A week had passed since French had told Aidan all about her past. Much to her surprise, not much had changed between them. That is, there were no negative changes. Aidan hadn't changed in his behavior toward her in any way. She didn't feel as vulnerable as she had expected she would having him know about the shameful secrets she had kept to herself for so long. Though she certainly wouldn't be running around telling anyone who would listen about them, it did feel good to have someone who knew all about her, someone with whom she could share her burden. It was an immense relief to her to be able to talk to Aidan about everything.
She was having difficulty breaking the habit of constantly diverting attention from herself. She had to make a conscious effort to remember that she didn't have to do that with Aidan anymore. She had grown so accustomed to measuring her words carefully lest she reveal too much to anyone. Whenever anyone talked about a subject she was uncomfortable with or asked her questions about her background, she had always given a glib answer and turned the tables, so that the conversation centered on the other person.
I suppose that's why people are always telling me I'm a good listener
, she thought. She hadn't truly realized exactly how much time and energy went into concealing so much of herself. Now that she didn't have to, with Aidan at least, she was forced to admit that it hadn't been easy to perpetuate her deceit.
Old habits die hard
, she thought. This was all still very new to her and she had decided to take things one day at a time. She knew she wouldn't blossom overnight into the type of chatty person who shared everything about herself with just anyone. She didn't think she was naturally inclined to be that type of person, anyway. She could already tell, though, that there was a heightened sense of closeness between her and Aidan, as if a barrier had come down between them and they could now see one another clearly. It occurred to her now that perhaps Aidan had always seen her clearly and that was why he still treated her the same way as he always had. She, on the other hand, had begun to see him a bit differently. She was beginning to believe that he actually was exactly who he presented himself to be. He wasn't like so many of the men she had known growing up, her mother's lovers, who pretended to be one thing or the other simply to get what they wanted. Aidan was real in every sense of the word; a man without artifice or guile.
Yes, she definitely felt closer to Aidan, she thought, leaning her head against the headrest of the bench seat in which she sat. The commuter rail train she was on was making all stops between the South Shore, where she'd attended a rehearsal, and Boston. It was taking forever to get home, but the long ride provided her with some much-needed solitary thinking time. She gazed out of the window of the train, taking in the wintry sights along the way. Though the suburbs were decorated with holiday ribbons and lights, the gay decorations did little to brighten the scenery, because of the overcast, drab gray day. There was snow on the way for sure. Christmas, two days hence, was sure to be a white one.
As she thought back to what Aidan had said to her the week before, about her being a victim of the past, she knew he was right. In just the week since she'd unburdened herself to him, their relationship had changed for the better. She really had been missing out on the fullness of all the relationships she had with people. She had loved her friends as much as she had allowed herself to. Fifi especially. But still, she had maintained a safe distance. When she thought of all the opportunities that may have slipped away because of her determination to protect herself, she felt a pang of regret. She had always been prepared for the 'real' side of people to emerge, had waited for the wolf to shed his sheep's clothing. Even among her friends. They would all be very hurt if they ever found out that she hadn't fully trusted them. She had never really trusted
anyone
.
She vowed to change that. She would try her best to stop expecting the worst of people. Again, she had to admit that Aidan was right when he had said that people are imperfect and fallible. Everyone made mistakes now and then, and sometimes others got hurt as a result. But that didn't mean that the person intentionally meant to inflict harm. It didn't mean that the person was necessarily a bad person. She had placed herself at such a remove from people that she had become judgmental of them before getting to know the essence of the person. Judgment was the very thing that she had been afraid would be directed at her; she had feared that, subjected to scrutiny, she would be found lacking.
She had been alone for so long.
'Solitary confinement', Aidan had called it
, she thought,
he's a really insightful guy
. She had been in self-imposed exile; she had begun to have the feeling that she was pitted against the world. She had often felt that, even in a sea of people, an invisible force field surrounded her and kept her separate from the masses. She could visualize the bubble that had confined her and protected her from everything outside it. Now the bubble had burst and she was in full contact with the world. Even though the 'bubble' was metaphorical, it seemed to her that sights, sounds, tastes and textures were suddenly more vivid to her.