Page 126 of The Fate Of Us

“How’re you feeling about today?”

I turned my head to face her, the memories from last night filtering through my mind likea silent movie.

It took barely any time at all for my facade to crumble, the bricks and tears toppling in acircle around me the second Amber asked if I was okay. I fell into her outstretched arms and cried to her like the sea breeze had nudged me.

I don’t know why I was so emotional. I’d been content up until that moment. But damsdon’t give you any warning before they burst and flood the nearby villages, and I suppose not letting myself think about what happened, the years wasted, that it all just overflowed, and spilled out onto the girl in front of me.

After a minute of my quiet sobs dancing with the sounds of the nearby tides, I eventuallycalmed down, Amber smoothing out my hair and nestling me into her shoulder, before I eventually pulled back, not flinching when she wiped away the tears that had coated my face.

And I told her everything.

I showed her the annotation tabs of our story, not thinking to touch on the fact I thoughtthey were together, it slipped my mind entirely when Amber confessed that she was having a tough time at the minute too, in matters of the heart.

So once I’d stopped sobbing, the sniffles drying up, we ran through the waves and let thesalt water wash away the bad thoughts, and memories we didn’t want to focus on.

I know Amber and I hadn’t had the most normal friendship. I mean, I hated her at onepoint in time. But I think I saw the same thing that I saw in Flo: a woman who knew what it was to be a woman going through heartbreak.

Someone who understood.

I took another sip of the sweetened coffee. “Yeah… okay, I guess. Any excuse to screamat a man is… well, it’s practically self-care, isn’t it?”

She let out a sweet chuckle. “Even better when you know you’re being paid for it.” Myhead fell forward with a soft grunt, realising how right she was. “Well,” she announced, standing up from the chair and resting a hand on my shoulder, our eyes meeting in the mirror’s reflection. “I did stop by to ask if you’d seen him?”

I shook my head, quick as anything, before a tight-lipped smile appeared on her face.

“Well, if you do see him, if you can speak to him… let him know that my dad’s back in townfor a few days, and that he wants to speak with him about those books that he needed help with.”

‘Books’ was my trigger word, it always was. No matter what the conversation. Ifsomeone mentions books, I get as giddy as a child does on Christmas morning. But this time… it was different. The context of it all.

My ears pricked up, and my head snapped around so fast that the sweet makeup lady swipedblusher right into my hair.

“What books?” I asked her, even though I had a pretty good idea what books she wastalking about.

“I’m not sure, he never mentioned it. He just knew my dad worked in publishing, so hepulled me aside and asked for a favour.” She said it so casually, shrugging like it was nothing.

Meanwhile, in my head, things were clearing. Dark clouds that loomed over whatever quick situationship Nate and Amber had were fading, and the corner of my brain where those images were hung was catching fire.

“Your dad knows how to make books?”

Amber leaned back in her chair. “He works in publishing. Not at the top of the company,but he has the right contacts to get them made… yes.”

“Oh… that’s cool,” I muttered, leaning back in my chair before I felt her hand leave myshoulder. But before she slipped out of the trailer, I had one more question.

“Amber?” The poor makeup lady was probably sick of my fidgeting, but I had to ask,hopefully, to seal the final nail of the coffin on whatever I thought was between them. “When was this?”

Another shrug; so casual and yet… so powerful. “About two months ago.” she said, in away that made me think she knew what I was asking.

I’d never questioned her directly about her and Nate, but something about how her lipswere in a crescent smile, a radiant, content expression, told me that she wasn’t trying to cover up a quick affair.

And I smiled right back at her.

I stumbled onto the field half an hour later, a hint of a spring in my step, surprisingly,although I knew the sudden cheeriness had come from finding out that Amber and Nate were never really together in the way it came across.

I felt silly, admittedly, that I’d run away with those pictures, believed what I saw andconvinced myself they were in love. And it did look like they were, the way their smiles were sickly pink and flirty, but I suppose that could have been my mind, evil thing that it is, playing tricks on me.

Then I remembered that was probably how Nate felt. The feelings of guilt andfoolishness that had painted my cheeks redder than the makeup lady ever could, were probably swimming around him at ten times the speed.

The grass beneath the ballet flats on my feet rustled as I walked further into the middle ofthe field, a myriad of box lights and cameras circling the centre markings.

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