Captivation (13 page)

Now, Juliette stood up from her computer. She had been going through the accounts for the shop, double-checking that her supplier’s invoices had been paid, chasing a late delivery and checking out a new competitor’s website. She stretched her arms and arched her back, grabbed her backpack and slung
it over her shoulders. She pulled on her sneakers and headed out the door. Mostly, she visited Bronte Beach these days, but today she would take a walk across to Coogee. She would sit on the sand and allow herself to look back at her old apartment building and think about Danny and about how far she had come in this past year. And, most importantly, she would try not to cry, but instead to feel grateful for the time that they had spent together.

An hour later, when Juliette reached Coogee, she stopped off at a café to grab a fresh bottle of water and something to eat, then she crossed the road and found a spot on the beach. At first she stood still, facing the water, but after a few minutes, she took a deep breath, and then she turned away from the ocean and allowed her eyes to take in the sight of her old building. It took a few seconds, but eventually she figured out which balcony was her old one and when she rested her eyes on it, something twinged at the edges of her memory – but almost immediately it vanished. Juliette felt a sense of relief as she realised that she wasn’t becoming overwhelmed with grief, but instead was feeling fond nostalgia as she let the memories of her old life wash over her.

She sat down on the beach, drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on the tops of her knees. As she sat still, looking back out towards the ocean now, Juliette allowed her mind to wander. She thought back to those first days after Danny had died. The lead-up to her becoming so reclusive. Usually, she didn’t like to think about it much, didn’t want to question her motivations back in those days when her world had become so dark and enclosed. When she had closed herself off from absolutely everybody, had tried to shut out even her own family. She had the feeling that she might start to get lost in an obsession to find the truth about what had happened to her – and she knew that wouldn’t be good for her.

‘Hey. You want some company?’

Juliette looked up, trying to ascertain where the voice had come from. She placed one hand above her eyes so that she didn’t have to squint into the sunshine and she saw a man standing in front of her, smiling down at her. He was instantly familiar, but she just didn’t have any idea how.

She considered declining. After all, today was supposed to be about remembering Danny – but she suddenly felt that yes, actually, some company might be nice. So she shrugged and nodded.

‘Why not?’ she said.

The guy sat down next to her and held out a hand.

‘I don’t know if you remember me,’ he said. ‘I’m Chris, I used to work at Pages & Chapters Bookstore.’

‘Oh, of course,’ she replied, shaking his hand. ‘I’m Juliette.’

‘I know,’ replied Chris with a grin. ‘So … how are you doing these days? The last time I saw you, I guess you didn’t seem too well.’

Juliette couldn’t think when the last time she would have seen Chris was, or what he was talking about, but she could guess that it had been at some point during her breakdown.

‘I’m doing well, thanks,’ she said. ‘Much, much better than I was.’

‘Do you still live back there?’ Chris asked and he jerked his head towards Juliette’s old apartment block

‘No, I moved out, well, about a year ago now.’

‘My mate moved out too. In fact, his place was on the same floor as yours … directly opposite you, across the courtyard.’

As Chris spoke, a memory sparked in Juliette’s mind and an image flashed across her thoughts. She saw herself dancing, outside in the night and she saw someone watching her, from across the courtyard. As though she couldn’t stop herself, she blurted out, ‘That was you that I danced in front of, wasn’t it?’ her face beginning to flush with embarrassment.

Instantly, Chris’s skin flushed as well.

‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to see you. I was crashing at my friend’s place and I went out on the balcony for some fresh air. Anyway, I should have looked away, that was obviously a private moment between you and that guy.’

‘What do you mean?’ Juliette asked. ‘I was alone.’

‘No, I’m pretty sure there was a guy with you, holding you in his arms. He was hard to see, I think maybe he was hidden by the shadows – but he was tall, maybe sort of curly hair. Is he your partner?’

Juliette could feel her heart hammering in her chest. A flood of memories was pouring through her mind. She and Danny, together again inside that apartment, making love, sleeping together, cooking together. And then that night, when she had gone out onto the balcony. She had been going to kill herself, to reunite herself with Danny for good. She remembered it all now, she remembered how Danny had saved her, how he had pulled her to safety and then kissed her goodbye before finally moving on. She had thought it was all part of some far-off dream – but now she knew that it wasn’t. That it was much, much more than that. It was her final goodbye to her husband. Their last dance together.

She smiled at Chris as the tears pricked the back of her eyes.

‘No,’ she said. ‘He was someone from my old life. But he’s gone now.’

She paused as she let out a breath of air that she hadn’t even realised she’d been holding onto.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘For what?’

‘For giving me back a memory that I’d thought I’d lost forever.’

Chris looked slightly confused, but he nodded.

‘No problem,’ he said.

There was another moment of silence and then Chris spoke again.

‘Juliette?’ he asked. ‘I have to admit something to you. I sort of used to have this crush on you. I mean, it was crazy, I didn’t even know you that well, apart from a couple of book deliveries and seeing you on your balcony from time to time – it’s embarrassing really. But well, could I take you out for dinner some time?’

Juliette turned to look at Chris, at his hopeful expression, at the warmth in his eyes.

‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘Probably.’

About the Author

Nicola Moriarty lives in Sydney’s north west with her husband and two small daughters. In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying at Macquarie University, she began to write. Now, she can’t seem to stop. She has published two novels –
Free-Falling
and
Paper Chains
.
Captivation
is her first visit to the world of supernatural romance.

See the whole collection! Visit

http://www.randomhouse.com.au/randomromance/

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