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Chapter One
Noah
The doorbell rang as I headed for Olivia’s room. My friend Darren was a little earlier than expected, but it wasn’t a problem. It could be weird estimating the amount of time it would take to get out here in the mountains. Travel depended on the weather, and for people who didn’t make the trek often, they tended to miss the dirt roads. Not that I minded. We didn’t get too many visitors — not for the past couple of years, anyway. I liked it that way. It made things more straightforward in the emotions department. All I had to worry about was myself and my daughter, and I kept myself pretty closed up, so Olivia was my main worry.
I almost said no to Darren when he asked to visit, but we hadn’t really hung out with one other in a while, and he said he’d bring his son along. Bryant was the same age as Olivia, and they got on really well, so I thought it could be a good idea. My daughter didn’t get to see too many people, especially kids her own age. And even though Bryant and Olivia were friends, their playdates weren’t exactly frequent. Usually, I would drop her off at their place. This was our first time hosting.
“Olivia, Darren and Bryant are here.”
My young daughter looked up from the picture she was coloring, excitement in her eyes. “Really?”
“Mmhm,” I nodded.
She put her crayons away and then came to join me. She reached up to grab my hand, and I took her tiny palm in mine.
“Are we going to play?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Olivia nodded. I could see the excitement bubbling up in her big blue eyes. The angelic smile on her face was heartwarming. It made me feel less wary of having Darren over. Hopefully, this was a good choice.
Ever since Kylie, my wife, passed, it’s felt weird allowing people into our home. Her younger sister, Scarlett, stayed with us for a year, helping me manage and look after Olivia, but for… reasons, I had to ask her to leave. It’s just been Olivia and me since then. All I could hope for was that Olivia was doing okay.
The two of us got to the door, and there was Darren with Bryant.
“Noah! It’s great to see you!”
I could see Darren trying to calculate how to greet me. He seemed to be waffling between a handshake and a hug. I made the decision for him by holding out my hand — touching is not something I’m comfortable with anymore. The handshake was awkward, but we made it through.
“Nice to see you too, Darren.”
I was already hating having to socialize, and I knew we’d do some talking later, but for now, I turned my attention to Olivia — an easy distraction.
Olivia was looking at Bryant, who was staring into our home. It could be a lot to take in for the first time, especially for a tiny child. I was about to try and facilitate something, but Olivia stepped forward all on her own.
“Do you want to see inside?” she asked in her musical voice.
Bryant nodded enthusiastically before letting Olivia take his hand. The two of them rushed into the house, and Darren and I followed them to Olivia’s playroom. The kids did fall easily into their own rhythm. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The two of them always found something to do with one another.
It did leave Darren and me sitting next to one another while we watched them. The silence lasted longer than I expected, but I was comfortable with it. Darren, on the other hand, needed it broken, which was precisely what he did.
“So, how have you been?”
I turned my head to look at my old buddy. It did suck that things between Darren and I were so awkward. We’d been friends since high school and managed to keep contact throughout the years, but when Kylie passed away, our friendship didn’t survive me shutting Olivia and myself off from the world. He’d send a holiday card, and maybe I’d get a text here or there. I’d drop Olivia off to play with Bryant but never stick around. It was clear things between us had changed, and a lot of it fell on me. But it was for the better. It was the way things had to be.
“I’m fine. Olivia and I are fine.”
“Really?”
I could see the concern in his eyes. This was the very thing I had been trying to avoid. It was kind of my friend to be worried, I guess, but I didn’t want to have to manage his feelings towards me — it just complicated things.
I was about to try and find a way to get out of the conversation when the doorbell rang again, jolting me out of my seat. It was very unexpected. People never just came to my house. It wasn’t easy to get to, and I never let anyone over. In my mind, this didn’t feel like a good thing.
