A Place Beyond the Horizon

[Aidan's marriage has been shattered by his wife's cheating. Unable to cope with the thing she did, he boarded a plane and put as much distance between them as possible. He finds himself in Australia, making new friends in Sydney, including a pair of mates on a road trip around their vast, empty continent. He's also met Kat, sharing her bed, the first time in many years that he's been with a woman who isn't his wife. Now, he's working for Mara Fey, the Hollywood A-Lister and one of the most famous women on the planet. Meanwhile, Rosa had cut off all contact with him, leaving Aidan more lonely than ever.

The background to Aidan's story can be found in

Oxygen Games

by oneagainst, continued here with permission.]

---

FLIGHT SURFACE

Aidan packs the last of his clothing into his suitcase, looking around the room to make sure he hasn't left anything behind. He checks the time: the cab is arriving in half an hour and he suddenly has nothing left to do. The phone is sitting on the bedside table. He picks it up.

Everything had moved so fast; Mara's flight was the next day, meaning that they'd had to abandon the hire car at Broken Hill's little airport and take a flight back to Sydney. By the time they'd landed, she'd already worked out the full itinerary, arranged to break Aidan's rental lease, handing over six months' rent like she was ordering a burger. She'd been on the phone constantly to Gabriella, arranging interviews in Los Angeles, promoting the American premiere of her film. Aidan didn't bring up the things they'd said in the desert; Mara didn't give him the chance.

Now, with his life once again sequestered inside a suitcase, Aidan feels the silence bearing down on him. Between Mara and her agent, they'd taken care of all the details, wrapping up all the loose ends, except for one. Aidan taps the screen.

"Hello stranger."

"Hi, Kat."

"Hey, wanna do video? I'd like to see you."

"Sure."

The screen bursts into life, showing Kat's smiling face, and Aidan's mood lifts.

"That's better," she grins, "Always nice to see you."

"You too. What's up?"

Kat shrugs, replying, "Ah, nothing you'd be bothered about. I got a shitload of work handed to me and I'm just ploughing through it."

"They keeping you busy?"

"Yeah. I'm a ninja accountant. Shit needs to get done, who you gonna call?"

Aidan laughs, enjoying the play of her expressions as she talks.

"You got a belt for that?"

"Yeah, and one of those headbands too. Oh, and a pair of those soft shoes with toes in them, so I can creep silently through the office."

"They'll never see you coming."

"Yeah. Just you."

"Me? Huh?"

Kat smiles sweetly. "Only you get to see me coming."

The background whirls and then steadies. Kat has found herself a chair.

"So, how about you? What's up?"

Before Aidan can reply, she holds a finger up to the screen.

"Oh, yeah, there's an account review next week. I have to be up in Sydney for Wednesday, Thursday," Kat grins conspiratorially, "Fancy reviewing some figures with me?"

Aidan doesn't answer immediately, and Kat waggles her eyebrows suggestively. He laughs again, but it's strained now. Her smile fades fractionally.

"Aidan, what's up? Busy those days?"

Aidan forces a smile, watching her face on the screen. He can tell she isn't fooled, but she isn't going to say anything, she isn't going to break the silence.

"Look, about that," Aidan begins, "I just, uh, I'm...."

Kat's still smiling, but it's fixed in place. It doesn't reach as far as her eyes. Aidan just needs to get it out. He can't bear seeing the look on her face.

"Mara's shipping out, back to the States."

Kat nods fractionally. "Oh," she replies, "So where does that leave you? I guess you're out of work."

"Yeah, that's, uh, that's the thing. She's asked me to go along."

Kat nods again, sitting back in the chair, her face becoming solemn.

"And you said yes."

Aidan grits his teeth. "Yeah," he confesses, "I said yes."

There is a long pause. Kat blinks rapidly, then the smile returns.

"Sounds like an awesome opportunity. How long for?"

"I dunno, she didn't say."

"So, it's kinda open-ended?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Could be months."

"I guess."

Kat brings a fingernail up to her teeth, frowning now. He can see that she's trying to put a positive spin on it, but it isn't working. Finally, she sighs.

"Could be longer, hey."

"Maybe. Like I said, I don't know yet."

"Tell me, though," Kat replies, "Are you thinking about it, or have you already decided?"

Aidan is aware of the suitcase next to him, and he suddenly feels very guilty.

"Okay," Kat mutters, "I see."

"I'm sorry. It's all very sudden."

"Yeah, you're right about that. Mara's pretty quick on her feet."

"She needs to be there to start the publicity tour, it's...."

"Yeah, nah, I get it. She's on a schedule, she's gotta get back. I get it."

Kat's face crumples, and she looks like she's run out of things to say. Aidan is struggling too, trying to find the words he needs, but there's nothing he can say either.

"Did I even come close?" Kat asks.

It wrenches something inside him, seeing the sadness in her eyes.

"You do, of course you do."

"Did."

"What?"

"Past tense."

"No, that's not the case, there's...."

"Aidan, just stop, please."

He wants to continue, to somehow justify himself, but Kat's past that now, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Remember what I said? Please, just don't bullshit me."

"I'm not, it's just for a few months."

Kat laughs, but it's a brittle sound.

"Sure, yeah, just a few months. So, I guess this is just see ya later."

"I guess."

"It's not see ya later though, is it? We both know what it is. It's goodbye."

"Kat...."

"Just say it. You owe me that much."

"Kat, I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Kat draws a breath, running her hand through her hair, straightening her shoulders, then she smiles.

"I lost my husband, so I fucked a backpacker on a beach and then ended up with my man getting stolen away by a Hollywood megastar with legs up to her fucking armpits and more money than God. I don't do things by halves, do I?"

Kat shrugs. "Goodbye Aidan," she says, "Travel safe."

"Goodbye Kat."

Kat ends the call, and the silence comes rushing into the little room that Aidan has made his home for the last few months. The phone screen goes dark in his hands and he just stares down at it, unseeing.

After a while, the phone buzzes and a message flashes up. Mara's in the cab outside. It's time to go.

---

The driver takes his suitcase, opening the back of the large, black all-wheel-drive and slotting it in among all of Mara's luggage. Aidan stares at it for a second: the one thing that's his, surrounded by Mara's life.

"All good," the driver tells him and closes up.

Aidan's distracted as he walks towards the door. He slips into the back, onto the plush leather seat, and sees Mara.

"All packed?" she asks brightly.

Mara's wearing a denim jacket over a dark dress, showing off her toned, bare calves. She's wearing ankle boots with a low heel, and a small daypack is tucked behind her legs. Her hair is brushed back and he can see she's taken time with her make-up: dark red lipstick and eyeshadow. It's not as dramatic as the change in her appearance in the back of the limousine on the night of the premiere, but he knows that he isn't travelling with the woman from the Midwest who writes screenplays in her spare time. No, he's travelling with the Hollywood A-lister, the incomparable Mara Fey.

Mara frowns, her smile dipping fractionally. They pull out into traffic.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Huh? Yeah, sure."

"You seem a little quiet."

"No, I'm good."

Mara reaches out and pats his leg.

"You told your accountant woman, then."

"Kat. Her name's Kat," Aidan shoots back, "But, you know her name, right?"

Mara folds her arms across her chest, looking out at the scenery as they drive.

"You got your passport, yeah?" she asks, without looking back at him.

"Yeah."

Aidan doesn't say anything else, and the silence lengthens between them. He can see Kat's face still, the way her expression crumpled, and he's left wondering whether he's made the right call after all. There is an alternative, he realises. He could just get Mara to drop him at the Domestic terminal where he can catch a flight down to Melbourne. His entire world is in a suitcase in the back; with the money he's earned from Mara, he can go anywhere.

"Look, I'm not forcing you to come with me, Aidan."

She turns to look at him, and it's like she's reading his mind.

"If you think you'll be happier staying here, then just tell me."

Her expression is guarded, neutral. He can't read her intentions.

"I didn't say that," Aidan responds.

"I can't promise you anything. Well, except that it's gonna be a lot of fun."

She smiles at her comment. Her face lights up and suddenly he's caught in the full beam of her wide blue eyes. There is a promise, despite her words, and it's intoxicating. Mara reaches out and squeezes his knee.

"You ever been to L.A.?" she asks.

"Never."

"Oh, baby," she chuckles.

"What does that mean?"

"Let me show you my home town, Aidan."

Just then, there's a buzzing sound and Mara reaches for her phone.

"Yeah, what's up?"

She nods then her expression hardens.

"Oh, fuck all that. No way, you tell them. Yeah, I know, I get it, but no fucking way."

Aidan listens as Mara launches into a diatribe. He gleans the fact that she's talking to Gabriella, who has gone ahead to coordinate the publicity events. It sounds like they're arguing over minutiae, such as transit times between locations, whether she's going to have enough time for a break in-between, whether the venue is suitable. It irks him that this conversation is more important than discussing his feelings, but he keeps quiet as she talks.

Mara fields calls steadily, all the way through to check-in. Aidan finds himself a pace behind her as she strides through the Arrivals hall in her ankle boots, heels clicking on the polished concrete. She stops for a moment in the middle of the floor, turning to Aidan with her phone pressed against her ear. She flashes him a smile and reaches up to adjust the collar of his shirt, unbuttoning a button, fussing with him.

"Of course. Good. Okay then."

Mara grins and ends the call, patting Aidan on the arm.

"Let's get checked in and through to the lounge, okay?"

"Sure."

It occurs to him that his alternative, to peel off to Melbourne, never even seemed to have been an option. Once again, he has the feeling of being sucked along in Mara's slipstream, ploughing onwards to a destination of someone else's choosing.

"You look good," she tells him, launching into motion again.

Mara leads them through the VIP entrance, and it's very different from what he's used to. They're met by someone who examines their passports and travel details, returning moments later with tickets.

"All done," Mara comments, linking her arm through his and drawing him along to a sliding door.

"Now," she murmurs, "Let's find the champagne. There's no fucking way I'm doing fourteen hours sober."

She leads, and he finds himself following along, through the terminal to the first-class lounge. Aidan hesitates at the door.

"C'mon, it's okay. You never been in the lounge before?"

"No."

"Babe, loosen up. This is the best bit. God knows, it costs enough."

Mara hands her ticket to the woman behind the reception desk.

"Though, the fuckers should be paying me for endorsing their airline."

She takes the ticket back and sweeps into the lounge.

"All on the house. Go wild."

They settle in a pair of armchairs, Mara arranging herself, buzzing with energy, eyes bright, chin up. She's on display, conscious of the little murmurs of the people around them. Aidan glances at the rest of the lounge's occupants, and understands. They may be multi-millionaires, they could have private yachts, be in charge of tens of thousands of people, but in this high stakes poker game she's Mara Fey and Hollywood beats four aces.

An attendant appears and Mara orders champagne for the two of them, handing a little menu to Aidan to select his food. Once that's done, she seems to settle down a little.

"The high life," she says, "What do you think?"

Aidan doesn't know what to say, so he just shrugs.

"You'll get used to it faster than you think, Aidan. Believe me, it's easy."

The phone buzzes again and she looks at the screen. Her expression changes and her eyes flick to Aidan for a moment. She accepts the call.

"Hi," she says, "Yeah, in the lounge now."

Aidan is watching her carefully, seeing a change in her posture, the smile evaporating.

"Yeah, good. Well, you know. A lot of work and fifteen minutes of fame. Yeah, premiere is tomorrow night, though I'm gonna feel like shit with the jetlag."

There is a pause. Mara starts to pick at her teeth with a fingernail, listening.

"Yeah, but like I said, between jetlag and the circus, I dunno. Maybe the week after?"

She frowns, nodding. The attendant returns and Mara takes her glass of champagne.

"Sure, sounds good babe. Looking forward to it."

Mara ends the call and takes a sip of champagne, but Aidan is holding his glass in his hand, not drinking. He's waiting for Mara to speak. She looks across at him and there's a tension in the corners of her eyes now.

"More arrangements?" Aidan asks.

"Yeah."

"Can't get out of it?"

"Not that one."

"Oh, really? Who was it?"

"My friend Andrew."

Aidan shrugs. "Yeah, that was the guy you were avoiding, right?"

Mara stiffens, then shakes her head. "Not avoiding," she replies.

"But you told Gabriella not to give him your address, even for flowers."

"So?"

Her voice is soft, but she's defensive. Aidan decides to push a little further. If he's going to L.A. with her, he needs to know what he's walking into.

"This is the guy you told me about, right? The, uh, what did you call it? The transactional relationship."

Mara snorts, suddenly amused. "Oh, Hunter?" she laughs, "The guy who wanted production credits, fuck no."

"So, someone else?"

Mara takes a swig of champagne, regarding him for a moment.

"Andrew's a very old friend," she tells him, "We go way back."

Aidan leans forward.

"He seems keen," he murmurs, "How's he gonna feel about you arriving back home with me in tow?"

Mara's eyes widen, but then she grins.

"Oh, really? Man, is that it? Don't worry. He's got his own shit going on."

Mara drains her glass, tipping her head at the attendant, indicating a refill.

"Why, you jealous? You wondering how you compare, Aidan?"

The attendant brings the bottle over and Mara holds out her glass for the refill. She looks across at Aidan.

"Want a top up there?" she asks.

Aidan looks down at his untouched glass.

"It's a long way from here to there. You might need a drink or two to prepare yourself."

The attendant leaves them on their own. Mara pauses, her glass hovering at her perfect lips, her blue eyes locked on him now. He's aware that she's dodged his questions, that she's toying with him.

"Welcome to the jungle, babe," she says.

---

[Next chapter: In L.A., Aidan comes face-to-face with Andrew, but who is he to Mara really? A phone call from home leaves Aidan devastated.

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