Turn Your Face

All Too Well

A/N: THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL. For anyone who hasn't read More Like Her, I would recommend going to read it first, but I am also going to try to make it as much of its own story as I can!

Chapter Title Song: All Too Well - Taylor Swift

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May 13, 2023

I've always been partial to sunsets. From the way the sky appears to go on forever until you can see the light curve on the edges of the Earth, to the sparkle of the pinks and yellows that fade just below the horizon, sunsets have always had a way of both mystifying me and bringing me back to reality. None of these compared to the way the light shaped Emily's face through my windshield though, a slight shadow covering her eyes while her jawline and delicately plump lips had a slight hint of light accentuating them. Her eyes were closed beside me as we continued making our way across the Midwest back to Rosewood.

Life had continued rather swiftly from the time Emily and I restarted our relationship. Even with the usual struggles that take place, there was no one else I could ever imagine creating these memories with. She revolutionized the way I looked at myself and the way I could love another person. She took a heart that was so bruised and tattered, and spent the past few years piecing it back together with every dose of kindness she could manage to find. Compared to high school though, college had been far easier to deal with... at least up to this point.

The end of Junior year had brought us to a crossroads so for the first time in our 3 years at college, Emily and I had packed up an entire car full to travel back for the summer. Usually, instead of the 10-hour trek back home, Emily and I could easily place our things in storage and fly home from Chicago in just over an hour. Considering that this time around that wasn't an option, and as we had made the long trip only twice since we started college, my brain had no choice but to wander back to us leaving in this same packed car 3 years earlier.

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Leaving entirely too early on a Wednesday could only be Emily's idea. Despite our move-in dates not being until Friday, Emily insisted on leaving two days early for our ten-hour drive. Hoping to save myself as much time as possible, I packed up my half of the car the night before so that I could roll out of bed and go straight to Emily's.

Mr. Fields was already on the front lawn as I rounded the corner which caused him to quickly turn back toward his house to run up the stairs and get Emily and Mrs. Fields. Just as I was leaning into the back seat to rearrange everything from the night before, I felt a pair of arms slink their way around my waist.

"Hey there," Emily whispered in my ear.

I maneuvered my way out from inside the car as I spun around in her arms, "Hey yourself! Are you ready babe?" I replied as Emily placed her lips on my forehead nodding. I linked my hand in hers as I closed the back door to walk over to the Fields'. "Mr. and Mrs. Fields, thank you so much for trusting me to get Em to school safely. I can only imagine how hard it would be to say goodbye right now."

"Alison, if anything we should be thanking you. With me shipping back off to Texas tomorrow and Pam not really enjoying flying alone at all, you are a lifesaver." Mr. Fields replied.

"Yeah, Ali, we really do appreciate it." Mrs. Fields continued, pulling me in for a hug.

The past year and a half had brought the Fields family and me closer. Despite the falling out between Emily and her mom, as time passed and it was increasingly apparent that Emily and I were staying together long-term, our relationship became easier to accept. In the few times I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Fields when he was back from deployment, he had taken me under his wing. In my opinion, this was mostly due to my father having limited to no contact with me, and Mr. Fields always having a strong desire to ensure that I knew I had people to take care of me, even if somehow Emily and I broke up. But for me, Mr. Fields was the only source of guidance I had over the past year. Of course, I still had Jason, but with the passing of my mom 3 years ago, the Fields' were all I had left. In fact, last night before packing up everything into the early morning hours, I spent a majority of the evening saying goodbye to them over a Fields' Family Tuesday dinner.