Page 47 of Waves of Time
Violet followed Aria into the house, where they grabbed beers from a cooler and greeted a few other islanders, including Scarlet Copperfield and her cousin, Anna, both of whom were new additions to the island. Anna was several months pregnant at this point and kept yawning, explaining that this was her last summer before motherhood and she wanted to have a little fun. The Copperfield clan was a similarly prosperous family as the Colemans, save for the fact that their reputation had been tainted for more than twenty-five years.
“Aria! Someone was talking about your insane work in San Francisco!” Scarlet said. “You have to update me on your life.”
Aria laughed. On any other night, she would have been happy to take Scarlet on a deep dive about how excited she was about interior design, about her future career— about how grateful she was that she’d dropped out of college (something Scarlet had done, as well), as it had all led her here. But tonight? All she wanted to do was leap into Thaddeus’ arms.
She wanted the rest of their lives to begin.
At the doorway to the basement, Aria paused, her nostrils filling with the dank smell of the old carpet and the unfinished walls. Violet appeared behind her and laughed. “I hope they make it as a band soon so we can see them in a real concert venue instead of down here,” she joked.
“Take a deep breath,” Aria joked, then plunged down the staircase, rounding the corner to watch as Thaddeus strummed his guitar and hummed into the microphone. The drummer counted off on his set, “One, two, one, two, three,” and the band burned through the first several bars of what sounded like a new number, one that rattled Aria’s emotional core with its honest lyrics and vibrant chords. As Aria watched them, her heart filled with love for Thaddeus, his tremendous talent, and, even more, for the compassion and care with which he handled his family matters. Ever since she’d met him at age fourteen, she’d known there was something special about him. And for some reason, he felt the same way about her.
It wasn’t easy to find someone whose heart matched yours.
After they practiced the first few bars of the song twice more, Thaddeus turned toward his band and said, “Take five, everyone. I have a good feeling about this gig.”
His bandmates clapped their hands and “whooped,” and Aria smiled, her heart catching as Thaddeus turned around and caught her eye. It was the first time he’d noticed she was there. His face echoing in surprise, he leaped from the stage and walked toward her.
“Are you a mirage?” he said, laughing at his silly line.
“I don’t think so,” Aria said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her knees wiggled beneath her, threatening to collapse.
He stopped short a few inches away from her, studying her expectantly.
“I’m sorry I made it so weird between us,” Aria said simply.
Thaddeus shrugged. “I understand why you did. You didn’t want to get involved with…” He trailed off, then added, “It’s a messy world. One that I’m glad to be out of.”
“I’m glad you’re out, too.” Aria paused, her thoughts whirring. “But I understand, too, why you got into it in the first place. Your life is much more complicated than mine. You’ve been faced with so many challenges. And still, despite all that, you’re a really great guy. How do you do it?” Aria laughed at herself as Thaddeus’ cheeks grew pink.
“I’m not such a great guy. Actually, one of the only things I know for sure is that…” His eyes burned into hers as he palmed the back of his neck before he finished, “I want to kiss you right now.”
Aria nodded her head ever-so-slightly, enraptured with him, and then felt his strong arms come around her. Her eyes closed, she tilted her head and pressed her lips upon his, and the dank basement around them spun away so that it was only them in some dark, other universe, lost in one another’s embrace.
It was only when Thaddeus’ band began to return from their break that their howling and laughing made Aria and Thaddeus’ kiss break. Aria laughed, embarrassed at being caught, yet overwhelmed with happiness.
“I’ll be back,” Thaddeus said, his smile goofy as he sprung back up on stage.
To Aria’s surprise, the basement had crowded with fans of the band, and several young women had begun to call Thaddeus’ name. But as Thaddeus strummed his guitar and got the band ready for their very first song, his eyes found hers in the crowd, and she knew, from the bottom of her heart, that they were made for one another— that their future awaited them after this night. That someday, this dank basement would be nothing but a beautiful memory.
Thaddeus’ band’s gig ended at one in the morning, at which point Aria and Thaddeus hurried back into the chilly night, dressed in coats, to walk along the beach and stand around the bonfire. The fire crackled, spat, and surged to five feet high, with several twenty-somethings from the island taking pleasure in adding more kindling, no matter the lateness of the hour. Still, the fire was soothing and powerful at the same time, and the chilly air was a reminder that summer would soon completely fade into autumn. It was important to hold onto the time they still had.
Thaddeus and Aria cracked beers and remained quiet as islanders swapped stories and gossip around them while new couples flirted and older couples cuddled close.
“You really sounded so good up there tonight,” Aria finally managed to say.
To this, Thaddeus said, “Thanks. When I’m on stage, I’m not thinking about anything real. Not about my family’s needs or my many jobs, or just how difficult everything feels sometimes. It’s one of my only escapes.” He paused, then added, “That, and when I’m talking to you.”
Aria placed her head against his chest, wondering what was next for Thaddeus, for his future. She would be a hypocrite if she told him to go to college, as she’d dropped out herself.
Instead, she said, “Thank you for helping my mother the other day. I know we’d just had that difficult talk, and you probably weren’t too happy with me.”
“It was my pleasure. It worried me how upset she was.” Thaddeus paused, then added, “Did she tell you why she was going to Frank’s house?”
Aria shrugged. “I think she wanted to date him, maybe. But now, she has to have surgery on her eyes, and gosh, I’m just so worried.” Aria inhaled sharply. “I just want her to be okay.”
“What’s wrong with her eyes?”
Aria explained the situation, that if she didn’t get surgery, she might lose her vision. Thaddeus nodded and dug his fingers through his curls. “That’s why she couldn’t drive.”