Ireached above my head, savouring the deep stretch as it pulled deep down into the crevices of my tendons. I tilted my head side to side, working out the morning kinks that sleep left behind.
When I opened my eyes, I instinctively reached beside my bedside, forgetting that Nova was no longer with me.
Asher had taken her.
I couldn’t blame him. I was all wrong for her. I knew that she was going to be taken care of properly when it came to being with him. He was a natural caregiver—someone who took people in broken states and left them better than he found them.
Even though I still intended to follow through with my original plan, that didn’t mean he hadn’t touched the very creases of my soul into making me think that maybe—just maybe—I could stay a little longer.
But today was the day. I finally made it here.
October 16th.
The date I had circled in my mind for years, even though I hadn’t always had the tangible date. The journey to get here felt like it had spanned decades of my life, and I guess in some way it had.
But now it was here.
I could finally breathe.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and rested my feet on the floor, preparing to get up, enjoy my last day on Earth as best I could, and then go to my appointment.
It was an odd feeling, just letting go like this.
I had held on so tightly for so long that my fingers had ached with tension from the grip. It was time. The tiredness inside me lifted. The constant pressure that had lived permanently between my shoulder blades felt like no more than a distant memory.
My phone rang from the living room.
I jogged toward it, surprised. I hadn’t received a phone call in weeks.
How depressing.
“Hello?” I answered, slightly breathless.
“Good morning, Lennon.”
Rachel.
“Good morning, Rachel,” I replied, treading lightly.
She sighed on the other end. “I’m going to ask you something unorthodox. So if you feel uncomfortable, feel free to say no. However, I feel like boundaries go out the window when we’re talking about someone’s last day on Earth.”
A soft chuckle escaped me. “What is it?”
“Want to meet for lunch? My treat.”
A smile spread across my face before I could stop it. “I’d like that. Where do you wanna go?”
“Oh come on, Lennon. It’s your choice. Anywhere you want to go, text me the address and I’ll meet you there at noon.”
* * *
The air was crisp against my oversized emerald sweatshirt when I stepped outside. It hung long over black leggings and combat boots. I’d brushed my hair and decided to leave it down today.
Ever since Asher had entered my world, I brushed my hair.
His fingers had loved running through the strands when I did. So much of me missed him. He’d woven himself into the mundane threads of my everyday existence. It was both frustrating and nostalgic—carrying that one piece of happiness with me into whatever world came next.
I decided to walk, letting the autumn breeze fill my lungs, and headed toward West Adelaide Street to my favourite hidden gem—The Rabbit Hole.
