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“Seriously, though, I’m glad you’re doing this. I know it’s not easy to be there, but I’m proud of you, Luce.”
My chest tightens and I watch the waves crash into the shore a few feet from me. A sandpiper runs to the retreating waves, looking for a snack. I smile a little and close my eyes as the wind lifts my hair off my neck.
“I’m proud of me too,” I whisper. “This place reminds me so much of him, but in good ways. Being here always brings up these little moments with him that I never want to forget.”
“You won’t forget them, Luce. They’ll always be a part of you, just like him,” Allie reassures me.
I open my eyes and watch the sun setting, the rays of orange and pink shooting across the sky. Tears prick my eyes and I sigh heavily.
“I miss him so much,” I whisper.
“I know.”
“I think a part of my world will always feel a little off balance now that he’s gone. Like the space he filled in my life will always be empty.”
“I know that, too. But the world is wide, Lucy, and you have such a big heart. You’re going to find new spaces and fill them to the brim with memories. And, if we’re being honest, I think everyone’s personal atmosphere is a little off-kilter.”
I blink and wipe away the few stray tears that managed to slide down my cheeks.
“Who knew you could be so wise?”
Allie scoffs, “Everyone. I am extremely smart.”
I laugh and we talk for a little while longer about the guy Allie met at work the other day and how annoying her boss is. I hang up and stick my AirPods in my pocket, staring out at the ocean. A few minutes later, I hear something stir behind me and Wyatt sits next to me, his shoulder lightly brushing mine.
“Hey.” He smiles.
“Hey, is everything okay at home?” I ask, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Yep, all’s good. Willa’s freaking out about finals, but what else is new?”
I smile and we both turn to watch the sunset. Wyatt scoots a little closer, his arm wrapping my arm my shoulders and tugging me gently into him. I rest my head on his shoulder and silently marvel at how easily we fit together. My head tucked in between his neck and shoulder, his cheek resting on the top of my head. I reach my hand up to where his hangs off my shoulder and lace my fingers through his. We’re two puzzle pieces who finally found their home.
“Sunsets or sunrises?” I ask after a few minutes.
“That’s like choosing between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. They’re sort of the same category but totally different things. And both amazing in their own right,” Wyatt scoffs.
“Right now, at this moment, which do you choose? Sunrise or sunset?”
“Here’s the thing”—he swallows, and I’m fascinated by the way his neck moves—“sunsets are the best reminders that even endings have the potential to be breathtaking, they promise that just because something is over doesn’t mean it can’t still be beautiful. And sunrises, well, they’re our chance to start again. Maybe the question shouldn’t be sunrise or sunset, but ending or beginning?”
“That’s all very poetic, but you didn’t answer the question,” I tease.
Wyatt chuckles and kisses the top of my head.
“Sunrise,” he whispers after a minute. “I think I’m ready for a new beginning.”
I smile as the sunset fades into twilight and the stars begin to twinkle to life, the moon hovering over them.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Wyatt
