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Dominic walked the full circumference of the building and ended up back in the deserted car park. He realised that it had got dark while he was walking. It had been light when he left the car park, but now a dull grey dusk had fallen across the landscape. Even on the longest days of the year, eventually night would fall. The darkness was driving partygoers back indoors, but Dominic didn’t follow them. Emily and Helen and Alex would be inside and there was talking, or more likely shouting, to be done. He couldn’t face that yet. There had never been raised voices when he was growing up. Emotions had been things to be managed and controlled, not brought to the surface and acted upon. He heard stories from colleagues about huge fights breaking out over something that somebody’s cousin had said about their auntie’s ex-husband in 1984. It sounded like a different world.
He turned back around the building and walked back across the gardens towards a small copse of trees at the far end of the lawn. It would be away from people and noise. Maybe it would give him chance to think. He stopped short of the trees. Not so far away from people it turned out. He paused and listened. There were two voices, one man and one woman. He could hear the woman giggling. ‘I love your nice long furry ears.’
The male voice eey-ored in response. Dominic took half a step closer. The man’s voice was familiar. ‘You’re like totally hot and that.’
Dominic shook his head. It sounded like Nick, his student. He couldn’t make out who the woman was. She giggled again. ‘How did we get here?’
‘Dunno really.’
Another female laugh. ‘Oh well. I love everyone tonight. And I love the punch. But mainly, I love your furry ears.’
Dominic shook his head. Whoever it was, it didn’t sound like a conversation he wanted to listen in to.
He didn’t want to walk any further. He was sweating in his armour and the sword fight hadn’t helped. In the absence of a better option he found his keys, and strode back to his car, parked at the front of the building. He sat in the driver’s seat, and automatically put his key in the ignition. That was an option, he supposed. He could leave. He could go home. He could go anywhere. He could drive off into the darkness and leave everything that had happened here behind.
He didn’t. She was inside, and however awkward things were they had to be resolved. His life broke down into moments, and he’d let too many pass by already. His whole future, everything he’d dreamt of, all the things he’d hardly dared to plan for, were in the building opposite him. He looked at his watch. It was late, and they all had the wedding in the morning. She’d probably already have gone to bed. Would she? Maybe she was lying awake, hoping that he’d come back. Dominic took a deep breath and took the keys out of the ignition.
Maybe she would still be waiting for him. There was only one way to find out.