Page 35 of All Your Tomorrows

“You remembered a lot all at once,” I assured him. “It’ll come back to you with time.”

He grunted, telling me he wasn’t so sure—and he didn’t feel like talking.

Once we returned to my house, he went directly to the sofa and lay down, placing a throw pillow over his eyes. I knew he didn’t need to sleep, since he couldn’t actually do it, but he wanted to be left alone.

Taking the hint, I rummaged through the kitchen, grabbed a box of crackers and some cheese slices, and tiptoed upstairs. Hopefully, he’d be back to normal in the morning and want to talk about it.

CHAPTER 10

When I left for the café the next morning, Kyler wasn’t on my sofa. I knew everything that had happened yesterday had been a lot for him. And, while I wanted him to have the space he needed, I also selfishly worried that he’d never return. Had I pushed him away? Had I enabled him to travel wherever he needed to go now? Had I been the catalyst for him crossing over?

Emptiness crept into my chest—then my heart.

Never before had I allowed a spirit to become such a big part of my life. And this was exactly the reason why. I shouldn’t be left feeling guilty or empty or sad.

My shift was a long one, given Christmas was less than a week away and shoppers were out in full force. Daci asked me to stay longer and since I could use the money, I stayed until six. I grabbed my coat from the back room before stepping into the parking lot.

“Hey.”

Kyler was leaning against the wall to my right. Relief washed over me knowing he hadn’t disappeared. “Hey.”

“Can I walk you home?”

I looked around the vacant parking lot. “I don’t see a better offer.”

He smiled but I could see the sadness behind it. We walked in silence through the alley between the buildings and then out onto the crowded sidewalk. I wondered where he’d been. I wondered what he’d been thinking about. But, I would not be the first one to speak. If I’d pushed him yesterday, I would not do the same thing tonight.

We eventually turned onto my street. Partygoers filled the lawn of one of the party houses. Every light in the house was on and people filled the first-floor rooms. The bass from the loud music inside rattled the road.

“Looks like a fun party,” Kyler noted.

“End of semester rager,” I said.

“You really never go out?” he asked, a touch of sympathy in his voice.

“Only when forced.”

He chuckled, though it was short-lived once he looked ahead at my house. “Looks like you’ve got company.”

There was a red sports car parked in the driveway. “Shit.”

His eyes cut to mine. “Who is it?”

My insides crawled at the sight of Rick sitting on my front steps, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded in front of him. He lifted his head and smiled as I moved to the walkway.

“Him,” I muttered.

“Tell him to fuck off,” Kyler said.

I was in no mood to deal with Rick. Just like with Zoe, I’d somehow managed to avoid him since the beach. He stood up, burying his hands in his coat pockets and waiting for me to get closer. A mixture of hate, annoyance, and disgust flooded my body all at once.

“You okay?” Kyler asked.

“Perfect,” I grumbled before I moved to the steps that Rick blocked. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he said as if a single day hadn’t passed since I found him cheating on me.

“I’ve got nothing to say to you.” I moved around him and up the steps to the door.

---