Page 565 of One More Kiss

Misery Loves Company

S.E. Rose

Chapter1

Scarlett

Whoever saidtime heals all wounds is full of shit.

It’s been 3,650 days, 87,600 hours, and 5,265,000 minutes since the moment that changed my life, but who’s counting. I look out the airplane window. I can see land in the distance, which means this exhausting flight is nearly over.

I lean back in my seat and close my eyes, remembering the last time I visited here nearly fifteen years ago.

“Dad! Did you see the toilet?” my younger sister, Rylin, screams as she bounces in front of what looks like a stone slab with a hole in it.

“Ew! Ry, that’s gross,” I reply.

Dad laughs and throws an arm around my shoulders. “Makes your bathroom look pretty palatial, huh?”

“Dad,” I whine as I shrug out of his hold and walk past the small alcove where my sister is sitting and pretending to pee.

“Scar, don’t go too far,” my mom yells as I walk to the far side of the open space that probably once had multiple rooms, or at least that’s what the audio guide says as I half-listen to the headphones against my ears.

I continue down the steps and back outside, assessing the ruins. I pull my arms inside my poncho as drops of rain begin to fall. Great, now we’ll have to traipse back to town in the pouring rain.

“Not impressed?” my dad’s voice calls out from behind me.

I turn to him. “I mean, it’s OK.”

“Come on, I’ll tell you a story that your grandmother once told me,” he says as he motions me to a restored part of the castle that has a roof over it. “Let me tell you a tale about a princess and a prince of two opposing kingdoms. They kept running into each other in the woods as they escaped from their normal daily lives. They both felt free in the woods. They would leave each other a seashell they had found in an old stone cottage. Each giving it to the other and then receiving it back in return. One beautiful shell that they shared. One day, the prince admitted his feelings for the princess. They decided to leave their kingdoms so they could be together, but as fate would have it, that night the prince was sent away to fight in a war. When the princess arrived at their meeting spot the next day, she thought he had abandoned her. She sat in the woods and cried. A little old woman going for a walk stopped and told her that “if it was meant to be, it would be.” She continued to cry as she walked home, sure she’d never see her prince again. They both went on to live their lives, until one day years later, the prince came back. The princess was angry and ignored him, but day by day, he started leaving her a shell again with little notes. Until one day, when she went for her walk in the woods, she came upon the old stone cottage, and it had been renovated. She was sad that a place she had spent her youth playing was now off-limits to her as a new family must live there. As she went to leave, the door opened, and there stood the prince. He announced that he had fixed the house for her and that if their families wouldn’t let them be together, they could live there together. And somehow, they were able to bring their families together, and by wedding, they ended a century-old rift and merged their lands into one kingdom.”

“That’s a short story, Dad,” I say as I lean my head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of my head.

“I’ll tell you the longer version another time, kiddo. But isn’t it cool to think places like that actually exist?” he asks as he motions around us.

“That’s not the story of this castle,” I point out as I motion to my audio guide.

He laughs. “No, it’s not, but it’s a great story, nonetheless. Live in the moment, Scarlett. We have so few days like this in life, where we are all together and everything is fine. So, store this one in your memory bank, just like I will store it in mine. Who cares if it’s raining or if we get wet? We’re together, and that’s what matters.”

“I guess,” I mutter, trying to appease him.

“We should probably head back to town,” Mom’s voice interrupts us.

We stand to leave, and I look around once more as Dad leans down. “Remember this moment and keep it with you always.”

“I remember,” I whisper toward the window.

The captain comes over the loudspeaker to announce our arrival in Edinburgh. The annoying man sitting behind me thumps my seat again. I swear that if we weren’t landing in the next thirty minutes, I might literally murder this person. I can tell he’s a tall man, and I’m sure this cattle car is no fun for him, but all I’ve felt are his knees against my back for a solid ten hours.

Willing myself not to commit a crime on an international flight, I ready my things and prepare to go through customs.

I plan on spending the day here and then going out to Stonehaven tomorrow. From there, it’s down the coast to London for a few days before heading back home. It’s a short trip, but tomorrow, I’ll fulfill the reason for coming here.

By the time I have my things gathered and my forms filled out, we’re pulling up to our gate. It takes me two hours to go through customs, get my luggage, and secure a ride to a small bed-and-breakfast near the city center. I drop my things off and spend my day frolicking around this enchanting city. I visit the castle and the palace. I eat lunch at a pub where I order fish and chips. I go on a ghost tour, and at sunset, I climb a nearby hill with great views of the city. And then I head back to a restaurant near my bed-and-breakfast and grab dinner before calling it a night.

Lying in bed, I pat the small wooden box I’ve brought with me. Tomorrow is the big day.

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