Just Like Heaven (19 page)

As they waited on their food Demi tried to talk to Arthur, to engage with him as she once had, convinced the boy she’d fallen in love with was still in there, but Logan made it difficult as he constantly wanted their attention.

“So what do you do here when you aren’t working?” she asked.

“I put maple syrup on my pancakes,” Logan began explaining to Arthur.

“You do, that’s cool,” he answered his son first and then turned to Demi. “I go out, have dinner, that sort of stuff.”

“Go on many dates?” Demi hated herself for asking the question but it came blurting out before she could stop it.

Arthur blushed before her and seemed flustered.

“Yeah, a few,” he admitted.

“Good for you,” Demi managed to sound amiable even though inside she was seething. She was starting to hate Arthur for having his life out in the city, a life which clearly hadn’t been at all hampered by abandoning her and Logan.

“What about you? Are you seeing anyone?” Arthur asked casually.

Demi felt taken aback by just how breezily he’d delivered the question, as though he didn’t care at all about the answer.

“No, I’m not seeing anyone; I don’t have the time, what with Logan and work.”

“He could always come stay with me sometime if you wanted some time to yourself,” Arthur suggested.

“What? So I can date? You want me to date?” Demi asked, feeling confused and sick all at the same time.

“I want you to be happy.”

Demi didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want to sit in yet another café and shed tears for Arthur Cooper.

She thought he’d still care for her as he once did but it was obvious now that he didn’t. Fighting back the tears, Demi leant across the table and roughly pulled his arm towards her, using her other hand to pull up his shirt sleeve to reveal his tattoo, which while faded by time was still a stark and obvious reminder of what had once been between them.

“It wasn’t much of a promise, was it?” she stated bitterly, referring to the contents of the lyric.

Arthur pulled his arm back and quickly shoved his shirt back down.

“Demi-”

“Do you look at it and remember what we had or is it just a painful reminder of a time you’d rather forget?” she demanded, suddenly losing her appetite for the pancakes which had just arrived.

“Demi-”

“Well?”

“I look at each day and remember what I lost,” Arthur admitted honestly, hating himself for being so vulnerable when he wanted to be strong in Demi’s eyes.

“Really?” Demi said, her voice softening.

“Really,” Arthur confirmed, smiling shyly at her.

The moment between them was abruptly broken when a female voice said Arthur’s name.

“Arthur!”

Demi looked up to see a stunning blonde woman looking down on their table. She was dressed in a figure hugging dress and high, black shoes. Her makeup and hair were immaculate, nothing was out of place.

In contrast, Demi wore worn jeans and a sweatshirt, her hair casually tied back in a ponytail. She felt herself shrivel in the glow of the stunning blonde.

“Marie, urgh, hi,” Arthur spluttered awkwardly.

“I thought it was you when I walked by the window. Well this is your neighbourhood.” Marie said, eyeing Demi and Logan suspiciously as she spoke.

Demi returned the look, wondering if this was one of the women Arthur had been dating. If so, there was no way he’d ever be interested in Demi again. She was too dowdy in contrast. The last time she’d worn her high heels was at prom!

“Just getting breakfast,” Arthur smiled nervously.

He wished Marie would leave. He could see her eyeing Demi and Logan and knew she’d start asking questions, questions he’d be unable to answer.

“So who’s this?” she tried to send a friendly smile at Logan but he saw through her falseness and stuck his tongue out rudely.

“Logan!” Demi said, secretly loving that he’d done it.

“This is Demi and Logan,” Arthur explained, knowing that Marie would need more details than that.

“Demi is an old friend from high school staying in the city for a few days.” It wasn’t a lie it just wasn’t the complete truth.

“How nice,” Marie smiled falsely. “Yes I didn’t think you were from around here,” she added as she eyed Demi’s outfit up and down.

Demi felt her cheeks flush at the blatant insult and knew she’d had enough of New York, of Arthur, of all of it.

“Actually we need to leave,” she said as she began collecting her things together.

“Our flight is in a few hours.” It wasn’t, she’d need to book a new one.

“Demi-” Arthur got up to stop her but she was already grabbing Logan in her arms and leaving the café.

Feeling panicked, Arthur hurriedly paid the cheque and ran after her and his son.

“What are you doing?” he called out to her as she quickly made her way through the throng of people, desperate to create some distance between her and the café.

“I’m leaving!” Demi declared.

“But why?” Arthur demanded, having easily caught up with her. He placed a strong hand on her shoulder, causing her to cease walking.

“I’m just a friend from home, what do you care?” she asked bitterly. In her arms Logan sensed the animosity and began to cry.

“You know you’re more than that.”

“Then why didn’t you say something!”

“Because I work with Marie, I can’t go telling her how I’d abandoned my son, what would people think of me? I’d lose my job!”

“That’s your problem you are always looking out for yourself and no one else!” Demi yelled, in her arms Logan was now wailing mournfully.

“Look,” Arthur began, wanting to apologize, wanting to make everything right, wanting to make his son stop crying.

“I’m leaving. I was an idiot to come here in the first place!”

“Please don’t go!”

“I’m already cramping your style for your many dates!” Demi snapped as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“Demi, you’re not!”

“I’m leaving!”

####

Three hours later and Demi was sat with Logan in the departure lounge of the airport. Arthur had begged her to stay, promising he wanted her there but she didn’t believe him, the damage had already been done.

Hearing him refer to her as just a friend had almost broken what remained of her heart. She wanted to go home, to return to Collinswood and feel safe in familiar surroundings around people who loved and cared for her.

In New York she was a stranger. No one cared if she cried; no one asked if she was alright.

Her flight would soon be leaving and New York and Arthur would become yet another painful memory.

“Who was that man?” Logan asked in between mouthfuls of potato chips which he greedily pulled from the bag.

“Who?” Demi asked, feeling distracted.

“Arffer,” Logan mumbled.

“Arthur,” Demi clarified. “Oh he’s…just a friend.”

“Will we see him again?”

“I don’ think so, sweetheart.”

The call for her flight echoed through the lounge and Demi rose to her feet, collecting Logan and her bags and headed towards her relevant gate, grateful to be going home.

####

Now that Demi was gone Arthur’s apartment had never felt so empty. He sat on his bed, head in his hands, wondering what had gone so wrong?

In his mind it would all have worked out so very differently. He’d have instantly bonded with Logan, his son, and when he fell asleep at night he and Demi would reconcile and fall in to each other’s arms.

But then what? Demi’s life was in Collinswood, his was in the city. But what sort of a life did he have?

Alone and despondent, Arthur finally reflected on the choices he had in his life and didn’t like what he saw.

####

“I’m sorry it didn’t go well,” Demi’s Dad sounded sincere as he made her a hot chocolate on the stove.

“You were right,” Demi sighed sadly.

“Yes but I didn’t want to be.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“New York City is such a big, strange place. It changes people.” He said as he placed down the mug of hot chocolate before his daughter.

“Dad, we both know that Arthur changed long before he went to New York.”

“That’s true.”

Her Dad sat down across from her and regarded her with sad, concerned eyes.

“Did Logan get on with him?”

“Not really,” Demi shook her head sadly.

“They didn’t really get any real time together to bond or anything.”

“That’s a shame,” her Dad said.

“Is it?” Demi countered.

“Don’t you think so? You said yourself the whole point of the trip was for Logan to get to know his father.”

“Arthur’s got this whole life going on out there,” Demi began.

“A life where a young child just won’t fit in. He lives in a skyscraper, on the twentieth floor. His furniture belongs in a music video not a home. He’d never know how to be father.”

“No one ever does until you do it.”

“Trust me, he’d never get it,” Demi said sadly.

“Was he sad to see you go?”

“I guess,” Demi took a sip from her drink. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Don’t dwell on this too much sweetheart, you did the right thing. You gave him a chance.”

“He’s just not the guy I knew. His life is in New York now.”

“I’m sure you’ll see him again.”

“I doubt it very much.”

Demi’s Dad sighed and looked slightly awkward. Demi immediately recognized the face as it was the one he wore when he had bad news to impart.

“Dad, what is it?” she asked anxiously.

“Look,” her Dad began, struggling to find the right words.

“Just tell me!” Demi demanded.

####

In New York Arthur stood and stared out of his window, not sure how to take the news he had just received. A part of him wanted to open the window and jump right out of it but he knew he was too cowardly for that.

He pressed his palms against the glass and took a deep breath. Nothing made sense. He’d messed up his entire life and let down those who depended on him. Demi, Logan and know…it was too painful to think about.

Something had to change. He had to change. This wasn’t who he was supposed to be. This wasn’t the life he wanted to lead. Arthur decided then and there to stop running from his future and finally be the man he was meant to be.