Chaos continues to ensure. Sirens burst out, I presume some of them belong to the police, arresting the criminals involved, and there must be ambulances as well. After all, someone got shot.
By the time I break free of the balling crowds of people and I make my way to the front, I see Shane being harassed by reporters. They are clawing at him, grabbing him like he’s nothing, just a commodity. I’m sure that he wants to get away, to be with his family, but they aren’t letting him do so.
They are firing questions at him just like they did to me.
I scream his name, but my voice gets lost in the crowd. Everyone is yelling, the whole world wants a piece of him right now, it isn’t just me. He has no chance of hearing me, but that doesn’t stop me from yelling…
And then something strange happens. The whole world around us seems to stop. That intense bond that we’ve always shared, the things that has continually brought us back to one another over and over again, works its magic, and like a scene from a movie, Shane turns his head and his eyes connect with mine.
My heart stops beating, my lungs stop breathing, I am completely consumed by him.
There is a warmth there, that loving feeling that could only ever come from him. No one has ever made me feel like this before and I just know that they never will again. I force myself to smile, but I can’t seem to move. I’m frozen to the spot, lead filling every inch of me, all that I can do is stand here and wait for him to make his choice. The decision about whether or not he wants me back in his life or not, even for a moment.
Then Shane shakes his head, ever so slightly, it’s barely even a moment really, but it’s enough to let me know. He means ‘no’. As in ‘we are done here’. Like he doesn’t even want to talk to me again.
It’s over. My heart sinks so low I swear it must fall out of my body completely. As he drags his eyes away from me, breaking our connection for the very last time ever, I’m devastated. He doesn’t even want to hear me out. I can’t fight that. If he’s done, then it leaves me no choice. I have to be too.
I turn away with tears streaming down my face, and I grab out my cell phone as soon as I break free. The crowd is thinning now anyway so it takes me much less time to get out, and as soon as I do I hit the call button.
“Hello?” the gruff voice answers, clearly not the happiest to hear from me.
“Hi, it’s me. It’s Tia. Sorry that it’s taken me so long to come to this decision, I would love to come to Iceland with you. I would love to be in your movie.”
It’s all that I can do now, to get away. I don’t have any choice. Without Shane I can’t stay here any longer. I have to go.
Chapter TwentyTwo – Shane
Six months later…
“Hi, Mom,” I say with a smile as I stand in the doorway to her little apartment. She doesn’t really fit in here, it’s obvious that she comes from money and this is below her, but judging by the smile on her face she’s happy. I didn’t know her from before, but I’m sure she’s better now. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m good, I’m good.” She leans in to give me an awkward half hug. I think she’s still a little uncomfortable with this whole parenting thing which is fair enough. It’s new to all of us. I’m sure that she thinks I blame her too, which I don’t. Maybe I would have if I had found her earlier on in life then maybe I would have, but I’m old enough now to know better. It wasn’t ever her choice. I get that. “Please, come in.”
Unsurprisingly as I step into her living room, I find my father there too. They sure are spending a lot of time together recently, ever since he got out of the hospital, he was very lucky that the bullet only grazed his side and didn’t do too much damage to him, and I’m pretty sure they are on the verge of getting back together. A beautiful love story after all this time. My mother has stepped away from her father, creating some distance from his rules and expectations, which he has happily let happen because he’s so glad to have her alive, and she’s becoming the more independent version of herself that she has always wanted to be. My father is doing his part as well. As far as what he’s been telling me, he’s stepping away from crime and living a simpler life, for her.