Page 77 of Night and Day
“Keep it.”
With the microphone connected to his computer, Izzy tested the sound, turning to Mia. “You ready?”
She tipped her chin, her eyes burning like never before. The morning sun streamed in through the window, too bright and distracting. Izzy fought an urge to pull the curtains. The light he’d happily kept out now reminded him of Mia. Her hair, her bright eyes and burning passion. That directness that forced him to meet her there, eye to eye, with no pretence. She’d woken him from hibernation. How could she leave him here? He couldn’t go back to sleep.
Izzy started recording, indicating for Mia to start. The fierce concentration on her face, she played, gradually surrendering to the song. He knew she’d written it to him, like a letter he could neither ignore nor dwell on. It made him too sad, but it had to be recorded. This song deserved to be heard, and he’d do his best to produce it. He’d spent years mixing audio tracks. He would figure it out, for her.
Mia played the song again, her confidence growing on the second round. Izzy gave her gentle notes, encouraging her to slow down and enjoy the moments. And she did, until there was no time left.
While Izzy filled a couple of water bottles, Mia poked her head into Deke’s room. Izzy heard Casanova calling her a beautiful girl and smiled to himself. That parrot was smoother than he’d ever be.
They packed her things in Izzy’s car and he sped along the suburban roads towards the motorway.
“Let me choose the music, okay?” Mia said, taking his phone and quickly connecting it to the car stereo. After a moment, a melancholic male voice filled the car, crooning something in a language he didn’t understand.
“Finnish?”
“Icelandic.” She grinned at him. “I just love this song.”
She curated the playlist for the rest of the trip, and they talked about music, New Zealand and Finland, carefully avoiding the topic of the impending farewell. Mia checked her messages. “My sister was having contractions already, but sounds like it may have been false labour.”
“Hope you make it back in time.” Izzy said. He had to accept his fate. If he pressed too hard now, he’d lose her.
He glanced at Mia, suddenly reminded of how she’d looked when he’d first picked her up. She no longer had her guard up. Instead of hugging her knees, she had her feet up on top of the glove compartment, her head flopping against his shoulder.
She had an edge to her, a fierceness that may have looked like lack of emotion, especially without the tears, but he’d seen the fire that dwelled inside, matching the one in his chest. How many people missed that about her? Would anyone in Finland understand what they had when she returned to their lives?
As the traffic slowed approaching Auckland, Izzy felt the familiar chill down his spine. Whatever Mia expected from their goodbyes, he probably couldn’t deliver. Why hadn’t he prepared her for this? He’d been so high on their time together, just the two of them hiding from the world. He wanted to think it was love, it had to be love... He thought when the time came, he’d find the courage to tell her. But how? He could hardly work up the courage to walk into a large building with... what? People wheeling luggage? What was wrong with him? Izzy wanted to slap himself.
“When was the last time you went to the airport?” Mia’s tone was casual, but she dropped her feet on the floor and straightened her spine. She could see right through him.
“Never.” he swallowed a sizeable lump.
“Really? Not even to pick someone up?”
Izzy shifted in his seat, knuckles twitching on the steering wheel. “I... people know I don’t enjoy that kind of thing, so they never ask.”
He felt sick to his stomach. Everyone had worked hard to make him comfortable, allowing him to avoid the most basic experiences in life. He’d been happy with his own imagination, creating a story that included a frightening transport hub in the afterlife, yet he’d never visited Auckland airport.
The traffic crawled to a halt just before the South Western motorway ramp. They had little time. If she didn’t make it onto that flight, what would happen? Part of him wanted that more than anything, but would it be a victory? She’d feel guilty for failing her sister and probably lose a lot of money on flight tickets. When she inevitably flew away later, she might never come back. Izzy tapped the steering wheel, the tightness in his chest intensifying by the minute.
Finally, they made it onto the ramp and the congestion eased. Izzy wove between the three lanes, trying to win back lost time. He wouldn’t fail her. He wouldn’t try to keep her against her will. No. He’d set her free and she’d return to him. Sending the desperate prayer out to the universe, he turned onto the airport road and floored the pedal on the open stretch of motorway.
Mia looked at her phone. “Calm down. We’ll make it.”
Izzy wanted to respond, but the tightness had spread to his throat. He couldn’t tell what was strangling him, the thought of the airport with all its people and noise, or the thought of her getting on that plane. Either way, panic accelerated his pulse and he knew he’d already failed.
