Page 144 of Aria

I let the emotions run through me, not wanting to fight my feelings. “God, it’s good to see you,” I replied, pulling back and wiping the fallen tears from my cheeks.

We stared at each other, taking one another in and studying how much we had changed.

“You cut your hair,” Lisa noticed, sniffling back her own tears. “It looks really cute.”

I raised a hand to my shoulder-length bob. My bangs had grown out, and I’d wanted something with less maintenance. “Oh, thanks. I’m still getting used to it.”

“It suits you,” Lisa smiled.

I pushed a few rebellious strands of hair behind my ear. “And look at you. You’re in law school. I’m so proud of you.”

Lisa nodded with excitement. “It’s going really well. I’m so glad I decided to finally go for it. No more waiting tables,” she said.

My mind wandered to Julia. “Do you still talk to Julia? I texted her after I left, but I haven’t spoken to her since.”

“Julia moved to California about six months after you moved to Florida. She sent me a Facebook message. According to her Instagram, she’s dating some D-list actor and living as a socialite near Los Angeles.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That sounds like Julia.”

“Yep.” Lisa seemed to catch sight of something out of the corner of her eye. She bit her lip, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I just spotted Miles,” she said to me.

My head jerked in the same direction. Sure enough, Miles stood at the entrance of the funeral home with a mystery woman by his side. Tad was standing beside him.

Lisa had dumped Miles immediately after finding out he’d been cheating on her. As far as I knew, that was the last time they had spoken.

“Are you going to be okay?” I wondered, extending my arm and resting a comforting hand on Lisa’s shoulder.

She straightened her posture and cleared her throat. “Of course. It’s just a little awkward, you know?”

I nodded, understanding.

“Are you going to talk to Noah?”

Just the sound of Noah’s name had my belly doing flip-flops. Lisa was the only person I had told about our last night together. “Um… I’m not sure. I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Well, if you change your mind, he’s right over there.”

I paled.

My eyes followed the direction of Lisa’s finger, my mouth going dry. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it might crack a rib. Lisa squeezed my hand even tighter, sensing my ever-growing panic. “I can’t do this, Lis. I can’t be here. It’s too much.”

“Youcando this,” she assured me. “Walk inside. Say your goodbyes to Devon. Make peace with everything. Then… go back to your beautiful life.”

I nodded, trying to concentrate on my breaths, my gaze falling back to Noah. Beth was by his side, her hands clutching a baby stroller. A young boy, maybe three years old, was running circles around them as they chatted with unfamiliar visitors.

Then there was Sam.

He had grown so much. He was impossibly tall, his hair now shaggy, curling behind his ears. I wondered if he would remember me.

“Let’s go inside, okay?” Lisa said, nudging my side. “I’m right here with you.”

“Yeah… okay.” I kept my eyes facing forward as we passed Noah and his family. All I could do was hope he didn’t recognize me.

When we were safely inside, we waited in line to pay our respects to Devon. It was a closed casket, and I was grateful for that—seeing my ex-boyfriend lying in a coffin would be too much to bear. Just knowing he was in there was enough to make my stomach sour.

When I was next to proceed, I pressed my hand on top of the mahogany coffin and bowed my head. “I’m sorry, Devon. I’m sorry for how everything ended between us.” Hot tears pooled in my eyes. When I blinked, they fell down my face and landed on the shiny wood. “We shared some special moments together, and I’ll always appreciate everything you did for me before we…” I trailed off, lost for words. “I’m a healthier person now. I wish we could have made amends… I wish I could have helped fix you. Wherever you go, I hope you keep making music.”

I stepped away with a strangled breath. A combination of remorse and peace washed over me as I spoke my final goodbyes.

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