips he’d seen in a long time. He’d forgotten that in America everything was bigger. Tyler took his time, enjoyed his food, and watched the people scurrying about. Like tiny ants whose ant hill had just been danced in by a five-year-old, they darted from place to place at a half jog, squealing and laughing. And that was only the adults. Say what you like about it, Disneyland really did bring out the child in everyone.

Tugging absentmindedly at the guide that had been thrust in his hand as he’d entered the park, Tyler took his time and skimmed through the long list of activities and shows. He’d missed quite a few and some were about to start, but they didn’t really catch his eye. Only one stood out, and despite knowing he shouldn’t stay around till the park closed, Tyler knew he was going to. In all his years coming to Disneyland he’d never been able to stay till the Grand Parade. But this time it didn’t matter. Nothing did. Not the fact he would have to fight the crowds to grab a taxi back to the hotel. Not the fact that the jet lag was gnawing at him, or knowing he had to be up and alive incredibly early tomorrow morning. No, tonight he was going to stay and watch as Mickey commanded his kingdom and the fireworks lit up the sky.

Ignoring the aches, pains, and exhaustion, Tyler paid the bill and thrust himself back into the masses. If he was going to act like a kid, he was going to do it properly. And first stop was the tea cups.