After our flight arrived in Manitoba Thursday afternoon, the day was a wash, given our brutal combination of jet lag and over 24 hours spent in airplanes and airports. Caleb's eyes hardly stayed open on the ride to my parents' place, and my mom stopped with her question brigade once neither of us could give coherent answers.

We pulled up in front of a dark brown brick two-story home with a two-car attached garage and a large three-piece window on the left side. We'd just gotten our bags pushed off to the side on the vinyl plank flooring when my mom beamed at us.

"Caleb, can I offer you a tour?" My mom asked.

"I'd love that, Denise," he said, despite his drooping eyelids.

She took us around the main level's large kitchen, the attached family room, dining room, and living room, plus the rec room and exercise space in the basement, and the three bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. When we arrived back in the kitchen, she offered him half the fridge's worth of food and drinks when what he looked like he needed the most was a bed.

"I feel like the living dead," I whispered to him as my mom leaned on the granite countertop and chattered on about how the neighbour had changed their siding to a very unfortunate colour I hadn't noticed.

She eyed us both and must have heard me as she said, "I'll let you two rest and pick up a few things for dinner. Any special requests?"

I looked at Caleb, who shook his head.

"Anything you prepare will be wonderful. And you don't have to go to the trouble," he said.

"After travelling this far and taking care of our Audrey, who can be very... strong-willed and independent, a delicious meal is the least I can do."

While I was happy to consider myself both, her tone implied the opposite. It sounded like she was trying to pay him for ridding me of the single label that plagued her or bribe him to stick around. He reached out and held my hand, which brought comfort I didn't realize I needed.

Caleb tilted his head to the side and studied Denise through sleepy eyes. "Audrey's a delight, not sure why it warrants a special meal."

"To celebrate you two!"

I yawned. "Whatever you want, Mom. We'll both catch some rest before it's ready if that's alright."

"Of course."

After we got the Wi-Fi information from my dad, Caleb took off to the guest room. I assumed he had people back home to catch up with or wanted to crash and let him be.

Pete approached with a smile. "It's good to have you home again."

"Thanks, Dad. It's nice to be back." In some ways, it was, and in others, I missed my quiet room in Labuan Bajo.

"Are you heading upstairs too?"

My dad was easier to visit with when my mom wasn't controlling the conversation and correcting half of what he shared.

"I can stay down here for a bit."

He looked toward the living room. "I have the computer all set up to back up your photos if you want."

I nodded and dug through my carry-on for the hard drive he'd bought me when I left. Once he set it up and they cycled through, I babbled on about the different dives from the ones visiting the manta-ray cleaning stations where we admired the huge majestic animals, though when I went with clients there always seemed to be one or two divers getting to track down because they veered off course and got swept away in the strong currents. My dad smiled and asked me more about the fish species and which dives were my favourite. He didn't mention Trevor or ask when I planned to move home.

"If you're tired, you don't have to keep entertaining your old man. We have plenty of time to visit." He opened a new window on his computer as the photos loaded in the background.

"I should see what Claire sent me earlier."

Once I read her simple, 'Vince is at the airport. How was the flight?' I replied it went well and wished her good luck with everything. I added she might hear from Vince that I was dating someone and she'd meet him at the wedding. My messenger app rang a minute later.

"Audrey Clarke, you are dating someone, and it's serious enough to fly him to Canada, yet you never told me?"

Claire's hazel eyes narrowed in on me, looking extra intense with the sharp angles of her shaggy pixie cut. Her dark hair always had that hot messy look, although she put plenty of time into styling her chestnut hair, whereas mine usually resembled a regular-mid-length mess or pulled back in a half-assed bun. The little image in the corner of my screen confirmed it was the former.

As my dad chuckled to himself, I took that as my cue to head to my room.

"His name is Caleb. He's Vince's friend."

I headed up the carpeted stairs, and she looked at me like I'd grown an extra leg. "Caleb who?"

Shit, I should know his last name. Why hadn't I asked him that or sneaked a peek at his passport? I inhaled. It's not like she would know it either, but Vince would if I invented a surname. "The guy from Australia."

"Aren't you living in Indonesia? How do you have an Australian boyfriend?"

"We met when he was visiting Indonesia and hit it off. After that, we kept messaging and never stopped." I didn't want to tell her it started on the plane even if I implied we'd met earlier because she would sniff out my plan to do this with the primary goal of avoiding Trevor.

"So he's already on the guest list for the wedding?"

I reached the landing on the second floor and turned left. "Yeah, Vince said we're sitting together because I'm such an Australia nerd."

"Ah, that Caleb. Now I remember him. How the stars aligned for you two to meet before the wedding is amazing."

I grinned like a fool. It had been a stroke of luck to keep me from spiralling into anxiety about this return. The arched window at the end of the tan hallway lit up space. I passed the guest room where Caleb spoke lightly.

"So, how long have you two been dating?"

I bit my lip. Did we settle on a time? What had we told Vince? A few months was believable, wasn't it? Plus 'a few' was not a specific answer which benefited us. "A few months."

Claire's eyes widened. "Months?"

"You know me. I like to keep things quiet until I'm sure about it." I reached the window at the end of the hall and sat on the cushions in the little alcove in front of it. It was a perfect nook for relaxing and reading.

"You kept Trev a secret for a month before we needed a ride home from the bar, and suddenly you had a driver and a boyfriend you tried to play very coy about even though you were adorably into each other."

I pulled my knees to my chest and tried not to think about it. Although the way he'd excitedly whispered, 'Can we tell them?' still lingered. What kind of asshole kept a relationship a secret for a month out of worry over her friend's reactions? Trevor should have run much sooner.

I shook it off. Don't dwell on a past you can't change. "See, so this Caleb thing isn't weird. Totally Audrey-style."

"Have you talked to Trev?"

And here I thought deflection would work. Oh well, might as well trudge into the cold, soggy wetsuit of a topic and get some answers. "Not yet. Is he going to be at the wedding?"

"Yes, and sitting at a different table."

My instant response was, "Thank you," although that seemed selfish, so I added, "How is he?"

"When's the last time you two spoke?"

Was that answer supposed to reassure me?

"Probably a year and a half ago."

"Wow..." The line went quiet for a while. I guess she and Trevor didn't keep in touch that much either, or they never talked about me, which I appreciated. "He's decent. He's been focused on work and hockey, and my aunt said he's gotten into leatherworking."

"Good for him. Is he..." I paused, unsure if my question would stir Claire's curiosity more. "Dating anyone?"

"Nothing serious from what I've heard."

That didn't assuage my guilt, but it wasn't a no, so perhaps he'd have a shiny new date to distract him at the wedding.

"He's still living in his old place in the city," Claire said.

That struck me as odd. He'd never enjoyed living in the city and always talked about moving out of his apartment to the country, especially when his upstairs neighbours were partying until all hours of the night, or he'd be scraping ice and snow off his car all winter.

"He must not have hated it as much as he said he did," my voice became weaker than I expected. I stroked the soft fabric of the skirt hugging my knee.

Back then, he was confident about what he wanted from the number of acres of land to how he'd lay out the yard, including a patio with barbecues with our friends and family, and a four-season sunroom overlooking the property and facing west to enjoy the sunset.

A knock echoed from the phone's speaker, and Claire turned away from the camera.

"Sorry, Audrey, I'm getting called back to visit with relatives, but we'll catch up soon. You're in the province for more than a few days, right?"

"Three weeks. Go enjoy being the lovely bride-to-be, and we'll chat later. Love ya."

"Love ya too, Audrey."

After hanging up, I sighed and stared at the street where kids rode their bikes around the cul-de-sac and others played soccer. The streets were wide and not as busy in the city or back in Indonesia. Having this much space was quite a luxury, although plenty of other country kids had more.

Trevor's folks hardly had neighbours, only across the country road, but otherwise, their seas of farmland isolated them from development. They'd set aside a chunk for him to use to build his dream home one day. So finding the right property wasn't his issue with what Claire had mentioned about him remaining in the city.

I wanted to shake away thoughts of Trev, but my body had a mind of its own as I headed into my room and into a shoe box where I'd tossed all things Trevor after I broke up with him. Inside were photos I'd had in frames before I moved abroad and old cards he used to write even if it took him ages of overthinking to compose a message. He still both designed and printed them for me. I couldn't help myself and picked up one with a photo of Andre Braugher dressed as Captain Holt with a blank expression that said, 'It is our anniversary. I am ecstatic'. We both loved watching the show together, and Trev knew I loved Holt's serious delivery of hilarious lines.

It was a bad idea to open it, but my fingers refused my brain's command as my eyes devoured the familiar words I'd reread enough times.

Happy anniversary, Audrey!

This year has been a whirlwind, but there's no one I'd rather have done this with than you. Being with you is the best feeling. You're my foundation. We've had so many fun and amazing adventures together. I can't believe you got me to try scuba diving at West Hawk and rock climbing. Some of my favourite nights are our cozy movie dates, even if you fall asleep on me the minute you cocoon in the blanket. I can't wait to see what adventures next year brings.

Love, Trevor

I teared up because I recalled what would happen after our second anniversary. I'd broken him as badly as his ex had, and it had killed me. Even if it had been the right choice for both of us, he'd been devastated, as had I. I tucked the card away and shoved the box back in my closet under a pile of backpacks.

With a sigh, I lay on the thick purple comforter of my queen bed and gazed at the ceiling. My mind nagged at me to read Trevor's recent message, but I ignored it. Who knew what type of response I'd send in this state? It could make the situation much worse, and I was already a major asshole. As I closed my eyes, the tears slipped out the sides.

I must have dozed off because my phone chirping woke me up. I wiped my eyes and sat up to glance at a message from Caleb.

Have you ever gotten any custom-made cards or gifts? 

I once told my partner I was making something for him at work for Valentine's Day (a construction paper card I used as a demo for my students XD), and he blew my gift out of the water by welding a rose made out of parts of a car door.