High Hopes

Chapter Eighteen

Walking out from her office one sunny afternoon almost sixteen months to the day that she left San Francisco for good, talking animatedly to Stacey, Claire suddenly stops in her tracks. Much further along the sidewalk she's certain she spots a familiar figure walking straight towards her. Heart racing, turning to her companion, she apologises saying, "Stacey, I forgot, there's something I need to attend to urgently on my desk. I have to go back in. You go on to drinks without me. I'll see you later, at dinner."

"Sure, no problem." Stacey nods, waves goodbye and continues on her way. Alone on the sidewalk she focuses all her attention on the good-looking man walking towards her, oblivious to her presence, talking on his cellphone. As he gets closer, she moves an errant piece of bottle blonde hair behind her right ear, a sign of nervousness to anyone who knows her well. She stands still, waiting patiently, heart thumping in her chest as he nears. Three, two, one. The shocked expression on his face, after he puts his cellphone away in his inner jacket pocket, is priceless. He looks like he's seen a ghost, his face pale in comparison to the healthy tan on his muscular arms and his deep blue eyes wide in shock. She drinks in his appearance, committing it to memory again.

"Claire?" He stops directly in front of her and tentatively moves his hand out to touch her as if to check that she is indeed real and not a figment of his overactive imagination.

"Will." The touch is electric, despite the time that has past.

"I can't believe it's you!"

"It's me."

"I found you!"

"You did."

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"You and me both." She smiles, slowly at first and then widely enough to reveal her lovely white teeth. Will pulls her into a hug and holds on tight, like a homeless man finally finding the last blanket on a cold winter's day. It feels so good to her, to be in his arms again. Like being home. She only hopes that he can't feel her most irregular heartbeat.

Eventually he releases her, but retains her hands in his generous ones. "It's so good to see you again." He shakes his head with his eyes closed, then opens them again to check that she's still in front of him. "I have so many questions. Is there somewhere we can talk? Do you have time?" He releases her hands.

Claire glances at her silver and gold wristwatch and thinks for a second. "I have about half an hour. Joe's Coffee is just around the next corner."

"Perfect. Lead the way."

She walks, he follows, her heart racing still, his echoing hers, unbeknown to her of course. Joe's is a relatively laid back place, considering it's location. They order drinks at the counter and are told to take a seat. Claire observes that Will's eyes never leave her for a second. Sitting across from one another, he smiles nervously. "I guess my first question has to be, what happened? Why couldn't I get hold of you when you first arrived in New York?"

She laughs - a sound so lovely, he'd almost forgotten it with the passing of time."Why's that funny? I'm deadly serious."

"That's two questions!"

"Okay, please first answer two of the many questions that I have for you."

Knowing this would be what he wondered about the most, her answer comes easily. It's been repeated and memorised in her mind for close to a year and a half now, for exactly this situation. "Believe it or not, my cellphone was run over by an aeroplane hostess trolley not long after we took off from San Francisco airport. It was completely destroyed, unsalvageable."

"You're kidding?"

"Afraid not. I thought I had slipped it into my jacket pocket after switching it off, but it landed on the floor instead." She shrugs her shoulders.