Page 10 of Mine for a Moment

“What about you, sweetheart?” Mom asks, glancing over her shoulder at my grandfather, who’s trailing behind with Dad. “Are you doing okay?” Mom worries endlessly, and I’m always scared something I do or say will keep her up at night. She struggles to keep the peace, and I hate that she feels responsible for doing that at all. It’s been years, and I’ve made peace with the situation, but I know she hasn’t. Grandpa made his choice, certain I’d fail without his support, and it just made me work harder, made me appreciate what I’ve built more.I don’t think we’ll ever reconcile, and I’ve learned to accept that. I just wish Mom would too. “Weddings can be tough,” she adds, and fresh guilt suddenly washes over me as realization hits.

It’s not just my grandfather she’s worried about—she’s referring to Tyra too. Celeste’s wedding should’ve made me think of her, but it didn’t. For the first time since we lost her, she wasn’t on my mind. “Mom, I have the most beautiful woman in the room on my arm,” I tell her, my voice soft. “I’m doing more than okay.”

She laughs, her whole face lighting up, and I grin back at her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were quite absent-minded last Sunday. I worry about you.”

Mom insisted on doing weekly cooking classes shortly after Grandpa disowned me, and she’s made both Celeste and me attend over video call every single Sunday for years now. It’s her attempt to keep our family together despite everything, but I suspect it’s also just to check in with Celeste and me.

“Tyra is gone, Archer,” she reminds me. “You have to move on.”

My heart sinks at the mention of her name, and my eyes flutter closed, guilt and pain tugging at me in equal measure. “I know,” I murmur.I know—but I can’t. I don’t deserve to.

I haven’t even gone on a single date since Tyra went missing—not any real ones, anyway. Some staged ones to keep the media and my friends and family off my back, but that’s it. Each time I try to move on, guilt eats at me, reminding me that I don’t deserve to be happy when Tyra might still be out there, waiting for me.

If I hadn’t broken up with her days before we were meant to go on holiday together, she’d still be here. She wouldn’t have gone overseas by herself, and she wouldn’t have gone sightseeing only to never return.

I run a hand through my hair, my heart aching at the thought of her. At the very least, I wish I knew whether or not she’s still alive. Notknowing eats me up inside. Is she out there, living her life happily? Did she disappear because she wanted a fresh start after we broke up, or did something far more sinister happen?

I’ve done all I could to find her, going as far as retracing her footsteps over and over again, only to come up empty every time. None of my contacts have any influence out of the country either, and all my leads have come up empty.

“You have to try,” Mom says, squeezing my arm. “Please, Archer, at least try to be happy. It’s breaking my heart to see both of my kids like this. It’s been nearly two years, Arch. You can’t keep living like this.”

I look into my mother’s eyes, the tears in them fucking gutting me. “Iamtrying,” I tell her, but the way she looks at me tells me she knows I’m lying. The mere idea of pursuing happiness, of falling in love with someone while Tyra might be holding on to the memory of me, sickens me. I can’t do it. I can’t give up on her too—like everyone else has.

Ten

Serenity

My steps are measured as I walk into Serenity Solutions’ lobby, my heart heavy. It kills me to have this moment taken from me by my own insecurities. I should be filled with excitement on my first day of work, but instead, I’m dreading seeing either Theo or Archer.

I spent all weekend overthinking all of Archer’s text messages and counting my blessings that he was attending his sister’s wedding, so I didn’t have to run into him. On top of that, Theo constantly kept texting me about his move, when the last thing I wanted was to hear anything about how moving in with Kristen went. It all left me feeling worn-out, stealing away the excitement I thought I’d feel.

“Serenity!”

My heart clenches painfully as I look up to find Theo standing in the corner, two cups of coffee in his hands. He smiles at me as he approaches, handing me a cup. “I figured you’d be early,” he says. “You snuck out early to keep Ezra from bringing you to work, didn’t you?”

I look into his bright green eyes, pure sorrow spreading from my chest. “No one knows me like you do,” I murmur, hiding my facebehind the coffee he gave me—my favorite, an oat milk latte with a dash of hazelnut syrup. I’ve always loved the quiet intimacy that comes with knowing little details about someone that no one else does, but now it just hurts because it’s this same level of thoughtfulness that made me think he had feelings for me too. “I really don’t want the whole company to find out that I’m Ezra’s sister, and it’d just start rumors if he drove me to work,” I tell him. “It’d defeat the purpose of applying and getting in on my own merit, and he knows it.”

It pains me to pretend I’m fine, to make small talk when all that’s going through my mind is that he must’ve woken up next to Kristen this morning and that he’ll go home to her tonight. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.

He falls into step with me, his gaze roaming over my face in that way it does when he’s got something on his mind. “Ser, is everything okay?” he asks, his voice soft. “I know the move was hectic and there’s a lot going on, but you never pick up anymore when I call. Are you mad at me for not telling you about Kristen and me sooner? Or is this about us not moving in together like we’d planned?”

The thought of speaking to him while she’s right there in the room with him doesn’t sit well with me, but how can I possibly admit that? “I’m not mad at you,” I tell him truthfully—I’m not mad. I’mhurt. “I’ve just been a little busy unpacking and settling in, that’s all.”

“If you aren’t mad, then why haven’t you spoken to Kristen once since I told you about us?” His voice is tormented, and my stomach twists when I find him looking at me like that, all because of her. “She misses you, Serenity.”

I draw a shaky breath and try my hardest to force a smile, but I can’t manage it. Does he truly not realize how I feel about him? How much pain he inflicts when he pleads with me on her behalf?

“Serenity Adesina and Theo Williams?”

I startle at the sound of my name and look up to find a blond guy walking up to us, a tablet in his hands. I nod hesitantly, and he grins. “My name is Mark Smith, and I’ll be your mentor throughout your internship.”

He guides us through the building, and I welcome the reprieve from having to answer Theo’s question. I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t ready. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to deal with them as a united front when I was always the one he was closest to.

“This year, a total of ten interns were admitted, and everyone was lucky enough to be assigned to their preferred department, including the both of you. You’ll join me in the design department, where we focus primarily on packaging the tech our brilliant CEOs invent in a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing way.”

We follow Mark as he helps us get registered, taking us through the HR process and getting us company IDs and laptops. Throughout it, I can feel Theo’s gaze on me, but thankfully he doesn’t attempt to continue the conversation we were having. Instead, he focuses on work, and I try to do the same.

Mark glances at my ID and grins at the photo as he leads us to our desks. “It’s rare for anyone to photograph so well,” he says, holding up his own ID. “It’s almost a rite of passage, yet somehow, you seem to have been exempt.”

---