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I never expected my other half to leave me behind forever.
Thea’s necklace had never been recovered, even though I was positive she had been wearing it the last night of her life. She always wore it.
My heart panged as I paused at a section of tables on the second level, tables Thea and I had studied at when we were cramming for a big test. Even in college, we’d come here and work: she’d edit photos and I’d do homework. Those times had been so fleeting, and I hadn’t even realized it.
Clenching my jaw, I turned away from the tables and hurried into the stacks. I knew coming back to Ember Hollow would bring back memories, but I wasn’t expecting how acute the pain would be.
I hurried down the aisles of books, wanting to get as far away from the tables as I could. I’d been looking for comfort and coziness, but that wasn’t what I was getting.
My breath heavy, I finally stopped and looked around. I was in the non-fiction section, near the wooden banister where I could see down into the lower level. There was still a crowd down in the cafe, the line even longer than it had been when I’d come in. Luckily, the stacks up here were quiet.
The beats of my heart started to slow as I gained control of my emotions, forcing myself to inhale deep and slow. I’d been working hard for nine years to try to keep memories of Thea locked away. Not because I didn’t cherish them, but exactly because of this reason…it was too painful.
It was easier to run away from pain than to face it.
I uncurled my hand from my necklace, stretching out my stiff fingers. I needed to get hold of myself. As I meandered down the aisle, I sipped my coffee and glanced at the spines of the books. Near the end of the row was a new section of books labeled: Local Authors and Books.
I ran my hand along the spines, searching for any familiar names when my stomach dropped. I froze as I recognized the title of a photography book. With slightly trembling fingers, I grabbed the book from its place on the shelf.
It was a collection of photos from around the town of Ember Hollow, a book that the arts department of the college had produced. My throat tightened as I took in the cover. It was a stunning photo of the river. I remembered the day Thea had taken it.
She had more than a few photos featured in the book. She had been such a talented photographer, even in college. I blinked back tears that threatened to surface. My hands trembled, and with my coffee still mostly full and with no lid, it sloshed over the rim and dripped down my hand. I glanced around for somewhere to set it down. The thick banister was right next to me, definitely wide enough for the coffee. I stepped toward it, reaching to set the plastic cup down, when the large photography book started to slip out of my other hand. A brief moment of panic had my brain overfiring, and I couldn’t figure out how to keep both the coffee and the heavy book in my hand.
Thinking back, it would’ve been wise to let the book fall to the floor. It wouldn’t have hurt it much. But my mind couldn’t process that in the milliseconds it took to happen. So, instead of letting the book fall, I let go of the freaking coffee.
It was too late to stop anything by the time I registered how very bad a decision that was. I watched in horror as the full cup of coffee flew over the edge of the banister and down into the cafe below.
The buzz of the cafe went almost silent.
Leaning over the banister, my whole body locked up as I gazed down at where my coffee had landed.
Right on top of a man waiting in the line at the counter. A man who was blinking coffee out of his pretty green eyes as he looked up at me.
A man who I’d known almost as long as I’d known Thea.
It was her older brother, Reid Ramsey.
4
Reid
I caught a glimpse of large sunglasses and blonde hair before a gasped “Oh, my God” and she was gone.
Confused, I swiped my forearm across my face and eyes that were dripping with…coffee?
I frowned at the smears and splashes of brown liquid on my shirt, sniffing. Definitely coffee. What the hell?
“Reid, I am so, so sorry. Are you all right?”
That voice was entirely familiar. I glanced up and saw those oversized sunglasses that had looked down on me from the upper floor. The blonde woman wore a black baseball hat that was slightly askew, like her sunglasses were now. The gray cardigan draped over her thin shoulders was so oversized it almost swallowed her.
When I didn’t say anything right away, she started wringing her hands.
“God, I’m so stupid. I should’ve known better than to walk around without a freaking lid on my coffee.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Please tell me I didn’t somehow also hurt you, along with literally dumping my drink over your head.”
I blinked at her. “Do I…know you?”
Her body tensed, freezing as if a realization had struck her. She reached for the sunglasses, her fingers pausing a beat on the frames before taking them off.
