Page 15 of Heartstrings & Horizons
“Good morning, Cowboy,” she murmurs, her eyes glassy in the morning light.
“I can let you go so you can get to bed, Paige.”
“Wait, will you… watch the sunrise with me? It’s my favorite.”
I don’t tell her thatsheis quickly becoming my favorite. Instead, I just nod.
I walk out my back door onto the deck; the sun has already risen here so I keep my eyes trained on my phone, flipping my camera out of selfie mode to show Paige my view before taking a screenshot of our call. Her gorgeous face, lit by the glow of the morning sun, commands most of the screen, while my tiny Kentucky horizon sits in the top right corner.
“It’s beautiful, Cade.”
“Yeah, it is.” But I'm not looking at the sunrise anymore.
Chapter 6
Paige
? Halloween - Noah Kahan
Cade slotted himself into my life like a puzzle piece. Between the daily monotony of classes and not much else, there was Cade. It was somewhat jarring how quickly he was becoming a vital part of my day. I was doing everything in my power not to fall for this man, short of keeping my distance.
Tonight is our first party at the new house. Mags single handedly decided we needed to let loose and have some fun, so we invited our friends over for Halloween. Truth be told, it’s mostly Maggie’s friends, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about playing co-hostess. This kind of thing comes naturally to her whereas, I often find myself hovering near the charcuterie boards, pretending to rearrange the snacks just to avoid any awkwardly stunted conversations.
I have always loved the logistics of party planning. My brain can put together an entire event and execute a theme flawlessly — it’s the social aspect that trips me up, literally and figuratively; despite my16 years of figure skating training — graceful, I am not.
“Come on, Patsy!” I hear Mags hollering from downstairs.
I’ve been in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on the blonde wig that I’ve methodically maneuvered into a French twist, and adjusting the hemline of the tight as fuck pencil skirt so my thunder thighs aren’t out in full force. The attempt is futile; the thighs were going to be thundering regardless of my efforts. Maggie and I thrifted our “Absolutely Fabulous” Halloween costumes earlier this week and I have to say, I’m pretty proud of our ingenuity. Mags is the Eddie to my Patsy with her hair haphazardly curled around her shoulders and a bottle of champagne in hand.
“Let’s get this party started, Sweetie Darling.”
The guests have started to arrive so, naturally, I can be found standing by the kitchen island putting the finishing touches on a dessert platter. We’re three drinks deep and I’m finally starting to relax into the atmosphere of the celebration when my phone rings. I rush upstairs to answer away from the noise of the crowd, but I don’t get there in time and my childhood friend, Shayna, is sent to voicemail. I debate on calling her back but I decide to check the voicemail instead.
“Hey, Pip. Look, I don’t think there’s really a good way to say this,” she pauses and I can hear a choked sob escape her. “Jace passed away. There was a house fire and he didn’t make it out.”
There’s another brief pause and then, “Call me if you need to talk. Love you.”
And in the blink of an eye, my world comes to a screeching halt.
Jace was the first boy who ever made me feel seen.
Paige, 15 years old
It’s our second official date as a couple and my heart is beating out of my chest as we walk hand in hand around the lake in my hometown. Jace plays on the same hockey team as Shayna’s boyfriend, so she set us up on a blind date last week. Shay and Bryan took the trail in the opposite direction, no doubt to get some alone time to make out without the 15-year-old virgin hanging around. Shayna is 16 while Jace and Bryan are 3 years older, which should intimidate me, but his kind eyes and friendly smile captivated me the moment I met him. Honestly, I’m completely out of my league here. Jace is my first boyfriend, and I’m completely inexperienced.
Shay and I became fast friends when she transferred to the South End Skating Club about 6 months ago. We’ve been damn near inseparable all summer. Neither of us are driving yet so we walk to meet each other halfway around the lake until we decide what we want to do that day. About a week ago, Shayna talked me into hanging out at Bryan’s house and his friend Jace ‘just so happened to be there’ — it didn’t take long to figure out it was a setup. The day we met was my first date — ever. We went to a nearby park and talked for hours. At some point, he sat behind me on the playground, wrapped his arms around my waist, and held me there while we watched the sun set and stars come out. As far as first dates go, it was… perfect. We spent the next several days hanging out between Bryan’s place and the lake until he officially asked me to be his girlfriend.
“Ugh,” I grumble under my breath. “These mosquitoes are terrible.”
“They just like you because you’re so sweet,” Jace chuckles, then tugs on my arm and takes a seat on a nearby bench, pulling me into the crook of his arm and enveloping me in his musky scent.
We sit in silence for what seems like hours, but in reality is probably only a few minutes. Jace’s hand strokes my cheek before our eyes meet and the world around us stops. He lowers his forehead to mine, and I suck in a shallow breath before our lips finally meet. It’s a gentle kiss. My first kiss.
Needing some time to process the news, I rush down the stairs and out the front door. The dulled sounds of the party carrying on behind me are a stark reminder that I’m alone.
Standing on the sidewalk in front of our home, I look both ways, debating which direction to take. To my right is the beach; it would take a few minutes to get there and walking alone on the streets of Toronto might not be the best idea right now, not that I particularly care. To my left and across a quiet street is the cemetery — how fitting.
The air is heavy with the scent of earth and freshly cut grass as I slip past the wrought-iron gate. The party’s distant music and laughter fades behind me, leaving an eerie, somewhat calming silence in its wake. Moonlight filters through the branches of old oak trees, casting long haunting shadows over the rows of gravestones. Wrapping my arms around myself as the cool October breeze sends a chill across my body, my breaths come in shallow, trembling gasps as I make my way to a small stone bench next to a weathered angel statue, its stone face etched with sorrow.
