Sight Chapter 42: Growing Closer

***author’s note: Happy New Year! Sorry this is late~ Hope you enjoy 🙂 (Just a fair warning: there’s one slightly suggestive photo~)***
SECOND HALF RECAPS
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3:22 p.m. | Liberty Bookstore
It was a chilly day. Lexi regrets not having grabbed a jacket as she makes her way to she and Otto’s meeting spot. She hugs her shirt closer and glances at families and couples walking around as she makes her way across Liberty Square. As she nears the coffee shop they were supposed to meet up at, Lexi spots Otto staring intensely at a display of books outside and smiles. Since they started dating, she was surprised to have learned a lot of unexpected things about Otto. She knew he was an exercise buff and had assumed he was a fairly straightforward muscle head, but she was so wrong. He was a deep thinker, incredibly romantic, and being great in bed was just the cherry on top.

The only silver lining to the horrible incident that befell Aislyn and Kim months back was she and Otto getting closer to one another. His attentiveness when she was so distressed at the time made her view him differently. “Hey you.” She says once she’s in earshot. The glint in his eye when he turns and sees her flips her stomach. 

“I thought we were supposed to be meeting at the coffee shop.” “I had a few minutes to spare and got distracted.” He says with a grin. Lexi loved the way he rolled his r’s; remnants of a Spanish accent that had disappeared over time. Otto walks towards her and automatically pulls her in for a kiss that makes her weak in the knees. The sound of someone tutting causes them to pull apart, and Lexi notices an older man shaking his head as he steps around them to enter the bookstore. “I think we’re in the way.” She laughs. “There’s plenty of space, he’s being petty.” Otto says.

“Oh.” Lexi says excitedly before she forgets. “When’s the last time you’ve hung out with Cailean?”

“We went to the gym a few days ago, why?”

“Do you know whether he and Aislyn are dating?”

“No, we spent most of the time talking about that football game between Villagio and Ravensburg.”

“Ew. Dont talk sport to me babe, you know I hate it.” Lexi rolls her eyes. “Right.” Otto says with a smirk. “What makes you think that?” He asks.

“Well, I was running late on the way here and had to take a short-cut through that creepy winding road that passes by the graveyard. I glanced at it when I was walking by and saw someone that looked like Commissioner DeCarlo. So, I took a closer look and it was definitely her, and what’s weirder was that Aislyn was sitting right next to her. The air around them was kind of tense, so I didn’t intrude even though it’s been months since I’ve seen her and wanted to say hello.” Lexi pauses to recall the atmosphere between the two; there was no mistaking that something was up.

“I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I distinctly heard Aislyn say ‘don’t tell Cailean’… what do you think that could mean?” “I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know it’s none of our concern.” Otto says sternly. “You think I should ask him?” “No, I think you should stay out of it. You said it yourself that the air seemed tense.” Lexi pouts her lips the way she did when Otto would disagree with her to make him come around.

“Nice try, mi cariña.” He says reaching for her hand. “You’re free to do what you want, but I think it best you keep this to yourself.” “Fine.” Lexi says with an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll hold off… for now.” Otto laughs and pulls her along. “Come on.” He strokes her thumb with his and it sends a chill through her. “Babe.” She says as some heat begins to course through her, “What do you say we grab that bite to go, and head back to my place?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”
___

4:47 p.m. | Merry Times Bar
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5:16 p.m. | Mai & Chad’s Apartment
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6:04 p.m. | Oldmerrow Walking Trails
“Where are we going?” Aislyn asks. “It’s not much, but you’ll see.” Cailean says as he leads her along the familiar paths on the outskirts of Oldmerrow, but in a direction she herself had never ventured to. They walk in silence in the early evening air, the sun setting in the distance. After talking with Daphne, Aislyn had come home in a daze and sat on her couch, lost in thought before the sound of Cailean calling her phone brought her back to reality. He’d told her that morning he had somewhere he wanted to take her, so she’d hastily gotten ready when he’d told her he was on his way to pick her up.

They’d eaten dinner at yet another eatery in Oldmerrow she hadn’t been to, and Aislyn hoped she’d managed to successfully mask all of the emotions she was experiencing after talking to his mother. “What’s wrong?” Cailean asks. And Aislyn quickly adjusts her face to erase any visible signs of her worrying.

“I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About you.” She says. Her bluntness appears to catch him off guard as some color rises to his cheeks. “What about me?” Cailean asks as he turns away. Aislyn found that bashful side of his to be quite endearing.

“How did your case go?” Aislyn asks, deflecting his question without having to lie outright. The color that had appeared began to drain from Cailean’s face, and she wonders if she shouldn’t have asked. “It’s gotten… complicated.” He says. “Sorry… that’s probably the last thing you want to think about right now.” She says as she squeezes his hand. He returns the gesture. “I wouldn’t mind escaping it for the next few hours or so.” “That settles it, no work talk until the day is done.” “Sounds good.” He says.

As they continue along the path, the trees before them give way to a clearing with large standing stones arranged in circles. “Woah.” Aislyn says as she lays eyes on the interesting site. Cailean releases her hand to reach into his pocket and Aislyn walks ahead to take a closer look. “How’d you find this place?” She turns in time to be greeted by a camera flash.

Her eyes land on the familiar device she’d carefully picked out after reading a plethora of photography blogs: Cailean’s Valentine’s Day present. “I take it you like it then?” She asks with a smile.

“Like it? I love it. How’d you know I’d been meaning to buy a new camera?”

“I didn’t, I just thought, given your hobby, it’d be something you’d use.”

“I’d bookmarked this exact model online to look up when I had time, it’s new.”

“I know, I did my research.” Aislyn says with a satisfied smile. “Thank you.” Cailean says genuinely. He draws her in and plants a kiss on her forehead before stepping back to take more pictures.

“I can’t wait to see how these come out.” Cailean says. His enthusiasm is contagious. Aislyn extends her palm, “Let me see.” She says. “See what?” Cailean asks as he rotates the lens and snaps a few more pictures. “Let me take a photo of you. I took a look at the board in your room and I didn’t see any pics that had you in them.” “That’s a given considering I enjoy being behind the lens, not in front of it.” “I’m going to change that.” She says. Cailean raises an eyebrow and places the camera in her hand.

“Stand over there.” Aislyn instructs. Cailean gives her an amused smile but obliges. “Look over there.” Cailean turns in the direction she points. “No, don’t rotate your whole body, only your head.” Aislyn says, and he grins. “Like this?” “Good. Now, don’t smile.” “Don’t smile?” Cailean echoes, emphasizing the ‘don’t’. “Haven’t you looked in a magazine before? The image I’m going for should be fairly obvious.” “Can’t confess I have.” He says as he follows her instructions.

“Perfect.” Aislyn says as she snaps several pictures. “Was it?” Cailean asks with a hint of disbelief in his tone. “Mmhmm. I can see why you’re fond of taking photos, it’s pretty fun.” “If you don’t mind, I’d like to return to you being my subject now.” Cailean says. He copies her earlier gesture and extends his palm; with a laugh, Aislyn hands back the camera. 

They walk around as Cailean takes pictures of her and the surrounding scenery. She notices some new traits about him that she wouldn’t be able to pick up solely speaking over the phone. For instance, the furrow that appears between Cailean’s brows when he was concentrating or the involuntary smile that spreads across his face from behind the camera when he was satisfied with his shots. The carefreeness and genuine joy on Cailean’s face fills Aislyn with warmth. Their outing was providing her with an opportune time to get to know more about Cailean and all the subtleties in his expressions as well as mannerisms he possesses that made up his personality, and she was enjoying every second of it.

7:29 p.m. | Woodhearst Hotel
Gus stares absentmindedly at the cars driving by on a nearby street. He glances at his watch before taking the gallery tickets Aislyn had returned to him out of his pocket for what feels like the 100th time, evident in the edges that had begun to look worn down. When he’d spoken to Kim on the phone earlier, asking her to meet him, Gus wasn’t able to talk to her as comfortably as normal. Kim appeared to be on edge as well; without engaging in any small talk she gave him a simple ‘okay’ before hanging up. Despite hoping Aislyn was correct in saying Kim had feelings for him, Gus still wasn’t entirely convinced that was true. 

After a few more minutes, a yellow cab pulls up in front of the hotel, and out steps Kim. She doesn’t notice him right away, which gives him the chance to take her in. She looked the same way she always did, and yet entirely new to him at the same time. Gus supposed this was due to his newfound feelings for her. Kim turns and when their eyes meet, he feels some heat rise into his face.  

“Hey.” She says, once she comes to a stop beside him. “Hi.” He barely manages to get out. What’s wrong with me? Gus mentally chides himself for his out of character reactions. He wasn’t someone who got nervous, and yet there he was, quite nervous. “Why’d you ask to meet today?” Kim asks. Gus is unable to read her tone from her expression. Was she annoyed? Was she expecting something? As he looks into her eyes, his inability to read Kim the way he normally could irks him. Before, he knew how Kim would react to something or what she would say before she could utter a word. But now, he was drawing a blank.

“I just had these tickets lying around and-” Gus pauses. He figured playing off the evening as a simple hangout between friends would be the safest route in perhaps bridging the distance between them and preserving the relationship they had. But he didn’t want that anymore, did he? Now was the chance to face that uncharacteristic fear he possessed head on. As he looks into Kim’s expectant eyes, Gus decides to say what’s on his mind, without overwhelming her by dumping all of his feelings at once. Later… later, he’d tell her how he really felt.

“Actually Kim, the truth is… I’ve missed you.” He pauses to run a hand through his hair. He found maintaining eye contact with Kim to be difficult, but knew he’d have to in order to convey that he was being genuine. He redirects his eyes to hers. “I’m sorry I let things between us get… weird-” “Why are you apologizing?” Kim interrupts. “That was largely my fault.” She adds. “How about we agree it’s both our faults.” Gus suggests. Kim lets out a quiet laugh and her expression softens. “That’s fair… So can we go back to being good again? Because I’ve missed you, too.” “We most definitely can.” Gus says, giving her a wide smile.

“Where are we?” She asks, returning his expression with a smile of her own. “At a hotel.” Kim raises an eyebrow. “Wait a second.” Gus hastily adds realizing the potential implication given his history. “There’s an art gallery inside. It’s only in town for one more night and-” “Are you kidding?!” Kim interjects. “Are you talking about the Monde Galleria?”

“Yeah, how’d you know? I-”

“How could I not? You’re saying you’ve got tickets?”

“I do.” Gus says, amused at his inability to get a word in at Kim’s excited flow of questions. “What are we standing around here for? Let’s go!”

Elated at the change in tone, Gus offers Kim his arm up the stairs. “Madame.” He says sarcastically. Kim scoffs and takes it. He hands the now worn looking tickets to the woman stationed behind the front desk, who directs them towards the hall leading to the exhibition. Feeling emboldened by Kim’s perkiness Gus wraps his arm around her. “Hey, you’re going to run my hair.” Kim says. Gus notices that while Kim reaches up to reposition some loose strands, she makes no move to step away or swat his arm. That’s a good sign. He thinks. As they walk on, Kim leans onto him, raising her arm behind his back and wrapping it around his waist. That’s a very good sign.
___

8:49 p.m.
Aislyn awakes with a start. Her eyes dart around and are greeted by the star filled sky. The last thing she remembers is following Cailean’s lead to a patch of grass between the trees and erect rocks after a somewhat lengthy photo taking escapade. They had been watching the drifting clouds in silence and must’ve fallen asleep at some point. Aislyn feels her senses sharpen due to the cold sensation she’s experiencing. A brief glance around reveals no presence, ghostly or otherwise, aside from Cailean lying peacefully beside her, and she suspects it might just be the breeze blowing in from the water in front of them that woke her.

Aislyn turns to face Cailean, careful with her movements so as to not wake him. Their days together face-to-face only served to make her aware of just how much more about him she wanted to know, and how much more about herself she wasn’t ready to tell him. While they had gotten a lot closer over the past few weeks, Aislyn wasn’t secure enough in their relationship to be 100% open with him about her life and past. Granted, his mother had taken her truth earlier fairly well, but there was no guarantee Cailean would as well. He himself said he didn’t expect Aislyn to change overnight, so for the time being, she would continue to take advantage of his patience.

Aislyn rises and stares at the moon; it had gotten fairly late. She needed to begin her drive back to Bayville soon as she had work early the next morning, and a story she needed to wrap up before her weekly meeting with Silva and the team. Feeling guilty at having to wake Cailean, who was no doubt exhausted from his own work, Aislyn reaches for his hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. Having learned Cailean was a heavy sleeper, Aislyn isn’t surprised when he doesn’t stir. She smiles as she moves her hand to his shoulder to give him a gentle shake. “Cailean.” She says. “It’s getting late.” Cailean’s eyes flutter open, and the smile that forms on his face when his eyes land on her dissipates the cold that was plaguing her. He envelops her hand with his before leaning up. “What time is it? He asks. “I didn’t check.” She answers.

“This isn’t how I’d planned our evening to go.” “It seems we both ran out of steam.” Aislyn says. “But I had a great time. What else did you want to do?” She adds. “To be honest, I just wanted to talk.” Cailean shrugs. “About what?” Aislyn asks, her pulse quickening. Despite believing that Daphne would stay true to her word and keep Cailean in the dark regarding the things she’d shared, Aislyn couldn’t control the bit of panic that arose in her. “About a lot of things.” Cailean says turning his eyes to hers. “You’re being incredibly vague.” Aislyn feels heat creep into her cheeks. “I am, aren’t I?” Cailean laughs. Aislyn still feels too uneasy to join him.

“Well, for starters.” Cailean continues after a moment. “I never answered your question about how I found this place?” “Oh, yeah.” Aislyn says, exhaling a sigh of relief. “I got too distracted by the camera to ask again.” Cailean smiles, “Yeah well, I suppose it’s more accurate to say I didn’t find this place, but was brought to it… by my dad.” Aislyn’s mind instantly flashes back to the tombstone she’d seen Daphne by that afternoon.

She notices Cailean stiffen slightly as he says that and squeezes his hand, encouraging him to continue. “He used to bring me here from time to time, quite a lot actually now that I think back. We mostly talked. He’d teach me lessons about being a man and all that.” Cailean says as he hangs his head back to look at the sky. “Sometimes we’d just escape here if we knew my mother was in a bad mood and wanted to give her time to cool off.” He adds with a sad smile.

Aislyn leans towards Cailean, wanting to embrace him as he shares the memories she figures must be quite painful. Just as she’s about to wrap her arms around him, a sudden sharp chill shoots through her body causing her to shiver visibly. Cailean notices she halts her movement. “Are you okay?” He asks. “Yeah, I’m fine-” Aislyn barely manages to finish her sentence before another shiver ripples through her. “You are most definitely not fine.” Cailean says. He sits up and turns Aislyn’s face, that had snapped to the left to determine the origin of what she was now sure was a ghost’s presence, back towards him. Aislyn can see her pale face reflected in his eyes.

“Your cheek feels like ice.” Cailean says concerned. He immediately pulls off his jacket and drapes it over her shoulders. Aislyn slips her arms through the sleeves, and instantly feels better. “Thanks.” “We should go if you’re getting cold.” “I don’t want to leave just yet.” Aislyn says. Despite the concern etched on Cailean’s face, he can’t help but break into a slight smile. “Fine. We can stay for a bit longer, but if you start shivering again, we’re gone.” “Deal.” Aislyn says.

Cailean pulls her closer to him and places his arm over her shoulder. Unlike her freezing self, he emanates warmth. “Please continue.” She says. It was the first time Cailean had opened up about that part of his life: his younger years and his father, and she wanted to know more. “I used to spend so much time here… but for the last decade I could count the times I’ve been back on my hand.” “Why?” Aislyn asks. “It didn’t feel… right… coming here. Not since-” Cailean lets his sentence trail off and Aislyn finishes it for him. “Your father passed away.” She says and Cailean nods.

“I suppose for me, it became a place that made me sad when it used to bring joy. It’s part of the reason why I wanted to bring you today. To try and associate it with something that brings me happiness.” Aislyn’s heart swells at his words and Cailean continues, “Like I said, it’s not anything too special-” “Cailean.” Aislyn interrupts. “If it’s a place that’s important to you, then it is special.” She says. “Thanks for bringing me here.” Cailean, unable to utter a response to her words, turns his face towards Aislyn and pulls her in for a kiss.
___

9:13 p.m. | Goldenrod Ave.
Kim rolls down the window in Gus’s car and lets the night’s cool air blow on her flushed face. Everything went great at the art gallery; she had a fun time looking at pieces she’d only ever seen mentioned in her magazines or online in photos. The minute they came into the car however, the atmosphere changed. Being in an enclosed space alone with Gus after walking around in the crowded airy gallery halls left her with no choice but to be extremely aware of his presence.

Kim had come to terms with her feelings a long time ago, including the possibility that Gus wouldn’t ever return them. But today, something felt different. The electric sensation that was tingling over her body… she couldn’t help but wonder if Gus was experiencing it too. He’s told her he’s missed her countless times before, but today Kim felt there was a greater depth to his words. After years of seeing Gus find solace in the company of someone else, she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

They were approaching the intersection that led to their homes; going straight went to Gus’s neighborhood, turning right went to Kim’s. A part of her wonders what would happen if she told Gus to keep driving straight. Having gotten used to keeping her feelings to herself, Kim didn’t have the guts to pull something like that and keeps quiet. She’d have to be content with their outing; it was the closest thing they’d ever had to a date. As Kim returns from letting her mind drift off and relive their evening, she notices Gus doesn’t turn. She snaps her head towards him in surprise. Gus turns his head her way briefly, and Kim is stunned to see the expression he has on his face. Is he blushing? She thinks. Sure enough there’s a faint red tint beneath Gus’s cheeks and a glow in his eyes that was alluring.

He redirects his attention to the road, takes one of his hands off of the steering wheel and extends it towards her palm up. Without saying anything, Kim slips her hand into it. Gus encloses his hand around hers, and she cant hide the smile that breaks out across her face. Kim goes back to facing the window in an attempt to hide her very obvious giddyness from Gus, her brain incapable of processing what was happening. She felt like she was in a fever dream and that speaking would somehow shatter the moment and bring her back to reality, so she remains silent. Where the night would lead she had no idea, but for the first time, Kim allowed herself to have a glimmer of hope that things between she and Gus could change.
___

9:57 p.m. | Aislyn’s House
“You don’t have to walk me to the door.” “Yes, I do.” Cailean says as he takes Aislyn’s hand once she walks around the car. “We don’t know when the next time we’ll see each other is, so I’m going to make every second count.” He adds. “That’s true.” Aislyn says as she ponders this. When would be the next time they could meet up? For all she knew, it could very well be another month. “I’d have liked to take you back, but you surprised me earlier by telling me you got your license and a car.” “It was easier than I thought it would be. But I can’t deny my dad helped a lot.” She says with a shy smile.

“I could’ve helped you too.”

“I know, but I was trying to surprise you, so it’s not like I could’ve asked for advice during our calls.”

“You’re good at keeping secrets, I couldn’t tell at all. Thank you.”

“It was nothing.” Aislyn says. She tries to smile but can tell that it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Cailean notices. “What’s wrong?” He asks. Aislyn never had an issue with all of the things she kept to herself. She thought the lies she told were to protect those around her from needless worrying, but her conversation with Daphne earlier made her painfully aware that wasn’t exactly true and that she was afraid. Afraid of being honest and having Cailean look at her or think of her any differently than he did now.

Aislyn knew she needed to start being honest, but couldn’t bring herself to do it just yet. “I’m just tired.” She raises the hand that isn’t holding Cailean’s to brush some of her hair behind her ear and directs her attention to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye Aislyn thinks she sees Cailean open his mouth to speak, but when she looks back at him, he simply nods and continues to walk in silence.    

They come to a stop in front of her door. “Drive safe.” Cailean says. “I will.” She raises her hands to pull off Cailean’s jacket and return it, but Cailean places his hands over hers and stops her. “Keep it.” He says. “Okay.” Aislyn’s voice is barely audible. “Thank you.” She says after clearing her throat. Cailean lowers his hands to her waist, and pulls Aislyn until they are standing chest to chest. “Aislyn…” “Yeah?” Cailean is silent for a moment before continuing, “Let me know when you get home.” Aislyn nods, unable to keep eye contact at the intensity of Cailean’s expression paired with his closeness. She had a feeling that wasn’t what he originally intended to say, but felt that she didn’t have the right to ask given how much she was withholding herself.

She directs her attention to Cailean’s lips, making her intentions fairly obvious. The corners of his mouth curve into a smile as he leans down, and Aislyn’s lips tingle in anticipation as she tilts her head up to meet him. As their lips brush against one another, Aislyn feels her body begin to twist in desire as her head fills with nothing but thoughts of Cailean and all of the sensations he made her feel. Before her will power crumbles, Aislyn pulls away. As much as she’d like to let things escalate and invite Cailean inside, she couldn’t. Not when the pit of her stomach that was filled with heat was also harboring immense guilt. “I should go.” She whispers. Cailean wears an expression that Aislyn is incapable of reading, and after another agonizing moment of silence, he speaks. “Goodnight.” He says. “Night.” Aislyn echoes. 

Aislyn steps inside and waits until she hears Cailean pull away before moving from the door. With a sigh she quickly gathers the things she’d brought from Bayville, and makes her way towards her car. As she throws her bag into the back seat the icy sensation from before returns, causing Aislyn to shoot a glare at where she suspects it’s coming from. Feeling comfortable now that Cailean was no longer around, Aislyn speaks. “Look, I know someone’s there. Can you come out please?” She asks, doing her best to keep her irritation out of her voice.

The lack of movement she senses causes her to grow more annoyed. Aislyn juts her hip and leans against the car. “Are you whoever appeared by the lake earlier?” Again, no movement. “I’m more than capable of standing here until you show yourself.” After a few minutes Aislyn hangs her shoulders in defeat and reaches for the handle to the driver’s side of the car when a figure emerges through the wall. “Oh my.” Aislyn says. Her hands immediately drop to her side upon recognizing the man in front of her. 

She had seen him back at the police station on the night of her run in with Ollie and Dee months ago. She remembers assuming that he had come for her, and being surprised that he hadn’t paid her any attention. She’d also seen him again when Cailean had taken her home the following day. With a heat of embarrassment it clicks for Aislyn, painfully slowly, who exactly this man must be, now knowing what she does.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to ignore you, but a part of me couldn’t believe you were addressing me directly, and I froze.” The man says as he comes to a stop in front of her. “My name is Sergio Cornelius-” “DeCarlo.” Aislyn says, finishing his sentence. “You’re Cailean’s father.” She adds. “That’s correct.” Aislyn was stunned. She opens and closes her mouth several times, but is unable to string together a coherent sentence. “I’m Aislyn.” She says after a few moments in which Mr. DeCarlo patiently waits for her to recollect herself. “And I’m currently dating your son.” She says as she feels more heat creep into her face. “I know.” Mr. DeCarlo gives a warm smile.

Looking at him up close, the fact that Cailean’s father didn’t appear that old made Aislyn’s feel a pang of sadness for him and Cailean that he’d passed so early. “I must let you know that in life, and in death, eavesdropping was something I detested, but I confess I grew curious upon hearing part of your tale to Daphne earlier.” Aislyn thinks back to that afternoon and doesn’t recall feeling any ghostly presence. But she was so absorbed in talking to Daphne, there’s a chance she simply didn’t notice.

“Is it true? What you said about unfinished business and all.” Aislyn nods. “Cailean told me you… passed when he was in high school. Does that mean-” “That I’ve been roaming around for all this time? I’m afraid so.” “It must’ve been lonely.” Mr. DeCarlo nods. “I was lacking in many ways as a husband and a father, I figured being given this unlimited time to see my wife and child now was some kind of punishment… That is, until I heard what you told Daph earlier.” “Mr. DeCarlo-” “Please.” He interrupts. “Neil is fine, that’s what almost everyone called me.” “Neil.” Aislyn continues, “Do you have any idea what it is you need to do?” She asks. “One thing in particular?… I’m afraid not. I have plenty of regrets; words I wish I’d said, actions I wish I’d taken, but I don’t think you have the time right now for me to regale you with my very ordinary life’s story.”

Aislyn had a faint image of Cailean’s father in her mind already from the things Cailean had told her before, and she couldn’t deny she was very interested in hearing everything he had to say. She wouldn’t mind losing sleep getting her work done if it meant she could learn more about Cailean’s family. Perhaps she could spare an hour or two… “I know you have to head back home.” Neil says with a laugh as if he could tell what Aislyn was thinking. “And I can tell my presence beside you is making you uncomfortable.” It is only as Neil says this that Aislyn notices she’s shaking slightly in her extremities.

“I want to help you.” Aislyn says earnestly. “I appreciate that, but I hardly think now is the time to undertake such a task.” Aislyn opens her mouth to protest, but closes it upon realizing Neil is right. She had a million questions shooting through her mind. “I promise, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.” “It wasn’t my intention to come to you like this, but my own curiosity at seeing your ability firsthand for myself got the better of me I’m afraid. I didn’t mean to spoil your evening.” “You didn’t!” Aislyn exclaims. Neil chuckles. “You are a kind girl, Aislyn. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “Likewise.” Aislyn says. “I look forward to speaking with you again.” And with that Neil disappears, leaving Aislyn alone in a stunned silence.

—

And we begin the new year with a chapter at long last! 🎊 I had some personal issues with the chapter which is why I held off on posting it when I said I would, and then when I was ready I had some internet issues, but long story short – it’s out and I’m mostly satisfied. Believe it or not, the chapter was even longer with some steaminess – well for my tame standards, hehe – but I’ll save that bit for next time because this became super long. Even after all my cutting, I think this is in my top 3 for longest chapters, lol. On the bright side, that means next chapter is already 10% done. Hooray! I promise it won’t take me three months to get it out. 🙃

The title this time around refers to both Caislyn and GusxKim. Not much happened here except for relationship building which will be important for later, so I hope it didn’t get too boring. There was at least one revelation and that was that the ghost from years ago (seen here and here, and present here but not seen) was indeed Cailean’s dad. Some of you have correctly guessed as such, so props to you for being right! I had to be annoying and hold off until now to confirm.  

I’m experiencing a bit of the same feeling I had after my last hiatus which is some slight dissatisfaction with pics and story progression. For instance, these were all taken back in June of 2019 so I suppose that’s to be expected. In light of the new year, I’m going to try and be positive and press onwards without paying it too much thought. I’m excited to finally get things rolling again^^ Thanks as always for your patience and support ❤ Looking forward to seeing your thoughts~
Take care,
xoxo Amy