Page 49 of Our Final Encore

“How long will you be here?” I choke out.

He folds his lips together, then sticks his tongue out quickly to lick them. It makes my stomach twist in the worst way. “I don’t know. It could be a while.”

The soft vulnerability in his eyes pulls at my heart, and my gaze swings between him and Maisie’s car a couple of times. I walk away from him without saying anything else.

Am I really going to do this?I shouldn’t, I know I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t give him one more second of my time. I should walk away and pretend like tonight never happened. Continue on with my life the way it’s been for the last five years.

I tap on her window and she rolls it down. “What the hell did he say?”

“A lot…” I sigh.

“Okay, well get in and tell me.”

I nervously pinch the back of my neck, avoiding eye contact with her. “I’m going to go talk to him for a little bit.”

Her mouth drops open. “Are you serious, Opal?”

“I’m fine, Maze. We’re just going to talk for a few minutes, he’s here to see his dad, he’s not here for me. I’ll call you as soon as we’re done, promise.”

She subtly shakes her head and rolls her eyes. I know she’s disappointed in me, but she’s not the type to try and stop people from making their own choices. “Fine,” she shoves the key in her ignition and turns the engine over. “Talk to you later.” She rolls the window back up and backs out of the parking spot before slowly driving away. I don’t miss the daggers she shoots at Alex on the way out.

THIRTY-TWO

Opal

“So, where are we going?”

He shrugs. “I figured we could just talk here. Or…” his voice trails off. “Dad would probably love to see you.”

“You’re staying with your dad?”

He nods.

Despite living down the street, I haven’t talked to Paul since Alex left. Not because there’s bad blood between us or anything like that, but because it would’ve been too painful. I needed a clean cut. He’s waved to me here and there, but over the past few years it’s seemed like he hardly goes outside anymore.

“Fine,” I cross my arms. “I’ll need a ride home anyway, since Maisie drove me here.”

He leads me to a parking lot behind the bar, and I awkwardly follow a couple of steps behind him. I open the passenger side door of his van. It’s basically exactly what I’d expect, old and a little bit messy. “So, you’ve been living in this?”

“Pretty much,” he says as he starts the engine and backs out of the parking spot.

This is so weird, and I’m already regretting my decision. “You don’t get tired of it?”

He shrugs, the streetlights that we pass illuminate his face for a second before it’s dark again. “Sometimes it’s lonely.”

Raindrops start to sprinkle across the windshield. I search his stoic face for an explanation, but his gaze doesn’t leave the road. “What is? Traveling all the time?”

He nods. “There are things I love about it. I’ve met a lot of cool people, seen some really cool places. But sometimes it sucks not having a place to call home.” He pulls into his old driveway before throwing the van in park.

The house is still about the same as it ever was, albeit a little dirtier maybe. I can’t help but smile softly at the familiarity of it. I didn’t think I’d ever see the inside of this place again.

“You’re home already?” His dad walks into the room, he looks significantly older than the last time I saw him. His hair has started to gray and his face bears more wrinkles than before, he also looks skinnier.

“Well I’ll be damned.” He walks towards me with a huge smile and his arms stretched wide before giving me a hug. “Where’d you find her?” He asks Alex.

“She was at Hondo’s.” His mouth is in a flat line, he doesn’t seem too happy about his dad’s reaction. I can’t help but find it a little amusing, his dad always loved me.

“We missed you,” he says quietly enough that Alex probably can’t hear.

---