Page 19 of Closer than Ever

Anna softened. It was sweet of Hayley to ask her and suggested she meant more to Hayley than perhaps Anna realised. “I would love to come with you. It’s the trip of a lifetime. But I’m not in a position to just up and leave my job for months.” Anna tried to be as kind as possible in the delivery of this. “I also don’t have the money. Thank you for asking but it’s not a possibility, I’m afraid. I’m sorry.”

“I have more than enough money for the both of us to enjoy this trip. Please don’t let money stand in the way.”

Anna’s mouth dropped open. “Uh…”

“Here.” Hayley pushed her chair back and got something from her backpack: a bit of paper and something else that fitted in her palm. Walking back, she unfolded the bit of paper, straightened it out and placed it on the table between them, putting a cloudy white stone beside it. “Do you remember this?”

Anna nodded, struggling to believe her eyes. “You kept this?”

“Yes.” Hayley sat down.

Anna attempted to compute. They’d made this list together over a decade ago. While the future was still limitless. When the harsh realities of getting jobs and living in different countries to one another seemed like tomorrow’s problems. When the fear of the unknown wasn’t so crippling. The paper was worn but still perfectly legible. Why had Hayley held on to it all this time?

“These are all the places we said we wanted to visit together. All the cool things we said we wanted to do. Our list.” Hayley’s voice was soft and tender. It spoke of a time Anna thought Hayley had long forgotten about. “And this is the stone I found on the beach that day.”

Hayley picked up the stone and turned it around in her fingers as if she’d done it a million times before.

Anna had forgotten about the stone. That Hayley had kept it all this time and brought it back with her on this trip was mind-boggling. Anna stared at their secret pact made just before they’d taken the picture that sat in Anna’s living room. She remembered their list all too well, but it was something she’d long since lost hope would ever happen.

Hayley leant forward, reading from the list. “Wild swimming. Glencoe. Climb Ben Nevis. Whisky on a beach.” Hayley paused, looking all innocent but Anna knew better. “Skinny-dipping.”

Anna laughed, tentatively. She remembered them laughing about it then and Hayley writing it down. She couldn’t believe Hayley had just said that now, though. Then again, it was on the list and Hayley did always know how to push things that bit further. Like that time they’d brought two guys back to the flat after a club and things almost escalated into a foursome in the living room. It was all Hayley’s doing and Anna knew fine well what she was capable of and how daring she could be. She didn’t know whether to be thrilled or terrified. “I don’t know what to say.”

Hayley continued to read. “Visit the islands: Skye, Lewis, Mull, Jura and Islay. See puffins and seals. Castles. Paddleboard. Eat out in fancy seafood restaurants. Visit a distillery.”

Anna smiled. “Aw, bless.”

“Say yes. Show me the real Scotland like you said you would all those years ago. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Seeing their list evoked something in Anna she couldn’t deny. But it was a painful, dangerous thing that she didn’t want to open up again. Hayley was sitting across from her all hopeful though. “You make a very persuasive case. But I can’t go with you. Like I said, there’s my job at the distillery. I don’t even know if it’s possible to take that much time off.”

Hayley nodded, defeated. “I understand. It’s very short notice.”

“It’s not a no. Let me think about it. I’ll talk to Kelly.”

Hayley beamed. “Awesome! I’ll take that.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“My hopes are high. They refuse to be dropped.”

Anna smiled. “You don’t even have a plan. I hardly even know what I’d be signing up for.”

“We could make a plan together?”

“I see what you did there.”

“If it means I get you to come with me on the trip I apologise for nothing. To be honest, it is high time I get organised now that the campervan is ready. I was going to do that in between seeing more of you and your lovely town. Man, there’s so much I want to do, and I really hope you’ll come with me.”

“Damn you for putting the idea into my head.”

“You hadn’t thought of it before?”

“No.”

“Come with me, please! It will be amazing, I promise.”

“You’re mad.”

---