Beyond The Waves

Seventeen | Tie Your Boat

I thought I would have found the strength to visit the memorial by now, but I never did. For a moment, it was as though my brain convinced me it didn't exist. I changed the subject like I did best, and we talked about Kate's recent love life.

While I listened to her story, I found an outbound flight on Tuesday after the fundraiser, which gave me a couple of days to gather my things and tie up loose ends. Without hesitating or allowing myself to change my mind, I booked the flight, closed my computer, and walked to the kitchen, where I made something small to eat.

As I chopped leftover chicken breast, the lights flickered.

"I may lose power."

"Your voice keeps cutting out, too."

"Should we finally call it a night, then?"

"Maybe... it's late there anyways, isn't it?" she asked.

"Quarter till ten."

"And you are just eating dinner?"

"Leave me alone," I laughed, forking food into my mouth. "Oh, by the way, I found a flight for next Tuesday."

"That was fast. Will you be ready by then?"

"I think so. I don't have much to do here after the event."

"Well, I'll be waiting at the airport for you. Love you, Ives. See you soon."

"Love you too, Kate."

As if the universe wanted to scare me, the room went dark, and the radio in the living room shut off. The house was eerily silent like someone had placed noise-canceling headphones on my head with the ambient sound of a thunderstorm in the background.

All at once, I was a little girl again, scared of ghosts and being alone.

I scrambled for five minutes, digging through drawers for flashlights, only to find one-half dead that barely illuminated a foot in front of me. Alternatively, I settled on candles and a fire.

I lit the last wick when bright headlights flashed through the front house windows, casting shadows on the walls. I peered out the door to find Weston running from his car to my stoop, and I hid behind the wall like he was a stranger.

He was back and here.

Were we finally going to talk?

Three loud knocks echoed beside me, and I took a deep breath before letting him in.

His shirt and hair were damp from the rain, and his chest heaved as we stared at each other. He looked...lighter than he did when he left the other night. Wherever he ran away must've done some good.

"Hey," he broke the silence.

"Hi."

"Your power is out too."

"Yeah. It went out ten minutes ago."

I fidgeted with my hands.

"Are you free?" he asked.

I looked behind me as if an excuse would jump out at me from somewhere in the house, even though the last thing I wanted was for him to leave. Stepping aside, I said, "Yeah, you can come in if you'd like."

He set his shoes by the door and shook the water from his hair.

"Do you want tea?" His brows furrowed at my offer. "Gas stove," I clarified.

"Ahh. If you're having some, sure."

I needed to do something with my hands while our small talk blew over. Instead of sitting at the island, he leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching as I placed the kettle on the stove.