Ivey Pierce is an explorer, and thanks to her career as a wildlife biologist, she does not stay stationary for long. But when her parents die in a terrible accident, and her childhood home is left vacant for two years, she returns to the tattered me...
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BEFORE THE WORLD AWOKE, I bundled myself in a blanket and sat at the end of my dock with my steaming mug, my toes barely grazing the water's surface as I finished my speech. It wasn't my best work, but I only had a little to give to the Clifton people.
Weston's house lights were off.
Drumming my pen against my lips, I pulled out my phone to look at our texts, and my heart dropped. The message I drafted yesterday before Zoe caught me smiling at my phone sat unsent. I hadn't replied to his message asking if I was okay after the kiss.
"Fuck me," I seethed, my thumbs racing over the keyboard.
Hey, I'm so sorry for not replying yesterday. I forgot to hit send, I swear. You didn't overstep, though. And RIP to your boat. We should host a charity event for lost vessels, keep the money, and purchase a yacht.
I didn't hesitate before pressing send and glancing at his house as if I could see his phone illuminate from inside his bedroom. Minutes passed, and nothing changed, and the ellipses never appeared to let me know he was typing.
The pads of my fingers dug into my eyes, and I laid back on the weathered wood.
He was probably still sleeping.
I was so caught up with Zoe yesterday that I forgot to check my texts. We spent the rest of the day inland, walking through the waterfront shops, laughing, eating good food, and telling stories about growing up. Weston was brought up only once, even though I wanted to ask about him. Although we had a wonderful time, it only made me miss Kate even more so that when Zoe dropped me off, I called my best friend, and we spoke for hours before falling asleep.
For some odd reason, I felt more lonely lying here than I had the entire trip.
My mood started spiraling before the day had begun; to distract myself, I turned on music until the house shook and cleaned until it was nearly time to get ready.
If my parents watched me from wherever they resided, I could only imagine how disturbed they were, considering I never cleaned like this when they were alive. "You're welcome," I said out loud, wiping sweat from my forehead. "You guys were really slacking."
I checked my phone periodically throughout the day, only finding texts from Kate, Zoe, and Nora. Weston still had yet to reply or read my message. When I looked out the window, his car missing from his driveway.
What on earth was going on? Were we going to play phone tag until I left Clifton?
I started typing: Are you still coming tonight? Then backspaced and changed it to Everything okay? The message was delivered before I could chicken out.
Taking my makeup bag and dress, I hiked to my parent's bathroom. Nora requested me an hour early at the park beside Cliff Beach (where the event was being held) since I was 'on the council' and needed to make sure things were in order. I told her I didn't want to intrude, to which she replied that it was nonsense and I deserved to be there. The last thing I had was the heart to tell her I did not want to be there earlier than I had to.
