Page 81 of Riverside Reverie

“Hey,” I said, feeling nervous. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything…”

“Oh, no. You’re good. Jasmine and I were talking,” Lux replied.

“Hi, Theo!” Jasmine’s voice was muffled, like she was nearby but not speaking directly into the speaker.

“Oh, you’re with Jasmine?” This news made me relax marginally, because I knew that Jasmine would make sure she was okay.

“Yeah…things at home didn’t go so great. So…I’m staying the rest of the weekend with Jasmine at her parents, then I guess I’m heading back to Sudbury a few weeks earlier than anticipated. Surprise?” Lux didn’t sound so enthused about the situation, not that I blamed her. If it was bad enough to merit leaving after not even being home for a full day, it was pretty bad.

Still, I couldn’t help the excitement I felt over having her come back sooner. I was dreading waiting until the end of the month to see her again. If she came back with Jasmine on Sunday, I’d get to see her again before I travelled to Peru.

“Hey, you know you’re welcome here whenever,” I assured her.

“I know,” Lux said quietly. “Thank you.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

“When we get back. I want to not think about it for a bit,” she admitted.

“I understand. Whenever you want to talk about it, I’m here,” I said. “And for purely selfish reasons…I’m glad I don’t have to wait several weeks to see you again.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s one bonus to it,” Lux laughed lightly.

“There’s plenty of bonuses!” Jasmine interjected, her voice sounding distant. “You set boundaries! Hooray!”

“Setting boundaries is good,” I said in agreement.

“Not with my family, but it had to be done,” Lux sighed. “Anyway, Jas and I are going to crash now. Big day tomorrow—her family’s having a huge birthday dinner for her sister.”

“Have fun! Gonna miss you in my bed tonight.” I told her.

“I’m gonna miss being there, Jasmine hogs all the bedsheets.”

“I do not!” Jasmine protested, and then something collided with Lux, knocking the breath out of her, and muffling her laughter.

Hearing her laugh eased the unsettled feeling completely.

“Goodnight, Theo,” she said, still giggling.

“Night, Lux,” I smiled.

EPILOGUE

Lux

Since moving to Sudbury, I’d gotten a full-time job as a radiation technologist at a private clinic in town. I was loving rooming with Jasmine and Talia, even if I spent a lot of time over at Theo’s house and in his bed. We crashed at my place sometimes, too.

In my time in Sudbury, I’d become even closer to Jasmine’s group of friends. We all hung out whenever we could, and I got to attend Zoey and Kai’s wedding as a guest, not just as Theo’s plus one. It was at a small but beautiful venue in Sudbury, with only their closest friends and family in attendance.

Although Theo and I had made things official between us before I’d even moved in, a part of me had tried to keep my distance, fearing things would fizzle out. But Theo remained steadfast, proving to me with his every action and word that they wouldn’t. And they hadn’t. My feelings for him had only grown and continued to grow every day.

He went out of his way to romance and woo me, taking me out on dates every chance we got. Even our nights in were romantic and cozy, full of connecting with one another on a deeper level. Not only did he make me laugh, but he also made me feel seen and appreciated. Understood on a level in which I’d never experienced before.

Theo knew I was dealing with a lot of strain from my family, and he was so supportive. I didn’t often speak to my mom, but when I did she made sure to guilt me about how I’d left things with my sister. Brinley had yet to apologize for her part in anything, and I’d learned in my time away that I didn’t need to apologize for setting boundaries.

My mother’s insistence that I forgive Brinley despite never receiving an apology only added strain between us.

My father was the only one who’d come out to visit me since everything went down. He’d appeared at my door five weeks after I moved in with a housewarming gift and an apology. He hadn’t learned the true depth of Brinley’s actions until around then, because that’s when Brinley announced to the world that she was expecting a baby with Scott, and it had become impossible for her to hide the truth from him.

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