Superposition (Starting Position Sequel)

Chapter 26

A/N: as you may have read, Starting Position made the Wattys Shortlist this year, and to celebrate, I am posting all of the remaining chapters of Superposition! Yay! All chapters are up so you can read as fast or as slow as you want. Enjoy! And thank you to everyone for all of your support ❤️

xxx

We took a trip to the beach a few days later. As my mom had predicted, it was chilly and drizzling, but like her, I always preferred the beach like this. Few people visited the shores in this weather, and so sand dollars and seashells littered the untouched sand at low tide. As we walked the beach, the frigid ocean breeze mixed with the soft rain, and—as it expressed how I felt inside—rather than turn away from the wind, I walked into it, as if it could peel away my layers of grief. I wandered towards the huge rocks towering the shoreline and stood alone, mesmerized by the water crashing against the stone. As I focused on the lullaby of the booming waves, I found my mind emptying of all thoughts of Elliot and the impending lunch with my father and felt my body relax. By the time my mom and Erin joined me, my shoulders felt lighter.  We returned to the promenade, stocked up on some saltwater taffy and a huge caramel apple, and the three of us piled into my mom's SUV.  As we drove home, it occurred to me that it had been a nice day—the first I'd had in a while.

    Today, however, was a day I would rather avoid. Erin had warned me the evening I'd gotten home that she'd scheduled today to get lunch with our father; I had been dreading its arrival and had counted the days as they passed by, but as is true with time, I couldn't stop it, and the moment inevitably arrived when Erin and I ventured to the fateful restaurant.

    Just before we stepped through the main doors, I pulled Erin aside. "Listen," I said, "Whatever happens, just know that we can leave whenever you want, okay? Whenever. Just tell me, and we'll go." She nodded, and I continued, "This is going to be hard for me, Erin, okay? I don't – my memories are different from yours."

    "I know," she said sincerely.

    Stealing a quick breath, I said, "Okay. Let's get this over with."

    The two of us then crept through the font doors and were greeted immediately by a hostess. Erin explained that we had reservations and were meeting someone, and she perked up and pointed to the back corner of the restaurant. Erin and I both followed her finger. A man with rich brown hair was seated at the booth, his back facing us.

    My chest felt tight, and my breathing ran wild. All control I thought I had established before flew out the window. It was only Erin and me now.

    We started walking down the aisle, and with each step, my chest constricted even more. Soon, we reached the booth. Even though I didn't want to be here, I stood closest to my father, as it made me feel as though I was protecting Erin in some way.

    The man in the booth turned towards us, and as his features became clear, a whirlwind of memories swept around me. His dark hair was the same, maybe a little thinner, his face more weathered, but his eyes were still blue – clear and bright like a cloudless day – and this only made me angry, because I remembered his eyes from back then. They were always this way – light and open – and I remembered thinking how could a man with such eyes be so full of such deceit?

    "H-Hi," he said, his voice rough but clean. Initially, his gaze fell over me, but it eventually became trained on Erin, as he stood from the booth and said, "Wow. I don't – look at you. You're so – you're just..." He bit his cheek. "I can't believe it's you."

    Erin swooped behind me a bit and said, "Hi."

    "I'm just – I'm so." His eyes returned to mine, and despite wanting to look away, I didn't. I met his stare fully; anger reared inside of me and it pricked at my skin with heat.